I shoot an older Excaliber crossbow at around 325 ft/sec. It's stock as it can be. Excaliber says my crossbow gets the best accuracy with 150 gr broadhead. In fact, Excaliber has a fixed broadhead, the Boltcutter, that they recommend, but it's only 1 1/16" diameter Killed my first deer with one of these, but it didn't bleed a drop. If I hadn't heard it fall and knew just about where it was, it would have been a disaster. Bolt made a clean pass thru.

So I changed to the 2" Rage. I've killed a few deer with it and so far, it's been ok, but it's not as accurate as the Boltcutter. Accurate enough, I guess, cause I never lost a deer, but I'd like it to be better. Blood trails have been better than the Boltcutter, of course, anything would beat the results I had. Again all have been clean pass thru's.

Last year I saw a Schwacker 150 gr with a 3" cut. Read some reviews and like everything else, you read good and bad. Did see a video where a fellow compared 4 broadheads (I forget which ones) and the 2" Schwacker shot thru an old tire with 18" of penetration and didn't destroy the blades. In this test of 4 broadheads, it was the clear winner. Of course, I read a review where some fellow bad mouthed them something terrible.

Well, I decided to give the 3" Schwacker a try. I already had some 150 gr field tips, so I re-sighted the crossbow and tried 2 shots with the practice tip. Shot exactly where the field tips did, just as advertised. Just as accurate as the Boltcutters, so maybe Excaliber knew what they were talking about.

If and when I get to shoot a deer, I'll take pics and let yall know how they did.

You shot a bolt on one side and out the other and not even 1 drop of blood....yeah right! You can not cut skin and not get blood. Sounds more like a poor tracker than a bad head.

Hard to beat a 3 blade Muzzy, IMO.
Don’t know how they fly in crossbows, though.

Can't argue with you on that!

I shoot 3 blade muzzy 100gr out of my equinox at 355 fps I have found if you make a heart shot they don't bleed good it aint pumping no blood out.

I have never not had blood on a heart shot. I shoot bows from 310 fps down to 200 fps. I have used Muzzy's, Wasp, Slick Tricks, Thunder Heads, even a piece of sheet Punch Cutter. Always good blood trail.

MCH I have a blood trail with heart shots it just seams better with lung shots my bad some times I leave words out.

Oldman3-
The first deer shot with the boltcutter - happen to hit the deer a little higher than preferred?

Ok, maybe I exaggerated when I said there wasn't a drop...... There was blood on the bolt and for 2 bounds, there were a few drops of blood. But that was all, no blood trail to follow. Deer went about 50 yds. I heard it fall after a few minutes. And, maybe I'm not the best tracker. I'll admit that I've blooded deer 3 times and didn't find them, in 54 years of deer hunting and all 3 of them shot with a gun.




Yep, I was about 30'-35' up in a tree and the deer was approx. 20 yds out from the tree. Shot broadside right behind the shoulder; went in high, cut the btm of the loin on the near side but didn't hit the backbone; come out about 1/2 way down the off side behind the shoulder.

I shot a nice buck a few yrs ago moth a muzzleloader knocked him down cold dead for a minute there’s a space between the lungs and spine he got up and hauled ass no blood

30'-35' feet high and a deer 20 yards out makes for a tricky shot due to the extremely steep angle.

Well, that would have (or should have) definitely produced a decent leak - I had visions of shot taken while you were sitting on the ground and hit a little high.

No bearing on the discussion really but 30'-35' in the air isn't going to make your life any easier in margin for error.

I started out hunting about 20 ft up, in a climbing stand. Got busted several times by does. Talked to a fellow I know that has killed quite a few deer with a bow and he said I had to get higher and said he usually hunted up about 30-35 ft. I gave it a try and sure enough, I stopped getting busted.

35' up? Holy [bleep]!

I got the willies at 28 ft one yr. Never got busted by deer either.

But man oh man.....took a couple days to quit hyperventilating.

20 ft is fine w me.

I shoot Excaliber Xbows, I use the 150 grain Slick tricks and have had Very good luck with them! I just hunt out of 12ft. ladder stands, and do good with out getting busted! just have to be Still!

Slick trick has crossbow heads that are heavy IIRC. FWIW.

Mechanical, and thats what I'm assuming you are talking about, I will never trust them after several failures with them a long time ago. Just can't trust that they open all the time or for that matter will penetrate on angling shots. I'll give it this, when they worked, they worked. When they didn't it took me a full day after an early morning shot, to find a lung shot buck... nope not again,.

About like Sierra game king bullets, if I never see another it will be too soon. Way to erratic perfromance for me.

Rocky Mountain, I have a bunch of them, bought years ago.

I shoot 150gr Slick Trick XBow in my Excalibur Micro 355 and they shoot great. Grim Reaper has several 150gr options if your looking for expandables.

35 feet up, damn, that’s way up there. I have a stand in a tree that’s 25. It has a nice swivel seat, good ladder. I’ve never used a climbing stand. Are you climbing pine trees?