Cost of broadheads?

[Sant-Ravenhill]

I see broadheads selling for $40 a piece. So a dozen broadhead arrows are $480 just for the broadheads. Then add $200 bucks for 12 carbon hunting arrows and your pushing $700 for a dozen hunting arrows.

Of course I know you can buy cheaper broadheads and arrow shafts, but half that is still around $350. The prices seem to be crazy as I was looking for arrows and broadheads today. No real rant just a little shock since it's been awhile since I've purchased both.

But I shouldn't be surprised with the price of housing, gas and increasing inflation on all goods.

[JamesD]

Brett,

    You're going to get a wide range of replies to this thread. High quality broadheads can be easily found for less than $40 a head, even single bevels. I shoot Grizzly 200 grain, single bevels, and they are about $12 each. Ace Standard double bevels are a great broadhead and run about $6 each. I build my own arrows using premium grade douglas fir shafts, and I have about $130 per dozen in them (Note, I have $550 - $700 invested in a fletching jig, feather burner, dipping tubes, paints, and cresting machine). This includes spending double on wild turkey feather fletching, vs. the standard feathers. I have also seen good carbons for much less than $200 per dozen. I figure I have about $200 into each dozen hunting arrows. Barring you don't lose them, good broadheads will be on more than one hunting arrow during their life span.

[Cory Mattson]

About 5 years ago I went to carbons. I’ve been shooting Sharks since 98 and Journeyman’s 88 to 98 so still have some of those. Sharks are running $43 for 3. The carbons after I cap, fletch, nock with heads cost me about $20 each. I think. Maybe a little more.
The performance has been amazing. I don’t lose arrows and they don’t break! I’ve only had 2 shafts get damaged enough to discard. I’ve only blown out a couple of broadheads.
I still have 10 out of the original 12 AXIS I bought five years ago.
Last five years I got 40 deer with these arrows
So for me I’m saving money.
When I ran wood and aluminum they were ok but most shafts most days was a one deer or hog or bear arrow. Broken twisted or bent was common.
Cost me plenty and we might have been shooting slightly more game then (2007-2017)
I was so happy I bought supplies and built another 18 last year.
For me it is a bargain. <><
<———————<<<<<
Good Hunting

[Wilderlife]

No different to good knives. Broadheads are just little knows when we think about it.

I have some cheap Dexter Russell carbon steel knives that are nice and thin and I can get them razor sharp. I've butchered and field dressed literally hundreds of animals with them and as long as I touch the edge up on a small steel when I'm doing my work, the edge lasts fine.

I also have some very expensive knives made from high-end steel like s35vn. I enjoy them just as much, but for different reasons. The edge lasts a lot longer and it doesn't rust like my carbon steel does. They're also much stronger so I can pry with them a little bit and not worry about them breaking or bending.

The point of my ramblings is that cheaper broadheads have a place, just like expensive broadheads. I paid about $120AUD for six broadheads recently and I nearly gave myself a heart attack when I did so! All the broadheads I've used previously were only about $50AUD, which is a very good deal. Having said all that, the more expensive broadheads are definitely stronger and come with bleeders which should give me an advantage in the coming fallow deer rut. if I were to go on a big "once in a lifetime hunt" I'd happily spend big money on broadheads and arrows as I'd hate for them to be the weakest part of the equation. BUT, I would have a hard time sending $50 arrows are basic game around my home here, for fear of losing or breaking an arrow.

Hunt with what you are comfortable with and spend what you are comfortable with.

[Wudstix]

I try to trade for heavy heads that people are no longer shooting.
 

[fishone]

Larry Dean-"10 year old underwear"-I love it!!!! 

[Sant-Ravenhill]

Thanks much for the pertinent information and your experiences and taking the time to share it. Don't need to pull the trigger today but will buy in the next week. Thanks again!

[Orion]

I bought most of the broadheads I use years ago, mostly Zwickeys and some STOS, and more recently Woodsman's and a few Snuffers.  I don't have a lot of them, but I consider them pretty much a lifetime supply.  Pretty tough to wear out a broadhead shooting at game, and I almost always find/retrieve the broadhead after I've killed game with it.  Yes prices have gone up, unrealistically so in a lot of cases.  But heads like Zwickeys, Grizzlies and Ace are still reasonably priced and as good as anything on the market.

No doubt carbon is more expensive than wood, but good wood shafts have also increased in price substantially. The silver lining is that carbon shafts are just about as indestructible as broadheads.  A dozen shafts will last a long time (unless one is prone to losing them), which still makes them a relatively good buy when based on a cost per shot basis.

As others have already demonstrated, you can spend a lot for arrow components, or you can put together very functional arrows for reasonable cost. (Sky) high prices don't automatically mean a quantum leap in quality, if any increase at all. The choice is yours.  Good luck.   

[GCook]

I'm not buying German Kinetics or Grizzlystiks either. 
Plenty of affordable heads in the $5 to $10 each range.  As far as arrow shafts plenty at or under $100 a dozen.  Black Eagle Vintage shafts from 3Rivers are a darn good buy for the quality.
I bust and lose at least a dozen arrows a year on pigs.  Sometimes two dozen.  Most of the time I'm pretty happy if I get the head back.  An unbroken shaft is a bonus. 
There is a cost to everything.  I really like to shoot decent equipment but keep it as moderate in expense as I reasonably can.

[Baylee]

Broadhead prices have got ridiculous. I shoot only wood so I got about 5$ in each fletched arrow noway I’m paying 40$ for a broadhead not even 10$. I got a good deal on grizzly broadheads on the big auction site about 2$ each for the lot. So I’m good on broadheads for along time. I bought a bunch of Hunters heads for 3$ each a while back also. 

[Wudstix]

I like footed tapered arrows that have found their way to my quiver.  Most of my arrows end up of the ground 10-20 yards past the critter, just clean 'em up, sharpen the head and rock on.  Also, swapping and trading for good used heads has been a viable option for me.  I have VPA, Snuffer, Woodsmen, Centaur, Zwickey, ACE, et al...  Some of the lighter heads will be traded for heaver ones.   
 

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I would hope the days of taking 12 broadhead tipped arrows to the woods, emptying your quiver by 8 and going back to the car to reload are long gone.

6 quality but affordable broadheads 30.00 and I get several seasons.

[mgf]

I probably already have more broadheads than I'll ever need and I just bought another 6 Zwickey which aren't all that expensive.

I don't go through that many arrows and the one's I have weren't all that expensive...gamegetters and Beeman ICS bow hunters.

The arrows and heads I can afford. It's the hunts that are expensive.

[JakeD]

I know it's not for everybody, but I'm shooting tapered wood arrows and ace standard broadheads.  Current prices for both are:  $38/dozen on the broadheads; $48/dozen on the shafts.  Neither of those prices include shipping. I could go even cheaper and get the un-tapered shafts if I felt the need. At those prices, it comes out to $7.16 per arrow and they get the job done just fine.  I might go through a 1/2 dozen shafts per year.  I can live with spending $24 per year on my arrows. 

[Bowwild]

Sharp, durable, and tuneable is all I care about. Some are worth more than others.

[Sam McMichael]

Fortunately, I have shot wood for most of my time in archery. Plus, I have preferred the older traditional heads such as Razor Heads, Magnus, and Zwickey. A couple of years ago, I acquired a lifetime supply of Razor Heads, so maybe I can avoid some of these unreasonably high costs of arrows. There is no way I can justify the high cost of the newer products, which, in my opinion, are not worth the cost. But, to each his own.

[Wudstix]

Trade for 'em, or get Blessed by friends who don't need them anymore.
 

[Wheels2]

Most of the traditional heads last a hunting lifetime.
Unless they bury under the leaves and you can't find them.  Last fall I found one lost like that from 2020.
Someone else found it and leaned it up against a log.  Feathers were faded to almost white but very little rust on the head.  I hunted with it this past season.  Unsuccessfully. ..

 

[dnovo]

I’ve got more broadheads than I will ever use up. Zwickey, Magnus mostly with a few Abowyer, Tree Sharks, Cutthroats, Ribtec thrown in. I’ve got 40 or more dozen cedar shafts. I bought my fletching jigs, feather burner, woodchuck taper tool, creating machine, etc years ago when they were substantially cheaper. I’m set.  No way I’d pay that kind of money for the new Bear broadheads. I never used any of the originals. Always thought there was a better alternative.

[Tim Reese]

I wish it was just broadheads that have gotten expensive but it seems EVERYTHING is expensive these days.