Better for broadheads to bend or break?

[ncsaknech1ydh]

Not to mention brand names other than my old bear broadheads that are no longer made, but I have had the bear razorheads tips bend many times in the past whether hitting bone, or a rock or stump or whatever, while shooting some of the newer super hard steel broadheads and hitting rocks or whatever I have had the tips snap completly off a few times a half inch back or so. My question is then, when shooting game and hitting heavy bone are the harder steel broadheads better to use or the softer steel that bend instead of break when hitting something super hard such as a rock? Which broadhead type is less apt to fail when hitting heavy bone such as in Elk or Moose? I realize hitting a rock and punching through bone is 2 completly different things.  All opinions appreciated.

[Bjorn]

Having seen both in animals, I don't like bending or breaking and both can be equally debilitating.
For me a sturdy carbon steel BH; Zwickey, STOS, ABowyer etc  tough and easy to sharpen when need be.

[Night Wing]

Broadheads shouldn't break or bend (curl) at the tip end in my opinion. I use STOS broadheads and for me; they're strong since they don't break, the tips don't curl and they're easy to sharpen. A win, win, win situation for me.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Stay away from heads that do either one.  Heads that bend are tempered to soft.  Heads that break need to be beefed up.

[Jeremy]

Originally posted by Ragnarok Forge:
 Heads that break need to be beefed up.

Or the temper hasn't been drawn back far enough.    
Ever take a 4" hunter you've just quenched and give it a good tap on the anvil (ok dropped it accidently)?

Avoid a broadhead that does either regularly, but... I'd rather have a tip that snapped off rather than bent.  A bend at the tip is going to impede penetration a whole lot more than a tip that snapped clean off.

[ChuckC]

Most times,  I think that if you hit a bone large enough to cause that sort of damage to a modern broadhead, you weren't gonna bust thru it anyway.  

Do not keep a head sharpened with a "needle point".  It WILL bend.  
ChuckC

[dave19113]

You might wanna read up on the ASHBEY REPORTS.... as many have said... if it bends or breaks energy is lost..... Ive heard some say if a piece breaks off it does more internal damage, as in the bleeder blades on the old Bear BH's..

Check out the report, its good reading on here.

[bornagainbowhunter]

I have not had a problem with bending or breaking myself, but I use Zwickys and Ace.  The Zwickys are hard and the Ace are beefy.  I got started shooting a Zwicky after seeing one stuck in a rock at the bow range.  The arrow had been unscrewed, but the broadhead remained.  I knew that was the broadhead for me.

[rascal]

Neither is a good situation to be sure, I would absolutely steer clear of either if it appeared to be a regular  occurance.  That being said I dont think there is a broadhead out there that is a real "Tank Killer" and can smash into a rock and guarantee not to deform or break on occasion.  You can try a chisel tip (Im not a fan of non-cut on contact) or a tanto tip design and the single bevels in my experience seem to have a better angle on the very tip of the blade as well.

[Mike Vines]

At the Fred Bear shoot a couple weeks ago, my buddy and I were egging each other on at the steel challenge targets (the stell plates with holes cut out for the vitals).  I was shooting Snuffers, and he was shooting Magnus'.  Out of the 3 targets, I hit one, and ruined the broadhead.  He hit the first 2, with the same head, and each time it was stuck in the steel plate.  We needed pliers to pull the head free.  Each time the glue joint would fail, and the arrow would come free of the head, to which he just heated up the glue, and put the broadhead back on.  The final target was a pass thru.  The only thing we noticed on the arrow was the point taper kept getting lengthened.  There was no visible damage to the Magnus head at all.  

  I have since taken all my snuffer heads off, and replaced them with Bear Greenies.  When those (21 of them) are all gone, I will buy some Magnus heads.