Durability of Expensive Broadheads?

[bowfiend]

It used to be that I only had to worry about the expense of breaking arrows. Now I'm looking at some of the broadheads available and I can't believe it! $30 a piece?    Now, they look like you could just show an elk one of these things and it would keel over, but I have a hard time wrapping my brain around letting fly with basically a $50 bill (every shot). I've read the marketing and read the Ashby work on penetration so part of me is interested in these things, but are they really going to outperform a Zwicky - which I can get for $4 each?

My real question is for those of you that may be shooting some of the expensive heads. If you misfire and hit something that was not your intended target, are these things fairly durable? Would I be looking at tossing one of these things if I miss or pass through and catch ground? I'm always up for trying new gear, but I am way too cheap to head down that road.

As always, thanks for the input!

[Elk whisperer]

I missed and stuck one into a rock pulled it out and could have shot it again no problem

[swampdrummer]

The Aboyers are pretty dang tough and they are not as expensive as some of the other top end broadheads. Still not cheap at 13 bucks apiece but I've managed to stick several in trees and cypress knees with no damage. I've also ran them thru a couple of deer and hogs with nothing but a quick sharpening needed after.

[Night Wing]

I shoot a two blade glue on STOS 145 grain broadhead. It's a very durable and strong broadhead. Flies good also. Inexpensive too at $26 for a 6 pack at Braveheart Archery.

[L82HUNT]

I been using the Silver Flames for a while now. Although I use them on all big game I see where you could just use them on a certain hunt.I dont see the big deal.  When your talking a out of state hunt like elk.  For the $500 just for the tag plus the food, driving or airfare etc. What is $30 for a broadhead.  Its really a small percentage.  But other heads will do the job fine.  To each there own, in my book I feel just fine paying that price for them and are very happy with the result.  Every person I hunt with that sees them and what they do to a animal says ya there worth it.  I just got another dozen of them and some more blades to stock up since there going to be made in China.  With all I have Im good for the rest of my life.

[WESTBROOK]

$30 a head is rediculous, unless its explosive or something. There are sooo many realy good heads out there for $30 or less for 6.

I do like the new woodsman/VPA 3 blades though but cant make myself hack up the $12 ea. for them. Think I'll prolly just get 6 new 160 snuffers and put 30g of lead in the nose.

Unless your going to hunt some serious beast, I woundnt waste the money. IMO the Woodsman/VPA or Abowyer are all the head anyone would ever need for ANYthing.

Eric

[reddogge]

$30 broadheads fall into the same category as $30 bass lures.....designed to catch more fishermen and hunters than fish and game.

[Zradix]

Originally posted by WESTBROOK:
$30 a head is rediculous, unless its explosive or something. There are sooo many realy good heads out there for $30 or less for 6.


Unless your going to hunt some serious beast, I woundnt waste the money. IMO the Woodsman/VPA or Abowyer are all the head anyone would ever need for ANYthing.

Eric

I feel Grizzlies and zwicky and the like are the way to go for deer and smaller. As far a damage after a miss....lets face it if ( that's IF )the Zwicky or grizz is damaged you could damage 6 or more for the price of one of the expensive heads.
For bigger or dangerous game I'd feel better..FEEL better with a thicker head.
Abowyers are GREAT. little more expensive. I can't think of another head I'd rather use on tough game.
my 2¢

[CEO]

My experience: 3 of 4 big game hits with Ashby Broadheads resulted in chipped points. The only one that did not chip was a moose pass through without bone contact. Abowyers now.

[nightowl1]

I'm sitting here thinking about how often my arrows bury under leaves and grass.

I think I would be too afraid to lose it to let the string go.

[Muleyslayer]

"WHAT IS 30DOLLARS FOR A BROADHEAD?" seeing how I bring 2dozen on my Wyoming trip, that makes $720, you gotta be kidden, I need a new job!  

[Richie Nell]

If I remember correctly, there is one gentlemen I know that did some serious durability testing with the Ashby head and the Grizzly.
The Ashby head had significant problems compared to the Grizzly.  I haven't seen it.  Just what I was told.
The Ashby head as well as the entire line of those type broadheads really look tough.

[pdk25]

I have some grizzly broadheads, but I also have a few abowyer, silver flame, magnus II, vpa terminator, snuffer, and trad tusker.  They are all good heads.  I guess hunting primarily in the Northeast, I don't think that I've lost a dozen total in 3 years, so I don't think the price is as overwhelming for me.  I practice almost exclusively with field points, but have a foam target that I use to make sure the broadheads are flying true shortly before hunting. Most of the time if a broadhead is chipped or damaged it still can be resharpened/re-used, irrespective of the type of broadhead.  The biggest thing for me is if I can touch it up in the field or the metal is hard enough that it has retained it's edge enough to be shot more than once between sharpening.  I was primarily shooting three blades because I can do a tolerable job of sharpening them in the field.  All I need is a flat surface.  I like the VPA terminator heads, but I'm not sure that they are really worth much more money that a good snuffer.  It's just convenient that they come as screw-in heads of multiple weights.  Grizzly heads hold an edge like crazy, but even with the new bevel it takes a little work to get them ready to go.  I am finally at the point where I think I could sharpen them in the field.  Probably the best bargain overall for a head that retains it's edge, can be touched up in the field, and since it is a glue on can be used with lots of different inserts for different total weight heads.  The trad tuskers are priced nicely, but I actually find them more of a pain to sharpen that the new griz bacause of the better bevel on the griz.  The abowyer heads are awesome, super tough, can be touched up in the field, and can be bought scary sharp, ready to hunt.  I can see why people would buy them.  If you plan on losing 12 on a hunt, might not be a good idea. As far as the silver flames go, I really just don't know what I was thinking.  As always, IMHO.

[Doug Treat]

I also have a problem with spending that kind of money for a piece of steel.  The piece of steel that I shoot (Zwickey 2 blade) is sharp, flies good, penetrates great, breaks bones when needed (on deer elk, bear for me), and I've never damaged one enough that it wouldn't do all that again on the next shot, and I've shot them into big rocks (that was my fault, not the BH's).  All this for $3.17 plus tax.

[jsweka]

If I ever change from my Magnus heads, it will be to Zwickeys.

It's funny.  On one extreme we have guys shooting $30 heads and at the other extreme we have guys knapping their own stone points.

[L82HUNT]

Originally posted by jsweka:
  On one extreme we have guys shooting $30 heads and at the other extreme we have guys knapping their own stone points.

Not saying you just using your quotes.  


I dont look down on the knapping guys so why should anybody think im silly or stupid for spending MY MONEY even if its $30 a piece for a broadhead.  If you dont want to buy them dont.  But when I guy ask a question about high dollar bradheads and a bunch of guys that have never used them try to sway him one way just because they dont use them.  OK

[Earthdog]

Where I live,some of those heads are getting into the $60 a head range.
Add that to the arrow that already owes me around $25 an it's getting pretty costy to lose one.
Ok,If I could afford em',,,I'd use em' on big game,,,but I'd be evemn more picky with my shots than I already am.
Tuskers,Bears,Grizzlys,Snuffers,,,,the all work pretty good huh.

[Bjorn]

I was hunting with a buddy who fired one of those expensive SS heads-won't tell you which make-and he hit the shoulder of a good sized Goat...kapow! we both could hear it. The broadhead had exploded leaving only the ferrule behind. My friend got an oppportunity to shoot the same animal again and this time killed the Goat.
Later we dug out the SS pieces from the shoulder-the heavy bone was scarred and marked but easily beat the BH. A regular steel BH for 3.00 would likely not have survived any better battling that heavy bone; but for 30 bucks we were both unimpressed.

[pdk25]

"My real question is for those of you that may be shooting some of the expensive heads. If you misfire and hit something that was not your intended target, are these things fairly durable? Would I be looking at tossing one of these things if I miss or pass through and catch ground?"

As is often the case, most of the people posting to the thread don't address the question that was asked.  I include myself in this group.  I will answer the question from my limited experience.  Yes, the more expensive heads that I have shot are fairly durable.  I include the abowyers and silver flames in that list.  My first shot with an abowyer javalina light hit the one soft spot in my target and embedded itself in a cinderblock wall about a half inch.  I decided to use that head as a practice head and shot it into a target that had multiple heads stuck inside it.  Probably shot it 100 shots, with many episodes of it clanking off of other heads.  A few strokes on the tip with a file, a few strokes with a single bevel carbide sharpener and then stropping and it was good to go.  The metal used on the silver flames is supposedly very hard, but I can't say that I've shot them into a wall or anything. Does this make the more expensive heads worth the money?  Only the buyer can decide that, since there are alot of other durable heads out there.  I will say that I don't believe the magnus heads can stand with the abowyer heads, but the grizzly heads are very durable in addition to being reasonably priced.  As to your initial question, yes the expensive broadheads that I have used are durable.  If you lose them in the brush, nothing is durable.

[Shinken]

If I was droppin' the string on a water buff at 10 yards, the last thing I would be worried about would be a $60.00 broadhead on the end of $25.00 arra.

Shoot what you have confidence in. If you don't have any confidence go out and get some!

Start by shootin' some small game with the broadhead you plan to use for big game.  You'll figure out really quick what is going to work for you (and if you need to improve your shooting).

     

Shoot straight, Shinken