broadheads for stick bows...

I am curious which heads are used by folks out there...I must admit I am sort of stuck in the way back still using Zwickeys...everytime I see some cool new head out there I am reminded of how many deer and elk the "old faithful" have delivered...but I am still temepted to buy some...I still have a few "Ded heds" from my Old Man from many years ago...but they still sit in a small case...

is this stuff I hear about two blades really so true...I have used 2 & 4...they both do well...I must admit the 2's are  bit easier to sharpen...but that 4 blade delta sure is effective...especially with a longbow or a slower shooting recurve with a heavier arrow...

I had to switch from 70# to 55# limbs on my bow...(how in the world did I ever pull those things back??LOL)I think it has something to do with this gray hair???

so bow speed is a bit slower...more like in the 170-175 FPS range...the deltas fly nice with that and a D Fir shaft...





the shaft above is what I have for Elk in a Timber sitution...pretty much close in shots 20 yards and less(15 is a super sweet spot)...for deer hunts I use a 2 or 4 blade zwickey eskimo 125 gr...actually 25 yards is pretty much my max shot in timber anyway...

rig...

56" take down, 55# @ 28" ...shedua riser w/ some elk and mule deer accents.
50-55# Douglas Fir shafts with barred turk feathers 5"
125 grain Zwickey Deltas 4 blade and Eskimos 2 blade
an old school Fred Bear quiver...
some various tabs I made...I use three under almost all the time now...

I am using 130 gn STOS broadheads this season.
I can certainly understand being stuck in the way back with the Zwickeys though. From what I understand they are a great head.
I am very interested in their Deltas.
I also shoot Douglas Fir 50-55 with five inch natural turkey.



My rig is a 64" 45#@27" Bama Hunter longbow made by Nate Steele at Bama Bows. Curly maple riser with bamboo under black glass and cocobolo accents and tips.
I made my quivers and my arm guards, put together my arrows.
Can't imagine pulling a 70# bow back....
I am waiting on a 52# hybrid, Also from Nate. Should be here next month. That will be as high as I go I suspect.
I love this Traditional stuff!
My Mom always told me I was born 200 years to late.
I like how you think, and enjoy your stories

very nice rig...those are solid heads too. Your Mom is probably right...also I really like the way you made your own gear too...

I would shoot a few deer with them to really see how you like them.Too many people jump around from one to another with out really knowing what they have. Most Tarditional heads if not all are basically copies in one way or another of some of the really old designs. Materials are probably better nowadays, I know the welding methods are incredible.

no matter what you may hear, the most important thing is what is on the tip of that arrow...bows and quivers are cool, but the arrow & broadhead combo are what makes us hunters. Raptor Archery has a great video on their site about arrow selection...for various styles of trad bows...Broadheads can mess with arrow flight, so having the best arrow/spine is utmost. A total pass thru vs. a marginal hit can boil down to arrow choice many times and have nothing to do with the bow. The closer to perfect flight you can achieve means that the head, makes straight on contact, and performs at optimum level. Proper head installation and alighnment is utmost here to get the best results.Poor matches can make arrows "slap" the target leaving poor results even from a perfect shot. After scouting, waiting maybe even passing on a few, when it is the time you have waited for so long, everything has to work!

The other consideration here is sharpness...I used to do a little test for customers back when I had a shop 20 years ago to show a "real time" example of how important absolute sharpness is... I would take a sharpened head on an arrow...shoot it into a dirt bank, then take the arrow and place it in a vise with the head pointing up. I then took a piece of deer hide and held it over the head fur down and would hold it on both sides and apply downward pressure on the hide to see how hard you had to "push" to get the head to penetrate the hide...then take the same head and resharpen it and do the same procedure...it was always nothing short of amazing how easily the sharpened head would pop through...showing just how much energy is lost in a dull head, and how much it would decrease penetration on even a great hit. moral to the story...a 70# bow with a dull head does not perform nearly well as a 45-50 lb bow with a razor sharp one...a pass thru is a pass thru...so accuracy & making the right shot ,a matched razor sharp head and arrow combo is the ticket... and lost critters, due to poor hits are for me the #1 thing to avoid...

Good hits with sharp heads at close distances (10-20 yards) can have a Deer or Elk that is calm when shot go down in sight of you stand more often than not. Bloodtrailing is pretty easy when you can see the critter spread out on the ground from your perch!

Thanks.
Not as purty as yours but it works well for me.
The STOS seem real good. I have them hair shaving sharp. My fiancé has been laughing at me as I have some bald spots on my arm and leg....
They shoot really well and have not had any problems with erratic flight. (Unless it is my form error)
I'm pretty good up to 15 yards, (i can surround a tennis ball pretty well and hit it as well quite often) need more practice past that and I am working on it.
My hunting quiver is set up for five arrows so I will be taking 4 broadheads, and a field head too.

I see Central NY as your location...late 70's and early 80's I lived in Freeville (Mt Pleasant) between Dryden and Ithaca...lots of deer and turks back then...

I use only 2 blades. My arrows have STOS on them but I can reload with ACE, Magnus, or Zephyr's easily and have killed deer with all of them. I don;t have any Zwicky's but have used them in the past. Good heads.

I currently use Zwickey Deltas with my St. Joe River Longbow. Only broadheads i have at the moment but I am always browsing on Ebay and Archerytalk for something that looks interesting. I also am a 2-blade believer.