Back to fixed blades. What flies best?
Equipment
I went to mechanicals years ago because I had trouble grouping my fixed-blade broadheads. Been wanting to go back to fixed blades. I'd love to hear what y'all think on this. What fixed-blade head flies closest to field points?
any quality fixed should perform very well out of a properly tuned bow. I don't think arrow flight should be the reason a person picks a expandable over fixed. That being said..... I switched to mechanical several years back because of poor flight. 5 -6 years ago I switched back, got more into tuning and haven't looked back.
Muzzy MX3. I shot a 250# mule deer the other day end to end, over 40" of travel, complete pass thru, dead in 30 yards, 5 seconds, I won't shoot anything else. With that said, Shot placement is #1. Ed F
They all fly good some a little better than others so long as the bow is tuned, you do not torque the bow, and the heads spin true..
Good luck
Pretty much any of them so long as your setup is tuned properly and the broadheads are straight on the shaft. Many raw arrow shafts are not exactly straight at either end so do the roll test before you cut them to length and glue in the insert (if possible). If they are already fletched and cut, roll them to check for straightness before selecting your hunting shafts.
Ed is the man. Nice buck buddy
Can't go wrong with Slick Trick. I prefer the Viper 125.
For a couple of years, I shot a Bowtech Commander (27” draw and about 7 GPP, so probably not nearly as fast a rig as many are using).
Magnus Stingers flew perfectly with FPs out to 50 yards; NAP Hellrazors flew great, too - almost no wing area there to cause a problem.
But any reasonably-sized head that spins true should work fine...
I am in the minority. I don’t find that all fixed blade head shoot as well as one another. Before I get the bow tuning BS comments. I can and do tune my bows and other peoples bows to a damn high level. From group shooting vs control groups at longer distance (70 ish ) the fixed blade heads that group noticeably better for me are Soilds and IW, Slick Trick viper tricks, wac ems.
Get good to excellent resultsm slightly below the as the above listed from......muzzy trocars, ST standards and mags, Strickland helix, QADS, steelfoce phat heads, magus black hornets. Heads that shoot noticeably poorer for me at that distance have been VPAs( three bladed) dirt naps( especially bad), muzzy mx 3 and 4.
I have few other head that I want to shoot a bit as well so that list is aways changing.
Thanks! I won't pretend to be great at tuning, but my experience is that some do fly better than others, even in a properly-tuned bow.
VPA, Great fixed blade heads and easy to sharpen. I shoot the 175 grainers out of my recurves and compound. I shoot the inch and an eighth ones. They seem to fly the best for me. Shawn
I agree with Trial 153. not to say at within 20 yards on a deer, they will not do the job, but I prefer as perfect of flight as I can get. You bet a tuned bow, is needed, but also a spin test on your shafts. A lot of guys believe a new arrow is perfect, so buyer beware, shoot a good shaft.......
I like Wasp Boss heads, Ram Cats, Magnus heads, Muzzys, ST, and I do get good flight out of DRTs, so pick a head system, borrow some from friends, if you can, and start to shoot.......................
I prefer the Wasp and Ram Cats above all else
What Trial153 and Hunts with Kids said. FWIW I get great flight out of Slick Trick Standards.
Muzzy Trocar = one to consider ...
Got very good flight out of all fixed blades tried over the years, as long as they were in original condition, and the bow was really well tuned for BH flight.
I did find that one BH was particularly easy to get good results with immediately after assembly and even after considerable practice into a hard clay hillside where I did most of my practice shooting. That was the NAP Thunderhead. Part of the reason was probably the rubber o-ring used by that head which puts more of the responsibility for a good alignment and a true spin on the threaded portion of the shank and the insert. I always use the Easton inserts with the long shanks and the Easton or Beman shafts that fit those shanks with a slip fit with no discernible shake. I have never used any sort of squaring device, or needed any.
These heads have also demonstrated the best durability in practice and hunting of any heads I have ever used, and have thoroughly impressed me with their penetration on game.
If there are any downsides to their use, the only ones I have ever heard about is that they do require a little more care in assembly to insure that the blades are properly secured in the ferrules, and a routine check of that condition is a good habit to acquire as part of the daily hunting preparation routine. They will usually be snug and ready, but occasionally one will be a little loose and need a quick snugging twist of the shaft before starting from home or camp. And like any head that tightens using the threads of the inserts, the use of any spiral or helical fletching should be the more normally used right helical or spiral as the the other would tend to loosen the blade retention with every impact into a target or animal.
Aside from those two minor points, I have found them to be pretty much the perfect answer to most of the other problems that BH's encounter. The tips are VERY hard and quite small. They can be sharpened to a sharp needle point for easy penetration with just a few strokes against a handheld stone and stand up well to repeated practice shots even if they hit solid wood or bone. No curling worries unless you hit rock or glass. The blades come out quickly and easily for sharpening, and hold their edges better than most (tempted to say ANY others, but I haven't tried them all). They don't sharpen as quickly and easily as ones with inferior steels, but do reward the sharpener with an edge that will be worth the effort.
II have tried a number of others through the years, mostly just to practice with and test during he summer, and have found some I like almost as well, but I'm currently stocking up on more of my favorite 125 gr TH's and some spare parts to probably last me through my remaining years of bowhunting. I'm that certain that this head has answered all the requirements that I have stopped looking for any others that may have somehow surpassed it.
Wasp Boss fly really well, as do Slick Trick standards, but the Wasps group just a little better. I've been shooting them out to 100 yards.
I've had good luck with Muzzy 4 blade and Magnus Stingers (both 100 gr) grouping with my field points out to 60 yards. It has been my experience that 100 gr VPA non vented heads hit considerably higher out of my rig than those heads mentioned above and others.
Magnus Black Hornets are a beast of a broadhead and fly as true as you could want.
I’ve had no issues with black hornets, stingers, buzzcuts, and slick trick standards & mags. Never was happy with muzzy or vpa, vented or solid. Craig
My Thunderheads fly just as well as my field points.
I have found that there are two factors which affect accuracy more than any others. First is alignment, if you can spin a broadhead on your finger and not feel any wobble you have good alignment. If you have good alignment the other factor is the diameter of the blades. The smaller the blades the better the accuracy, regardless of the number of blades. That is why I prefer a small diameter four blade broadhead. Four blades more than makes up for the smaller diameter. e.g. a 1 inch four blade has 7% more cut than a 1 1/4 three blade. With that said, I like the slick trick. I can shoot magnum and standard blades in the same ferrule and pick whether I want maximum cutting for close range targets like bear or turkey or maximum accuracy for farther shots like antelope or elk.
Flight has little to do with the broadhead. Fix your tune/form issues first. Then shoot what you like.
QAD Exodus swept blade. Has a unique shaft that sets the blades back over the arrow shaft. EXTREMELY sharp and THICK tough blades. I shoot them with field points mixed in on our range out to 80 yards. They group together if your bow is tuned properly.
Just got some NAP Hellrazors in 125 grains from Cabelas. They have them on sale for $25 bucks. Screwed them on and was shooting great with them out to 60 yards yesterday. Also Magnus Stingers fly great for me.
Most accurate and forgiving and sharpest I've ever used is the Iron Will.
Next in all 3 categories would be the QAD exodus swept blade. Decent price point. Close behind would be the Viper Trick.
I've probably shot like 20 different fixed heads. Those rise to the top IMO. Although even considering that, there are a lot of good fixed heads. I've never had a fixed head I couldn't get to shoot well and with my FP, but the above are most FORGIVING when it comes to the moment of truth.
I’ve been shooting Iron wills lately and they have been shooting great
Ramcats are another head that fly well
Q: "What fixed-blade head flies closest to field points?"
A: None unless the bow and arrows are properly tuned and balanced.
Another yes for Magnus. They fly like darts and get the job done. Lots of good heads as long your bow is tuned.
I've gotten the best flight out of slick trick standards. But the mags and razor tricks have little to no different to the mags. Those are all shot out to 50. And my bow tuned very well.
Wish you could still get broadheads for $20 for a 3 pack (like the good ol' days). I think I have plenty of good options. Thanks to everyone for your input.
Muzzy 4 blade heads are under $40 for 6.
Like I said, $25 bucks for 3 Hellrazors at Cabelas right now.
Another vote for Exodus, i use mechs for deer and bear
I cam only recommend what I use and have been using for over 13 years. Give Wasp Boss SST 3 blade broad heads a look. I have gone through 3 different compounds since switching to the Boss SST's, but have never changed my broad head because they work superbly. Back in 2005 I got drawn for a very good LE elk unit and knew I would have to practice my a$$ off from the ground because 99.9%of all my bow hunting had been done from stands. 2005 was also the year I switched to the Wasp Boss SST's. I made up a rather good archery range in a wooded area that was sort of a no mans land in back of a large lake that bordered a large industrial complex. Unfortunately a lot of slovenly people had used this area as a dump. I took advantage of this fact and used the multitude of tires and old steel garbage cans as make shift supports for my foam archery targets. I practiced shooting from every position I could possibly imagine to prepare myself. In the process I shot way more spare tires and tin garbage cans than I will ever admit to. But I do recall at least 7 or 8 broad heads I put through garbage cans and tires and the Wasp Boss SST's held up superbly. Never suffered a single structural failure or lost a single blade. The Wasp Boss SSTs fly so close to my Fps I have to pull my FP tipped arrow and shoot at the hole with the BH tipped arrow or figure on re-fletching some arrows or worse. Give the Wasp 3 blade 1-1/16" C/DI Boss SST BH a look. They fly great, are literally bomb proof all but indestructible, and the blades are scary, pop the hair off your arm sharp and the needle sharp chisel tip blasts through tin garbage cans and tires so well bone on a deer should be no issue at all.
magnus black hornets 1st choice, slick trick standards next.
Wish you could still get broadheads for $20 for a 3 pack (like the good ol' days). I think I have plenty of good options. Thanks to everyone for your input.
QAD Exodus. Fly exactly like my field points. Very sharp from the factory. Heavy duty too. Good price point
Can usually buy a 3 pack of Rocket Steelheads for $20 and they’re a good head too
Lots of good options if your bow is tuned. I've found that most will shoot well inside 30 yards. I've mainly stuck with Slick Tricks because they seem to fly the best for me at longer ranges.
I tested broadheads for a number of years. Believe I went through a total of nearly 200 models in that time period. The best flying was the boss bullet by wasp and the shuttle T lock. There were plenty of others that flew just fine but these two were the best at the time. That time was about 10 years ago.
You can still get good heads for 20.00 for 3..... After season in Jan and Feb, this past year, I bought packs of 125 grain Ram Cats for 17.00 I bought at least 3 packs,
A lot of other heads on sale, so watch for that
Magnus 4 blade Stingers/Buzzcut, NAP Hellrazors, Trophy Taker Shuttle-T's & Atac, Ramcat, QAD Exodus. All of these have shot very well for me out of a tuned bow.
I like Iron Will. Fly well fur me.
"best broadhead" discussions are always entertaining
any should if the arrow is tuned to the bow most variations are due to form and release what a lot of archers dont pay attention to is broadhead allignment. spin test before you shoot. Use the method where you have a spinner and mark the tip of the broadhead at a 90 degree surface. spin slow and see if it moves away from the point. Most archers would be surprised. You may have a wobble that will drastically affect your flight.
Once you get a bow tuned, the RIGHT arrow ( perhaps a jump up in spine that what the programs call for), most heads fly well as previously mentioned, some better than others. More FOC helps with fixed heads, as does mass (slower arrows, less aerodynamic challenges).
Go to a shop and shoot some of their extra shop arrows, in different brands, spine and types, with the fixed heads you have laying around. That will get more accomplished than chasing heads, at this point. Not all carbon arrows shoot fixed BH's the same, I prefer the weaved arrows...That being said, I've never had a bow that wouldn't shoot ST's and Wasp heads very well. I'm shooting the new Orion 125gr 4 blade on one of my setups now, I still have a ton of ST's but the softness of their blades is starting to irk me. I don't like rolled edges.
Muzzy Trocars should be in the discussion. I did not care for their performance on game the 1 time I tried them, but they are very low profile.
I've thought about the Muzzy Trocars, but I don't care for blades that aren't in the middle of the ferrule. Read some tough reviews on the Hellrazors, but I do like that design a lot (and the price). Iron Will look awesome, but we are a 9-person / one income family. I would have to take out a second mortgage on the house.
My Thunderhead Nitro 100s fly exactly like my field points. Super sharp!!
Krieger, do you find Slick Tricks' edges to be soft? I definitely want a hard steel.
Last few years ive gotten wasp drones to shoot a little better than my other heads.
"Krieger, do you find Slick Tricks' edges to be soft? I definitely want a hard steel."
"hard steel" is definitely a relative term! Most of the broadhead blades available use steel that doesn't really qualify as hard. The truly hard stuff is extremely expensive and cost prohibitive to the industry that wants/needs to make a profit.
If you want the good stuff you're gonna have to pay for it. Iron Will and Bishop are two companies that have gone above and beyond to use the highest quality materials. Regardless of what people say 99% of companies use cheap (relatively speaking) material.
The question you have to answer is what is good enough. Most of the $30-$45 3/pack broadheads pass through animals without issue. Replacement blades are inexpensive. I've never messed with resharpening ANY of the replacement bade options for that reason although it can be done.
I think I'm leaning toward VPAs. Looks like a very good head.
Magnus Stinger 4 blade COI head is hard to beat
If you’re looking for a $20 per 3 broadhead, I’ve killed a lot of animals with the Rocket Ultimate Steel. My experience has been with the 125 grain model that is no longer in production but good head nonetheless. Only negative is that on one animal (whitetail doe last year), I lost a blade. 1 bad experience out of 10 animals but want to let you know in advance. Shots were between 10 yards and 72 yards. I’ve since went to QAD exodus, old stock G5 2 blades, and my remaining stock of Rocket Steelheads all in 125 grain. Also killed a turkey with a Chinese Rage this spring and work fine ($13 for 12 with shipping).
You can't go wrong with VPA!
I think I'm leaning toward VPAs. Looks like a very good head.
I agree with Russ. The Thunderhead by NAP has been around a long time for good reason. I have been using them since the 80's. Best all round broadhead on the market. And you can get a pack of 5 for around 40 bucks.
