Grim Reaper Broadheads
Equipment
You have an older design product. Newer models do not require messing around with so you just screw them on. Last year I shot animals with 5 different mechanicals and 3 different fixed heads. Learned a ton as it pertains to my hunting. This is a picture of the offside shoulder bone from a doe. Excellent "front deploy" head!
Only mechanicals I'd use right now.
The last grim reaper kill I saw was a Tim wells shot on YouTube I believe. And it absolutely mangled the chest cavity.
I like that they don't need a band, or anything to hold them.
Missed a big Tom this year with one because I got impatient. It did a number to the tree I hit though. Hahaha
No link.. mobile site always puts a blank link in sorry!
I've killed a couple of south Texas deer and hogs with them. Have had great luck with my GR heads. Great blood trails, short death runs. Having said that, I still prefer fixed blade heads and I've switched back to those just because I know they work every time. Will I every shoot GR again? Yeah, for hunting here around the house in the local area, but for all hunting trips out of state/country, sticking with a fixed head. Just personal preference.
I'm going to offend here and it's not my intentions, just stating the obvious. But while watching countless hunting shows on TV or YouTube where they are using mechanicals, more often than not, the animal runs off with the arrow sticking out the entry side. Do they usually find the animal, Yes, but I sure prefer a complete pass through. But at the end of the day, it's up to each hunter to choose the head they feel most comfortable with and have the most confidence in.
They have worked well for me for years on all types of game. I will be using them again this year.
"I'm going to offend here and it's not my intentions, just stating the obvious. But while watching countless hunting shows on TV or YouTube where they are using mechanicals, more often than not, the animal runs off with the arrow sticking out the entry side."
I suspect it is because they are using low poundage bows. I have yet to see any broadhead not get a pass thru shooting 70 lbs, including mechanicals (my bow kills). I have turned down my bow to 60 lbs and have not taken an animal with it at that poundage... yet. I expect a pass thru with this poundage as well.
just another thought, pass thru's are not the "holy grail". Several years ago, a pass thru was not a desired shot. They use to promote non pass thru's. The idea was that the broadhead would stay in the animal and continue to cut with each movement of the animal. Things change and so do theories. Bottom line, as long as it dispatches the critter, it is doing it's job.
I watched a show where one of the Drurys said his bow is set in the 40# range - presumably so he can hold at full draw much longer. Only on the internet are his penetration issues due to the broadhead...
It's the culmination of the parts which make the system operate. Introducing one questionable component can compromise the whole. You don't seem to get that Matt, it's ok, you're not the only one behind the curve.
Everything about his set up is adequate except one part... would you like multiple choices? True or false? Need a cheat sheet?
"It's the culmination of the parts which make the system operate. Introducing one questionable component can compromise the whole. You don't seem to get that Matt, it's ok, you're not the only one behind the curve. "
There are lots of guys on this site who have had uncompromised success with "questionable components". It begs the question of what is "questionable" in this debate.
I've shot somewhere north of 70 animals with MBH's - not one benefitted from your perspective.
Experience > agenda
They're a good head. I prefer steelheads and their steel ferrule to aluminum, but they are my best friend's favourite head and his animals all die dead.
The other thing with arrows hanging out is it is extremely common for arrows to "bounce back" or want to pull out of an animal. In extremely slow motion you can see arrows penetrate to the offside and then immediately pull back an easy 4-6" so fast it is almost not visible. This also happens easier with front deployed blades as they simply fold forward again. A lot of people will mistake this for terrible penetration. I've don it on animals I shot and then when I looked inside the cavity I saw a shoulder bone on the offside with a spot where the tip broke the bone. Everything is not always as bad as it seems...
I have a couple of buddies that shoot them and they are devastating. I've been pretty impressed with them. I don't shoot them as I like my fixed heads but they are good heads.
Lee
Charlie, is that a four blade head in the leg bone?
Yes, Carni-four. Had good luck with the Pro Series 3 blade as well.
Thanks. I didn't know a four blade MB existed. I just watched a few videos of hunters using the head. Must not have been the Drury's, 'cause they had pass throughs.
I'm going to order some. They look a lot like my favoured Spitfire's, only with an extra blade. Trocar point, front deploy, lot's of cut, forgiving flight. All things I like.
Now is that a 25% better chance of not opening over a three blade!? lol
"I've shot somewhere north of 70 animals with MBH's - not one benefitted from your perspective.
Experience > agenda"
This is the internet, experience doesn't matter here.
Interesting read. I'm considering the Grimm Reaper Whitetail Special's this fall for a change - just because I'm curious, totally happy with my current mech's. Cool to see continued good vibes about GR heads. I dont know anyone personally who has had bad luck with them...
Will, I shot a doe one time that I thought was a "perfect" shot. It went 30 and crashed. Cool i thought. Kept sitting for a buck. 40 minutes later it's head is up, another 20 it stands up and over the next hour it gets up and walks away. Never recovered. Found the bones weeks later and ribs broke right where I want em. I believe broadhead worked perfectly, nothing to blame on it, but now you know someone who has had bad luck with em ;) When I use expandables I stick with a steelhead just because I've never had bad luck with them.
For Grim Reapers though, I'd stick with the 1 3/8" cut myself. The 2" Whitetail Special just seems like way too much blade if you hit a shoulder. Then again I'm not a huge fan of the long aluminum ferrule either.
A agree with APauls on the 1 3/8" being the best width. In my opinion 2 inches on a three blade is too much of a road block especially with front deploy.
I am still testing different heads and think Carcus is on to something with using different heads for different hunts.
PS: In the last 35 years I've used 3 fixed heads (one at a time) for all my hunts but the availability of many great heads has me all over the market now:) I will not judge a head if I haven't used it. There is one Mechanical broadhead company I had amazing success with one of their heads and another one was junk.
I like the look of the grim reaper fatal steels. I think between grim reaper razor tip and steelheads those have to be two of the best mechanicals. A lot of people use them with great success
I was bowhunting for Mountain Goat with Dennis Zadra of Lonesome Dove Outfitters about ten years ago. I hunt with fixed blade broadheads these days, but I remember that Dennis commented that Grim Reaper broadheads were the only mechanical broadhead that he would allow his clients to bowhunt with. Considering the number of hunters that an outfitter gets in the course of a year, I took his comment to be a positive for Grim Reaper.
I have killed 2 elk with Grim Reaper 1 3/8" heads, and witnessed 4 or 5 others. All were good close shots and all animals died quickly. They are good heads. I usually use Slick Tricks, but would have no issue using GRs again on elk.
I read in their advertising they claim "huge" entrance holes. My understanding is over the top heads are known for NOT having large entrance holes, thus the rear deploy designs.
Having never used them, on a 2" head do they leave a 2" entry? Or is it like other over the top holes I've seen? They deploy fast enough for a large entry?
Ive killed a few deer with the original 1 3/8 razortip, i would use them again. Tried the new pro series last year, but did not like how stiff the spring were in them, the blades were very difficult to open compared to the originals.
I still use them for whitetails, BUT ONLY the chisel tip. I had the tip of the cut on contact tip bend on a minor shoulder hit a couple of years ago. Still recovered deer, but not taking chance. Sent head to GR and they sent me free chisel tip heads. No issues since then. Have also used them on hogs with success.
I put my BHs through extensive durability testing just because. I have had very good results on big deer with the GR Fatal Steels. My friend has as well. I am also looking forward to testing the new G5 Deadmeat BHs. Mine just arrived in the mail. They are a rear deploy 3 blade 1.5" cut which is as much as I want in a MB 3 blade. I'll post my results. I don't shoot cinder blocks but do shoot through plywood. Yes, I know, no one hunts plywood but it is a good durability test for a MB imo.
I've played with them. Just make sure you test the opening of them first. I had 2 packs that would not open without considerable force. Sent them back to GR and they were replaced without question. They even called me to try to chase down the source as they were aware of a bad batch that weren't machined right. I think that was a rare, one-off, issue, but I'd still check each head before use.
I had good success with many, but one did not open on a hog. Penetrated little, and when I found the arrow with the head, the blades were not deployed and took considerable effort to pull back. Weren't bent, either. SDHNTR's story makes sense from what I saw. I'm back to a fixed blade, trying the Ramcat next time.
used them on a doe hunt and coyote. Don't like the forward deploying head. Entrance hole is very small. Also, penetration is much less compared to other broadheads I've used, so I ditched them.
Not a fan of all the parts either.
