Grizzly BH's aren't So Tough

[JimB]

I thought Grizzly's were supposed to be tough?OK,OK.Yesterday was supposed to be an antelope hunt.The antelope decided not to participate so it morphed into an almost whitetail hunt till the wind intervened.Then it turned into a bear scouting trip.Heading to check the status of a service berry patch,I jumped an antelope buck with 4 does.

Now I'm antelope hunting again.That didn't go so well and they got under a fence and headed for the open prairie.I went up to find where their escape hatch was and that is when I jumped the rabbit.Now I'm rabbit hunting.Our cottontails are very small compared to Easterns,and are very spooky.There are a lot of predators here and they are on everybody's menu.They are great eating though.People here don't know that so please keep this to yourself.I have sole rabbit hunting rights on this ranch.

I had one Judo tipped arrow in the quiver so the cat and mouse game began.He slipped from one huge cedar bush to another several times till finally he stepped in the open and stopped.My Judo hit a rock just to the right of him,went airborne,down ,over the hill.This ground is basically a rock pile,about 50% covered with a layer of top soil,moss and pine needles.I was pretty sure that arrow was trashed.

I moved forward and he was sitting in the open again.I'm sure he knew I only had one Judo and all that remained were my expensive hunting arrows.I looked down at the 4 finely tuned,700 gr,Grizzly tipped arrows and the quick,mental conversation went like:"You're either hunting or you're not".The arrow went on the string and I tried to make the shot count.

At the shot,the arrow flipped to the right and the rabbit flipped in the air to the left,behind a bush.I eased up and he was still.I guess I had enough arrow!The broadhead opened the right side of his chest,full length and severed the shoulder and front leg.There was a rock under the dirt he was sitting on and you can see what that did to the Grizzly.The arrow,miraculously,was unbroken.

I wouldn't have been happier if it had been an antelope and my back didn't hurt after packing it to the truck.

I did a little search and found the Judo tipped arrow.The Judo was bent and the nock was gone but this arrow also was not broken.I'm 100 % sure that the aluminum footings saved both these arrows.Those were some hard hits.A smarter person would have had cheaper arrows in the quiver just for this purpose.Note to self...
 
Oh,and the rabbit dinner was great.

[Kris]

It happens!  I've had Grizzlys do this (and every other broadhead as well). A broadhead can hit at just the right angle to get this kind of tip bend/curl, especially on a rock and with a "heavy" shaft.  Also...yeah, the reinforced collar probably added to the angular force exerted on the Grizzly where it otherwise may have just broke the shaft at that point.  I also have a bunch of Judos that  have bent exactly the same way.  Of course, shooting my 100# longbow doesn’t help either.                      NOT!

One question might be; did you ever over-heat this broadhead, potentially changing the temper of it?

Nice bunny!

Kris

[JimB]

No heat.I only use epoxy and hand hone the edges.

My comment about the Grizzly was tongue in cheek.They have proven to be plenty tough when used as they were designed.They weren't meant to shoot rocks.

[Rob W.]

I would hammer it out paint it a different color and use it on somemore bunnies. Good shooting.    

Rob

[MikeW]

When a "Unstoppable Force meets the Immovable Object" somethings got to give. No surprise. Still one of the best broadheads out there. They could make it around Rockwell 55-58 but then everyone would bitch you can't sharpen it and it would shatter when hitting rocks. Can't please everyone.

[Bladepeek]

I understand the rock-piercing optiion is rather expensive!

[COOCH]

Heck I'd cut the curl out with a dremmel and make a big tanto and use it on well more bunnies.    Nice shooting

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Good job!

[30coupe]

Man those are some tough bunnies you have there!      

Grizzlies aren't very hard, but they do seem to kill lots of game. I've seen guys complain about bent broadheads they recovered from animals they killed and have to wonder why. When you could find them, Grizzlies were about $4 each. Compare that to the $30+ broadheads you could be shooting, which may or may not bend. I hunt mostly whitetails and turkeys. I usually shoot Zwickeys or Grizzlies, so if I bent one (actually I haven't yet) with each deer or turkey I shot, I could pile up about eight critters for the price of one of the high priced heads. Barring impacts with rocks and such, the "cheap" broadheads you and I are using make pretty good economic sense, not to mention the fact that they just get the job done.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Originally posted by Rob W.:
I would hammer it out paint it a different color and use it on somemore bunnies. Good shooting.    

Rob

x 2  

[TWarrows]

Judo point---6.00
 broadhead----20.00
 arrows-------25.00
 Great shot-------PRICELESS..........

[DVSHUNTER]

nice shooting... The second time. I've had a grizzly bend like that from a rock. It broke when I tried to hammer it back. Still the best heads I've ever shot.

[Thumper Dunker]

Originally posted by Cyclic-Rivers:
 

Originally posted by Rob W.:
I would hammer it out paint it a different color and use it on somemore bunnies. Good shooting.        

Rob

x 2      [/b]

+3

[Montanawidower]

I had a grizzly do this to a degree on an elk rib!  My partner about died (as did I).  We were both under the impression they were bombproof.  I still think they are great broadheads, but since then I have been on a quest to try other heads.

[ErikT]

What footing material did you use to sleeve that shaft?

[Coonbait]

It might have bent but you got great penetration and a dead bunny! Good shooting
Glenn

[Autumnarcher]

Musta hit the shoulder bone on that wabbit to bend 'er up like that. do all your wabbits wear body armor?

[cacciatore]

Jim,for sure not many people is as good as you to sharpen those Grizzlies!Thanks for sharing your story.

[Gen273]

nice bunny!!! sorry about the head.

[Ray Hammond]

A grizzly IS a tough head. I've shot hundreds of grizzlies at all kinds of critters- never had one bend like that....I had one break one time...I even shot cinder blocks and concrete walls and screwed up the edge a little but they didn't bend.

I have to wonder- how do you sharpen those? Do you use a belt sander or grinder? If so, that may be the culprit.  Grizzlies are tempered to be extremely hard....and are made with great steel.

If you heated the head up at all, you may have taken the temper out of the head...softening the steel.

Just a thought.