Weighted insert vs heavier Brodhead?

[Desk Jockey]

What would be the practical performance difference between using a heavier broadhead vs a weight insert?


for instance, would a 200 grain broadhead fly differently than a 125 + a 75 grain insert, all else being equal.

 

[OR Archer]

If everything is tuned well there should be no difference in the way either shoot given everything else is equal.
Advantages of the heavier broadheads will usually be durability. Downsides are cost and lack of variety.
With the insert/broadhead combo you can typically taylor your point weight a bit more with a lot of insert systems. Also gives you more options for broadhead choices.

 

[4fletch]

What would be the practical performance difference between using a heavier broadhead vs a weight insert?


for instance, would a 200 grain broadhead fly differently than a 125 + a 75 grain insert, all else being equal.

Yes, it would. Thats a big increase in surface area.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

for instance, would a 200 grain broadhead fly differently than a 125 + a 75 grain insert, all else being equal.

You might see a difference in flight if there were a sufficiently large difference in geometry between the two heads. More surface area generally means more drag (so potentially more drop downrange) and a greater tendency to "plane" off course (so potentially magnified misses due to flaws in bow tune or shot execution).

If head geometries were the same (like with Iron Wills, many of which have the same blade size and use the ferrule to manipulate total head weight), the only difference would be a tiny change in FOC (slightly higher for 200 gr head, slightly lower for 125 gr head with 75 gr insert) that would have no noticeable effect on flight.