Anyone just ever want to go back to...?
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: standswittaknife
24-Feb-20
Thunderheads? I killed so many critters with them it’s crazy. I’ve invested, quite honestly, just to try something different but when I see 5 t-heads at 29.99 n camo fire i have the itch to go back.. but.. we’ll i have lots of funds tied into new heads..
From: wildwilderness
24-Feb-20
I was never able to get thunder heads to fly back in the day, so no desire to go back. I actually have one of the original ones I bought 25 yrs ago sitting in my Broadhead pile.
From: FORESTBOWS
24-Feb-20
I have a bunch if you want them
From: Habitat for Wildlife
24-Feb-20
Still use them very successfully.
From: Trial153
24-Feb-20
Nope
From: casekiska
24-Feb-20
I began using Thunderheads back in the eighties and still do. Have taken many game animals with them. No complaints. If it ain't broke, why fix it?
From: midwest
24-Feb-20
I can't remember the last time I shot a broadhead with an aluminum ferrule. I'm sure they would work fine, though.
From: WV Mountaineer
24-Feb-20
Killed a bunch of stuff with them.
From: Sam
24-Feb-20
It was circa 1993 when I was so disgusted trying get thunderheads to fly well that I stumbled upon the first mechanical broadhead I had ever seen, Vortex. Shot them ever since with the exception of when they weren’t available.
From: Timex
24-Feb-20
Myself & my son killed a bunch of deer with em & are absolutely a great head out of anything but low poundage bows especially trad bows. I just decided a long time ago that penitration was more important to me than a larger cut & made the switch to 2 edge
From: wyobullshooter
24-Feb-20
No
From: JTreeman
24-Feb-20
No way for me. Though I do know some very successful guys that swear by them.
—Jim
From: Paul@thefort
24-Feb-20
I killed the Colorado 8 big game species with the NAP 125 Thunderhead. Yea, they seems to shoot left and low of my FP but I just adjusted the sight to have them hit 12X prior to hunting season. Reliable BH and sharp but I now use another BH
From: iceman
24-Feb-20
Buddy of mine, and archery super slammer uses them religiously.
From: Russ Koon
24-Feb-20
Shot them and liked them for many years, switched to Muzzy after going to carbon arrows and finding the TH's were dimpling my inserts (this was before they included the ring that prevents it with the new heads).
The TH's were still my favorites, though, and went back to them after several years with the Muzzy's, and have no regrets.
TH's have always flown perfectly for me with every setup that was in tune with my 125 gr field points when I tuned using bareshaft tuning, and after switching to a Whisker Biscuit rest and going to BH tuning.
Penetration tested them against some two-blade Muzzy I bought when I had to drop to lower draw weight after my stroke, and couldn't detect any difference in penetration. That result verified an earlier more extensive test I had seen where the TH's were tested in penetration test using some specially modified ferrules with six slots and shot with different combinations of blades to determine how much difference the number of blades actually made. It was very minimal. Decided at that point that the extra cut area more than paid for the very slight penetration cost, as it would also be likely to provide a more reliable blood trail. Still a firm believer in the three-blade being the best compromise for most whitetail hunters.
From: Russ Koon
24-Feb-20
Shot them and liked them for many years, switched to Muzzy after going to carbon arrows and finding the TH's were dimpling my inserts (this was before they included the ring that prevents it with the new heads).
The TH's were still my favorites, though, and went back to them after several years with the Muzzy's, and have no regrets.
TH's have always flown perfectly for me with every setup that was in tune with my 125 gr field points when I tuned using bareshaft tuning, and after switching to a Whisker Biscuit rest and going to BH tuning.
Penetration tested them against some two-blade Muzzy I bought when I had to drop to lower draw weight after my stroke, and couldn't detect any difference in penetration. That result verified an earlier more extensive test I had seen where the TH's were tested in penetration test using some specially modified ferrules with six slots and shot with different combinations of blades to determine how much difference the number of blades actually made. It was very minimal. Decided at that point that the extra cut area more than paid for the very slight penetration cost, as it would also be likely to provide a more reliable blood trail. Still a firm believer in the three-blade being the best compromise for most whitetail hunters.
From: Bob H in NH
24-Feb-20
Been shooting them for years, work great. Switched to rage one year, but back with TH, no real reason to change.
From: Ron Niziolek
24-Feb-20
I shot them for many years and killed a pile of animals with them. Currently shooting G5 Strikers and have no inclination of going back.
From: x-man
24-Feb-20
That would be like going back to a flip-phone, or a truck with a carb & points ignition.
From: Cornpone
24-Feb-20
That's all I use for deer (use a COC for elk) and I have no complaints. No such thing as dead, deader and deadest
From: Burly
24-Feb-20
Killed a bunch of deer using 125 models.
From: walks with a gimp
27-Feb-20
Those and Rocky Mountain Supremes served me well. The newer Muzzys, MX3's are doing great for me these past years since they came out. no reason to change when everything dies in sight in a few seconds.
From: Jaquomo
27-Feb-20
I killed a lot of animals wearing Woodland camo...
From: jmiller
27-Feb-20
That's all I shoot. Have shot a pile of deer, bear and pronghorn with them.
From: WV Mountaineer
27-Feb-20
Killed a bunch of stuff with them when you got 6 per pack. But, for the cost of them now, I buy innerloc's instead for compound hunting
From: t-roy
27-Feb-20
I killed a pile of deer, turkeys and several elk with the 100 grain Thunderheads. Never had a single issue with them, when I was shooting aluminum shafts. Couldn’t get them to fly consistently for some reason, after I switched to carbon shafts, so I switched to the Wasp Boss 100 grain heads. They are a very similar profile heads. I might still be shooting the TH if I could have gotten them to fly consistently with carbons.
From: longbeard
27-Feb-20
Killed many deer, bear and wild boar with the 125 and 100 grain models. But as some have said it was a chore to get them to fly straight once I switched to carbon arrows. At the time I was brand loyal, so I started shooting 100 gr Spitfires. For about 10 years I killed plenty with them also. NAP makes a quality product.
From: Bou'bound
28-Feb-20
couple bear couple deer
decent heads. prefer cut on contact though.
From: longspeak74
28-Feb-20
Still shooting them...
From: APauls
28-Feb-20
Killed my first ever big game animal with em. They just aren’t very forgiving in flight especially as the speed on the bow goes up making form and tuning ultra-critical. I’d just rather have something more forgiving and a steel ferrule.
From: Vonfoust
28-Feb-20
Funny, I just 'inherited' a pile of them when my Dad decided he's going to switch to heavier bh's. I'll run a few through some deer this year since I don't get to go west. That will save the VPA's for next years elk.
From: GhostBird
28-Feb-20
I killed a bunch of deer with the 125 grain Thunderheads, even used them in Africa on my first trip. I still have a pile of them, but I ain't going back. I now shoot a steel cut on contact and will probably never change.
From: Whocares
28-Feb-20
Used them for a bunch of years starting with my XI Legend bow way back when. Shot a number of elk with them and changed to G5 Striker 100 gr some years back when I bought a Hoyt. As i remember the shop I go to suggested going to a 100 gr with the new bow. Shot quite a few elk with that broadhead and still use it 4 Hoyts later! Including bulls the last 7 years in a row. So no, I don't plan to go back. G5 came out with a V2 version of the Striker I think 2 years ago and I use that in 100gr.
From: GLP
28-Feb-20
My only complaint with them was the rubber o ring breaking and the blades falling out. Had a buddy shoot a deer and as far as we could tell the blades fell out on contact with the deer. Can’t prove that though, just know he basically killed it with no blades. If I was to use them again I would replace the o rings with neoprene o rings. Myself I am going to try the grim reaper pro hades 4 blade fixed this year. Going away from rage. Except for the o ring the thunder heads are top notch.
From: relliK reeD
28-Feb-20
Have used the 125 model for 20 years. Buy them at K-Mart or wally world in January when they are on sale usually for around $2 a head. Why switch?
From: South Farm
28-Feb-20
Been using them since the 80's.
From: 12yards
28-Feb-20
I bought a pack of 125s in the late 80s. Shot one at a deer and the arrow dove under the brisket. Had them on an arrow that was way underspined and I'm sure my bow wasn't tuned great. Gave them to a friend. Went to heavier arrows and Bear Super Razorheads and they flew great for me. Now I shoot NAP Hellrazors, all steel and COC. Love them.
From: Jeff Durnell
28-Feb-20
C.O.C. glue ons for me. Been bowhunting 40 years. Never shot a Thunderhead once. To look at, they seemed as ok as the other average-good heads back in the day, relatively speaking, but I can't see how I missed out on anything.
From: joehunter
28-Feb-20
Used them for years back in the 80's and 90's with 2219, 2315, and 2317 aluminum shafts with 5 inch helical feathers. Everyone I new used them. Never had to worry about them being sharp out of the package. Once I got a faster bow about 275 feet per second was the fastest I could get them to shoot well. Once I went to carbon shafts I switched to Wasp Jak-Hammers and have used them ever since for almost everything I hunt. Used light little rockets wolverines for pronghorn. I would never go back. A 1 3/4 inch cut Wasp Jak-Hammer out of well tuned bow at over 315 feet per second with a 415 grain Axis shaft is no comparison to my 85 pound 1980's set up with Thunderheads.
From: boobowmen
29-Feb-20
Never abandoned them. Have used them forever.
From: bigeasygator
29-Feb-20
I never hunted with them. But I know the Super Slammer Jared mentioned killed everyone of his NA29 with them. He finished his Slam this year and I know he’s got plenty more packages of THs to keep him going.
From: Owl
01-Mar-20
Not related to Thunderheads per se but I had my fill of BH experimentation years ago. Started from my trusty Muzzy 3 blades and experimented with more varieties than I can remember. Got seriously turned around in the mental melee I created for myself and returned to my Muzzys like a drowning man reaching for a gunwale. Been with my Muzzy 3 blades unchallenged for about 14 years. I get the need for simply using what works.
From: Fuzzy
02-Mar-20
Thunderhead 160s were the best replacement blade heads I ever used on heavy stickbows
From: Glunker
02-Mar-20
I used them for a long time but they are a 2nd rate head as they are too tricky to shoot at higher speeds and their point needs sparp edges as found on wasp heads. I use my left over thunderheads for nuisance kills.
From: Fuzzy
02-Mar-20
Glunker the Thunderheads I used had a sharp to the tip chisel point?
From: Buckeye
02-Mar-20
no
From: sundowner
02-Mar-20
I like broadheads that do not require the arrow to keep them intact......like Muzzy and many others. Thunderheads tend to fall apart unless they are screwed into an insert. Great broadhead otherwise.
From: dafish
04-Mar-20
I killed a nice buck last year with a Thunderhead 160 out of the same package that I killed a bear with back in the 90's. I usally have one in the quiver for coyotes, otherwise I shoot the NAP Hellrazor never since I first started shooting them in 1988 have I had one fall apart..
From: markr
04-Mar-20
I pulled a thunder head tipped aluminum arrow out of a golden retriever many years ago, the arrow was half in half out right underneath the spine, when I pulled the arrow out you could look through the hole, the dog seamed fine and we saw him weeks later doing good! Not relaying this story to slam these broad heads, just saying.
From: Arrowflinger
11-Mar-20
I have used Thunderheads since the 80's. Still use them. Great broadhead. Have a friend that has used them just as long as I have. Between the two of us we have a lot of kills With Thunderhead 125 and 100. Don't see any reason to change.
From: Rancher
23-Mar-20
I have used them for 30 years,still use them.Recurves to compounds to the Raven with my bad shoulder.Africa to Alaska to Canada to the midwest,never failed me.Why change?Elk,deer,bears,antelope,javelina,they all die.
From: 76aggie
25-Mar-20
Nope. I thought they were built exceedingly well and sharp out of the gate but I could never get them tuned to my arrows.
