Is there an expandable broadhead that I can be confident using?

W

Western Skies

New member
Jan 25, 2013
34
I am sure this topic has been covered somewhere on the forum but I would like to ask again. 
Is there an expandable broadhead that I/we can be confident using while hunting elk?  If the answer is yes, which one is it.  I have had some not so great experiences while just practicing pre-season so I have always fallen back to my fixed blade.

Help me out.
 
I will never use expandables on elk, because it has moving parts and moving parts can fail. When I can get fixed BH to hit where I want them to hit, then no reason to add the moving parts.
I met a guy this year that absolutely loves the Rage broadheads. He has taken plenty of deer with them and says they cut a big opening. He also said that most people have trouble with them because they do not get the blades closed or locked down correctly and are not shooting enough bow or arrow weights to make them open correctly.
I have never used them, for what its worth. Good Luck.

 
seen a post on this sight about a hunting group of 3 all using grave digger broadheads they all shot and recovered their elk said they loved them had pics posted also
 
I prefer fixed broad heads just due to the fact i have never found an expandable broad head that i liked
 
nclonghunter said:
I will never use expandables on elk, because it has moving parts and moving parts can fail. When I can get fixed BH to hit where I want them to hit, then no reason to add the moving parts.
I met a guy this year that absolutely loves the Rage broadheads. He has taken plenty of deer with them and says they cut a big opening. He also said that most people have trouble with them because they do not get the blades closed or locked down correctly and are not shooting enough bow or arrow weights to make them open correctly.
I have never used them, for what its worth. Good Luck.
Click to expand...

I echo part of this. I personally will never use an expandable again no matter what the animal. I have tried them years ago when they came out and again this past season because I had friends claim Grim Reapers really work well. We tried a test with multiple Broadheads and while the Grim Reaper won the test they failed during the hunt when it mattered most. I won't fall for that again. Back to the Montec G5's.
 
I have used the G5 Striker for a number of years and been pleased with the result. 
That being said, I have tried the Grim Reaper and the G5 expandable and have only had concerns after practicing.
 
I have used the G5 T3 expandable and it tears open game. The last deer I shot with it was at 60 yards. The deer had more blood shot than any another deer I have shot with a rifle. The arrow went threw the shoulder and stopped by hitting the other shoulder on the other side.
 
I have had great luck with the Rage 2 blade. I have killed 3 elk and two deer with them and haven't lost an animal yet. You won't get the same penetration as a fixed head, no matter what they say. Calculate your FOC and kineticforce to get the most bang out of your set up. The most important thing in my book is accuracy. Find a head the shoots good for you. 
 
The ONLY expandable broadhead that I use and recommended at work was the NAP 2-blade Bloodrunner.  Even if it would fail to open (virtually impossible) it would still cut of an inch hole in an animal.  When full opened it cuts over 2".  I have shot 6 deer in 3 years with this broadhead and have yet to be disappointed.  It flies straight and does major damage.  Granted this was on whitetail.  I can't speak to what it will do on an elk.
 
I tried the rage for the first time last year on whitetail. Hit a big buck at 14 yards but clipped the front shoulder. Granted the shot was a little forward but a fixed blade would have gone through. I never recovered the deer after looking for 3 days. When i found the arrow, one of the blades was so badly bent it explained why I didn't get any penetration. I'm done with expandables!
 
My hunting partner shot a havelina this month with a Rage 2. He made a good shot at 10 yardsand the broadhead end of the arrow was sticking about 6" out on the far side, not a complete pass through using a 70lbs bow. I got a very close look at it as the pig came straight at me after he shot it and then turned away 5 yards from me. We never recovered that havelina. I shot my pig a twice the distance and it went 30 yards with a complete pass through using a Shuttle T


Not trying to put down mechanicals, I'm sure there are a few good ones out there. But if you can make a good shot at a 35lbs pig at 10 yards and not recover it, what are the odds on big game? Not good enough for me...............
 
ghost said:
My hunting partner shot a havelina this month with a Rage 2. He made a good shot at 10 yards and the broadhead end of the arrow was sticking about 6" out on the far side, not a complete pass through using a 70lbs bow. I got a very close look at it as the pig came straight at me after he shot it and then turned away 5 yards from me. We never recovered that havelina. I shot my pig a twice the distance and it went 30 yards with a complete pass through using a Shuttle T


Not trying to put down mechanicals, I'm sure there are a few good ones out there. But if you can make a good shot at a 35lbs pig at 10 yards and not recover it, what are the odds on big game? Not good enough for me...............
Click to expand...

Amen to that. I am hearing way more horror stories than good when it comes to mechanicals. Not sure we can categorize them as we don't know the situation of each shot where they did not work but as for me I know from personal experience so fixed blades all the way.
 
felt the same way about expandable broadheads as you guys do until last hunting season bought rocky mountain gators years ago had no penetration and lost deer swore I would never shoot them again that was over 10 years ago figured they must have made some improvements since then bought some swhacker broadheads and shot 5 mature whitetail with them and love them had awesome blood trails and great penetration complete pass through every time with a broadside shot one was at 40 yards will be using them for elk also this fall  posted pics of a doe I shot with them on another thread (expandable broadheads I think) I have a lot of confidence they will do the job on elk as well 
 
I think the bigger issue is not do they or don't they work; there are plenty of guys who have had great success with mechanicals.  Sure they work and sure they can kill an elk.  But how about the times that they don't work?  They don't open, they aren't strong enough, they don't penetrate, they pop open in flight.  Elk hunting is rarely (if ever) perfect.  Things go wrong and it's nice to know that you don't have to worry about your broadhead.

I'm speaking from personal experience.  I (stupidly) decided to try Rage broadheads a few years ago and had my first shot ever at an elk.  The broad head snapped when it hit the elk (must have hit a rib), no penetration and needless to say no elk.  I felt sick about it and decided that mechanicals weren't for me and didn't fit my hunting style.

Yes they work...but it's the times that they don't work that you'll be kicking yourself.
 
if you look at the design of the swhacker its pretty sweet if it does not open you get a 1'' cut if and when it does open you get a 4'' cut the main cutting blades do not open until it has completely passed the rib cage the wings sit back on the body and the main blades fold up to the tip the wings hit the hide and then the ribs which then open up the main blades inside the vitals they are still razor sharp because they haven't hit hide or bone I agree that rage are junk I've seen to many you tube videos where they fail but not all expandable broadheads are equal 
 
I tried out the 125g Swhacker this year on deer. They worked awesome. Flew just like my field tips held up extremely well and did MAJOR MAJOR damage. Out of the three deer I shot all were pass throughs including one that blasted through a shoulder blade. All blades still looked new.  Absolutely no complaints. I will probably use this for all my deer hunt from now on.

That being said it will be super hard for me to ever switch from my beloved 125g Slick Tricks.  I can't think of a reason to switch. I would have no problem or worry using the Swhackers on an elk but I just love my Slick Tricks too much.
 
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