Thorn Broadheads?

[nickstone]

Does anybody have actual experience using Thorn Broadheads this past season?

Thanks, Nick

 

[Gumbo]

Those are pretty interesting. My question would be how much penetration is compromised by the activation mechanism? And how well do they spin considering the long length?

 

[Zac]

The tip is what looks crazy to me, I don't know how that thing penetrates. Anyways Tim Gillingham is running them, don't think hes killed anything yet, but apparently they fly amazing.

 

[Trial153]

What could go wrong.....

 

[Beendare]

What could go wrong.....

Ha^ no kidding.
After hunting with a bow in my hand for over 3 decades....you realize that the above Q from Trials is a good sounding board for your gear choices.

There are so many rock solid BH's out there....I would ask myself, "Why bother with this silly thing?"

 

[JBiggs]

They definitely a different broadhead. I wonder how much energy it eats up to deploy the blades.

 

[nickstone]

The tip is what looks crazy to me, I don't know how that thing penetrates. Anyways Tim Gillingham is running them, don't think hes killed anything yet, but apparently they fly amazing.

That was the reason for my question regarding actual experience on animals, Thanks

 

[MattB]

Yay, somebody reinvented the Punchcutter, which may have been the worst MBH design ever.

 

[HookUp]

Aluminum feral, pass. Tim Gillingham won't hunt anywhere he cant shoot an expandable. I guess when your 6'5" getting close isn't easy? lol

 

[Jeff Martin]

Yes. I killed a cow elk with them this year. I have always been a fix blade guy and picked this year to try a mechanical on elk. I would NOT do it again although the outcome was good.

Shot her at about 17 yards from an elevated position. Shot was perfect. Penetration was horrible. Looked like a hunting show using Rage.
However, she ran out about 30 yards and got real sick and fail FAST!! I was thinking sweeeeet. BUT, then she picked up her head and started looking around and did not want to get up. She was panting...I thought...oh hell...this is going to be a long day. I waited about 10 minutes. She was caughing and sick. I knew then, probably one lung. I tried to get closer for another shot and she stood up. She walked off about 45 yards and fail dead. I GOT LUCKY !! LUCKY !! LUCKY !!

The hole was large. They Open great
They were in perfect shape after the fact.
Shot was absolutely perfect.
I have never seen my arrow stop so fast - I am used to shooting though animals.
Penetration was terrible. I was stupid for trying it.
I feel like they were dull or lack of penetration was the issue (or both)

425grn arrow running about 260fps - full metal jacket 6mm

I would use them on deer all day long.

Hope this helps,
Jeff

 

[OR Archer]

No thanks.

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

Blade angle is crazy

 

[Smack]

Does anybody have actual experience using Thorn Broadheads this past season?

Thanks, Nick

Yes Nick, using a Titan SS Tenpoint @ 340 fps, I shot two arrows and killed two deer. I now have reservations. On the first deer the arrow only went in about 6 inches but dropped the deer in it's tracks. The second deer ran about 200 yards and left zero blood trail for the first 100 yards. It went out of sight at 90 yards and that is where I found the arrow. That arrow did not pass through as well. Had this deer not have been in a large opening when I shot it I don't believe I would have recovered it because of no blood trail.

 

[Spiral Horn]

Thorn Broadhead Performance Report

Got a great last-minute hunt opportunity for a Desert Muley bowhunt. Only issue was I’d been messing around with my gear and didn’t have a bow currently tuned for my usual Exodus broadheads. With time critical I decided to search for an expandable solution. I saw the Thorn advertisements and decided to try them.

Interesting design and they paper tuned to exactly the same bullet-hole and consistently had the same point of impact as my field points at all ranges. Perfect flight — the only concern Going in was they do rattle a bit. When the moment-of-truth arrived I had a 30 yard, perfect full-quartering away shot on a huge bodied, gnarled old buck. Hit him almost exactly mid-body ~1in below the centerline but with the angle should have been a solid vitals hit.

A few things happened at the shot:

• the impact sound was weird, heard “whop” = solid hit, but also a metallic sound
• Deer did double high-mule kick at impact (likely indicator of good hit)
• as he ran off a lot of the arrow was sticking out and had only penetrated ~8in

I was a bit confused. Never before experienced such poor penetration on a full-quartering, mid-body hit. Almost always experience pass-throughs exiting close behind the off shoulder; or, sometimes 2ft+ penetration with the broadhead buried in the off shoulder. Each, always quickly lethal. This was different and I didn’t know how far it penetrated. Did it hit liver, one lung, both lungs - who knows? Anyway, when in doubt, back out. So, I got some help and went back 3 hours later to begin tracking.

It was 40 yards before finding any blood and then it was only a few drops at a time. This continued for another 250 yards or so and I began to doubt as the bucks trail was now growing very thin and it was agonizingly slow going. Just when I was wondering when the blood would completely stop, we found him, with the the intact arrow and deployed broadhead laying about 6 ft away.

He had expired hours earlier and was stiff as a board, but had gone ~300yards with a very faint trail the entire way. We really had to persevere and were lucky to make the recovery. The arrow flew true and there was a large entrance wound but that’s about the only positive things I can say about Thorn Broadhead performance. Very poor penetration. After decades of experience I’m certain that same shot with a Rage Hypodermic or Exodus would have been a complete pass-through and quick-easy recovery.

Thorn Broadhead Performance - Titanium Rip-Tip

1. Design = ingenious, fully hidden blades
2. Flight = excellent
3. Containment System = very good, but wouldn’t shoot through mesh
4. Practice = excellent, clips allow practice with actual hunting head
5. Silence = poor, they rattle
6. Durability = deployed, was intact and functional upon recovery
7. Penetration = extremely poor, ~8in on expected pass-through shot

This was my actual experience - your actual mileage may vary

 

[dkime]

Hard pass, Tim G has given his opinion on why he loves these heads so much. I’m not saying his logic isn’t rooted in a good place but they just don’t seem like the head for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Brandon_SPC]

Tim G will shoot whatever is paid to him. Personally me using him as source of broadheads and arrows is like asking a rascar driver advice on the best truck for towing. IMO there are way better mechanical broadheads out there like a Sevr.

 

[positivepete!]

Hard no. The more complex the head the greater the failure points. A good tune, property spined arrows and some practice will do wonders and cost less than the fad broadhead that will only be around a season.