Whats to gain or lose?

[mnbearbaiter]

Is there any benefit to a broadhead with a wider cut like the Magnus1, or any 3 or 4 blade broadheads with bleeders once the hit is made! All things being equal and with good shot placement do the animals expire faster and is the blood trail better? How bout penetration, is it hindered by the large cut broadheads like the 1 1/2" cut Magnus1 2 blade 160's? Would it be recommended for larger animals like moose, bear, elk and caribou? Im an Ace broadhead guy(used to be a MN company), and wonder how they measure up in everybodys minds?

[Jeff Strubberg]

If you are regularly burying a broadhead in the dirt past your prey, then wider or more blades definitely make sense.

If you aren't getting all the way through, two holes beats bigger holes, IMHO.

So the answer is....it depends.  

[Bowhunter4life]

Jeff hit it on the head... That being said, kinda depends some on what bow you are shooting (I.E. Style of bow, draw length, and weight @ your draw...).  Also depends on what you are after...  I'm kinda in an experimental time with my 2-blades...  Haven't been able to keep a Magnus-1 in a whitetail yet w/60# Shawnee's.  Still going wider w/Silver Flame DS and thinking hard about the new Centaur offerings...  1 3/4" and 2 1/8" are where I'm talking!  And I really don't care what is on the receiving end... I think I'd still get 2 holes.

[30coupe]

I don't know about the Magnus, but my 1-3/8" Zwickey Delta two blades blew through a whitetail buck so fast I couldn't believe it...at 22 yards...from my 46# Kanati drawn to 28".

The buck only went about 85-90 yards. I could see him from where the arrow landed, but the blood trail would have been a bugger to follow if I would have needed to. I got both lungs, but most of the bleeding was internal.

I have also killed deer with 125 grain Snuffers and Woodsman broadheads. These gave awesome blood trails, but penetration was not as good with the Woodsman, partly due to the angle of the shot and hitting ribs going in and out.

I'm still not 100 percent sure of the Deltas in terms of blood trail, but there is no question about penetration. They are also very easy to get scary sharp.

[Fletcher]

I've used the Ace Express 165 with great success, and have some Super Express mounted on arrows.

[flatlander37]

Waayyyy to many variables for this to be a cut and dry answer.  If all was created equal, which it never is, a wider head leaving a bigger hole is better.  But reality has a way of kicking you in the butt when you think you've got it all figured out scientifically.

[Rob DiStefano]

sometimes i think we overthink broadhead selection far too much.  once you get past the fact a trad bh needs only to be cut-on-contact and razor sharp, the rest is kinda subjective stuff.  i see where tons of game large and small have fallen to the ubiquitous, simple twin blade, both narrow and wide bladed.  however ...    

... now comes the real hard part - shot placement.  :D

[tradtusker]

If you have the set-up to push a Big broadhead all the way through then the bigger the better in my opinion.

Iv been shooting the Magnus 1 and Magnus 1 4 blades for a while with great success. Really like them!

Lots of great Broaheads out there!
 Like Rob says "the hard part is putting the BH where it needs to go"

Are they good for bigger game?

This Buff was shot with a Magnus 1 ...

 http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v518/trophybowhunts/?action=view¤t=e16dd2dc.flv  

     

Happy Hunting

[yamaharider]

I agree with Rob D.  My list goes like this, accurate, sharp, cut on contact.  After that it is personal preference and what instills confidence.

[Sam McMichael]

I totally agree with Rob. If you hit him good with a properly sharpened broadhed, you have just about got this broadhead thing figured out. Whether a larger broadhead is better or not is most probably more subjective than substantive. However, it pays to test numerous heads to determine which shoot best off your bow and which ones you are most confident with.

[mnbearbaiter]

So would i be in the wrong if i tried to use the Magnus1 160gr as the business end of a 480gr Douglas Fir shaft for my elk hunt, or should i go with a broadhead with a tad narrower cut as im shooting a 55# longbow? Ive heard that elk can go forever on one lung and thats the last thing i want!!! Id rather have an 1 1/8" cut through both lungs than a 1 1/2" cut through one!

[straitera]

Never thought I'd see a BH topic where folks agree! This is great! Your shot must be good & any BH razor sharp regardless. 600+ grains is very good provided you're confident with the flight.

[Pat B.]

If I'm not mistaken, Paul Schafer shot a 2 bladed Eskimo. Same size as the old Bear razorhead which Fred Bear used all of his carreer. Again I'm relying on a somewhat faulty memory but I believe I rememeber reading that Fred tried a larger version of the Razorhead and decided that while it was fine for deer he prefered the original size for larger game, better penetration.. Lots of great broadheads available these days but the fact remains if you hit an animal in the right spot you don't need to throw a broadaxe through them. I also expect the regular sized heads are easier to get to fly to perfection. Good ideas coming from all though. Make your choice and have fun!

[30coupe]

Pat, you are almost right about Fred. He used the Zwickey Eskimo until he came out with his own version, which was the Razorhead...very similar to the Eskimo, by the way.

I also agree with Rob; shot placement is number one, sharp is a close second, cut on contact is a given, and design brings up the rear.

[James Wrenn]

I am a fan of useing the biggest thing you can get out the other side pretty often.More damage,more blood to follow and more recoverys if things go wrong.I won't use a two blade any more less than 1.5" without bleeders.I usually shoot 3 or 4 blade heads when needing a smaller broadhead.I shoot Simmons the rest of the time.I use the Treeshark when shooting one of my heavier 45lb bows and the intercepter for the light weight stuff.

[George D. Stout]

Arrow placement is the key to the vitals, and any "proven", cut on contact head..flying perfectly, will do the job.   My guess is, most lack of penetration by todays hunters comes from ill-flying arrows that have not corrected upon impact.  If all the arrows energy is dissipated in aligning itself at the hit, then it will be problematic.  

More emphasis needs to be put on accurate shooting and perfect arrow flight. Everything else will follow nicely.

[sagebrush]

I agree with George. Perfect arrow flight is way more important than the number or size of the blades when it comes to penetration. You also must hit it in the right spot. Gary