Lrntolive
AH fanatic
@50by50,
This discussion, as usual for expandables versus fixed blades, will lead to a lot of arguing on any forum. There are a couple of key points to consider when deciding on either. For me, I refused to use expandables up until this hunting season because I tried the first generation 15 years ago with the old O-rings that deployed from the front. Had terrible results with those, and I was soured by the experience. I am going to try expandables again this year, NAP Killzone Maxx, and I'll see if I feel better about them after my elk hunt.
With newer technology, faster and more accurate bows and better arrows, the choice of expandables versus fixed becomes even more difficult.
For fixed blades, the first thing to consider is whether or not a bow is perfectly tuned. And I mean shooting bare shafts through paper and getting bullet holes. The second is whether the arrow is tuned properly. Does the arrow spin straight with a bare shaft? Is the FOC correct? Is the spine? Does the arrow spin straight with fletchings, knock and point? All of these are critical to getting the best flight with a fixed blade broadhead. Also, some fixed blades shoot better than others.
From my limited experience, shooting both two, three and four blade fixed blades, I prefer three blade fixed and have had good success with them, but I typically do not shoot past 40 yards. There is too much that can go wrong with a slight wind that can throw a fixed blade at longer distances.
For expandables, the claim is that they fly like a field point. Even with the first generation of front deploy o-ring expandables that I tried, they all flew just like my field points. Even if your bow or arrows are slightly out of tune, the expandables should hit where your field points do. For most people, this is a comfort since they do not typically practice that much, and rarely does anyone tune every piece of their equipment.
My philosophy is use what works best for you and what cleanly and quickly kills the animal. Don't take shots you cannot make on a less than perfect day. Anyone can shoot fairly well with no wind, no distractions and mild temperatures. Make just one of these factors worse, and many people fall apart.
With that long-winded narrative over, I have many friends who've used the G5 T3 on pronghorn in the US with great success out to 100 yards. Others have told me the NAP Killzone is a fantastic expandable and works well on larger game like elk, which is why I've chosen to try it again this year. My setup is a 2015 PSE Dream Season Decree 70lb draw, 492gr Gold Tips and 290fps. It is a screamer compared to my old bow of 12 years, but is extremely accurate.
Good luck finding the right broadhead!
This discussion, as usual for expandables versus fixed blades, will lead to a lot of arguing on any forum. There are a couple of key points to consider when deciding on either. For me, I refused to use expandables up until this hunting season because I tried the first generation 15 years ago with the old O-rings that deployed from the front. Had terrible results with those, and I was soured by the experience. I am going to try expandables again this year, NAP Killzone Maxx, and I'll see if I feel better about them after my elk hunt.
With newer technology, faster and more accurate bows and better arrows, the choice of expandables versus fixed becomes even more difficult.
For fixed blades, the first thing to consider is whether or not a bow is perfectly tuned. And I mean shooting bare shafts through paper and getting bullet holes. The second is whether the arrow is tuned properly. Does the arrow spin straight with a bare shaft? Is the FOC correct? Is the spine? Does the arrow spin straight with fletchings, knock and point? All of these are critical to getting the best flight with a fixed blade broadhead. Also, some fixed blades shoot better than others.
From my limited experience, shooting both two, three and four blade fixed blades, I prefer three blade fixed and have had good success with them, but I typically do not shoot past 40 yards. There is too much that can go wrong with a slight wind that can throw a fixed blade at longer distances.
For expandables, the claim is that they fly like a field point. Even with the first generation of front deploy o-ring expandables that I tried, they all flew just like my field points. Even if your bow or arrows are slightly out of tune, the expandables should hit where your field points do. For most people, this is a comfort since they do not typically practice that much, and rarely does anyone tune every piece of their equipment.
My philosophy is use what works best for you and what cleanly and quickly kills the animal. Don't take shots you cannot make on a less than perfect day. Anyone can shoot fairly well with no wind, no distractions and mild temperatures. Make just one of these factors worse, and many people fall apart.
With that long-winded narrative over, I have many friends who've used the G5 T3 on pronghorn in the US with great success out to 100 yards. Others have told me the NAP Killzone is a fantastic expandable and works well on larger game like elk, which is why I've chosen to try it again this year. My setup is a 2015 PSE Dream Season Decree 70lb draw, 492gr Gold Tips and 290fps. It is a screamer compared to my old bow of 12 years, but is extremely accurate.
Good luck finding the right broadhead!
