Durability of Expensive Broadheads?

[pdk25]

PS $60 heads?  Never seen anything nearly that expensive.  Glad I'm not buying broadheads in New Zealand.  The most expensive commercial head that I have seen was a little over 100 dollars for 3.

If a person is shooting more reasonably priced broadhead arrows, they would have more of a tendency to justify practicing with them. I have seen many wheelie shooters that hardly dare to take a practice shot with their arrows and most only shoot their broadheads at live deer.  Taking three grizzlies out for a practice round at the 3d target doesn't seem to be such a big deal, an arrow that is five times the cost would make me nervous when practicing.  Regardless how tough it is, anything can be lost or damaged.

[bowfiend]

Thanks for tying to get her back on track, Patrick    

So far, CEO had 3 of 4 chip on bone hits, Bjorn witnessed an explosion, and a couple others have them going into rock and concrete with little or no damage. That's a pretty broad range.

This is a bit of a loaded question, and it's fun to read the responses. I realize that a lot of it comes down to personal preference as (to a certain extent) steel is steel.

I'd defeinitely like to hear the experience of others who've used them and had hard contacts.

Thanks.

[Builder]

For just plain toughness I really like the ACE. They are the oldest broadhead maker in existence and they have a triple laminated tip with a patented interlocking ferrule that is copper brazed, almost indestructable.

[amar911]

The expensive broadhead that I have seen bounce off rocks, cut a field point from another arrow nearly in half, and get shot into hard walls and other man-made stone and metal objects, is the 300 Xtreem three blade broadhead. the only damage I have ever seen to the broadhead was some flattening of an edge on one of the blades. Those are incredible broadheads, but my understanding is that they are no longer being made after a short production period. That is a shame, because even though they sold for $25 each, a dozen of them would last a lifetime if they were not lost. They were made using an MIM molding process that produces a very strong, uniform metal product. The 300 Xtreem may be the strongest and most durable broadhead ever made. But trying to get your hands on some will be next to impossible, as guys like me will never part with the few we have.

I also have a dozen and a half of the ABS Ashby broadheads that are even more expensive than the 300 Xtreems. I do not have much experience with shooting the Ashbys into hard objects, so I cannot speak to their durability in those circumstances. They are very well made and appear to be "hell for stout", but looks can be deceiving. I do know that some of the early Ashbys had some issues with production quality, but I also understand that those issues (mainly heat treatment I think) have been favorably resolved. I just can't bring myself to voluntarily shoot a $30 broadhead into a rock or a brick wall. Maybe the guys at ABS would be willing to do that as a demonstration. I do know that the Ashbys are sharper than any other broadhead I have ever seen and that they hold an edge very well.

Allan

[Mamba]

okay I'll answer the original question.  I shoot silverflames and this past Christmas morning I stuck a racoon to a stonewall and I did not break the broad head.  It had minor chips but I resharpened it and it is still fine.  Just this past week I missed a turkey and hit another stonewall(25yds) direct hit.  Minimal chipping on the blade edge but no serious damage.  Still razor sharp.  I have never broken a silverflame.  First deer I shot with a silverfalme, I chipped the tip on the shoulder blade and the owner replaced it but since then the design has changed.

[Hattrick]

jsweka ,
you would be disappointed i was.....magnus are to beat intill the new generation heads came out... One advantage with $$$ heads like aboyer an i would a sum alot of the others is the leave of sharpness.the bevale is perfect., steel is better.. I have a couple aboyers all i do out off the pack is strop them till i`m satisfied  i`ve never been able to get heads that sharp with a fraction of the time it took to get other heads half a$$ sharp.. I thought my magnus heads were sharp for years, i was wrong...It seems in the long run for  what i desire in  the sharpness  its the most economical route for time spent an satisfaction...

[bolong]

I'm a po boy so I'll stay with the cheaper ones. Same reason I shoot a Remington 870 instead of a Benelli or Browning. A dead duck will never know the difference.

[Slomo]

I guess I'm old school cause I haven't gotten over a dozen wood shafts costing 30-40 bucks yet let alone $30 for 1 broadhead. Snuffers,Zwickeys and Bear razorheads have never let me down when I did my part.

[lpcjon2]

New and expensive doesn't always mean durable and sharp.Look at the heads that have stood the test of time.Hills,Zwickey,Magnus and such,They are still around for good reason.

[Ground Hunter]

Broadheads and fishing lures.  Heaven help us.  H

[Bjorn]

Yeah, how'd they get all those hundreds of semi-different heads and lures patented anyway?

[Ragnarok Forge]

I was using 190 grizzlies, now I'm using the 200 grain left bevel Grizzlies.  $60 a dozen for the old ones from KMG Razor sharp. I can afford $30 a head, I am just to cheap to buy them.

[cohutta orange]

I guess I a the only guy that shoots razorback 5s. I got a bunch of em at a yardsale and havnt tried a deer but they work for squirrels and rabbits. And the occasional groundhog .

[Brock]

I started with Zwickey Eskimo 125s back in early early 90s....had a couple tips curl back on me pheasant hunting and then had one come unbrazed during another pheasant trip on Eastern Shore.  Sent head to Zwickey and got another set for free...but decided to try something else.

Started shooting Ribtek heads...low weight heads first and then progressed to 160 heads and loved them.  Never a problem with tips curling back or coming undone...primariy because they are solid piece of steel...put tanto point on them and still use the same heads today.  I also have some Snuffers that are also very good.

I think the Ribteks (if you can find them), Grizzly, Snuffer, and other Magnus heads are the way to go.  Dont use the needle point but change them to a Tanto style and dont worry about it.

These heads will shoot through most anything...

[B/W lvr]

I shoot Grizzlys, Eclipse and Zwickey all are inexpensive and all kill without damaging the head. I cannot think of any reason to shoot $30.00 a piece heads as they are just steel as are the above named heads.Frank

[Wapiti Chaser]

I shot an Abowyer Brown Bear into one of my 3-D targets and ended up hitting the conduit in the the front leg. The broadhead went in one side and poked out the other. The edge was dull but the broad head was as good as new. I have done the same thing with Zwickys and Bear broadheads and they fold. But I also looked for the Abowyer I shot my deer with this year real hard (and found it). Don't know how hard I would have looked for a less expensive broadhead.

[smoked]

I can mess them all up, no matter what they cost!!! I hunt rocky creek bottoms, if you miss you usually hit rock. If you get a pass through on a deer, still hit rock! I usually use Magnus 2's that way I don't feel as bad when I bend one.

[ArrowCrester]

Personally I have found RazorCap 3 Blade BHs 100 Grain to be very good.  They are strong, sharp, and fly with no wind planing when aligned correctly on the finished arrow. They can be resharpened and also the ferrule can be replaced as a separate cartridge. They cost $ 9 to 10 apiece so I don't see the need to spend too much more than that to get a good BH….. JMO