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I got an older Excaliber crossbow and Excaliber recommends shooting 150 gr broadheads. I killed a deer with the Excaliber fixed blade, 150 gr, 1 1/16" broadhead, but the deer didn't bleed any at all. If I hadn't heard the deer fall, I wouldn't have gotten it.

I changed to the Rage Crossbow X 2 Blade, 125 gr., 2", mechanical, broadhead. It shoots ok, but not as accurate as the Boltcutter. Dont get me wrong, it's accuracy is within Minute of Deer, but the heavier broadhead shot better. i killed a deer with this broadhead and it bled ok.

Now I see Swhacker is making a 3" 150 gr. mechanical broadhead. Has anyone shot any of these? If so, how do you like them?


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At the recommendation of full time bow hunters at Simmons Sporting Goods in Bastrop, I went to using the 100 grain Spitfires rated for crossbows and they’ve been excellent. I don’t believe that these will ever fail to open based upon their design and performance that I’ve experienced with these and they leave a very large wound channel.
They shoot the same poi as the practice heads do.


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I never tried any 100 gr. broadheads of any kind. Which one of the Spitfires do you use?


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Blood trails are very dependent on shot placement. That might be the reason you saw little blood.


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I use the 100 gr crossbow Swhackers. They are very accurate and devastating on deer and turkeys

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I shoot an Excalibur Matrix 330. As far as I am concerned, there is no broad head that will guarantee two holes OR a blood trail.

I killed four with the NAP Spitfire Doublecross this year. One went down in it's tracks and the blood trail was irrelevant. One jumped the string in a way I do not yet uderstand and resulted in a poor hit that led me on a 700 yard blood trail that was sparse to nonexistent at times. One bled quite well for ~200 yards when I walked up on him with his head up. An hour later he made it another 200 yards during which he went dry and that was the end of him. The fourth was an excellent hit the didn't bleed a drop until tip over time and then it looked like a slaughterhouse floor, it made it ~50 yards. That arrow did not make it all the way through so there was only one hole and it was high. One blade sliced ~ 1/2 inch of scapula and all four cut ribs up high where they are thick and wide. It ended against the sternum but I do not think that is where it stopped from the shot, but I do think it stopped against a rib.

The Spitfire Doublecross tears up lungs more than anything else I have used and when I open the chest it is immediately noticeable even to my wife who usually holds the light. I have killed multiple deer with 3 blade Muzzys, 2" blade Rages, 3 blade NAP thunderheads and old 2 blade Zwickeys. From the results, the NAP spitfire Doublecross has done the best SO FAR by a fair amount. Sometimes I shoot through the heart. Sometimes I run the shot through just over the heart. Sometimes I double lung them. The Nap Thunderhead has produced the best penetration to date. I put one through the chest and then through the off side shoulder joint centering the ball. I went all the way through by 6-8 inches. Theferrule did not bend, but because all three blades had to cut the ball they did bend but not severely. I've had two make it just over 100 yards shot through the heart top to bottom, one three blade Muzzy and one 2" Rage.

Until I find something with .035 or .040 thick blades that are all four 2 inches long and held like the NAP system I will stay with the Spitfire Doublecross. The Matix 330 has the power to drive that much blade through Bambi, and as far as I am concerned more cut is better than less. I double lunged one last year that made it just over a mile. I had snow on the ground and she bled well enough that I could follow the trail as fast as I could walk, and if I could run anymore I could have followed it as fast as I could run. More cut is better. My compound is a 60 lb No-Cam and use the Thunderheads with it, just for penetration.

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Originally Posted by NEBHUNTER
They are very accurate and devastating on deer and turkeys


I've never used them on turkey, but they are devastating on deer as stated above.


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Originally Posted by Oldman3
I never tried any 100 gr. broadheads of any kind. Which one of the Spitfires do you use?



Buy them at Walmart, these have the 3 blades that are folded forward (normal positions) and each blade has a forward prong. Right as I pulled the trigger a deer spun and it was a raking shot. Went in behind the third rib and came out about 6” from the right shoulder.

I have heard of Rages sometime not opening on this type shot.

For heavier, larger animals I’d probably use the muzzy mechanical heads and in a heavier weight.


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Muzzy Hybrid Trocar 2 fixed 2 mechanical from a Ten Point Intruder 7 shots 7 great blood trails 7 dead deer. I have used Rage xbow, fixed Muzzy, fixed G5 and they all worked if I hit a vital none worked if a marginal hit

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Originally Posted by dale06
Blood trails are very dependent on shot placement. That might be the reason you saw little blood.


The shot that didn't bleed any was at 20 yds,, shooting from about 30 ft up a tree. Hit high on left side, pass thru, came out low on right front side. Got one lung really good and clipped heart. Cuts just closed up on both sides. When I cut open the chest cavity, blood just poured out. Bled to death on the inside.

Rage did better. Again 20 yd shot from about 25 ft up in the tree. Hit high on right side, clipped backstrap and exited low left side, clipped front of offside shoulder. Again pass thru. It bled enough that I found the deer, but I really expected more.

I was just figuring the 3" cut and it being a 150 gr broad head, it might shoot better and produce a bigger wound.

Thanks for the replies. Gonna have to do more experimenting.

In case anyone is wondering, I'm shooting an older Excaliper ExoMax. They say you can get over 350 ft/sec, but to do so you got to change to a different string and shoot lighter broad heads. I'm just using it stock.


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As long as your FOC balancing point of the arrow or bolt is within the recommended % range you can use what ever broad heads you choose. As long as it flys good.

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Originally Posted by tndrbstr
As long as your FOC balancing point of the arrow or bolt is within the recommended % range you can use what ever broad heads you choose. As long as it flys good.


Your last sentence is the determining factor. Without that you ain’t got much.


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if you hit the heart it quits pumping they don't bleed like just a lung shot

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Originally Posted by 44mc
if you hit the heart it quits pumping they don't bleed like just a lung shot


If you hit the heart with a rifle and blow it up it quits pumping. The last few I shot through the heart with a bow all bled very well. One of them so well Ray Charles could have found it at midnight it he took his shoes off. The last 30 feet it covered was a red swath 4 feet wide, and the deer was shot through the heart top to bottom with a Muzzy 3 blade. Sometimes it might not pump anymore. I have seen them pump huge spurts after heart hits, Spurts big enough to see across a mowed area with a flashlight for almost 100 yards.

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Originally Posted by 44mc
if you hit the heart it quits pumping they don't bleed like just a lung shot


Hmmm.


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Make certain the blades on whatever you shoot are SHARP. With that said, swacker, NAP, and Grim Reaper all make broadheads that should serve you well. While the vast majority of my experience is with compounds, i dont know a lot of folks that shoot super heavy heads out of crossbows. So maybe the 100 is worth a look. There is NO guarantee on bloodtrails with any head. Ive run big cut mech heads thru both lungs and had exit holes i could put my hand in. And blood be very sparse until i got within a few yards of the downed animal. Then it looked like a murder scene. Ive had times where you could follow the trail like a road. Blood everywhere. No looking required. Just follow it. A lot of new stuff was released this past week at ATA. So start doing some research and see what that turns up. One head i didnt mention that may well be worth a look is the Veteran from VIP. Lots of video reviews on that head. Its amazingly tough. Penetrates like crazy. However i dont know if its suitable for crossbows. Thats where youll need to do your research


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Dunno if the heavier broadhead shot better due to just being heavier.
Easy enough to check.
Add 25 gr to your insert and shoot the 125s again.

RPS (insert) usually drilled through for 8-32 and a GT weight should work.
Your bolts probably of larger OD/ID and if the insert drilled and tapped all the way through, can pop the nock and add weight to insert without risk of arrow damage (by pulling insert w heat).

Pro shop should have GT weights and the long allen wrench to put them in from the nock end.

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Originally Posted by 44mc
if you hit the heart it quits pumping they don't bleed like just a lung shot


Is that so ?

Guess our Michigan deer don't know that. laffn....


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I was a pretty big fan of Swhacker 125 2" head for a bit with my Xbows as they fly great, but the more deer I kill with them the less I like them. First of all the ferrule is very soft and it's a one shot deal on game as they usually bend. Second is blood trails are very hit and miss. It's hard to think that a 2" head would leave a poor trail, but these do more times than not. I just shot a doe last week and she went over 50yards before ever leaving a drop. Luckily she ran down an open trail for a good ways before hitting the thick stuff. All in all she went 150+ yards with a well placed hit, which is a bit much for an average size doe. Had the same sort of thing last year as well. I think it boils down to poorly sharpened blades at the factory. I don't usually disassemble the head out of the package, but the few I have opened had lack luster sharpness and we all know that is imperative for quick clean kills. I'm going back to Spitfires and Shockwaves most likely. The Swhacker does work well for turkey, so I may hang onto the rest.

This deer shouldn't have made it 150yds after the shot with no blood at all for the first 50:
[Linked Image]

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