THP Broadhead Podcasts

[Camoface13]

Simply put, I shoot a very light arrow with a Killzone Expandable. Never had an issue unless it was a poor shot placement. I’m always wanting to learn and improve, can you guys give me both sides to whether lighter and faster for the reasons that “side” lists vs a single bevel, heavier arrow would be better for Midwest whitetail hunting. I shoot 64lbs and I think 28.5” arrow

[Huntress13]

Heavier arrow helps with penetration, in case you don't get perfect shot placement which can happen to anybody. The animal starts to spin away for example. Can increase your odds of recovery in those cases. Also it is more quiet. But trajectory drops faster, you may have to limit your yardage. So that's the trade off. Heard people say shoot heaviest you can that still gives you desired trajectory. In the east, it's a no brainer because we don't often get long shots.

[JakeB]

I shoot killzones with a heavy arrow. I’ve had penetration issues with them with lighter arrows. And I have a short draw. I basically started upping weight until pass throughs became the norm.

I choose a bigger cutting diameter over a smaller because most of my bad shots are usually guts and liver. The bottom of the shoulder blade and knuckle are the only heavy bone on a whitetail I’m worried about and they make up a very small percentage of possible hit locations.
Even spine shots I really don’t have issues with while using killzones, I just get a second arrow in as soon as possible.

With a gut/liver shot I’ll take a larger hole any day of the week.

I guess if I was having issues hitting the shoulder repeatedly I’d probably shoot a smaller fixed blade, but that’s just hasn’t proven to be the case for me.

[Camoface13]

I shoot killzones with a heavy arrow. I’ve had penetration issues with them with lighter arrows. And I have a short draw. I basically started upping weight until pass throughs became the norm.

I choose a bigger cutting diameter over a smaller because most of my bad shots are usually guts and liver. The bottom of the shoulder blade and knuckle are the only heavy bone on a whitetail I’m worried about and they make up a very small percentage of possible hit locations.
Even spine shots I really don’t have issues with while using killzones, I just get a second arrow in as soon as possible.

With a gut/liver shot I’ll take a larger hole any day of the week.

I guess if I was having issues hitting the shoulder repeatedly I’d probably shoot a smaller fixed blade, but that’s just hasn’t proven to be the case for me.

What’s your arrow weight and speed? Your setup seems very similar to mine besides the fact that I’m super light (I was trying to increase FPS but I now want to backtrack a little on that)...

[Thesouthpaw]

I shot light arrows with expandable for years, but switched over to a heavy arrow, with a fixed head this past year. The amount of penetration was awesome. Every buck I shot was a pass through, and had ample blood on the trail due to having two holes.

[JakeB]

I shoot killzones with a heavy arrow. I’ve had penetration issues with them with lighter arrows. And I have a short draw. I basically started upping weight until pass throughs became the norm.

I choose a bigger cutting diameter over a smaller because most of my bad shots are usually guts and liver. The bottom of the shoulder blade and knuckle are the only heavy bone on a whitetail I’m worried about and they make up a very small percentage of possible hit locations.
Even spine shots I really don’t have issues with while using killzones, I just get a second arrow in as soon as possible.

With a gut/liver shot I’ll take a larger hole any day of the week.

I guess if I was having issues hitting the shoulder repeatedly I’d probably shoot a smaller fixed blade, but that’s just hasn’t proven to be the case for me.

What’s your arrow weight and speed? Your setup seems very similar to mine besides the fact that I’m super light (I was trying to increase FPS but I now want to backtrack a little on that)...

My arrows ended up coming out around 525 gns for this year. Honestly I’d probably prefer them 450-475 if I end up changing them again. I had an elk hunt and favored the heavier end. I think i should be able to drop a little more weight and still keep the results I’m seeing without as much arrow drop.

I have no idea on speed. The only reason I factor in speed at all is while considering arrow drop.

What issues are you having that you are trying to fix? If you’re not having issues I wouldn’t change anything.

I notice a lot of guys think it’s one or the other, but you can shoot a mechanical with a heavy arrow to get the penetration you want with the added benifit of a larger cut.

In my opinion a compound with a single bevel and a heavy arrow whitetail hunting are only for guys wanting to shoot through multiple deer in the same shot

[austin1990]

I shoot killzones with a heavy arrow. I’ve had penetration issues with them with lighter arrows. And I have a short draw. I basically started upping weight until pass throughs became the norm.

I choose a bigger cutting diameter over a smaller because most of my bad shots are usually guts and liver. The bottom of the shoulder blade and knuckle are the only heavy bone on a whitetail I’m worried about and they make up a very small percentage of possible hit locations.
Even spine shots I really don’t have issues with while using killzones, I just get a second arrow in as soon as possible.

With a gut/liver shot I’ll take a larger hole any day of the week.

I guess if I was having issues hitting the shoulder repeatedly I’d probably shoot a smaller fixed blade, but that’s just hasn’t proven to be the case for me.

I shoot rage trypans for the same reason. I have a tendency to shoot farther back more often than forward and that 2 inch cut helps a ton! My current setup is 450 grains, 288 fps with 16% foc and I've never had a penetration problem with deer or hogs.

[MrT]

I shoot killzones with a heavy arrow. I’ve had penetration issues with them with lighter arrows. And I have a short draw. I basically started upping weight until pass throughs became the norm.

I choose a bigger cutting diameter over a smaller because most of my bad shots are usually guts and liver. The bottom of the shoulder blade and knuckle are the only heavy bone on a whitetail I’m worried about and they make up a very small percentage of possible hit locations.
Even spine shots I really don’t have issues with while using killzones, I just get a second arrow in as soon as possible.

With a gut/liver shot I’ll take a larger hole any day of the week.

I guess if I was having issues hitting the shoulder repeatedly I’d probably shoot a smaller fixed blade, but that’s just hasn’t proven to be the case for me.

What’s your arrow weight and speed? Your setup seems very similar to mine besides the fact that I’m super light (I was trying to increase FPS but I now want to backtrack a little on that)...

My arrows ended up coming out around 525 gns for this year. Honestly I’d probably prefer them 450-475 if I end up changing them again. I had an elk hunt and favored the heavier end. I think i should be able to drop a little more weight and still keep the results I’m seeing without as much arrow drop.

I have no idea on speed. The only reason I factor in speed at all is while considering arrow drop.

What issues are you having that you are trying to fix? If you’re not having issues I wouldn’t change anything.

I notice a lot of guys think it’s one or the other, but you can shoot a mechanical with a heavy arrow to get the penetration you want with the added benifit of a larger cut.

In my opinion a compound with a single bevel and a heavy arrow whitetail hunting are only for guys wanting to shoot through multiple deer in the same shot

I've had this similar discussion about the THP guys with my Dad whose been an archery nerd for over 30 years, and this is one of the big points he makes. He says the mechanicals now are better than anything they had in the 80's and 90's as far as cutting diameter, deployment, and accuracy. He states the THP guys are going backwards as far as their broadhead choice, adding a lot of work for themselves for arrow tuning and what not when they could just be using high quality mechanicals that have the accuracy of a field point. I'm not an archery nerd (yet) so I'm interested to hear others perspective.

[MNarrow]

420 grains with Killzone

[Huntress13]

I've had this similar discussion about the THP guys with my Dad whose been an archery nerd for over 30 years, and this is one of the big points he makes. He says the mechanicals now are better than anything they had in the 80's and 90's as far as cutting diameter, deployment, and accuracy. He states the THP guys are going backwards as far as their broadhead choice, adding a lot of work for themselves for arrow tuning and what not when they could just be using high quality mechanicals that have the accuracy of a field point. I'm not an archery nerd (yet) so I'm interested to hear others perspective.

I haven't had any tuning problems with fixed COC. They fly right with my field points. I have pics somewhere.

[mauser06]

The problem with mechanicals and why some of us shoot single bevels is because the moment the blades or ferrule are compromised, your penetration is coming to a screaching halt.


Yes, on a good chest shot but shot, that won't matter. But meet a shoulder or shoot down through the backbone and most blades the. Into mangled pieces of metal. Some break..some bend..doesn't matter.. penetration is over.


With a single bevel, the head and edge are extremely durable. Heck, I will admit...I sent 3 into the ground this year from the tree and none took any sort of damage.


Also, with a single bevel, you get rotation. That rotational force literally spreads everything apart. Watch YouTube videos of it....they pop heavy bone apart and that allows room for the rest of the head and arrow to pass through. It's actually amazing to see. I tested it on pieces of wood. Every single shots the single bevel split the wood and went it flying. Other 2-3-4 blade heads didn't make it through...there were times the blades actually held the wood together when it was going to split with the grain.



Every Archer has to make the choice for themselves.


Another advantage to heavy arrows is a much quieter shot. I've had people get all huffy puffy cause their so n so is sooooo quiet. It might seem quiet to you....but beside mine, it's going to sound like a gunshot.

Heavy arrows and high FOC also are more stable and tune much easier. The momentum and FOC make it want to fly straight.


Oh ya...there's a real cool video on single bevels that show how in soft tissue...organs, guts etc ..the rotational effect of the single bevel cause the soft tissues to "wrap up" and it cuts a MUCH bigger path. Kinda like spinning spaghetti on a fork. The video showed it very well. Little ole 1" heads cutting 3-4+ inch of material.


I ran a TON of numbers when I was building my arrows. I shoot a lighter, shorter draw..

I started with a Bowtech Insanity CPXL.

I wanna say my arrows finished at 505gr. 21-22% FOC. 270-275fps. I found once I got any heavier, the speed really started to drop off.


Last year's buck ended up a couple yards from my tree. Facing me slightly to my left. Head down eating acorns. Another step or 2 and he was about to hit my ground scent.

I was 100000% confident I could send one down through his chest. I sent it just left of center so it would exit the center of his chest.

He went like 43 yards of something and liked up. Arrow exitted but stayed in him for half the run because it hit the ground.

That is not a shot I'd ever considered taking before. But after testing my setup and knowing it's capabilities, I never doubted it would be a quick death for him.


It's a personal choice every Archer has to make for themselves. I like penetration and 2 holes. My 2 non-fatal (both confirmed) bad hits have been into heavy bone and the arrows didn't penetrate.

One of those 2 were actually with the same setup but with 1 1/4" 4 blade grizztricks. Buck was like 8yds. I was maybe 6-8ft high. He was working a scrape. I have no idea what happened..he had to turn and paw as I sent it. Arrow went in in FRONT of the front shoulder ..it was angled to the chest....but it didn't penetrate. I think the far shoulder stopped it...I think it was a single lung hit. I confirmed him alive about a month later. Would a single bevel killed him? I don't know. I am confident it would have punched through the other side....breaking that shoulder and causing more damage. But don't know if that would have killed him or not.

[austin1990]

The problem with mechanicals and why some of us shoot single bevels is because the moment the blades or ferrule are compromised, your penetration is coming to a screaching halt.

Yes, on a good chest shot but shot, that won't matter. But meet a shoulder or shoot down through the backbone and most blades the. Into mangled pieces of metal. Some break..some bend..doesn't matter.. penetration is over.


With a single bevel, the head and edge are extremely durable. Heck, I will admit...I sent 3 into the ground this year from the tree and none took any sort of damage.


Also, with a single bevel, you get rotation. That rotational force literally spreads everything apart. Watch YouTube videos of it....they pop heavy bone apart and that allows room for the rest of the head and arrow to pass through. It's actually amazing to see. I tested it on pieces of wood. Every single shots the single bevel split the wood and went it flying. Other 2-3-4 blade heads didn't make it through...there were times the blades actually held the wood together when it was going to split with the grain.



Every Archer has to make the choice for themselves.


Another advantage to heavy arrows is a much quieter shot. I've had people get all huffy puffy cause their so n so is sooooo quiet. It might seem quiet to you....but beside mine, it's going to sound like a gunshot.

Heavy arrows and high FOC also are more stable and tune much easier. The momentum and FOC make it want to fly straight.


Oh ya...there's a real cool video on single bevels that show how in soft tissue...organs, guts etc ..the rotational effect of the single bevel cause the soft tissues to "wrap up" and it cuts a MUCH bigger path. Kinda like spinning spaghetti on a fork. The video showed it very well. Little ole 1" heads cutting 3-4+ inch of material.


I ran a TON of numbers when I was building my arrows. I shoot a lighter, shorter draw..

I started with a Bowtech Insanity CPXL.

I wanna say my arrows finished at 505gr. 21-22% FOC. 270-275fps. I found once I got any heavier, the speed really started to drop off.


Last year's buck ended up a couple yards from my tree. Facing me slightly to my left. Head down eating acorns. Another step or 2 and he was about to hit my ground scent.

I was 100000% confident I could send one down through his chest. I sent it just left of center so it would exit the center of his chest.

He went like 43 yards of something and liked up. Arrow exitted but stayed in him for half the run because it hit the ground.

That is not a shot I'd ever considered taking before. But after testing my setup and knowing it's capabilities, I never doubted it would be a quick death for him.


It's a personal choice every Archer has to make for themselves. I like penetration and 2 holes. My 2 non-fatal (both confirmed) bad hits have been into heavy bone and the arrows didn't penetrate.

One of those 2 were actually with the same setup but with 1 1/4" 4 blade grizztricks. Buck was like 8yds. I was maybe 6-8ft high. He was working a scrape. I have no idea what happened..he had to turn and paw as I sent it. Arrow went in in FRONT of the front shoulder ..it was angled to the chest....but it didn't penetrate. I think the far shoulder stopped it...I think it was a single lung hit. I confirmed him alive about a month later. Would a single bevel killed him? I don't know. I am confident it would have punched through the other side....breaking that shoulder and causing more damage. But don't know if that would have killed him or not.

I'm gonna disagree with that statement from my experience. I shot a big body buck 4 seasons ago quarting away with a rage hypodermic that both blades broke off on impact with a rib. Arrow still drove through him and out a rib on the exit and stuck 6 inches in the mud. I never knew they broke until I checked the arrow and then the deer about 100 yards later. I was amazed I had still gotten 28 inches of penetration from a pass through with pretty much a field tip. Now a shoulder shot more than likely I would of gotten little if any penetration and would of probably never found him, but i do tend to aim farther back than most. That was the last deer i shot with a hypodermic though. Went to a couple different heads and settled on the rage trypans, the ferrule and blades are vastly improved over the hypodermic and no issues yet. I am considering going to a big coc head or single bevel this spring and summer though and see how well I like them. I really like the looks of the kudupoint and the simmons landsharks.

[ThePreBanMan]

Check out the Ranch Fairy's YouTube chan. That will tell you all you need to know about twizzler arrows with flappy blade broadheads... Results tested and proven on literally thousands of animals... I think he had over 1800 pigs under his belt at last count..

[Huntress13]

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This is a Magnus Stinger Buzzcut on one arrow, field point on the other.

No tune problems. 490 grain arrow at 200 fps.

[ThePreBanMan]

I think there's a firearms motto that applies here too... A 9mm may expand but a .45 will never shrink...