Testing on a few different broadheads

[Brandon_SPC]

A few months ago I decided to do a test on the following broadheads:
- 200 grain RMS Cutthroat
-125 grain vented Ironwill
- 200 Grizzlystik Samurai
- 100 grain Zeus
I completely forgot to post the results on here but they were all shot with the following setup:
Bow - Elite E32 Freedom build with Elite Option 80lb deflection limbs chronoed with a 600 grain arrow at 268 fps.
Arrow - Grizzlystik Momentum TDT 240 and a Black Eagle X-Impact 250 with the 110 grain Ethics outsert. (All the arrows I had at the time)
Testing material - Fresh cow femurs bought from the butcher
Distance - 10 yards

Total arrow weight with the 200 grain broadheads roughly 620 grain velocity roughly 260 fps and with the 100 and 125s the arrow weight was roughly 500-525 grains.

The RMS Cutthroat blew through a cow femur two different times, the GS Samurai blew through the cow femur but severe edge chatter and the tip broke, the Ironwill both bent and the main blade broke. On the Zeus two were because of me having poor shots and they were glancing shots and the other one was a full front impact. All the Zeus heads could not be shot again, GS Samurai could not be used again, the Ironwill could not be used again and also did not penetrate the bone. But this could also be because the X-Impact arrow did not hold up a second time on bone . Granted with the Ironwill I would love to test a 200 grain version because even though on the 125 vented the back end of the main blade broke it still held together. I can only imagine what the solid 200 grain version would do. Ironwill has reached out to me before I could even reach out to them about replacing the broadhead. I haven't sent the broadhead in yet but I have delt with them over the phone and they are a great company with amazing customer service.

In the next coming weeks I will be testing the new Ozcut Hurricane (3 blade single bevel I am still waiting on these to come in the mail) , 265 grain Tuffhead Meathead, Zeus 125 grain, Vanedieman 125 grain, TOTA 125 grain, 150 grain Ironwill (I dont feel like it was a good representation since the arrow broke). All arrow weights will be over 600 grains with ethics stainless steel outserts. Just thought I would share my results.

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

Awesome info those cutthroats have been on my radar for a while

 

[Ucsdryder]

Woah! Cool test. I keep thinking about trying the cut throats. The iron will fanboys will be here any second!

 

[Billy Goat]

Interested in how the vanediemans do. I have been curious about them.

Don't know how accurate your test is shooting into straight bone at 10 yards. But it definitely shows how the heads can hold up. My suggestion would be to go to maybe 15 yards so maybe the arrow will have settled a little more and put something thin over the bone. Something as simple as R-board or something. I believe the arrow needs to get out a little ways and the vibrations and flex out of the shaft to really be able to test them. Otherwise the shaft can be creating issues with broadhead reactions to hard impact. Of course just my thoughts and it's your experiment. So carry on as you wish.

 

[Muleyslayer14]

Valkyrie Jagger would be awesome also!

 

[Topo_trekker]

Good test for durability. Im left wanting to see all shot at 600+. I think momentum is what’s breaking the bone more than anything.

Distance should be a factor. Most have no problem at 10yrds but once you stretch out to 40+ what is going to blow through femurs then. Probably 2 blades(singles and doubles).





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[5MilesBack]

Distance should be a factor. Most have no problem at 10yrds but once you stretch out to 40+ what is going to blow through femurs then.

If I'm hitting or blowing through femurs, I'm aiming at the wrong end of the elk.

But even on the front end of the elk, I've had BH's as flimsy as an Ulmer Edge blow completely through the humerus from 54 yards........on exit. And that head looked like new except for the blood all over it. Really surprised at how all these heads look after shooting the bovine femur. I've shot less stout BH's into concrete that fared better.

 

[Brandon_SPC]

Sorry guys I tried to quote all the posts so I can respond directly but I am clearly doing something wrong.

This was a durability test. The reason I shot at 10 yards was to eliminate or try to eliminate the human factor to some degree. If I had something like a Spot Hogg hooter shooter then I would shoot at greater distances but do to the lack of funds (my own money). I'm not trying to take the chance of screwing up the test. lol

Now regarding to me picking a cow femur well that was as close of bone I had without spending a ton of money. To have fresh elk bones shipped to me was around $150 just for the shipping. I wanted to use a humerus but I couldn't find anything whether it was cow, elk, bison. They were all femurs, but after speaking to a butcher that has butchered wild game and domestic animals over 30 years, he did advise me that a cow femur would be a decent presentation across multiple game animals. Mainly because of wild game vs cow bone density, size, living conditions etc.

Now of course there will NEVER be a hunting scenario where we shoot directly in the bare bone like this but I wanted to see how each broadhead would hold up to hard impacts and how that broadhead can break bone. With the Ironwill I do not think it was a fair representation of how it could perform which is why I will be testing it again just with a solid blade.

So these type of tests should be taken with a grain of salt but my next test will probably be at 20 yards. Granted at 10 yards I would already expect the arrow to be stabilized because of how the bow shoots bare shafts out to 30 yards. But what I have noticed about shooting into board, steel drums, etc is all the above broadheads will make it through just fine but the moment dense bone is encounter everything changes. Also like mention above momentum is playing a huge part in breaking these bones which is why I am going to strive to have every arrow about 600 grains in the next test.

Broadheads I would love to test would be Valkryrie, VPA two and three blade, bone broadheads, Day Six, Annihilator broadhead, tuffhead stainless steel version, helix, Ironwill two blade, and a few others I can not think off the top of head but of course funding is extremely limited. Not to mention I need to find an arrow that has side walls thick enough to withstand these heavy impacts. So far the only arrow that I have tested that does this is Grizzlystik but in my honest opinion the outsert system is the weakest link. Hopefully ethics outserts for grizzlystik will be coming out soon because I will be changing them without hesitation. Now that should be as bomb proof of an arrow as one can get.

Also I did forget to mention two broadhead in the nest test. So the next test would be:
-150 grain Ozcut Hurricane (3 blade single bevel I am still waiting on these to come in the mail)
-265 grain Tuffhead Meathead,
-Zeus 125 grain,
-Vanedieman 125 grain,
-TOTA 125 grain,
-150 grain Ironwill
-125 Grizzlystik Redline Massai.
-200 grain Grizzlystik Massai

 

[Topo_trekker]

If I'm hitting or blowing through femurs, I'm aiming at the wrong end of the elk.

But even on the front end of the elk, I've had BH's as flimsy as an Ulmer Edge blow completely through the humerus from 54 yards........on exit. And that head looked like new except for the blood all over it. Really surprised at how all these heads look after shooting the bovine femur. I've shot less stout BH's into concrete that fared better.

Thats nuts, cow? Did it just clip it or completely cut it in half? You must only shoot mechanicals then with an experience like that.


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[5MilesBack]

Thats nuts, cow? Did it just clip it or completely cut it in half? You must only shoot mechanicals then with an experience like that.

It actually went through perfectly vertical through the bone. You could see the thin lines where the blades cut through and then the hole in the middle where the ferrule passed through. And this was on a 6x6.

This was actually a follow up shot. I shoot both fixed and mechanicals, but have been shooting more mechanicals since 2012 because they've been devastating from my experience.

 

[Hybridmachine]

Have you received the Hurricane's ?

 

[Brandon_SPC]

Have you received the Hurricane's ?

No... I'm still waiting on them and haven't heard of an official date of when these will be shipped. I have almost waited three months from the original ship date.

 

[Hybridmachine]

I just talked to them via IG message. They said 6-9 days. They must have lost you're order ? I'd contact them.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Good stuff, thanks for sharing. I decided to go extra heavy with my elk arrows last year and put a 150gr Cutthroat on a GrizzlyStik Momentum TDT 240 for a total arrow weight of 630gr. I didn't do any torture testing or bone penetration testing with the Cutthroat, but it survived a couple inadvertent trips into the backstop (2x6 boards) behind my practice target and held its edge going through a cow elk.

 

[Brandon_SPC]

I just talked to them via IG message. They said 6-9 days. They must have lost you're order ? I'd contact them.

I actually got a text last night stating they were shipped. Hpefully I will get them before I leave for annual training around the second week of July. If not I will have to wait until around the first week of August. But I will have VanDiemans, Ozcut Hurricanes, another Ironwill, and I have a friend giving me some Rage Trypans. I'll be posting the full Zeus review here soon.

Good stuff, thanks for sharing. I decided to go extra heavy with my elk arrows last year and put a 150gr Cutthroat on a GrizzlyStik Momentum TDT 240 for a total arrow weight of 630gr. I didn't do any torture testing or bone penetration testing with the Cutthroat, but it survived a couple inadvertent trips into the backstop (2x6 boards) behind my practice target and held its edge going through a cow elk.

Hahaha I have had that happen with one of my bows. Went through my 3d target, through my blob target, and stuck into the backstop.

 

[elkhunter505]

Any word on the hurricanes? I am wondering about them

 

[Brandon_SPC]

Any word on the hurricanes? I am wondering about them

Sorry for the late reply I have been in the field for the last 15 days. Do a search for my name, I did a complete initial review on the Hurricanes.

 

[NWO]

Interested in how the vanediemans do. I have been curious about them.

I know this is an old post but I shot my bear with the 125gr VanDiemans this year and they held up great. Blew through the thick part at the base of the scapula and popped out the other side. The tip was a little bent but I was able to sharpen it out with relative ease. I have some 225 gr VanDieman heads that I will be experimenting with over the next little bit but I need to spine up first.

That being said my 125 gr heads are sharpened and ready to rock for my archery moose tag.