Broadheads - 2 vs 3 blade heads - my observations

[eflanders]

First off I am a true believer that any sharp, well placed broadhead will do the job intended.  BUT recently I have been noticing more and more purported well placed shots that failed to quickly dispatch the animal.  The majority of these shots hit bone, usually a rib and they were shot with 3 bladed heads.  I ask myself why?  

Well based on my observations, it appears that the 2 bladed heads seem to penetrate better while passing through the ribs as the spacing between the ribs is just too narrow for many of the three bladed heads to get through with enough energy to pass through the opposite side.  Simply put, I usually see more complete pass-through shots with the two bladed heads vs. the three bladed ones.  

In my 40+ years of hunting experience, all pass-through shots into the vital region quickly dispatched the animal.  However, I have seen some vital region shots that failed to pass through and thus fail to dispatch the animal quickly and in some cases have failed to even recover the shot animal at all.

I am curious if the other Trad Gang members out there have noticed the same thing?

[D]

I use a three blade.  I like the idea of a bigger blood trail but seeing as how I haven't managed to kill a deer yet I can't argue either side. lol.  Although I did shoot a wild hog through the ribs with a snuffer and it didn't have any problem getting all the way through.   I actually found the arrow laying on the ground several yards behind where I shot the animal.

[Bill Carlsen]

I'm going to be 69 this month. Have been hunting since i was 11. The deadliest broadheads I have ever used are the Razorcap 3 blade. My wife shoots only about 45# and she gets two holes in deer and bear with them and Muzzy four blade Phantoms. I also wonder if you use heavier FOC. Since I have gone to heads at least 200 grains penetration (getting two holes) has not been an issue on any animal I have shot....well, except for a moose that the arrow hit the offside shoulder and she only took 3 strides before going down.  To me, the arrow needs to be flying straight and have razor sharp edges and heavier FOC than a normal 125 grain head on the shots you describe. I really like blood trails like this...but usually I don't need them as they frequently go down in sight.

 

[amar911]

Andy Ivy will tell you that the VPA 3 blade broadheads are some of the best at penetrating on broadside shots on Asiatic buffaloes. I mostly shoot 2 blade heads, but I doubt the theory that 3 blade broadheads lack penetration on rib shots on most animals. Obviously, the bow and arrow need to be matched to the game animal; however, 2,3 and 4 blade broadheads all do the job well the vast majority of the time.

Allan

[koger]

x2 what Bill just said. 3 blade holes dont close up, 2 blades can on fat animals. I shoot 175 up for bh's anymore, have  not complainst.

[eflanders]

I agree that having a high FOC arrow does aid in getting pass throughs.  What I am seeing though is if everything is equal in the arrow except for a 3 blade head vs. a 2 blade, the 2 blade almost always passes through.

As most of you know, many of the 4 blade heads are just two blade heads with a bleeder blade insert.  The inserts usually do not stick out nearly as much as the main blade does and thus I theorrize it fits between the ribs better.      

I will also agree that the blood trail from a 3:1 ratio 3 blade is usually better than a 3:1 ratio 2 blade.  But on a pass through shot animal, I have never had to do any real tracking either...

[JamesKerr]

I seem to get better penetration even through bone with the VPA 3 blades over any other head. I cannot think of a single animal I have shot with them that has not been a complete pass thru. Just to test them one time I shot a fresh killed deer through the actual leg bones and the broadhead busted through not just one leg but went on through the leg behind it hitting bone both times! Blood trails are much better than with two blades as well. I completely quit shooting two blades a couple years ago after making a great shot on a deer that I guess hit a rib going in. I only got about 6" of penetration and never found any blood or the deer. And all the arrows I have ever used weighed over 550 grains.

[L. E. Carroll]

I usually shoot in the neighborhood of 53-56# draw weight... the past few years with GT 5575's and tipped with 1 1/4" VPA 250 gn screw-in's.... totalling right at 585 gns total weight...

I have taken 31 Mule deer and Blacktails ( your only allowed 1 per yr old here in my Western State ) with a couple Elk and couple respectable Black Bears thrown in over the past 40 or so years... I too was happy with 2 blades and especially happy with the Single Bevels like Grizley's and Zwickey No-Mercy's.

All was well until I tried the fabulous, heavy, long, strong, easily sharpened  big 250 grain VPA Terminators... I get excellent "flight" as I have yet to find one that will not "Spin True" while providing excellent penetration, as in nothing But Pass-thru's and the blood trails,      

I'll never go back!

Gene

[SERGIO VENNERI]

Snuffer's since 1976, they break ribs, go through hard tissue like hot knife through butter and i always get pass throughs. I personally would never change!

[stickbowhntr]

I have a BUNCH of old Snuffers from Rogers Ohio days ...cant get them as sharp as I would like but heck they do go thru EVERYTHING

[longbowben]

Snuffers since 1987,I'm never going to change either.Massive blood trails easy to sharpen.

[Cory Mattson]

our notes show that woodsmans and razorcaps outpenetrate 2 blades of equal weight - this was over 100 animals late 90s.

we have other results - simmons sharks are in a class by themselves for sign on the ground short blood trails quick kills 160 gr

Journeyman / Eclipse is our second best flatblade design although we do like bleeders in them 145 gr

Original Bear razorheads the next deadliest flatblade and at 125 gr the easiest for many light tackle shooters to tune

we have a snuffer / razorcaps crew who has top results. 160 gr / razorcaps highly variable gr

although this 2 - 3 blade thing gets kicked around a lot and we do know 3 blades of equal weight outpenetrate we do not make decisions on what to use giving penetration the biggest factor - since sharks journeymans and bear razorheads penetrate excellently well.

[meathead]

I shoot STOS 160's and Snuffer 160's.  I don't see much difference.  Both are great heads.  I get great bloodtrails.  No matter what you shoot if you are putting through the the boiler room you end up with dead deer at the end of the trail.

[YORNOC]

I think for penetration,most should be more concerned on getting to full draw than whether using 2 or 3 blades. Even today, at 3D shoots and such, I can't believe how many guys are snap shooting before they are getting to thier anchors.
But to the question, I have always used a 2 blade head. STOS, zwickey, magnus, ribtek,grizzly....never had a problem yet with penetration. Deer, elk, stag,hogs, bison, lottsa black bears,..no issues. I wish I had a crack at a moose tag, but after 26 years of trying I think its not in the cards!
Nothing against 3 blade, I just never had a reason to switch. As I'm sure there are plenty who are the opposite of me.
Bill Carlson is a great example above. Been shooting 3 blades forever with great results.

[Tim Finley]

I did my own penetration tests on whole carcases 7 different broadheads, the WW out penetrated everthing ,2nd best was the old Bear razorhead with the bleeder .This was only rib cage shots with lungs and heart still intact .The 3 blade typically slid around the ribs where the 2 blade cut though and arrow pinch occured slowing them down . The last deer I shot with a 2 blade was a buck at 25 yards with a 57# recurve I got 4 " of penetration including the head, it hit a rib dead center vertically and split it open and pinched the arrow and stopped, it hit on top of the heart and was enough to kill the buck ,if it had been back just a little I would't have found him. I know what some will say on here , if you hit them in the right place it doesnt matter, but it does, in almost 50 years of bowhunting and some of them guiding Ive seen some very good hits travel 300 yards or more , try and find that with out a good blood trail. You dont have to worry about penetration with multi blade heads on any North American big game. I want a hole not a slit.....Tim

[lpcjon2]

Ya gotta shoot what you like. two blade heads have been around since the beginning and have taken every type of animal on earth(without the (FOC