Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting X-bow broadheads

What do you all use for them?

Thinking about a x-now. Shot some for the first time today. If using a fixed blade do you tune them like a compound bow? Are the expandable decent or do you run into the same issues as using them with a compound?

Boltcutter 150s in the Excalibur Micro 340 - the 150 grain broadhead is what they recommend in the manual and they fly fine for me.

I’ve tried another brands with other x bows, but the Micro with the Boltcutters has been reliable. We’ve got multiple deer and one elk with them.

I’ve used the Rage xbow heads - they flew good, no blades popped out, but I know others have had an issue.

I’ve got some 150 grain Sevrs dialed in for this year, good flight, steady group, and no issues. Will see what my tune is post season.

Tuning a crossbow is pretty limited, as they’re pretty much limited to a cable or string twist for timing.

The newer speed xbows are somewhat limited to major dealer or factory adjustments only. I’m watching the local shop send more and more of them back to the parent companies for service.

If you’ve already got a broadhead you trust, I’d see how it flys for you, as long as the bolt weight is still in spec with that broadhead weight.

Thank you.

I use Muzzy 100gr on my compound. I guess I’d like to see if those work? Are the speeds the new crossbows are producing going to wreck the common compound broadheads?

I'm using NAP Shockwave crossbow 3 blade expandables. They fly just like my field points with exactly the same POI at 10-40 yards. Can stick them in a 1.5" diameter bullseye consistently at 40 yards. Of four deer killed so far, three went down inside 30 yards. One buck made it 75 bleeding heavily all the way. All have been pass throughs. Last years buck only took 3 bounds and down.

I have had good luck with 125 gr Slick Tricks but the ones I have were made several years ago. I have heard there are some quality issues now that they are made in China.

Have heard the same.

I’d like to avoid expandable if possible. But it’s looking like x-bows are us king them. I don’t even have one yet.
Just doing a little research to see what I can/should do.

I tried the Muzzy fixed blade crossbow heads first. The point of impact was way off from my field points, like 7-8" at 40 yards and my "grouping" was more than twice as big . I didn't care for that so tried the Shockwaves. Bingo ! Much better !

Slick Trick 150 grain crossbow broadhead here.

If you're shooting a fast one, fixed will be finicky.

QC is definitely down since the new four packs came out - I poach Ebay for the old blister packs if I can find them.

Tz- fixed heads in the xbow can be hard to get grouped tight, hence the shift to the expandable heads.

But - I'd try your Muzzy's first - you might get a break with them. Most xbows will take 100 grain heads - the Excalibur seems to be the exception at 150 grain.

Usually by this point - somebody chimes in and says shooting the lighter broadhead doesn't make any difference.

That may be true with the POI of the bolt, but it's sending extra energy that would be transmitted to the bolt - back into the crossbow somewhere, there's a cost sooner or later.

I write off a broadhead that's been fired - less so if it's a fixed blade, more so if it's an expandable - ground contact generally destroys my xbow broadhead blades at least - YMMV.

My Excalibur shoots 150 grain slick tricks to within an inch of my field points (the Excalibur 150 field points) out to 40 yards.

The 4 pack I bought all seem fine. One has been sacrificed to target duty.

What's your total bolt weight with heads and what's your velocity with that rig ?

430 grains, only going around 310-313fps

Wow, you must be using some light shafts ? My total weight is 425 gr. with the 100 gr. Shockwaves and I'm getting 338 fps. My bow is factory rated at 370 fps but that's with 370 gr. bolts.

Do you have heavy inserts in them? I don't, hence the heavier broadhead weight.

These, but with 150's

ARROWS

I use Sevrs with Dragon Claw shafts, fly POI with field points to 60 yds.....I touch up the blades brand new so they are razor sharp.

Yeah I have brass inserts.

I’ve killed 6 so far with Muzzy 125s on the regular Excalibur bolts. They just sail on through into the ozone. I think I’ve recovered 2.



Pretty nasty, maybe not Rage nasty, but plenty good enough, and pretty cheap. That’s the entrance hole btw.

My hunting partner has been using Rage expandables that are like 3" wide when open. Looks like you threw a damn hatchet right through them but they don't seem to put them down any faster than the shockwaves.

Yeah, I would think at those speeds they’d be junk if they hit the ground.