85 grain broad head for elk

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Mar 14, 2013
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I've been using an 85 grain fixed NAP broad head for whitetail for a few years now with good results. I'm wondering if anyone out there has experience using that grain head (or 100 grain heads) for elk. It would be nice to use my same set-up through the year for both species. I'd be curious to hear your experience if you have. Thanks!
 

elkguide

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An elk is a LOT tougher than a whitetail.
My experience leads me to a fixed blade head and a minimum weight of 100 grains. I use 100 grain heads for everything except elk and then I switch to a 125 grain head.
 

Trial153

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total arrow weight will trump broadhead weight. so were missing a big peice of the equation to answer the question.
 

oldgoat

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15grs weight difference is the negligible part of the equation, how tough is the head and what's your total arrow weight. Having seen what elk bones do to broadheads, I personally wouldn't go with that light of head mainly because of durability.
 

Bill V

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What is your total arrow weight and FOC? You can probably switch to a 100 grain head with the same arrow, increase your total arrow weight and FOC, and have some higher strength broadhead options.
 
OP
darcytribe
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Hi Bill,

Well after posting this thread I found your iron will broad head thread and have been reading some reviews and perusing your website. I believe I may just go with your 100 gr. heads and call it a day. I believe that should work for both species. I shoot a gold-tip 400 velocity arrow and 27.5 inch length and 85 gr. broad heads currently. That set up is the fastest combo for my bows specs.

I know several have already asked but I believe you could get quite an order going with a group buy here on Rokslide or possibly a short lived- discount. I would probably but 6 to start. Any chance of that in the near future Bill?
 

Beendare

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I've seen elk killed with 85 gr BH's on a short arrow from a bow with an over draw.

Now that was wayyyyyy back almost 30 years ago....and we didn't know any better. Its not so much an 85gr head is the problem...its the weight of the entire arrow/BH.

NOW we have learned....and NOW the info is out there on the internet for you to learn too. Bump your arrow BH up over 450gr and don't look back. You will end up liking it better for whitetails too.
 

cnelk

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I was just about to post exactly what Beendare wrote.

I remember back in the day when speed was 'sexy' with the use of overdraws and reeeaallly light arrows.

Glad I didnt fall for that fad back then
 

flippertn

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I built arrows to elk hunt. 125 gr cut on contacts and a 500+ gr total weight and love them for whitetail. They’ll blow through a whitetail and it’s made me tons more confident. Shooting 70 lbs with my arrow setup I feel like I can’t pretty much piledrive deer with this setup. You won’t ever regret going heavier.
 

RyanCmns

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I killed a bull with 85grain wacem's, pass through it's all where you hit them. Having said that I don't shoot them anymore I went heavy. On the whitetail side my buddy in the OK state shoots the same setup I use for elk on whitetail right around 510grains blows right through them
 

Bill V

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Hi Bill,

Well after posting this thread I found your iron will broad head thread and have been reading some reviews and perusing your website. I believe I may just go with your 100 gr. heads and call it a day. I believe that should work for both species. I shoot a gold-tip 400 velocity arrow and 27.5 inch length and 85 gr. broad heads currently. That set up is the fastest combo for my bows specs.

I know several have already asked but I believe you could get quite an order going with a group buy here on Rokslide or possibly a short lived- discount. I would probably but 6 to start. Any chance of that in the near future Bill?

See my response to the Rokslide discount questions in the “Engineering a better broadhead for elk thread”
 
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Your total arrow weight must be 350-375ish? That is Very light for an elk arrow. Actually very light for any type of hunting. Last rseason i used an injexion fmj with 100 grain head around 458 grains, this year i am going to add an outsert, 125 grain head and a lighted nock to get close to 520. As was mentioned above, get the total arrow weight up their for better KE and you will have much better penetration. You might lose a little trajectory but you need that KE for elk.
 
OP
darcytribe
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Thanks for the feedback (on this thread an on a few others). I am looking to up my arrow weight significantly this year. I now need to do some learning and asking around to figure out how to do that. My current set-up was designed around getting speed upped and I had someone do that for me with the archery know-how. I believe now that this is not helping me in a hunting usage. Looking forward to learning. If anyone here were available to help me by suggesting some products or arrow set-ups it would be greatly appreciated. The info I have come across seems quite technical. My specs are:
Elite Synergy- 67 pnd draw weight
28 inch draw
27.5 inch arrows
Gold tip velocity arrows 340 spine
85 gr. NAP broadheads

Would like to change to a 125 Iron Will broadhead
Would like to retain a slender arrow shaft
Would like to use plastic vanes
Would like to shoot for 13% FOC
Would like to have around a 500 gr. total arrow weight
 

2blade

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Jan 4, 2015
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Thanks for the feedback (on this thread an on a few others). I am looking to up my arrow weight significantly this year. I now need to do some learning and asking around to figure out how to do that. My current set-up was designed around getting speed upped and I had someone do that for me with the archery know-how. I believe now that this is not helping me in a hunting usage. Looking forward to learning. If anyone here were available to help me by suggesting some products or arrow set-ups it would be greatly appreciated. The info I have come across seems quite technical. My specs are:
Elite Synergy- 67 pnd draw weight
28 inch draw
27.5 inch arrows
Gold tip velocity arrows 340 spine
85 gr. NAP broadheads

Would like to change to a 125 Iron Will broadhead
Would like to retain a slender arrow shaft
Would like to use plastic vanes
Would like to shoot for 13% FOC
Would like to have around a 500 gr. total arrow weight

According to Archers Advantage, which is a good starting point.

28.25" 340 Easton FMJ
2" blazers
125gr head
standard insert with the collar, 20grs
foc 12.2%
Total weight, 493grs
 
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