Broadhead suggestions ?

[Shrek]

I got the bow , sight , rest , and a cheap quiver already. Think I want some Deep Six XD 295's but since the Ulmer Edges are no longer made I don't have a clue as to what I want in a broadhead. Looking for suggestions with why.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

If your interested in a mechanical the Grim Reaper Razortips have worked very well for me on a variety of game. Good flight, good penetration, big holes, good blood trails. After the shot replace blades and resume hunting.
If interested in a fixed blade VPA's have worked well. Super tough, good flight, good penetration, good blood trails. After the shot resharpen, and resume hunting.

 

[KH_bowfly]

I've also had good luck with the 1-3/8" grim reapers. Great blood trails. I had one of the 2" ones fly funny on me and switched to rage hypodermics. Those have been decent for me. I'm considering switching back to grim reaper, but I'm undecided.

 

[5MilesBack]

What are you hunting, and need your bow and setup specs........i.e. arrow weight, etc.

What is your goal? Best accuracy? Maximum blood on the ground? Indestructible? Sharp as heck?

 

[Peter K]

Check out Grave Diggers! They are a hybrid that is a two blade cut on contact fixed head that has two blades that open inside the animal. They dont have any clips or rubber bans as they have dents on the blades that cross each other when shut and have an adjustment screw. I started using them this year and was more then pleased watching three deer fall over a total of 140 yards from my stand! www.nolimitarchery.com/products/grave-digger-cut-on-contact-100gr-broadhead

For fized blades, I'll second the VPA's for all the reasons above.

 

[LostArra]

Slick Tricks or VPA's

why? they work and have worked for quite a while

 

[ofl0926]

I like slick trick or G5 montec

 

[PNWGATOR]

For a fixed blade head look at the VPA broadheads. Incredibly strong, simple design, fly great and can be made wicked sharp.
Mechanicals I have zero first hand experience. However, I reached out to a very experienced user and the NAP kill zone was his recommendationsince the Ulmer Edge heads are no longer available.

 

[Brendan]

Need to know what you're shooting (Elk or Florida Whitetail = Big Difference) also bow specs as mentioned above. You will find there's just as much variation and opinion on broadhead as there is bullet choice, if not more.

For whitetail, I like big mechanicals - NAP Spitfire, NAP Killzone, Grim Reaper. For Elk, I like a sharp cut on contact fixed blade (Solid Broadheads for me, but VPA, WAC EM, Shuttle T, Muzzy are all popular). If you're shooting bigger draw weight and more KE, you could use a good expandable for Elk as well. Keep in mind a fixed blade is harder to shoot well, your bow needs to be in tune, and you need to shoot with proper form where an expandable is more forgiving, especially as ranges increase.

 

[Shrek]

I'm hunting everything from elk to pigs with it. It's an Elite Pure at 69.5lbs and 31.5" draw. The attraction of the old Ulmer Edges is that I could lock the blades and practice with what I would be hunting with. I'm not aware of any other head that you can do that with and not run through expensive targets. It's been 25 years since I bow hunted last but I remember the pain of practicing with my broadheads and destroying targets. I wasn't all that enamored with bow hunting back then and it isn't lighting my fire now but I do want to put it back in the arsenal. Everything I've got I bought used to keep the cost down and if it cost a fortune to shoot with what I hunt I'm not going to practice much. I'm a rifle hunter first and I'm going back to dabbling in archery.
I'm going to be ordering some arrows soon and fletching them and teaching myself to tune the bow. I figure YouTube and the forums have my back on this adventure. And yes I know it would be much easier to go to the pro shop and have them tune the bow and guide me but whats the fun and adventure in that ?

 

[Backpack Hunter]

There's not a lot of pro shops I trust to tune my bow.
If you buy the Grim Reapers you get a practice head, lots of other mechanicals do the same or similar. If you go with fixed blades I'm pretty sure you will be tearing up some targets!

 

[Ross]

Many great choices in the market today. For bigger game IMO Elk recommend stay away from expandables. I've taken elk with thunderheads, muzzles, montecs,satellites and am currently shooting shuttle ts. All performed great. Find a design that shoots well for your setup and hit them where they breath and you will have success.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I don't have enough experience to offer much here. However, Be thoughtful about mechanicals that have cutting edges on both sides as I think designs like the umber are illegal in some places for that reason.

FWIW - I test 3 heads and found muzzy trocars flew best for my bow. Not sexy or new but they are relatviely cheap and seemed to be good medicine for the white tails i have encountered in my first season of bow hunting. I am not sure I am inclined to change things based on my results.

 

[realunlucky]

Wackems, shuttle t, and g5 strikers fly great and cut on contact. Start here and never change heads again

 

[tipsntails7]

Grim reapers for expandable, vpa or QAD exodus for fixed. Shuttle T's fly really really well also.
I personally would stay away from deep six, it limits what you can throw up front. I also wouldn't be afraid to shoot expandable heads at anything if the state your hunting allows, they have come a long way from what they used to be.

Also keep your arrow weight up enough to keep your speed modest if your going to run fixed blades, you've got a massive draw length, trying to tune fixed blades at 300+ FPS is a pain for experienced guys, much less guys getting back into it. 260-280 is what I would shoot for. Plenty of speed and you will be flinging logs as well.

 

[Beastmode]

Wac'em is what I have been using for a couple years and I am flat out impressed with this head. Great flight especially at longer ranges. I would check out their new expandable as well. Shuttle t and slick trick are also great heads that have been proven over the years.

 

[Brendan]

With your draw length and weight, you should be getting plenty of KE to shoot either mechanical or fixed blade. Some people will tell you to stay away from mechanicals for Elk, but some people shoot them very successfully. I would choose fixed for hogs.

If you get your bow tuned properly, and shoot with proper form, your field points and any broadheads should all shoot to the same point of impact. That way, you can shoot primarily with field points, working in a broadhead here and there to make sure that nothing has slipped out of tune, or to make sure your form is still on. That saves a little on the target life. As the season gets close, my first shot when practicing is always 100% cold, long range, with a broadhead. And I want to get so I nail that shot every time.

What you will find is that some broadheads are of a more forgiving design. That way, a bow a little out of tune, or less than perfect form, will still shoot to the same POI or at least close to it. For example, for me - expandables are always dead on. I found Wac 'Em and Solid Broadheads to be the most forgiving for me of the fixed blades I've tried, followed closely by Shuttle-T's. I love the design of the VPA (Bombproof and easy to re-sharpen), but I found them to be less forgiving for me. I do try them every year though to see if I've improved things...

 

[69ChrisCraft01]

If you are set on Ulmer Edge there's a bow shop in Fresno called The Spot and they still have several packages left. The owner bought all he could find when it was announced they weren't being made any longer.

 

[Shrek]

So at this point I'm thinking Deep Six XD 295's cut at 30.5" with 125gr Grim Reapers coming in around 495gr total weight with everything. Any advice on fletchings ?

 

[tipsntails7]

So at this point I'm thinking Deep Six XD 295's cut at 30.5" with 125gr Grim Reapers coming in around 495gr total weight with everything. Any advice on fletchings ?

I don't believe grim reapers make deep six heads.
Most heads don't come in 125 in deep six either.

Easton axis .260 with 50 grain inserts 125 up front your looking at 540 before fletches. Not a bad place to start