Switching to Single Bevel Broadheads

[MattB]

For me, I like having a thicker carbon wall – seems to be a touch more durable. But I'm fine with 5mm as well. I know how to tune, so I just tune whatever I'm using and put something sharp on it. I've seen some chatter about oscillation and stabilization, which sounds like nonsense to me.

That was my experience in terms of shaft durability, but some guys had issues with the Deep 6 ferrules breaking and various issues with the half outs/outserts which seems like a step backward.

 

[Wilderlife]

I've mentioned on here before that I love single bevel heads, but it's less to do with me believing they make a huge difference on game and more about me finding them much easier to sharpen.

I'm currently using the Aero 1 from Crafted Archery. A bit of a different looking head in that it's a little wider than most and very thick, but I can say they are incredibly durable. I've killed a few pigs and goats with them and I got my first deer with one the other day. It was a high lung shot and he left a blood trail that even I could follow - I'm red/green colourblind.

I doubt they'd be my first choice for a buffalo hunt but I haven't found any issues with penetration so far, and I do believe there is something to how thick they are as they seem to make a cut that opens more than other SB heads I've tried.

 

[Tilzbow]

One thing almost no talks about is the fact single bevel broadheads have an edge that’s more fragile than a double bevel due to the fact the angle of a single bevel is less than that of a double bevel resulting in a thinner cutting edge that can get damaged or fail more easily.

 

[Wilderlife]

Absolutely, but everything is a trade off for the most part. The broadhead I just posted went through a deer very easily but got a few nicks in it after it hit the granite dirt behind the deer. A DB broadhead may have done a bit better hitting that dirt, but regardless, the SB is re-sharpened now and back in my quiver. It was a quick job.

And I just like the idea of an S cute, more than a potentially stronger edge in that sense. Not saying one is better than the other and there are other factors that play into this, but it's just what I prefer in my mind.

I don't know that I'll ever lose an animal, or have the outcome of a hunt, come down solely to whether I ran a SB or DB broadhead, with all other things being equal. Other people may feel different and that's cool, too.

 

[TX_Diver]

I like cutthroats. Haven’t sent a single bevel through an animal but the 3 blades did great and my single bevels have flown well and been very durable shooting at the house so far. Bit cheaper than IW and the RMS group is a good outfit!

 

[Beendare]

One thing almost no talks about is the fact single bevel broadheads have an edge that’s more fragile than a double bevel due to the fact the angle of a single bevel is less than that of a double bevel resulting in a thinner cutting edge that can get damaged or fail more easily.

Yep. Thus they need to be made of higher quality steel to maintain a sharp edge.…similar to the Japanese slicers- awesome, but pricey.

Plus, there are some that say the twisting motion inhibits penetration in a critter…or that wound channels can be crooked.

I wouldn’t use them just because they don’t have the super fine point I like to align my BHs perfectly straight.

I have seen a bunch of guys that have sloppy arrow assembly with their broadheads- they don’t spin absolutely perfect And It shows in their poor accuracy and bad groups with BHs out past 40y.

 

[Wilderlife]

Yep, that's definitely the case.

I try to assemble my arrows as best I can, make sure they spin, and have all other aspects of my tune taken care of fairly well. For this reason, it doesn't really matter what broadhead I use, so I just choose to use what I feel confident in. I doubt I'll ever want for penetration with my setup on the critters I chase around here, but if I go up north chasing buff and scrubbers I might consider a few other things.

Fingers crossed I can put some arrows through a few more critters over this coming long weekend. Four days to hunt and the rut is about to kick off!

 

[mobohunter]

Cutthroat and Iron Will would be my top two contenders. Right vs. left doesn't matter as long as the bevel direction matches the offset/helical direction so both ends of the arrow are working to spin the arrow in the same direction. Some folks are going to advise you to "clock" a bareshaft then fletch to complement the natural spin direction. There's no harm in doing so but also no benefit IMO. Right bevel heads are more common than left, BTW.

Do you have experience with both of these? I have shot Cutthroat past 2 years... tough blood trails but dead animals. Was thinking about switching to the IW Wide just for better potential blood trails...

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Do you have experience with both of these? I have shot Cutthroat past 2 years... tough blood trails but dead animals. Was thinking about switching to the IW Wide just for better potential blood trails...

I've shot a few animals with Cutthroats. All were recovered and blood trails were decent. IME blood trails are influenced much more by shot placement than by broadhead design. For two pass throughs at the same location/angle, the head that makes a larger cut will likely put more blood on the ground, but it's more about where you hit the animal than what you hit it with.

 

[mobohunter]

I've shot a few animals with Cutthroats. All were recovered and blood trails were decent. IME blood trails are influenced much more by shot placement than by broadhead design. For two pass throughs at the same location/angle, the head that makes a larger cut will likely put more blood on the ground, but it's more about where you hit the animal than what you hit it with.

Totally agree. I have also shot a few whitetail with cutthroats and have had solid placement, (double lung). The blood trails were sparse, so much so, I ended up walking toward where I heard them crash, to retrieve. One of them the exit hole ended up getting blocked by the diaphragm and producing almost no blood. I was just thinking about swapping over to the Iron Will Wides to potentially alleviate this problem...