High end broadheads
Equipment
To each their own, but after drinking the koolaid and buying into the high-end broadhead hype for the past few years, I'm going back to my "cheap" blister-pack heads. Here's why:
1. Sharpening. I hate it. Some guys may like it, but I've never enjoyed it. It doesn't matter how great the steel is, it's going to need sharpened and I just don't want to take the time to do it.
2. Lifetime warranty. I bought into this thinking "I'll never have to buy another broadhead!" Wrong. It tried sending a few heads back to the manufacturer this year and was less than impressed with customer service when they told me that I just needed to "sharpen that little nick out" (after missing an elk and pounding a rock--I'll bet that head will fly straight even if I could get it sharp again). They weren't too excited about replacing heads and weren't very helpful.
3. I miss. True statement. I hate to say it, but not every shot is on the money and misses usually have one of two outcomes: a lost arrow (and broadhead) or a damaged head. Most everywhere I hunt out West has rocks and my arrows seem to find them which rarely ends well. My frustration level becomes exponentially higher when I've got a super expensive head on an already expensive arrow and I'm spending who-knows-how-long trying to find the dumb thing.
4. Practicing. I practice almost exclusively with my broadheads most of the summer which means by the end of the summer I have to sharpen my heads (see #1) or resign to the fact that I have to pay $$$ for hunting heads that I use for practice only. And then there is the occasional broadhead hitting broadhead which leads to jacked-up heads (see #2). And lastly, I like to shoot challenging shots on 3-D courses with my broadheads, most hit where I want, but some don't (see #3).
There's more, but to me it's just not worth it. Can I afford it? Sure but it's not worth the hassle when I can go buy 9-12 Montecs or Hellrazors or fill-in-the-blank broadheads for the price of 3 high-end heads. Then I can use one pack exclusively for practice, keep my hunting heads sharp and ready, and not burst an aneurysm if I miss or lose an arrow. And for the guys who claim that the high-end heads are sharper or tougher, I'm not buying it. Every animal I've hit with my Montecs or Hellrazors straight out of the pack, bleed just fine with blood trails that would be no better if hit with A2 steel. I totally respect the right of everyone to shoot whatever head they feel comfortable screwing onto the end of their arrow, but I do think that there is more marketing hype out there then there is actual truth and real-life application that actually matters.
I never shoot my broadheads, no need too at least for me, have seen no difference, I do have one practice of each, but really never had a issue. I shoot 125 grain Ram Cats and my favorite is the 125 Boss SST,,,,,
The Wasp is really a good deal. I would put it up on a punishment test against any head, and it comes with extra blades for all 3 heads, that are in the package.....
I also shoot the Wasp Sharp Shooter 150 grain, 4 blade out of a 41lb hybrid long bow, and that is another no brainer,,,,,
I've used a bunch & have a bunch but if I had to pic one. I like zwickey no mercy for my compound I use an aluminum adaptor for a 150 grain head & steel adaptors for roughly 200 grains for my recurve. lastly & perhaps the most important is I enjoy glueing spinning true & sharpening them It just adds more to the experience for me. to me the zwickey no mercy is a great compromise between cost durability length width penetration ease of sharpening. & weight manipulation with different inserts & adaptors
I agree with you until you said Montecs are sharp out of the package.
I have to kind of agree with the Montec comment. I like to touch them up before they go in the quiver. The CS Montecs are a little better but still the same thing.
I bought some high end Broadheads for blister pack pricing or I would do the exact same thing. Magnus black hornets would be my choice.
I use 125 grain Ven Dieman's and love them out of my struggle stick and Elite. Heads are extremely tough, quality is the best I've seen. When I buy a dozen 125 grain heads, I get a dozen 125 grain heads. Hate seeing heads that vary in weight like a lot of two bladed heads do.
High end? You get what you pay for. That bring said, the nerd broad head John Musacchia is making is a great flying broad head.
Unless it was a super large dangerous game animal I personally don`t see the need for some of these BH`s. But keep in mind there are "high end" and now "ridiculous high end". We could wait another century and none of the current BH`s would touch the number of animals that have fallen from a Zwickey or even the Bear broadhead.
Whatever head gives a hunter the confidence and ability for a quick humane kill, I`m for it.
Different strokes......... I like sharpening broadheads and sharpen all that I use, on a Lansky. Like some posters above, I don’t shoot BHs a lot in practice. I dedicate one or two to practice. Then I confirm they’re shooting with my field tips and then occaisonally verify that they are still hitting with my field points. Most years I’ll take 5-8 or so shots at game. To me having enough high quality broadheads to cover those shots is what I will continue to do.
Sharpening broadheads is part of the nostalgia of bowhunting...
I honestly thing I shoot one of the best heads and they cost me 19.95 for 3. I've been using them for probably 25 years.
Montecs and Hellrazors are the easiest style heads made to resharpen....that being said, that style of head is the last style of head I would ever shoot straight out of the pack without sharpening. For your style you need something with replacement blades.
You want a real lifetime warranty....... Magnus Broadheads hands down !
I'm surprised I haven't seen the, "...you spend thousands of dollars on gear but you're willing to skimp on your broadhead..." comment yet. I'm with you BowmanMD. I can't even get myself to spend $40 on three broadheads when I can buy great heads for less. I did spend $36 for three for the first time last year though. LOL.
Agree with jdee. It's been a couple years, but I returned 4 broadheads back to Magnus from a miss and 3 pass throughs, and they sent me new. I think I paid shipping of $6, but I have no problem doing that.
I switch to stainless steel snuffers a few years ago and they're awesome. Lifetime warranty and customer service has been great.
Why stop at broadheads? How about other high priced gear- i.e clothing, boots, bows... etc.
Great perspective BowmanMD. For what I hunt I don’t see the need for specialty heads and am too lazy to sharpen so I buy new and view them as one and done and fine with that.
What "High end" broadheads are you referring to? IMO Magnus puts out a superior head and their lifetime warranty is truly a "no questions asked" replacement head guarantee regardless of why you send it back. If you haven't used them; give them a try; they are super reasonable cost wise as well.
I’ve used Magnus and do like their heads and customer service although I’ve never had to send any heads back. I used to be a big snuffer fan. They are definitely not in the high-end broadhead category though.
As for cnelk’s comment about clothing and other gear, I totally disagree. When it comes to boots, rain gear, critical gear components, etc., no way am I settling for second best. I want top quality that’s going to last for years and not let me down when I need it. Obviously I don’t want my broadheads to let me down which is why I practice with them after meticulously spinning and tuning each specific head and shaft. I just don’t need them to last forever and even though my hunt UNDOUBTEDLY depends on them, it’s not the same as boots, rain gear, etc and how they effect my ability to hunt.
I pretty much agree with the comments on clothing. But my boots are my #1 piece of equipment hands down.. Now my first elk I killed I was wearing brown corduroy pants in snow in Montana, don't remember what boots I had on then. But I can tell you this, it was not a pair of 300 dollar boots that I only wear now.. Hell my boots are kinda like my truck is, when I get them muddy and get home, I wash them off.
Hate that they stopped making my broadhead this year. So now I'm buying every pack I find. Local pro shop had 5 packs and i got all 5. My $19.95 head is the steel head 100.. Now I'm thinking I need to find a different head for whitetail size game to save on the steel heads. Ed
Killed a bull elk, and a wild boar with the same Magnus Stinger...unfortunately, broke it on the pig (pass through into rocks).
Magnus sent me a new broadhead, and a hat!
The best lifetime warranty is one you DON'T need to use.
Several years ago I bought a few pack of heads from a manufacturer with a lifetime warranty. Most of them bent just shooting into a 3-D target. I threw the heads in a box and switched to something else. I could have sent them back for new ones, but why? If they won;t hold up in a foam target there's no way I'm using them on an animal.
Like the ABS Ashby heads. Something like $40+ per head. And I've read opinions of these heads breaking.
I've used and killed game with everything from less expensive Zwickey Delta broadheads to quite expensive heads. I tend to favor the more expensive heads these days (Silver Flames and single bevel Abowyer heads) not because of marketing hype, but because I believe they are better constructed and perform better than my Zwickeys. The cost of a broadhead is minor compared to all the money I have spent for licenses, travel, bow, arrow shafts, truck, etc. so why not spend extra to get the broadhead you think will serve you best.
If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it! Although though a little maintenance never hurts.
