Montec broadheads
Equipment
Some people say these heads are as dull as a butt and impossible or at least difficult to get sharp. I hear some people say they are sharp, they just don't "feel" sharp which is something I can't understand. I know they will fly well and penetrate well, but my concern is how the blood trails will be with them. What is your take on them? Can a broadhead really be sharp and just not "feel" very sharp?
I never had an issue when I used them. Loved the CS Montec. Killed animals for me, now if they would just make them for the D6!
Wrong bh tobin.
I had crap luck with sharpening them. I rolled along with "sharp but don't feel it" argument. Killed a doe, the arrow barely fluttered out the opposite side. Should've been 4" in the dirt. Blood was dismal at best, luckily I heard her crash less than 50yds away. My advice, there are tons of better options unless you can figure out how to sharpen.
The original stainless versions were terrible to sharpen. The CS versions were better. I am no mental guy but there is a difference between sharpening a Montec and a VPA. VPA sharpen extremely easier then Montecs.
I just seen a 3 pack of montecs at an archery store yesterday for $45 for 3. That kind of money I would be shooting a VPA for sure.
As far as feeling the edge. The edge angle is 30 degrees I believe. So it will not feel the same as say a Slick Trick. The ol rubber band test will tell you how sharp they are.
I've had them work well once or twice for me...
I've killed 6 elk with the 100 grain montecs, so from my experience they are clearly "sharp enough". I've typically had pass throughs even out to 60 yards. I can't remember an arrow staying in an elk that didn't hit the off shoulder. I have yet to find ANY broadhead that will penetrate the chest cavity of an elk and still exit after hitting the off shoulder. As always, shot placement is key. For all of you who want to get rid of your "dull, crappy" Montecs, please send them my way... Bill
My wife and I have both killed deer with them.
Stainless has a different grain structure than most CS and takes a little more time to get the same edge. Also, the injection molding process will have a different grain structure as well as opposed to something that is rolled, annealed, machined, and then tempered to release any residual stress and add toughness.
I've shot elk with Montecs at 40 yds with complete pass throughs, more like "zip" throughs...
Been using Montec 125s for many years....on deer, elk, antelope, caribou and moose. Never had a reason to switch to anything else.
I used to have some. They weren't all that hard to sharpen at least partially sharpen. Every one I had never did have a perfectly straight edge. After I sharpened them, there was always a portion of the blade that stone never touched. But they did shoot good and if you are satisfied with something that doesn't have a true edge, go for it. I'm only talking about 1/4 of an inch or less that I never could get an edge on.
Yes, they penetrated well for me as well as good flight. But poor blood trails is why I switched a few years ago to slick tricks. Glad I did. I think there are better choices than the montecs.
Never could get them sharp. I switched to stingers and they are way easier to sharpen and fly as well or better. No brainer for me.
I use the 100 grain and 125 grain Montecs out of my stickbows with no issues at all. My 2016 bull was shot just a lil over 26 yards with a 50# longbow slightly quartering away and the head stuck in the off leg with great blood. I do like the Montecs and have no issues sharpening them.
No clue. I tried their stone and I tried a leather strop with compound. It just wasn't worth it for me. They flew great but so do most heads.
Time, a coarse stone, followed by a slate, finished with leather. They get sharp that way.
I'm not trying to be offensive but Montecs would be at the bottom of the list on broadheads of that type that I would use. I would use Snuffer SS, VPA and Hellrazors (just to name a few) before them. To be fair....I only have experience with the original Montec but I am not a fan of their sharpness and ability to be sharpened.
As others have said, the Montec SS's are dull. The Montec 100 CS's are plenty sharp out of the box though. I've shot Muskox and most of the large African plains game with them. The Montec CS's will be in my quiver this fall.
I agree with what others have said. They are very difficult to sharpen, and I was not impressed with the blood trails. I switched away from them after about two years.
Killed two elk, a bear,a moose, two Sitka blacktails and a turkey with them. Everyone a passthrough including two passthroughs on the moose. Have been disappointed in the performance of other much more expensive heads. That said I would favor the CS version unless hunting wet climates in which they rust easily. Can put a little gun oil on to combat that. I think penetration has more to do with arrow weight/momentum than sharpness of head. Have had some success sharpening the SS montecs on their steel g5 sharpening plate. They don't get razor sharp though.
I like how they fly. Got them sharp, easy to tune but... Shot two deer in one day with them. Neither left a blood trail. I had one drop from a doe and was able to track her prints in the snow. Double lung....nastiest bloodiest gut job I ever had. Shot a buck that night. Watched him drop but no blood trail at all. Oh and I did lose a deer earlier in the week, but that was more operator error than the head. I am convinced that with a bigger head I would have recovered that one.
Have not read any responses.
Used them for 2 years. Killed everything I shot with them, more than a dozen whitetails, 1 black bear, couple of turks. I only switched back to Thunderheads because I was not getting good blood trails. I thought they were dull, and I am not good at holding the proper angle to sharpen them. But, they flew right where my field points did. Best I ever had in that regard. Have 3 unopened packages, and since they are not cheap I think that says a lot about my lack of confidence in them. But it could be just me, again I have not read any other posts.
Overwhelming number of opinions match yours HfW. No doubt the lack of good BT is due to dullness. Not to mention they are basically pot metal to begin with, not even the cheapest of knives are made of that crap.
I like g5's designs, montec and stryker, but their materials are piss poor, if you buy at full blown retail you're getting raped. I can't remember what I paid for the montecs but I know I've gotten strykers for less than $30/per 3.... at least they're sharp but with the complaints of bent ferrells I'm thinking that its made of the same cast material as montecs.. i don't know.
I'm not sure why you would ever choose to shoot a Montec over a VPA. Virtually the same head but the VPA is superior in every way. Can anyone tell me why they would? Not trying to bash you Montec guys, just wondering what I am missing.
VPA's aren't on very many shelves and to the less informed hunter the montecs "look" as good (maybe bettter to some) as other similar styled bh's. I'd take redhead blackouts over montecs at a fraction of the cost. When I bought mine all I saw was a sweet looking 3blade coc head, little did I know.
Come on Ohio, this is Bowsite. There's no uninformed hunters here :)
Sh*t, I thought I was on archery talk!
I switched from Thunderheads to Montecs several years ago.....way before VPA ever hit the market. Impressed by their fixed blade accuracy, learning to sharpen them did not bother me.
Acquired quite a few heads on sale over the years and have never been disappointed their performance...which includes complete pass throughs on moose and elk.
Sharpening has become part of my pre hunt ritual. Doesn't bother me at all. Unless my results take an unexpected nose dive....doubt I'll ever switch. You know what they say....if it ain't broke.
I tend to agree with PAV. If it ain't t broke...
I switched to Montec in 03 (had shot Thunderheads and Andersen heads for years) after seeing the damage my wife's arrow did to her first black bear. Thank Sharpening a Montec is easier than folks can imagine. You can use a flat stone or flat steel, or their sharpening steel and a leather straap. A sharpee pen can also be helpful if you want. The process is easy:
Mark the cutting surface with the marker.
Place the broadhead flat on the steel, or stone and slide it I a side to side motion while applying steady downward pressure. Continue the side-side motion until the ink is no longer visible.
Repeat with all three sides of the head.
Next, lay the straap on a flat surface. Draw it ferrule first towards tip 8 or so times on each side.
Test sharpness using a stretched rubber band, it should break with minimal effort.
The sharpening.process works on the Montec SS, CS and Pink heads.
Same as PAV, been shooting Montecs for years before I heard of VPA and had excellent results. I find them simple to sharpen and they fly great for me. I had a complete pass through on a bull elk last fall taking out a rib on each side at 50 yards. I have recently purchased some 125 and 150 grain 3 blade VPA's and I'm looking forward to trying then this year. I do believe the VPA is a superior broadhead to the Montec.
Glad vpa has been brought up. Try a pack and then compare ur notes. If you pay any attention to details I have zero doubt you'll be shooting Vpa's!
I don't think the same model applies to both Montec and VPA. One is made to produce large quantities and the other more of a custom shop made to order. To mass produce, some finer quality will be sacrificed. For finer quality, you will pay for it.
At the end of the day they both kill, and kill well. I've used Montec, VPA, and Wac'em. This year I'm giving Slick Trick a whirl. I'd wager the ST's kill just as good as the previous 3 do.
