# Expanding Broadheads



## Whelen35

I am thinking of trying an expanding broadhead for deer hunting this year. I have always shot alumnum arrows and rocky mountain broadheads in the past, but now I am shooting a lower poundage bow (55lbs) and carbon arrows and I am thinking it would be nice not to have to tinker with sights for hunting. What are the advantages, do they really fly like a field point, and what weight is best to go with. Before I would use a fairly heavy arrow and 125gr points. With new setup I have also been useing 125gr points besause I like to think the wieght will help get me some penatration. All input and ideas are welcome. P.S. I will also be hunting hogs with this bow this winter and again, fixed or expanding? Thanks for the help. :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## hunt4P&amp;Y

Get 125 Grain Snuffers They Can't out run those they are cut on impact non expandables


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## dogdigger

for that poundage i would shy away from expandables. it takes a certain amount of the arrows KE to open the blades and that is basicly wasted energy that with a fixed blade would have been used to penetrate the hide muscle and bone. with that said i like steelheads 100 grains expandables.

mark


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## Whelen35

I have gone with the 125gr slick trick broadhead as recomended by a friend. They do indeed shoot the same as my field points, all the way out to 40 yards which is the fartherst that I shoot.


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## dogdigger

those seem to be the broadhead for 05 lots of people talking about them. i have yet to shoot them though. good luk this season :beer:

mark


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## Deermeister

I've been shooting the Wasp Jak Hammer SST expandable's the last few years and shot a few deer with them. Never had a problem with them. Last year, a buddy of mine picked up some fixed blade broadheads from Wal-Mart in Devils Lake. I can't remember what the brand is right now. They are like $8 for 3 broadheads. They are only like 1" 1/8 cutting diameter but a well placed broadhead will do what it's supposed to. We were testing them the other day at our 3-D range and could get them to fly like our field points up to 70 yards before we quit. Before anyone says anything, no were not going to shoot deer at 70 yards, we were just seeing how well they flew at longer distances.


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## woodpecker

zzzzzzzz


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## Pabowhunter92

Go with the rages, i hear people are pretty successful with them. Im gunnah try em out this season but i previously used the NAP thunderheads


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## RiverRob

I would never use expandable. To many margains for error. Cut on contact or trocar tipped are the way to go, strong, dependable, re sharpenable, and if your set is tuned properly will be a breeze to adjust to. If your going from larger circumference aluminums to something like axis arrows you might notice a penetration difference. Your arrows should weight lightest 275, heaviest 385. You could go higher but youll have more arc to your arrow and less speed. Which can cause an animal to jump the "string the string" easier, the arcing in thicker woods can cause you to hit something not in your line of sight. Finding the right balance with speed and weight for KE is key. Im sure your aware of this information but im just putting it out there. Hope it helps some.


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## barebackjack

RiverRob said:


> I would never use expandable. To many margains for error. Cut on contact or trocar tipped are the way to go, strong, dependable, re sharpenable, and if your set is tuned properly will be a breeze to adjust to.


 :beer: I agree. 55 lbs isnt going to be setting the world on fire for energy. And if you get a marginal hit with any bone involvement, youll be very dissapointed in penetration performance. Nothing beats a good cut on contact.


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## traveler33

I dont think you will be disappointed with the Rage two blade heads. Even at 55lbs you wont have any trouble as long as you dont get greedy and try to take long shots. You cant beat the way the fly.


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## mossy512

The guy that run the bow shop I go to has the benefit of reports from all those that try them. The info I've gotten on most of them keeps me from switching. He tried the Rage heads this last season and wasn't impressed, said the ring didn't hold the blades in place very well. Also said he was going to switch to Muzzy MX this coming year. As for me I will just stick with my good old Muzzy's. Never had a Muzzy fail to open on impact and yet to have one not pass through its victim.


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## cabowhunter

NAP Spitfire 125's have never failed me, and they have been devastating on hogs for me. The way I look at it...if it will take down a hog, it will just about take down anything. No failure to date...


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## Duck Commander

Go with the aftershock brand of broadheads. These things are sharp and fly great. Switched all over to them this year.


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## Hitman_25

I hate rage broadheads well at least the three blades they open in flight and go screwy every time but many people say good things about them so all i can figure is that my bowtech black knight 2 with a ibo of 350 fps and a real life speed of 323 is just to fast for rage so the best expandabels i have found to shoot out of a fast bow are the ones made buy rocket. but i only shoot expandebals because fixed blades wont fligh consitantly at long ranges out of this bow . I have shot 39 deer and 3 bear in the last 4 years in 5 diffrent states and at ranges from 3-85 yds and recoverd every one. expandebals work great if you take your time and put the arrow in the right place. but the bow you described sounds like it should shoot 260-270 fps i used to hunt with a matthews legacey that was in that range and i shot three blade fixed muzzys 100 grain and they shot just like field points out of that bow.


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## Colt

With a solid fixed blade, such as a Magnus, you don't have any worries.


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## ohio_coyote

U don't need to pay big bucks for broadheads like somone said walmart broadheads are pretty much the same.. they are just cheaper... but if u have the money for like 21 dollar broadheads i guess go ahead and pay it.. but good luck this year!


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## hunt4P&amp;Y

ohio_coyote said:


> U don't need to pay big bucks for broadheads like somone said walmart broadheads are pretty much the same.. they are just cheaper... but if u have the money for like 21 dollar broadheads i guess go ahead and pay it.. but good luck this year!


As for heads. Aren't they the most important part of your set up? You can have a million dollar bow, but if you are using a crappy head, you may loose a deer. I would rather pay $$ for a broadhead that is going to do a great job, and will take down many many deer. Just run a file over it and it will be ready to go in a matter of about a minute!

IMO spend the cash for a good head!


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## barebackjack

I just dont understand why a guy would want to trade to an inferior product (expandables) just because its a little easier.

You may have to tinker with a your sights a bit with fixed blades, but if your bows set up right, it shouldnt be too serious. And IMO a small price to pay for having a little extra peace of mind when the big moment comes.

By switching to an expandable, you KNOW your going to a product that is going to cost you ever precious energy. Not a huge deal on deer, unless you get some bone involvement, but a MUCH bigger deal on larger game, so much in fact that they have been made illegal in some states on some species.

And as far as being capable of taking shots a 40-50+ yards......isnt the purpose of bowhunting to add the challenge of getting close?


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## trophyhill

im a first time bow hunter and i was thinking about using expandables but i have been talked out of it. im gonna use the slick trick magnum 100 grain broadheads when i kill my elk and my mule deer this year. also i have found that they are flying almost identical to my field points up to 40 yards. i havent tried shooting any further than that. i agree that the challenge is getting close. hopefully ill get within 20 yards of a ****** off bull elk and try not to crap my pants and make the shot. however for my mule deer hunt there is a lot of wide open country in nm and if i have to take a 50-70 yard shot i hope these slick tricks can handle the job.


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## varmit b gone

OO, I don't know that I would take a shot past 60, just too many things can go wrong.


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## Plainsman

I have been shooting Thunderheads since they come out. I tried some G5 last year and penetration I thought was inferior to Thunderheads. 
I don't know what the problem is going from field points to broad heads. I have had the same point of impact with them for 30 years. Ever since I started shooting a tunable compound I have never touched my sights. I had a Parker for five years and never touched the sights. I know my brother has had to change his sights a foot lower left for broad heads every year. I don't know what the difference is in bows or people, or something. 
Give me a fixed blade every time. If I had poor arrow flight I would consider an expandable. Better an expandable where it should go than a fixed blade with a gut shot.


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## cabowhunter

I have never had any problems with the NAP Spitfire 125's, although most of the time my I use the Magnus Snuffers SS 125's for me they never fail to do their job...


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## djleye

hunt4P&Y said:


> IMO spend the cash for a good head!


     :wink: :lol:


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## walkswithwhispers

hunt4P&Y said:


> ohio_coyote said:
> 
> 
> 
> U don't need to pay big bucks for broadheads like somone said walmart broadheads are pretty much the same.. they are just cheaper... but if u have the money for like 21 dollar broadheads i guess go ahead and pay it.. but good luck this year!
> 
> 
> 
> As for heads. Aren't they the most important part of your set up? You can have a million dollar bow, but if you are using a crappy head, you may loose a deer. I would rather pay $$ for a broadhead that is going to do a great job, and will take down many many deer. Just run a file over it and it will be ready to go in a matter of about a minute!
> 
> IMO spend the cash for a good head!
Click to expand...

hunt4p&y,
if we do end up hunting together on the south side this fall I'll have to show you my "herd reduction" points - 125 gr Magnus 2-blades. THey're $25/ half dozen and I sharpen them with a kitchen steel. At great distances they probably don't fly that great so I've never tried it beyond 30 yards. But if you flinch or gauge the distance wrong and hit a shoulder blade or spine, that 2-blade will pass through bone with much less force behind it because there's much less resistance than with a 3 or 4 blade.

So, my recommendation is that at 55 lbs I would use a 2-blade broadhead, whichever kind you choose.


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