Thunderhead ?
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: Arrowflinger
12-May-24
I started bowhunting back in the very early 80's. I started out trying different broadheads but after a couple of years I settled on the Thunderhead 125. And after all these years I'm still using them. And that broadhead has proven to be very reliable. I know Andy Simmo's sold the company Spelling? And these heads are now made over seas. I have bought a couple of packages and the new heads seem to be just as good as the old ones. I hate to change now because I have enough for the rest of my bowhunting days as long as I can get blades. My question is, do any of you still shoot and hunt with the Thunderheads and are you now happy with the quality? Thank you
From: Starfire
12-May-24
Thunderheads were and still are a great head. However, I think with todays speeds controlling a large 1 3/16" diameter broadhead is a little tougher than some of todays more compact heads.
From: Highlife
12-May-24
Still do.
From: Starfire
12-May-24
I also think they were designed for aluminum diameter arrows and when carbons became dominant it required an ubar. I think NAP would have done better if they included it with the broadheads instead of making it a seperate purchase.
From: Cheesehead Mike
12-May-24
I used them for years and my only complaint was that the groove that holds the front of the blades in place were not very durable. I had the front of several blades cut up through the ridge in practice heads that I shot a lot and the heads would no longer hold the blades on the head. I never had a problem with them shooting animals, just practice heads that took a lot of abuse.
From: JTreeman
12-May-24
One of my good friends killed all 29 N/A species with thunderheads. His Super Slam also all make p&y minimums! Still shoots Thunderheads religiously to this day.
—Jim
From: Huntiam
12-May-24
me too only thing I’ll shoot! have a lifetime supply
From: WapitiBob
12-May-24
I shot the 125's back when bows were slower. Picked them up again and shot a bull in '16 with them, complete passthru and zero blood. Luckily I watched him fall.
From: bigeasygator
12-May-24
Gotta be an ace bowhunter to pull something like that off, Treeman :)
From: Lewis
12-May-24
Used them successfully back in the day probably have several laying around somewhere Lewis
From: Iowa booner hunter
12-May-24
I killed a buck in 1983 with a thunderhead 180 prototype, shot a bunch of deer with the 160’s
From: TGbow
12-May-24
I've used them and Muzzy. I've only shot recurves n longbows but I think they are good heads.
It's good to know the quality is still there. I haven't bought any in recent years
From: Corax_latrans
12-May-24
I always liked the 125. The 125 “Magnum” had a tougher blade angle to work with, but boy, did it leave a HOLE, especially on the way out.
“complete passthru and zero blood.”
JMO, if you could somehow replicate that shot with anything else, you would most likely get the same result, unless you had allowed your TH blades to get appreciably dulled.
If a law were passed tomorrow stating that Thunderheads were the only head I could use for the rest of my days, I really wouldn’t be troubled by it.
From: t-roy
12-May-24
If I could have gotten them to fly consistently with carbon shafts, I’d probably still be shooting them. Killed a ton of critters with them back in the 80s & 90s. I think quality control became an issue as well. Seemed like I could only get 3-4 out of each box to spin true towards the end. They were definitely a very durable head, though.
From: Paul@thefort
12-May-24
Killed 8 of the 10 big game species with Thunderhead 125 gr here in Colorado when I used aluminum arrow shafts. I had a hard time tuning them when I switched to carbon shafts so I switched to a different BH. Thunderhead BH were easy to change out blades and I found them durable. I know they still kill a lot of game today.
From: nchunter
12-May-24
I loved them when I was shooting xx75 arrows. They flew fantastic out of my cougar mag but I could not get my mq1 and carbons to group like I wanted. Slick tricks were my new head after thunderheads and grouped like field points.
From: BOWNUT
12-May-24
They were all I used when I started using a compound bow. As bows got faster they were hard to tune. Plus once I started using one piece heads that you could resharpen and not change blades it seemed better. I have an 81 year friend that still uses them and kills deer every year. He's pulling 58lb on a Mathews DXT. There still great heads.
From: wv_bowhunter
12-May-24
Shot Thunderhead 100’s for years with no complaints. Got a new bow in 2020 and just wanted to try something different. Shooting 125 grain Magnus Stingers now and they have also performed excellent with my new setup. Wouldn’t hesitate to go back to Thunderheads though.
From: BOBSTER
12-May-24
I still use the NAP 125gr Thunderheads along with my 2413 aluminum arrows. Hard to change what still works.
From: carcus
13-May-24
I Used them back in the aluminum shaft days, great penetrating boadhead
From: pav
13-May-24
Same as several have already mentioned...I used Thunderheads for years with aluminum shafts. When I switched to carbon shafts, the accuracy wasn't terrible, but definitely not the same. Been using solid three blade fixed heads ever since.
From: DanaC
13-May-24
re Starfire - "I think with todays speeds controlling a large 1 3/16" diameter broadhead is a little tougher than some of todays more compact heads. "
I suspect that the 'minimalist' vanes I see on so many 'fast' arrows can't stabilize a head that size quite so well. All fletching, whether feathers or vanes, relies on air drag. Minimizing that drag might give you a bit more speed, but at the cost of broadhead tune.
From: buckeye
13-May-24
Killed a couple deer with them. Not a bad head just couldn't get them tuned well as others have mentioned.
From: jmiller
13-May-24
I loved the Thunderheads but in the last few years I used them there seemed to be quality control issues. Some would fly great and others not so much. So I switched away from them.
From: Beendare
13-May-24
It could be said that all of the other BH's developed since have nothing on the Thunderhead.
From: fdp
13-May-24
When I shoot replaceable blade broadheads it's the original Muzzy.
From: Groundhunter
13-May-24
I find them all the time; new in box, at Sportsmen Rummage sales. I buy them on average from 15 to 20 dollars a box. Someone always wants them.
The 100s fly well out of slower crossbows, fit the bolts well
I just found 3 boxes of 150 grain 2 blades, never used for a friend
From: 12yards
13-May-24
I bought a pack way back when in the mid 80s I think. I couldn't get them to fly very good but my ability to tune a bow back then was terrible. I was probably shooting underspined arrows. But I could get Bear Super Razorheads to fly amazing, so that is what I used back then.
From: smarba
13-May-24
I inherited quite a few 85gr Thunderhead that I'd pass along to a good home. If anyone is interested let me know.
From: Glunker
13-May-24
I hunted with them until maybe 15 years ago. They are more difficult than like a stinger, to get great arrow flight and penetration.
From: Highlife
13-May-24
When I started shooting goldtip's dropped down to 100gr and still use a 4 to 5 in vanes no problems.
From: Arrowflinger
13-May-24
Thanks Guys I appreciate all the feed back!
From: elk assasin
13-May-24
I have used thunderheads for so long I can't tell you in years how long. If you have you bow shooting bullet holes and use adequate fletching with offset they will fly right with your field points. I use GT's 400 spine pro hunters 3 inch feathers. Started with 125's but have been using 100"s forever. I have taken elk deer bears with them they haven't given me any reason to change.
From: Elauwit
13-May-24
Don't know about now but in the 80's they were scary sharp. I cut my finger while putting one on an arrow. Never felt a thing but left a blood trail all the way to the ER.
From: Arrowflinger
14-May-24
For the record I shoot Easton Axis arrows with 3 blazer vanes and have never had any problems. But I usually shoot 60 pounds and that wouldn't be very fast. Right now I'm shooting a Hoyt RX 7 Ultra. Love the bow and the Thunderhead 100's and the 125 shoots great. Anymore I usually shoot 100's.
From: gobble50
14-May-24
Shot 125s and mostly 100s forever - no accuracy issues - HOWEVER - I’m looking to change - they just don’t seen as sharp as they used to be.
From: drycreek
14-May-24
I shot them years ago, late 70s or early 80s maybe. After my initial success the first year bowhunting in ‘78, I had a long dry spell, so I never so much as pulled on a deer. I could have used rubber blunts !
From: Beendare
14-May-24
Its funny, Never any problems with penetration shooting these- good tapered design.
Then the short chisel points and mech heads came out…along with lighter shafts and all of a sudden guys couldn’t shoot through a deer anymore.
From: DanaC
15-May-24
^^^ Momentum matters.
From: APauls
15-May-24
Killed my first big game animal with a bow - a black bear with them. Had to put a plastic circle on the back of them to shoot well enough that I could hit what I was aiming. Created a wind tunnel but arrow flew like crazy.
From: Beendare
16-May-24
Momentum? Are you trying to make this a 600 comment thread? Grin
It's blade angle bro....I've seen it time and again. Then shooting a 46# recurve setup for 2 years with 10 of 12 critters a complete pass through- including the 2 shots I got on an 800# moose at 30y.
2 blade heads are penetrating monsters. The COC 3 blades are similar-they penetrate effortlessly.
From: Vonfoust
17-May-24
I still have a bunch that get used for whitetail. Never had a problem with them.
