Determine the style that best fits your purposes and check out these new broadheads
Like many things in today’s world, modern broadheads are available in a mind-blowing array of different brands and designs. This can make choosing which to carry in your quiver this year seem nearly impossible.
If you want to start a heated argument amongst a group of bowhunters, just ask which broadheads they prefer. Bowhunters tend to be strongly opinionated when it comes to broadhead selection. The fact of the matter is, all of them will work. There is not a broadhead on the market that won’t quickly dispatch an animal with proper shot placement.
By the same token, however, none of them will get the job done efficiently with a marginal hit. The key is to make the best selection for your style of hunting and the game you will be pursuing.
Which suits you?
The first major consideration is design. Do you want to shoot mechanical or fixed-blade heads? Which cutting diameter will work best? How many blades should your broadhead have? All of these are important considerations when choosing a broadhead.
Fixed-blade broadheads generally penetrate better than mechanicals due to the fact that they don’t use any kinetic-energy deploying blades. This makes them a better choice for larger game such as elk, bear or moose. Their drawback is they are less forgiving of tuning issues and sloppy form. Either problem can cause their point of impact to vary drastically.
Mechanical heads often offer field tip-like accuracy and larger cutting diameters, but the trade-off can be reduced penetration.
The number of blades is a personal preference. More blades mean more cutting surface, but the trade-off again is reduced penetration. A good rule of thumb is that as the size of the animal being hunted increases, the number of blades should decrease.
The next major consideration is brand choice. Choose a brand that is reputable and known for producing sharp, durable blades. This is no place to cut corners, since your broadhead is the product that is ultimately killing the game you are targeting. Although some designs are unique to one brand, you often have a choice of several brands when making a purchase. Choose a brand that you have confidence in. Here are but a few of the many notable broadheads on the market this year.
Muzzy
The folks at Muzzy have been producing quality broadheads since 1984, and they have unveiled a new design this year with the MUZZY ONE. This fixed, 3-blade broadhead is machined from a solid piece of stainless steel. It is available in 100-grain only and features a 11/8-inch cutting diameter. This follows a shift across the market in recent years to simplistic, one-piece heads but adds Muzzy’s notorious sharpness.
Trophy Ridge
Trophy Ridge has long been known for its high-quality, mechanical broadheads, and its newest offering under the SIK brand builds on that tradition. The SIK SK2 rear-deploy broadhead features one-of-a-kind, 2.1-inch offset blades. This results in an oval-shaped, 2.1-inch entry wound for devastating damage and massive blood trails. This wound is also much less likely to clot in the event of a marginal hit. The SK2 is available in 100-grain only. It offers new Fliteloc technology and is also rated for crossbows up to 410 feet per second.
Quality Archery Designs
QAD has long been known for their award-winning arrow rests, but in recent years, its Exodus broadheads have been gaining notoriety. These offer the unique Blade Over Shaft Technology where the blades sweep back over the arrow shaft, creating a short, compact head. This results in better arrow flight, while maintaining extreme penetration and a large cutting diameter. With a cutting diameter of 1¼ inches and .040-inch thick blades, this broadhead is a solid offering. Blades are also fully replaceable. These broadheads are offered in both a solid and swept blade.
Grim Reaper
The folks at Grim Reaper manufacture a huge array of different designs, but they are perhaps best known for their over-the-top mechanical broadheads. A few years ago, they debuted a new, 4-blade design with the Carni-Four broadhead. This design results in a huge, square wound channel that leads to massive blood trails and resists clotting. This year, they have expanded the technology to include the Whitetail Extreme, a 125-grain head that offers an even larger cutting diameter. The Pro-Series broadheads, which includes the Carni-Four and Whitetail Extreme, feature extended tips to prevent deflection on angled shots. I have personally hunted with the Carni-Four and can attest that it is lethal.
Rage
Rage revolutionized the broadhead market many years ago by bringing slip-cam technology to the forefront. Their newest broadheads are the Rage Hypodermic NC (No Collar) and Hypodermic NC Crossbow. These new designs do not require a shock collar to retain the blades. This makes installing them on your arrows easier. The rear-deploy design limits the amount of penetration lost to blade deployment.
Summary
As you can see there, is no shortage of quality broadheads on today’s market. There is a design for nearly any hunting situation you can imagine. Stop by your local bow shop today and check out some of these products.
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