Broadhead failure

[fnshtr]

I've killed two deer this year with a glue on, 125 grain MA-II... made by Magnus. On the second deer the cedar arrow got broken and I removed the head and put it on another shaft. Touched it up a bit and it is still shaving hair.

I had a Magnus Stinger, 125, break in half... but was replaced for free. Great warranty... good head. It struck a large elk in the shoulder bone which was not the BHs fault (mine).

Lots of good heads without breaking the bank.

My worst problem is losing them!

My vote is YES... if the BH is unusable after taking game, it failed. I expect better.

[SlowBowinMO]

There are some really, really tough heads most of which have been mentioned but I just don't think you will find indestructible.

The toughest head we sell IMO which has not been mentioned are the Eclipse 2 blade glue on heads.

[Jerry Jeffer]

Originally posted by bowtough:
Abowyer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!      

X2

[Bjorn]

Abowyer x 3 Just a great head!

[Hummer3T]

 

I have one head that has killed an elk and mountain goat and looks like and feels (with a wee touch up on the edges that it is out of the box still.


(look up silver flame -originals)
German Kinetics all the way, expensive but like you say, when you can use them for many years, well worth it.

210 grains

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Originally posted by mike g:
I consider a kill as the Broadhead doing it's job....
    I think of them as expendable....I go beaver hunting and If I get to use the whole arrow twice, I'm happy. Heck, I went thru 8 arrows in one night....

I think i would use a fishing set up on hunting beavers.... save on arrows big time...

I think a guy has gotta draw a line somewhere when you are talking about pass though arrows hitting rocks in the dirt. Even the best made broadheads won't put up with too much of that.

Now when they start folding up hitting a shoulder blade or a leg bone, you may want to consider sticking with good solid 3 blades like VPA or the new Instinct design Bill Dunn is selling. Or good solid 2 blades with thicker steel and a tanto tip grind.

I had great success with the original woodsman broadheads, but i've folded up a few too.

[dnovo]

Broadhead failure is not something I worry about.In 40 years of big game hunting I have never had one bend or break. I mainly use Zwickey Deltas or Magnus I and now some No Mercy. I have a couple still stuck in deer vertebrae and have broken leg bones with them. I have a Delta on a cedar shaft right now that has killed 3 deer and I am looking for another this weekend.

[Stumpkiller]

I have a single STOS that has been through three deer.  The first one I had to dig out of the roots of a tree that was behind the deer.  Sharpens right back up after each use.

I had a batch of blue painted Zwicky Eskimo II heads that several have popped apart at the spot welds.  I use them on small game so it could be a stump or the rocks behind a bunny or squirrel.  Even those I just silver solder back together and they're ready once again.  But they are relegated to small game bacause of the several failures.  My Rib-Tecs at that time shrugged off the same treatment with no failures.  

I would consider a broadhead that fails, even though the deer dies, a weak head.  Most time my wood arrows are broken - that's expected.  But I also expect the head to be reuseable.  Otherwise I don't really know it can be trusted if it strikes a large bone in the deer.  Maybe it was just luck I hit the deer where I did and a bit off the head would have let me down?  It should hold up and put all it's energy into splitting and cutting instead of breaking up.

[Todd Brickel]

Thanks for all the input and suggestions fellas, i ordered some Abowyer Bonehead lites today along with some 35 grn titanium adapters. Completed they will be 155grns.

We'll see what happens, but they look beefy enough to take a beating and keep on kill'n.

[mike g]

KirkII
    There's a lot of Regs on hunting Beaver....
No gafs, No line attached to arrow etc....

[jackdaw]

I cannot imagine a grizzly broadhead coming apart in the line of duty..

[Walt Francis]

I had the same problem with Zwickey's, separating at the welds.  I know thousands of people swear by them.  However, every time I look at one my mind goes back 25 years back and I see six new heads with failed welds.  Therefore, I have zero confidence in Zwickey's and will not use them.

I have never had a failure with a glue on Eclipse (haven't tried their WareWolf?), Grizzly, or VPA.  The 145 grain Eclipse with bleeders is my prefered head, but I do have a couple of the new Instinct's in the quiver this year that I'd rate on par with the VPA.

[zwickey2bl]

I've never destroyed a Zwickey Delta. Have several with multiple kills to their credit. But thats all I've ever used.

[stagetek]

Too many variables to think that any head can survive anything. I hunt where there are a lot of rocks. Tough on heads. Shoulder bones do significant damage. All kinds of things will ruin or damage a head. Just the way it is.

[SlowBowinMO]

Originally posted by Walt Francis:
I had the same problem with Zwickey's, separating at the welds.  I know thousands of people swear by them.  However, every time I look at one my mind goes back 25 years back and I see six new heads with failed welds.  Therefore, I have zero confidence in Zwickey's and will not use them.

 

Walt just an FYI Zwickey started copper brazing their heads about 10 years ago, they are much, much stronger than the Zwickey heads of old.

Eclipse are awesome too though and IMO the toughest head we sell.

[dragonheart]

The most durable broadhead I have found is the Woodsman Elite or VPA machined heads.  I have shot a buck and a sow this year, both total pass thru, both arrows unbent (2117 aluminum) with vanes.
I have washed the arrows off, put them on the spin testor and evaluated the BH.  I just touched up the heads and both are back in my quiver ready to go.  The Woodsman elite, while pricey, is the most durable.
If this is a concern I would avoid any BH with aluminum feral and never use the aluminum adapters (screw in) adapters that fit inside the BH.  Too WEAK.  This is my experience.  I have seen BH failure that ruins penetration.  The BH is the most important part of your bowhunting equipment.  

Keep'em sharp, very sharp...
Jeff

[dragonheart]

Originally posted by Walt Francis:
I had the same problem with Zwickey's, separating at the welds.  I know thousands of people swear by them.  However, every time I look at one my mind goes back 25 years back and I see six new heads with failed welds.  Therefore, I have zero confidence in Zwickey's and will not use them.

X2  They may have improved but there are just better BH out there today to use.  I am growing to be a big fan of the three blade Woodman elite.

[dragonheart]

[sveltri]

Cutthroat by RMSGear.  I piece machined head.

[hvyhitter]

Who came up with the standard that boadheads should last forever? If it kills as it should then it worked. Over the years I've had heads with multiple kills, others a bit tweeked or bent after one kill. They didnt "fail" but were no longer serviceable. There is a difference. 750gr arrows out of 60+ bows are hard on any broadhead.................