I just read an article in a magazine called "Sportsman's Bowhunting Annual" put out by the Harris Outdoor Group.
The article is titled "Heads of the pack" by Jeff Murray, a contributing archery writer. I'm not going to re-write the whole article here, but a lot of what he says makes sense.
He writes that....."there are three main categories of broadheads....1. Fixed blade broadheads....2. Expanding or Mechanical broadheads......3. Replaceable Blade broadheads....and a 4th emerging group - Hybrid broadheads, a combination of mechanical and cut-on-contact heads."
Examples of each category are, 1. G5's Montec and the Snuffer from Magnus. 2. N.A.P.'s Spitfire and the Steelhead from Rocket. 3. Slick Tricks and the Striker from G5. 4. Gladiator from gold Tip and the Raptor from 2XJ Enterprises. These are just two examples from each category.
The groups of archers/hunters getting the benefits from each category? This is where it gets interesting as what Jeff Murray states makes a lot of sense.
Category 1. - There are two groups of archers who benefit from the Fixed Blade head, first are the "bow-poundage challenged archers (the young, the elderly, and most women) because this group needs to optimize penetration with relatively low poundage setups. Second are the archers with Kinetic Energy to spare - longer draw length and higher poundage shooters. These archers benefit from the cut-on-contact heads and the fact that they are tough heads that can be resharpened easily.
Category 2. - Mechanical or Expanding heads benefit those archers who are in the beginning stages of learning but who have the ability to pull higher poundage or have draw lengths of 28" and up. Also the archer who is after smaller game animals such as turkeys, upland game birds, and smaller-bodied deer. These animals don't require the pass-thru punch of fixed blades. This type of head also flies closest to the flight of field points without a lot of tuning involved. Hence the obvious benefit to the inexperienced.
Category 3. - Replaceable blade broadheads, have obvious benefits to archers who want a razor sharp head that is easily tuned to their setup. American Broadhead's Sonic 100 is a prime example. These smaller profile heads are great for experienced shooters after larger game animals such as Elk, Mule deer, Bears, and Moose. Shot placement is key here (as with all archery hunting). The smaller profile of the Replaceable Blade head does not wind plane on longer yardage shots or in open breezier terrain, yet they deliver a devastating wound channel with lots of blood for easy tracking
So. Which category do you fit into? Or are you like me and can benefit from more than one category suggestion? I hope that any who have a chance to read the whole article - do so. It has a lot of good advice.
Whatever our goal as bowhunters is we need to remember that we owe it to our quarry to kill quickly and efficiently. Toward this end, I would add my .02 cents worth in the I believe that we should strive for the best from our setups, whether we tune them or a pro shop tunes them.
If you build your own arrows I can think of no better money spent than that spent on an ASD (Arrow Squaring Device) from G5 Outdoors. Squaring the end of cut shafts so that the insert sits flush - plus - squaring the insert itself so that the broadhead sits square will only benefit the flight of the arrow.
The ASD assures a square broadhead-to-insert-to arrow shaft connection. This goes a long way in helping with true broadhead flight, and a humane kill.
As always - just one man's opinion.