Single bevel broadheads

[NMSbowhunter]

I have a Northern Mist Classic 68" 56# @28 that is my main trad hunting bow. I agree, Steve makes great bows. I am very tempted to have him make me a 47 to 50 pound string follow bow next year. I have yet to take a deer with mine. My shooting has gotten a whole lot better over the past few months. I need to take it out and get a deer with it.

 

[overspined]

There is zero reason to add bleeders to a SB rig. Your shot is either perfect, where it really doesn’t matter what head you’re shooting (let’s be honest), or the shot is less than perfect, where the properties of a SB shine. Bone busting/shattering, deep penetrating, wound channel making, killing SOB that will help Recovery. When’s the last time you shot an animal where the number of blades or width mattered? I sure cant think of any and I’ve killed countless animals.

 

[Iron_llama]

I shoot Grizzly SB too. Should have mentioned that in the above post. I use mostly the 190 grainers on glue on inserts. My preferred method now is to use three files clamped down to the table to set the initial bevel precisely and then sand them progressively finer grit until I hit about 2000 and get a mirror finish. Then I do a final sharpen across the top of a car window and then strop. They are insanely sharp and will shave.

The sharpness has a lot to do with overall blood loss. There is a physiological mechanism called the clotting cascade. It is the body's defense against hemorrhage. A cut from a very smooth, fine, razor-sharp edge does the least to initiate this process, so this type of cut bleeds the longest.

Microsoft Word - Clotting Cascade Article.doc (squarespace.com)

That's a really slick trick with the 3 files. Totally stealing that.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

I shoot Grizzly SB too. Should have mentioned that in the above post. I use mostly the 190 grainers on glue on inserts. My preferred method now is to use three files clamped down to the table to set the initial bevel precisely and then sand them progressively finer grit until I hit about 2000 and get a mirror finish. Then I do a final sharpen across the top of a car window and then strop. They are insanely sharp and will shave.

The sharpness has a lot to do with overall blood loss. There is a physiological mechanism called the clotting cascade. It is the body's defense against hemorrhage. A cut from a very smooth, fine, razor-sharp edge does the least to initiate this process, so this type of cut bleeds the longest.

Microsoft Word - Clotting Cascade Article.doc (squarespace.com)

Rub chalk into the file and it will stay sharper longer.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Rub chalk into the file and it will stay sharper longer.

Good tip. I've never heard that one.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

Good tip. I've never heard that one.

Another tip for using files...
Never drag the work back over the file, it will shorten the life of the file.
Always push the piece into the file.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Yes, I knew that one, but others might not. Good info to put out there. I also use a file card to clean the teeth. When using the files, don't put too much pressure on the broadhead and jig. Just let the files do the work. Also, move them slightly side to side every few strokes so you don't get a little high spot at the place the files meet up. Thes are 10 inch Nicholsons for anyone wondering.

 

[Cthunter]

I've been shooting the 200gn grizzly stick broadheads for 2 yrs. Blood trails sucked. Shot a buck this year through both front shoulders. Still blood was minimal. I've never used a mechanical broadhead in the 20yrs I've hunted. Tried a g5 deadmeat and couldn't believe the blood. Going to keep a few in quiver. Just always thought they would hit branches and open. I'll use them on clean open shots. Still can't beat the single bevel on penetration. Never not had a pass though.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

 

[Will Harris]

I heard that too when looking into single bevels. For that reason, I went with the iron will single bevels with bleeders. I have yet to put one through a deer, but hoping the bleeders help.

bleeders have to help. blood trails with single bevels are certainly hit or miss. even RF has gone back to bleeders.

 

[bowhuntr09]

I've been shooting the 200gn grizzly stick broadheads for 2 yrs. Blood trails sucked. Shot a buck this year through both front shoulders. Still blood was minimal. I've never used a mechanical broadhead in the 20yrs I've hunted. Tried a g5 deadmeat and couldn't believe the blood. Going to keep a few in quiver. Just always thought they would hit branches and open. I'll use them on clean open shots. Still can't beat the single bevel on penetration. Never not had a pass though.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Same experience with the Massai’s. Quick kills with both deer I killed with them, but blood was little to none with good hits. This year I went with a Tooth of the Arrow 175g solid. My one shot was 6 yards, down between the shoulder blades and thru the heart. Blood trail was easy to follow, death was quick but one blade sheared clean off. All I can assume is the head hit something hard in the ground after it passed thru. The deer was standing on a dirt road bed on a field edge, so probably some gravel underneath the surface. So I was happy with the performance, but not so much with the single use.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I just haven't had issues with blood loss, nor really much need to follow a blood trail since I switched to shaving sharp single bevels. This buck was arrowed on the 8th of November at about 16 yards. Shot was quartering too a little. Arrow entered his right shoulder and went through the scapula, crossed the thorax and exited behind the left shoulder. He Jumped a small ditch then trotted out to about 40 yards and stopped, wavered for about 3 seconds and tipped over. This was a 580 grain 22% FOC arrow out of a 44 pound draw weight compound bow. The broadhead was shaving sharp.

 

[Will Harris]

I just haven't had issues with blood loss, nor really much need to follow a blood trail since I switched to shaving sharp single bevels. This buck was arrowed on the 8th of November at about 16 yards. Shot was quartering too a little. Arrow entered his right shoulder and went through the scapula, crossed the thorax and exited behind the left shoulder. He Jumped a small ditch then trotted out to about 40 yards and stopped, wavered for about 3 seconds and tipped over. This was a 580 grain 22% FOC arrow out of a 44 pound draw weight compound bow. The broadhead was shaving sharp.

agree. sometimes there are crazy good blood trails. but sometimes there is absolutely no blood. RF has a vid about "dont expect a blood trail" and goes thru some of the "why?" reasons. i have had both extremes

 

[NMSbowhunter]

The only time I had no blood trail was a doe that took a little hop over a stick just as the shot broke. Instead of the arrow hitting her through the lungs it was a pure gut shot. I was shooting a 650 grain arrow, about 30% FOC tipped with a shaving sharp 190 Grizzly from a 60 pound compound. The arrow zipped through her so effortlessly that she didn't seem to notice being hit and instead walked off a few yards and started to show signs of the effects of the arrow. She bedded down about 15 or so yards from me. I did not have a follow up shot so I waited. She got up and re-bedded 3 times within the next 45 minutes, never giving me an opportunity to end it, before expiring in the last bed. I credit the extreme sharpness of the broadhead, and the lack of flight response from the hit for her recovery. I was hunting near the edge of a large regrowth cutover and if she had gone off in there, she would have unlikely been recovered.

 

[Rg176bnc]

Anything with a glue in ferrule is junk.

From hear forward Im speaking about deer alone.

2 blades regardless of single or double are notorious for sporadic trails. It was the main reason the 3 blade conical style head came to popularity back in the 70's.

Day in day out you will get the best blood trails from a very sharp 3 blade head, I dont care where it enters or exits.

Are blood trails variable? Mmm sort of especially if your ****s dull. A sharp 3 blade head in the 1 1/8 to 1 3/16 will produce enough of a blood trail to find your deer every time if hit in both lungs. Montecs excluded.

A lot of the variability in the blood trails comes from being a pocket or shoulder hugger. That skin can easily cover a slit of 1" or so.

If your under bowed you may have a legit excuse to shoot a 2 blade. If your shooting avg man poundage you are selling yourself short not shooting a 3 blade head if your rolling fixed.

Anyone shooting a single bevel for deer because of the "bone breaking" capabilities I would have to challenge them to show me exactly what vitals are protected by heavy bone. Even on hogs I would probably still be inclined to shoot a double but could see the merits of a single for that critter.

 

[BTaylor]

Anything with a glue in ferrule is junk.

From hear forward Im speaking about deer alone.

2 blades regardless of single or double are notorious for sporadic trails. It was the main reason the 3 blade conical style head came to popularity back in the 70's.

Day in day out you will get the best blood trails from a very sharp 3 blade head, I dont care where it enters or exits.

Are blood trails variable? Mmm sort of especially if your ****s dull. A sharp 3 blade head in the 1 1/8 to 1 3/16 will produce enough of a blood trail to find your deer every time if hit in both lungs. Montecs excluded.

A lot of the variability in the blood trails comes from being a pocket or shoulder hugger. That skin can easily cover a slit of 1" or so.

If your under bowed you may have a legit excuse to shoot a 2 blade. If your shooting avg man poundage you are selling yourself short not shooting a 3 blade head if your rolling fixed.

Anyone shooting a single bevel for deer because of the "bone breaking" capabilities I would have to challenge them to show me exactly what vitals are protected by heavy bone. Even on hogs I would probably still be inclined to shoot a double but could see the merits of a single for that critter.

Agree with everything except the first line. Not sure what you are referring to there.

 

[bigmike23]

This was my first year trying SBs. Went with iron will buff 200grs. They were two for two. 1 Bear 1 doe. Didn't follow any blood trail. Both died in sight. Love how effortless they were to sharpen and having replacement blades is huge for me. I'm not spending all day sharpening a chattered edge. If it's in rough shape, throw it out, stick a new one in and go hunting.

 

[Jimdude]

This was my first year trying SBs. Went with iron will buff 200grs. They were two for two. 1 Bear 1 doe. Didn't follow any blood trail. Both died in sight. Love how effortless they were to sharpen and having replacement blades is huge for me. I'm not spending all day sharpening a chattered edge. If it's in rough shape, throw it out, stick a new one in and go hunting.

If you’re throwing out iron will single bevels, just mail them to me and I’ll pay you the shipping and then some. Sharpening them with a jig and 300-600 grit diamonds gets the chatter out pretty quick.

 

[HuskerInIowa]

If you’re throwing out iron will single bevels, just mail them to me and I’ll pay you the shipping and then some. Sharpening them with a jig and 300-600 grit diamonds gets the chatter out pretty quick.

As long as it’s through an animal they warranty it anyway so it shouldn’t come up much I wouldn’t think.

 

[sconnieVLP]

I switched to IW SB 100s last year, have shot 4 deer with them so far.

All complete pass-throughs, with excellent blood at the shot site. The first three didn’t seem to know they were hit. I’d shoot, they’d react like they got bit by something, run off 15-20 yards, and tip over. Good blood from shot to where they died.

Last one was a buck I shot a few weeks ago. I misjudged how hard he was quartering to and ended up with a single lung/liver/guts shot. He ran 20 yards, then started walking. Thought he was going to tip over like the others, but he bedded down about 50 yards away. Watched him for 45 minutes silently telling him to put his head down and die. Instead he got up and walked off. Walking away I saw the exit side and through the binos I could see some intestine plugging up the exit wound, I’m assuming the vanes pulled it out on the exit. Found a drop of blood where I last saw him before he walked off the ridge but lost it at that point.

I don’t blame the broadhead at all, they seem to work really well so far. I think you can give yourself an advantage with a really sharp fixed blade, but no broadhead is going to be magic and provide a guarantee.

 

[heretic]

Agree with everything except the first line. Not sure what you are referring to there.

HES SAYIN TRAD LIFE IS THE BAD LIFE... HOSS!

In all seriousness though I've had razor sharp three blades kill deer in sight and not leave a drop. I've seen dull three blades leave a trail that Ray Charles could follow at a leisurely pace. Same story for two blades, single bevels, and mechanicals. As far as I can tell in my infintesimally small sample size I've observed the following:

• Time between impact and kill is a function of broadhead sharpness and shot placement
• Distance between impact and pile up is a function of time to kill and animal reaction
• Quality of blood trail is a function of exit hole (and by extension shot placement) and distance to kill

When considering every kill as a whole I can't say I've consistently seen better or worse blood trails as a function of broadhead design. If there is a difference it's so miniscule that it's masked by my own inconsistencies (the phrase "the gun can outshoot me" comes to mind). With that being said these observations are at best anecdotal.

Where I think the real benefit of a SB is they are more forgiving on marginal hits when you aim forward on a deer. Accidentally hit a little high and center punch the scapula? No problem the deer is dead anyways (i've done that). Apply a little bit too much back tension too early and spine a buck by accident? No problem you've broken his back and he's anchored right there (done that too). Have a screaming bull elk come in to 10-15 yards and the only shot provided is a frontal? No worries just throat punch him (haven't done that yet but looking forward to it).