Silly Broadhead penetration Test to share.

[HEADACHE]

Just a little fun with my brand new target. and 3 brand new broadheads.

 

Shot the following broadheads just to see what kind of penetration I was getting through my brand new Block Target.

 

Using Mathews Z7 @ 72 lbs. shooting 420 gr Easton epic ST 400 shafts, NAP QuikFletch and 100 gr broadheads. Arrows clock right at 305fps Target @ 30 yds The Block 22x22x14" model.

 

Broadheads:

#1. Trophy Ridge Piston Point (aka)Meetseeker 3-blade http://www.trophyridge.com/broadheads/

#2. EPEK XC3 3 blade http://epekhunting.com/XC3.aspx

#3. The Atom razorwire 4 blade http://www.arrowds.com/atom/atom.htm

#4. Rocket Steelhead 100 3 blade (the old model, not the new model) (Same broadhead I shoved through my elk 2 years ago... no longer razor sharp)

 

 

Not claiming anything, not affiliated with anyone, just for fun. I'll let the picture do the talking.

1st in penetration was by the (dull) Rocket Steelhead

2nd was the trophy ridge meetseeker/piston point

3rd was the atom

4th was the Epek

 

I noticed the Atom flew the loudest, and dropped the second most.

The rocket steelhead dropped the least and was second loudest.

Epek was the quietest and dropped a lot for only 30 yds.

The Meatseeker had the loudest "thwak" on the target

 

User error is quite possible and noted.

 

I only shot them each once.... ran out of daylight today... maybe more tomorrow.

I was not aiming at the same spot, only the same height.

[CouesWhitetail]

Cool....thanks for sharing your test. Looking forward to some follow-up.

 

 

[madx250]

Cool test-i personaly shoot the Epik and love em.

[firstcoueswas80]

Those Razor Wire broadheads have always looked interesting. I wonder how the would work day in and day out in the field? An interesting design for sure!

[HEADACHE]

Ya every couple years I get all excited about the newest and craziest designs in broadheads and fletching.... I run out and buy a few up and then shoot em all and test em out.... I usually go back to my old favorites and usually not that impressed... but these 3 are something pretty cool.

 

I skipped one of those epeks off the target and hit into the dirt... the entire thing came apart.... I mean it looked like a bomb went off.... nothing left of it. Weak. I do like the design though, and the no rubber bands, flies like a field tip. Great ideas they are huge too.

 

So far I am torn between the the meetseeker and those atoms heads for more trials.

 

I have killed two bulls and a buck with the rocket steelheads, all 3 complete passthrough shots and all 3 animals died within sight. It will be hard for me to switch ha ha. tonight I'll take em out to 50 and then 80 yards to judge flight characteristics from my set-up.

[HEADACHE]

Shot them at 50 and 60 and 80 yards today, the wind was flat hookin it! so test results/pics would probably be null and void.

But the impressions of the shooter remain:

 

#1. Rocket steelhead flew the truest with little drop or wind shift

#2. Atom razorwire head surprised me as it flew rather well! YEAH!

#3. Piston point Flew rather well and realized that the center can rotate seperate from the blades.... that may help some in the wind. especially with helical fletch.

#4. Epek dropped the most at those yardages and also seemed to get blown quite a bit.

 

These from 50 yards in the wind

Here you see the tiny bit of a tip from both Trophy Ridge heads.

Here they all are pushed on through. Notice the Epek failed to open.

This was from 60 yards, only the Piston Point got thru.

 

This was typical results from 30 yds:

After a few shots I realized a few things:

 

#1. Epek head failed to open twice! It either bent the outside casing, or got some debris inside and failed. (Thats a no-no for me) I had to use my last one to finish comparing it to the other heads.

 

#2. The Atom razorwire took a tiny bit of a bend to the wire.... I grabbed it with my hand (not very sharp)= (string safety) and gave it a little nudge... straightened it right out to perfect..

 

#3. Rubber bands get to be a pain to replace every time on both trophy ridge heads.... But I could find the band half way up the shaft at least half of the time on the piston-point head.... Never once on the steelhead.

 

SUMMARY (so far)

In My Humble Opinion of course:

 

The Epek head has crashed and burned and I won't be shooting it anymore.

 

The Atom Razorwire head has started to impress me the more I shoot it, the more I like it. Its noisy, but not terrible noise, lke a buzz not a tear through the air. This is the only one that after 10 shots through the foam didn't lose any sharpness or have any dings in the blades. Looks like brand new still!

 

The Trophy ridge Piston Point is fairly solid head with best of both worlds. Flies well, penetrates hard. I was tentative about those long unsupported blades breaking or bending and so far haven't seen anything of the sort.

 

Trophy Ridge/ Rocket Steelhead is still my favorite head, it penetrates very well and flies exactly the same as my field tips. Too bad they stopped making them ... ugh!

 

I think I would shoot The Atom and either Trophy ridge head at my Elk this year, as well as deer without worrying about any kind of failure.

 

[firstcoueswas80]

I read a few reports about the razorwire heads a couple of years ago... They featured LARGE exit wounds = lots of blood = animal dies quick = AAAA+++++

[cmc]

Great test but it tells me one very important thing... I will never buy a block target for broadheads.

[HEADACHE]

Great test but it tells me one very important thing... I will never buy a block target for broadheads.

 

ha ha glad I could provide one tidbit of useful info ha ha....

 

Actually my wife had just bought me a Glendel Full Rut buck for Fathers Day..... I took it camping, shot 4 arrows into it at 30 yds and couldn't get those dang arrows out to save my life!!!! Took the insert out, stood on it and I pulled the skin off my hands trying! Oh I was mad!

I took it back to sportsmans warehouse, they graciously refunded my money, and I bought this block.... plus took 170 cash back up the hill with me ha ha. I am liking it so far!

[cmc]

I am curious on the fold over the top broad heads. Did the blades bury or indent into the ferrule a bit or did that hold up to the opening impact when the blade bottomed out at full open?

 

cmc

[HEADACHE]

I am curious on the fold over the top broad heads. Did the blades bury or indent into the ferrule a bit or did that hold up to the opening impact when the blade bottomed out at full open?

 

cmc

 

They come with a steel ring that goes in behind them, so when they open full up, they don't ruin your insert.... if you forget to install that little guy, they dig backwards into your insert .... ugh. I have done that more than once for sure.

 

I think thats what you're asking.... they certainly don't dig into the ferrule. Now the Rocket Steelheads have a groove cut into the ferrule to help them get tight at closed position.

 

On the EPEK, the ferrule is out of the way, and that black piece over the outside slides backwards opening the blades up. It also has a steel ring to prevent digging into your arrow insert. If you zoom full size the second picture I have in my first post you'll see that I did NOT have that steel ring installed on the EPEK. It barely touched the insert though, the steelheads really dig backwards though.

[cmc]

Nope you nailed it.

 

Some models of fold overs don't include steel rings and some the blades hit the ferrule before the insert.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

cmc

[ultramag]

those rocket steelheads are great heads I have taken several elk with them with no problems.

If you forget to put on the steel ring on the fold over heads they will dig into the arrow and ruin it, that is what the ring is for. I learned this the hard way.

[coueshunter84]

Many of the rear opening heads will close after the shot when the target stops the arrow. usually dosent take much KE to close them. If the band or whatever is holding them has been tripped then they opened. To test the ones that dont use bands ( or any of them for that matter) put a piece of paper on the back side of the target. I think you will find most of them are opening, and just closeing afterward.

[HEADACHE]

True. And the trophy ridge/rocket heads opened up every time perfectly, just as they always have.

 

And in this case the EPEK head (Which actually opens over the top as well) wont even open up in my hands anymore without really forcing it. I believe that the outside sliding case has been bent somewhat, or have something caught inside it.... (both of the heads I have left do this)

I think the large amount of surface area for that guy to slide forward and back to deploy those blades is probably easy to foul up. Maybe I can blow them out and lube them with graphite or something..... but if they can fail at home I won't take em hunting. Thats Just me.

 

When they are new, they slide open zip-easy! After a couple trips into the target and or dirt these heads have failed. I'm Not liking the EPEK anymore ....in my quiver anyway. Madx250 shoot me your mailing addy and I'll mail out my 2 Epek heads to you ha ha.

 

I shot a couple dozen more of the Atom broadhead today all the way out to 80 yards. They group EXACTLY the same as my field tips. They are really impressing me, I ordered 6 more today and will probably take them deer/elk hunting. I also realized when I ordered that these come either steel tipped/aluminum ferrule OR Titanium ferrule/tip.