# which broadhead



## Mike123 (Apr 24, 2006)

Hey, I was wondering what type of broadhead I should get.

I have a parker buckshot (40lb)

I am going to hunt turkey and deer. I want a 75gr. or lighter 2 or 3 blade broadhead.

Should I get fix blade for mechanical blade. I know Im shooting at extremely low speeds (215 FPS) but I have seen some mechanicals that open at low launch speeds.

Also where could I get my deer or turkey butchered?


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## Skunkedagain (Apr 10, 2004)

At those speeds there is no reason to shoot a mechanical head. I would shoot a 80-90 grain 3 blade fixed head. It takes energy to deploy a mechanical head and you need to keep the energy you've got. You should also have no problem achieving good groups at those speeds. The slower the arrow is moving the less affected it is by imperfections.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

I agree. As I mentioned in your other post, a mechanical head is a very poor choice when shooting that light of a bow. It has nothing to do with whether it'll open, but rather a lack of penatration.


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## CHOPIQ (Apr 6, 2004)

As for the deer butchering, where are you located? Also I shoot Muzzys 100 grain. Never had a problem for them. I personally don't care for mechanicals, heard too many bad stories from to many hunters.


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## kmb411 (Feb 24, 2005)

I thought minimum bow weight was 45#, and that it was not the speed.

As far as speed, 215 is decent for bowhunting. I prefer Muzzy 3 blade for all hunting needs. I have tried alot of different types of heads, and Muzzy is the most consistant.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Minimum weight is 40 lbs.


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## Mike123 (Apr 24, 2006)

I live in Franklin County

How long does it usually take to get a deer or turkey cut up if you hire somebody to do it?


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## flypilot33 (Feb 9, 2006)

I would definately use muzzy broadheads. I have had mechanicals fail me before. It cost me a nice buck don't let it cost you one. Muzzy does make a 4 blade 90 grain.


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## Mike123 (Apr 24, 2006)

Ok, so i know i need to go with a fixed-blade what a bought arrow weight and fletching. I have a quicktune 360 would i have any fletching problems if i was using helical. How much kenetic energy do you need to take down a nice sized deer.

And what are the average distance of the shots you would take at a deer and turkey from the ground


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## flypilot33 (Feb 9, 2006)

The furthest I would take a shot is around 35 yards, to me that is pushing it in the woods. The average shot for me is only about 10-15 yards though. I have shot maybe 14 or so deer with a bow and the furthest shot was 36 yards. Many were only 5 yards or so and most around 10-15 yards. I shoot well out to 45 yards, but the further you shoot the more room for error there is. Just shoot your bow a lot and find out what distances you are comfortable with and set a limit. If your hunting set up is good and you scout properly you should be able to put deer with in 20 yards of yourself. With that rest just set your nock to where your fletch hits the rest the least. Your nock should twist inside the arrow. To do that just nock an arrow up to your string and twist the arrow till it is best lined up.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

At 40 lbs draw, and I'm sure a short draw length, I wouldn't suggest shooting any further than 25 yards, and ideally, less. I would suggest visiting a local pro shop. They will help you get everything set up and can be an enormous help to new archers.


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## flypilot33 (Feb 9, 2006)

Yeah I forgot about the 40lb draw thing. Definately hit a pro shop up. But at 40lb draw 25 yards would be out there. 25 yards is further than the average shot anyhow. I prefer less than that anyhow, so I can make my shot perfect, which makes for a cleaner shot and quicker kill.


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## doegirl (Feb 24, 2005)

M.Magis said:


> At 40 lbs draw, and I'm sure a short draw length, I wouldn't suggest shooting any further than 25 yards, and ideally, less. I would suggest visiting a local pro shop. They will help you get everything set up and can be an enormous help to new archers.


Absolutely, 25 yds is the max you wanna go. I started hunting with a Parker Challenger set @ 45lbs. Longest shot was 19yds. You have to deal with rainbow trajectory as well as the lack of kinetic energy. I had good luck with Wasp Boss broadheads. Thunderhead 85's, Rocky Mt. Turbos and Magnus Stingers (what I use now) would be good choices as well. Take that bow to a proshop, as suggested. Ask if they can help you paper-tune the bow. If they have a range, they can.


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## Fishin'Fool (May 4, 2006)

I wouldn't go any lower than a three blade 90 grain broadhead, and keep
'em _sharp._


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

I hunted for years with arrow speeds in the very low 200's, but I was shooting an almost 600 grain arrow at close to 80lbs. That was way back when before cams were even invented yet, if that tells you how long ago  

There is always a trade-off between speed and arrow weight and potential penetration. I personally would rather have a 500 grain arrow going slower than a 300 grain arrow going fast.

I fully realize that the faster speeds help in the trajectory of the arrow minimizing yardage errors, but you also sacrifice some potential penetration on a poor hit.

The named the sport bowhunting because that is what it should be, not bow shooting, that's for all of the 3D courses and competitions. Be a bowhunter that gets the deer into your effective killing range in the situation that you want, that's bowhunting. The shot is a small percentage of bowhunting and is just that final act of bowhunting. I see so many hunters so concerned about speed and long shot capibilities that they never learn to be bowhunters.

My opinion,
Kim


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## Mike123 (Apr 24, 2006)

Well, I have a 3D ghille suit and I hunt on my grandpas property. There is trails all over that have great ambushing spots, so now that I think about it I don't need to be shooting that far away. Defiantly under 20 yards. So how much kinetic energy do you need to take down a deer?

Also If anyone knows were butchering places are near Franklin (my mom really doesnt what a dead deer in the garage or backyard.)


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## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

You need enough kinetic energy to get the arrow through the deer's hide, two lungs and out the other side (in a perfect world).

I found this link, dunno how trustworthy but it says 45ft/lbs for deer.

http://www.buckdeer.com/kinetic.htm


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## flypilot33 (Feb 9, 2006)

If you are near Waynesville, I know there is a place there in town, Davidsons meat. I think it is around 80 or so, I am not sure cause I do mine myself. I will check around some, I would bet there are plenty of places close to you. Look in the yellow pages under meat processing.


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## DrZ (Apr 28, 2004)

Your bow will have no problem punching through a deer with any aluminum arrow that will tune well from that bow. Here are my recommendations: 

-Shoot a heavier arrow (this probably means an aluminum shaft). A heavy arrow is more efficient. It will have slightly more KE than a light fast arrow, but more importantly it will have more momentum. Momentum is not talked about in bowhunting circles as much as KE, but it is more important when it comes to shooting low weight and traditional setups. Momentum is a function of inertia (mass resisting a change in motion). An arrow with a lot of momentum resists downrange decay of arrow velocity. This means that if your arrow leaves your bow with 45 foot pounds of KE, it will still have close to 45 foot pounds when it gets to your deer 25 yards away! This is a very important factor that is often over looked. KE that is gained by increasing mass instead of by increasing speed also counts more when the payload is delivered to your target. A heavy arrow resists a change in motion and wants to keep moving along the same path (hopefully through a deers chest). 

-Use a broad head that is not only fixed, but also cut-on-contact. This will make a big difference. Test after empirical test has shown that cut-on-contact broadheads penetrate easier than ones with cone or chisel tips. I would never talk bad about a muzzy. They are a GREAT head. I shoot them out of my compound, but if I were going to hunt with a 40 pound bow I would be using cut-on-contacts. Bear Razorheads, Magnus Stingers, Zwickys and Muzzys reciently acquired Phantom line are all excellent cut-on-contact heads that have taken countless game all around the globe. A heavy broadhead doesnt hurt either. Dont be afraid to shoot 145 or 150 grains.

-TUNE your bow! Tune your bow! Tune your bow! I am convinced that this is the biggest factor in setups that do not penetrate well. Your arrow MUST be flying in a straight line! The KE must be delivered from behind the tip of the broad head, PERIOD! If your broadhead strikes a deer and the tail end of the arrow is four inches to the left because you bow fishtails, you will loose a drastic amount of penetration. I think this is the biggest reason mechanicals receive a bad rap and often fail on seemingly perfect shots. People often use them as a substitute for tuning because they cant get good flight with fixed heads. If you tune your bow to perfection and make a well placed shot, less than 25 yards, with a head I mentioned above, you will have no problem on any whitetail that walks this earth. 

These are just my humble opinions, but they happen to be right 

DZ


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Dr Z,

Nice post and points


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## Mike123 (Apr 24, 2006)

Okay so I'm thinking about a 375-425 grain arrow, If my arrow speeds are 200 FPS and I'm using a 325 grain arrow right now how much would my arrow speed drop?

Id Also like to say thanks to all that have been helping me, In these past few days I have learned so much about my bow and bowhunting!


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## flypilot33 (Feb 9, 2006)

Muzzy now makes a cut on impact broadhead.


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## DrZ (Apr 28, 2004)

Mike- What do you mean by "how much will my speed drop"? Are you asking how much your arrow will slow down if you change to a heaver arrow? Or are you asking about the down range loss of speed that I mentioned? If you are asking about switching to a heaver arrow, you can count on loosing one foot per second for every six grains of arrow weight you add. If asking about downrange decay, there is no way of calculating that with the information given. There are too many variables. You need to shoot your arrow through a chronograph at 25 yards. (If you are not a good shot that can be expensive)

Flypilot- Yes. Muzzy recently acquired Phantom broadheads. I have never shot them, but Phantoms have been around for a while and have an excellent reputation. I would not hesitate to use them.


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## doegirl (Feb 24, 2005)

Mike123 said:


> Okay so I'm thinking about a 375-425 grain arrow, If my arrow speeds are 200 FPS and I'm using a 325 grain arrow right now how much would my arrow speed drop?
> 
> Id Also like to say thanks to all that have been helping me, In these past few days I have learned so much about my bow and bowhunting!


I would keep where you're at. What most don't understand is that is a fairly heavy arrow for that draw weight (8gr/lb). You'll start suffering needlessly from a trajectory standpoint if you go much heavier. You don't need a bunch of kinetic energy to achieve passthrus on deer. I have had only two shots that weren't passthrus one with my 45lb compound and a shoulder shot with a crossbow (did recover her). My arrows weighed in at 330grains @ 215fps for 33fps of kinetic energy. Concentrate instead on getting that bow tuned perfectly, stick with a low profile broadhead with small diameter carbons and you'll do just fine.


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