So I have the Killer Instinct Lethal 405 Crossbow, what would you recommend for a broad head for deer.
They recommend for the bow a 100 grain head and my sons bait pile is 15 yards.
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So I have the Killer Instinct Lethal 405 Crossbow, what would you recommend for a broad head for deer.
They recommend for the bow a 100 grain head and my sons bait pile is 15 yards.
I am using 125 gr slick tricks broadheads with my crossbow..... Slick tricks seem to work well if I do my part
Those will do just fine, I have been using these.... They have them in the 100gr as well but those will do just fine....
https://www.amazon.ca/Slick-Trick-X-...8-2&th=1&psc=1
As long they fly true those are more than adequate for deer. Deer are thin skinned and light boned and as long as the crossbow shoots accurate they are easy to kill.
Myself i am partial to these:
https://www.cabelas.ca/product/23122...ariantId=82585
Not for any particular reason other than they have always worked and have literally put many 1000s of pounds of venison in the freezer along with the odd bear. The ones you posted look fine though and like i said if they are accurate they will work.
Your right Species, Deer have been killed with sharpened stones tied to a stick from 32 lb recurve bows long before we colonized this country :)
I like your choice as well the G5 Montec has served me well..basically the same broadhead as knockoffs like the Excalibur Bolt Cutter a few others.
Accuracy and shot placement are the keys...always practice shooting from your treestand before you go hunting, cuts down on the surprise of missing a deer a 20 yrds when it counts. :)
I have been using the Excalibur 100 gr mechanicals for the last 3 years in my crossbow, and they work great on deer - furthest one ran was only 25-30 yards.
I've used both the bolt cutters and montecs. I am partial to the 125gr though.
I am going to try the 150 grain bolt cutters this fall, if I don't get the results I will switch to the Excalibur 150 grain mechanical trailblazers
I use 100gr bolt cutters use to use those replaceable fix blade look a lot like bolt cutters can’t remember what they where called take them off bolt they fall apart
My instruction book says to use 100 grain so that is what we have sited in with. I would probably be better to stick with 100 grain broadheads.
Nothing wrong with that. My Excalibur micro also requires a minimum of 100 grains but I shoot 125 grains because that's what I had from my other setup. I shoot grim reaper xbow razortip mechanical broadhead. My understanding is the extra weight up front delivers a harder blow.
I used slick tricks and muzzy mx4 and muzzy get the nod for being way cheaper. I shoot 315 Excalibur crossbow and Mathews reezen compound bow. hope this helps
I only shot two deer with them. Both deer died within 50 yards. One was a double lung that went through a rib exiting, the second was a misplaced shot - too far forward - but cut through all the veins/arteries where they leave the chest cavity ahead of the sternum. That left the most impressive blood trail I've seen.
Thanks for the reply
I use 125, Spitfire mechanicals with good success. I find they fly the same as target points…
SO I see many of you use 125 grain.
Why 125 gr?
Also I guess one of the first things I really should have asked is what do you look for in a broad head for deer and why.
Why did you choose what you are buying.
Do you also have to treat broad heads like ammo and try different brands or since the ranges are quite short most will work.?
1. I use the 125 gr because my excal calls for that number.....
2. I use the slick tricks because of the good reviews (they have worked well for me)
3. Most modern broadheads will work and probably group well 30 yds or less....
It comes down to confidence and shot placement...
Use the broadhead weight your bow is recommending, practice with a broadhead you are comfortable with. Zero it in, then when you go hunting swap it out for one of your brand new ones.
You need to hit a small pie plate from 30 yds to be good, Mind you most modern crossbows will shoot much better than that.
Shot placement is key.
Using a 125 grain vs 100 grain head on a crossbow bolt modestly increases the Front of Center (FOC). At typical crossbow ranges of 15 to 40 yards this improves accuracy. A heavier setup is also less susceptible to wind drift. Heavier setup is also a little more forgiving if you hit bone.
In terms of how i selected my 125 grain broadhead i like one that is completely monolithic with fixed blades. By this i mean completely machined from one piece of steel. Most fixed blades are attached to the shaft of the broadhead by some type of mechanical means. A monolithic broadhead will always be stronger than one comprised of several connected pieces. There are pros to having the broadhead constructed in pieces however in that a damaged blade can easily be replaced.
When all is said and done though these are deer we are talking about not grizzly bears and a 100, 125, or 150 grain broadhead of just about any design will work fine if you can accurately hit the vitals.
Going up a step to 150 grain heads basically ups every benefit except it further reduces bolt speed. The reduced bolt speed may increase the probability of deer jumping the string at longer ranges. So in the big picture i chose the 125s. Decent benefits and not too much compromise on bolt speed.
As far as whether your bow will like one brand over another should not really be an issue. At most you may have to adjust your scope when moving between brands but ultimately once the scope is adjusted to any decent quality brand the heads from that brand should group consistently. You are more likely to have issues with the shafts causing grouping issues from one shot to the next. I test every shaft that i intend to hunt with using a designated target broadhead that is identical to my hunting broadhead. Once happy with the performance the target broadhead gets removed and the hunting broadhead goes on and than i take one target shot with the hunting broadhead to confirm zero. That head than stays on that shaft until i kill something with it.
I use rage hypodermic crossbow for deer and moose out of my ghost 420. Never an issue and it has been a very quick and easy track everytime.
Most of the complaints (from what I have read) regarding the bolt cutters are the lack of blood trail. They are very narrow but so are most fixed heads, I just wonder why other manufactures fixed heads don't have the same issue according to the reviews I have read.
I ended up deciding on Rage crossbow X treme 125 grainers for my bear hunt tomorrow. The practice tip was very close to the actual broadhead.
Once I got the practice head zeroed I shot one of the real heads and it was pretty much dead on. The only complaint was the shock collar was toast on the real head after going thru the target.
I will look into buying some shock collars so that I can use the sacrificial head to check zero each year.
I ordered 100 grain, but my arrows also have a brass insert to bring up the tip weight.
can't argue the price ! can find 6 of em for around 35 bucks on ebay. we had shot a moose during gun season that had been hit a week or 2 previous with expandable and basically fell apart on impact and left a abcess on the moose. i like less chance of error
250gr RMS Cutthroat single bevels for me this fall. As the ranch fairy would say... "Adult Broadheads"
https://rmsgear.com/products/cutthroat-screw-in
OK So I think I am going to go with the Montec . I also notice they are on sale hopefully they still will be on Saturday.
I just don't know whether I should go with 125 gr our bait piles are max 15 yards and the farthest either of can shoot will be 20 yards because of the trees.
I also noticed that the crossbow my son and I purchased is on sale even cheaper then what we paid.
$279.99 and we paid 299.99. So I might go buy another one and put my old Barnett 150 for sale for 60 bucks.
https://www.cabelas.ca/product/23122...ariantId=82585
I used Rage mechanicals on my bear hunt this week and they worked great but I didn't like how easy they opened in my quiver so I did some research on the new Excalibur Trail Blazer mechanicals. They snap into place and can be re-fired without damage to the arrow (no shock collar like Rage) so I bought some at my local gun/bow shop today.
Looking forward to see how accurate they are and on game performance.
I throw NAP Spitfires (125Gr) on Excalibur Quills with my Micro 335
Well I bought the broad heads, but did not get the bow, kinda short money this paycheck and refuse to charge and pay later. Not as many bills next paycheck so if it's still on sale I might buy it.
Question for folks that use mechanicals. Have you had any issues on quartering shots? Have you witnessed deflection?
I watched a hunting show that in slow motion clearly showed on a quartering shot when the broadhead hit a black bear the broadhead turned and deflected towards the back of the bear.
I am heading up to Nakina for my first archery moose hunt with my Excalibur crossbow and am struggling with what broadhead to bring. Fixed 150 grain bolt cutters or 150 grain mechanical trail blazers. I like the extra cutting diameter of the mechanicals but am worried about quartering shots. Any advise is welcome
I am a fan of fixed blade for everything. Tried mechanicals maybe 15 years ago and not impressed. Things may have improved since than but I will stick to simple and effective. Less moving parts the better imo. Regarding deflection though fixed heads are not immune. I took a 6 pt buck a few years ago and entry was text book boiler room. Exit however was on the same side just in front of the pelvis. Kill enough things and all manner of @#$_ happens even on text book ethical shots.
I would stick with the fixed head on moose
huntmachine, I'm curious to find out your results with the trail blazers if you ended up using them? I have the micro 335 and a matrix 380 and wouldn't mine mechanicals if they are better then fixed. I have heard from others that they will open easier as in a small weed where the fixed would just cut through it. I do try to makes sure there are no weeds in the way but you never know.
The trail blazers shoot has good as the bolt cutters but I have no on game experience with either one. I do like the extra cutting diameter of the trail blazers and plan to use them black bear hunting in Sept.
I am still planning on using the bolt cutters moose hunting for the durability of a fixed but they have a very small cut
Is there any real difference between the Bolt Cutter and the Wasp SST broadheads?
Other then the Wasp is 2/16 larger in DIA.
I am using Wasp forever......and always wondering ,other then the brand and perhaps the hype-what is the big difference?
Not hijacking....just asking, since we talk Boltcutters too
most modern broadheads are pretty good. saying that there's quite a few popular brands out there that aren't even close to sharp out of the package.
I still shoot Slicktricks and have for about 13 years now and everyone gets stropped before they hit my quiver
I took your advice and bought a couple of packages of G5 Striker V2 125 grain crossbow broadheads today. Going to sight them in next week.
They are quality made and man are they sharp. Looking forward to some on game experience but I have no doubt they will perform
Good to know....thanks