Archery Broadheads: what is best?

By Paul Young

Every hunter wants to be successful during the fall and winter hunting seasons.  Some of us are successful, and others are not.  Although success isn’t always measured by bringing home a trophy in the bed of the pickup, that’s the type of success I want to discuss.

Maybe you did everything right this year, and even had an animal within bow range. You spent countless hours at the range practicing for all types of shooting scenarios. You even landed a shot with what you thought was the perfect shot placement. When you set out for recovery, you found no blood, or little blood, and ultimately never recovered your trophy.  This not only begs to question your shot placement, but all the preparation you put into the hunt over the last eight to ten months as well. What did I do wrong?

Don’t beat yourself up just yet. You may have done everything right but failed to explore one of the most crucial pieces of equipment we all use as bow hunters, but often over-look their importance, that is broadheads.  Not all animals were created equally, and neither were all broadheads. I took an in-depth look at what types of broadheads I use in different hunting situations and for different animals, to minimize the risk associated with leaving a wounded animal in the field. To do this, I examined two different criteria to come up with my results, weight (100 grain vs. 125 grain) and type of hunting (stand vs. spot and stalk). These two components really play into my final decision in what I choose for a broadhead. There are other factors I consider, but these are the two that really decide what broadhead I’m going to affix to my arrows. 

Weight (100 vs 125 grain)

I overlooked weight for a long time until I started getting into reloading rifle cartridges and reliving 11^th grade physics. One thing we need to keep in mind is Kinetic Energy. This will be the energy at the time of impact based on the mass or – grain of our broadhead, plus the weight of our arrow multiplied by the speed or velocity of our arrow (squared) at the point of impact. The algebraic equation is rather simple, kinetic energy equals ½ mass x velocity². While mass is important velocity is much more important to kinetic energy for penetration than the mass. This is based solely on the fact that velocity is squared. Mass becomes a bigger factor if we were talking about kinetic energy of a semi-truck vs a mid-sized car but that is not the case here. 

To look at a few examples and to put things into a little better perspective, a 100 grain broadhead weighs 0.23 ounces, while a 125 grain broadhead weighs 0.29 ounces. When factored into the kinetic energy equation, the difference is virtually negligible. When you factor in the mass of the arrow the broadhead is attached too, the difference becomes greater, however, in my opinion, it still is negligible in the equation. Another factor of mass we need to consider is that the heavier the arrow – broadhead combination the faster it will slow and therefore the less kinetic energy it will have at greater distances.

This brings me to my next point, velocity. More and more you see bows with ratings of speeds upwards of 300 + fps. These are fast bows. One thing to keep in mind is that if you are using a bow that has a 60-70lb draw weight, you will not peak the performance of that bow on the lower end of that spectrum, or near 60lbs that is. When they do those speed ratings, they typically use ultralight arrows with 80-100 grain field tips to maximize velocity. Field tips are much faster than broadheads due to aerodynamics, something I will neglect the rest of this article.

So when you are looking to purchase a bow, you should consider what your max draw weight is right now, rather than what you want to grow into, and only if you can afford to do so. Since I have a bad shoulder, I must use a 50-60lb draw, although I use a draw weight of about 58lbs to nearly maximize my velocity.

What I’m getting at is that when you’re shopping for broadheads don’t pay too much attention to the weight, think more about the speed or velocity potential of your bow and what animals you will be hunting. After all kinetic energy = (1/2)m*v^2, which means velocity is exponentially more important than mass. I’ve only spoke of the broadhead to this point, but the mass of the arrow shaft is important to the equation too as it impacts the overall mass of the flying object. Overall the kinetic energy of the arrow is a simple equation but bow speed should be one of the more important variables to consider, but not the only variable.

As I mentioned, not all animals were created equally.  Some animals have a thick hide, while others have a much softer hide.

This is where I look at composition.  If I’m hunting a thin-skinned animal such as antelope, I go for an aluminum construction 100 grain mechanical broadhead, since the animals are softer skinned and don’t need much effort to penetrate the skin and bone.

As far as thick-skinned game such as bear, I opt for a steel construction, sticking with 100 grain, I often opt for a fixed blade broadhead in this scenario. The blades are less likely to bend and fold as they penetrate the animal.  

I will discuss in more detail the reason I opt for mechanical over fixed blade and vice versa depending on my hunting method.

Type of Hunting (Stand vs. Spot and Stalk)

Whether stand hunting or spot and stalk hunting, as bow hunters we should practice several different techniques and opportunities while at the range. We all know that despite the amount of practice we put in, when the time comes to make the shot, we may not have practiced for that specific shot. Therefore, choosing the optimum broadhead to maximize your chances for recovery is increasingly important.

Stand hunters often have the best opportunity for what I call the optimum shot placement, the double lung shot. Being elevated off the ground allows the ability to have a better angle at a double lung shot over the ground hunter in many situations.  So what type of broadhead do I choose when I hunt out of a stand?  I go for a 100 grain Rage mechanical broadhead.  Offering (in general) a larger cutting diameter than most fixed blade broadheads. In addition, the only bones in the way of a double lung shot are the ribs, often small in diameter and easy for the mechanical blades to withstand going through them.

Going beyond shot placement, I find that stand hunters often have the opportunity for the longest shots, going out to 50-60 yards in some cases. Therefore, I want the lightest combination to maximize my kinetic energy at those ranges. Again, I’ve ignored aerodynamics, however, I feel that mechanical broadheads fly better than fixed blades. This is strictly an opinionated stance, and by no means have I put any scientific effort into studying this opinion.

On a spot and stalk hunt I choose 100 grain Solid fixed blade broadheads.  Their steel construction and razor-sharp cutting edges have the ability to go through bones with higher density such as the front shoulder blade for those quartering shots and even less rare frontal* shots we need to make on an animal that is facing us.

*I do not advise taking frontal shots, as they often lead to wounded animals that are not recovered. If you’re considering taking a frontal shot, I strongly encourage you to examine the anatomy of the animals you’re hunting. This will minimize the risk of leaving a wounded animal. Practicing on 3D targets can also help.

My shots on the ground are usually 30 yards or less as well. That means my arrow doesn’t need to travel too far prior to impact and thus I will maximize my kinetic energy upon impact and therefore generate the most penetration.  

CLOSING REMARKS

There should be a comprehensive evaluation of what type of hunting you’ll be doing prior to searching for a broadhead. I only evaluated weight and spot and stalk since I put the most emphasis on these two factors when choosing my broadheads. There are several other factors to consider, some of which I discussed in the article, while others I did not. Some of those to consider are, what type of game you’re hunting, habitat in the area you’re hunting, mechanical vs fixed blade, and forecast weather predictions. All of these should be considered when you’re looking to purchase a broadhead.

Salute the Outdoors recommends the following, both were referenced in the content of the article.   

• Rage Mechanical Broadheads (2 blade)
• Solid Fixed Blade Broadheads

Each variety offers benefits over its counterpart. So, think about your decision carefully and always consider the wellbeing of the animal. It is difficult when you put a lot of practice in, and can’t recover your animal based on a poor performing broadhead.

That’s it for this time, and remember, keep your tip up, shoot straight, and never forget to Salute the Outdoors on your way home!