So you’ve taken the time to trek across country, paid well over $650 for a tag, and worn miles of boot leather to take the shot at a bull elk screaming in your face? Well, the last thing you want is to lose him due to equipment failure. One of those potential weak points… is a weak point. Your broad head is what we are propelling with our arrow to do the job. That job is deeply penetrating the vital organs and doing enough damage to bring an animal down.
I’m not gonna lie and tell you that you have to pick one of these broadheads. My experience and logic is my own; I can only tell you what I know and what works for me and many others. You’ve probably already heard the arguments for or against mechanicals and fixed blades. I’m in the fixed blade camp and that’s what this article will focus on.
My preferred broadhead is a single bevel two blade. Should you shoot a double bevel broadhead? That question is up to you, but we’ve included three and four bladed broadheads we found a lot of success with as well. There are a ton of options to choose from but here are those that I have experience with and prefer.
+ VPA Single Bevel : Deep, bone splitting penetration. There’s a reason single bevels have had a surge of success in recent years. VPA’s new single bevel hits the sweet spot of price, steel, and design.
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+ Crimson Talon Croc : This company came out of nowhere and blew me away. At this price point, with this performance and blade material it’s a no brainer for a budget single bevel. See their website for more weights.
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+ Magnus Hornet : Solid value on a hard hitting, tough, cut-on-contact double bevel two blade with two bleeders. If you want an inexpensive, tough head with proven performance this broadhead is for you.
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+ QAD Exodus Swept: These three bladed heads are shaving-sharp and constructed from a one-piece solid design. We love the simplicity of them, it’s one of our favorite 3 blades to shoot.
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+ Magnus Stinger Buzzcut 4-Blade : The Magnus Stinger Buzzcut is designed to be simplistic, yet devastating, leading to a deadly broadhead that can be trusted when the fate of a once-in-a-lifetime hunt is on the line.
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+ Slick Trick Magnum : Tried and true, the Slick Trick Magnums are a go-to 4 blade that generates big wound channels and great blood trails.
VPA Single Bevel
I love VPA broadheads. They use great steel that holds are sharp edge. They’re made in the USA. They’re simple, priced great, and they have a black oxide finish that lasts. These single bevels hit the sweet spot on price, build, and quality. What’s not to love?
Right out of the package, they’re sharp. They’re a one piece design with only two edges to sharpen. When I say simple, I mean dead simple. You’ve got two grades of steel to choose from when purchasing them: 52 HRC and 58 HRC. HRC is a hardness scale based on indentation hardness. It’s called the Rockwell scale.
I first started shooting VPA heads around 2010 before they had such a vast catalogue. They did not offer a 58 HRC before and I’ve never wanted a harder steel than the 52 HRC since, honestly. The 52 HRC already takes much more elbow grease to sharpen than a standard stainless blade and the 52 HRC will take even more. My opinion is you’re not getting much more bang for your buck, but you do you.
In order to sharpen these heads you’re going to want a jig. I tried with my first set of double bevels from VPA to hand sharpen with this steel but it’s very difficult because the steel is so hard. My favorite I’ve found and the easiest to use is the KME Broadhead Sharpener with an EZ-Lap Diamond Stone. If you go with the KME make sure to purchase the 35 Degree Angle Spacer Block as well because the VPA Single Bevel is 35 degrees.
Specs:
- Cutting Diameter: 1-1/8″
- Weight: Available from 125 to 300 grains
Features & Benefits:
- Only two edges you need to sharpen
- Machined from a single piece of metal
- You’d have to lose this thing to render it unusable
- Thick blades (0.07″!) ensure it won’t warp or break
Crimson Talon Croc
The Croc: the latest single bevel that grabbed my attention. The design has been done before; most recently it reminded me of the Alien Archery V2 with which I’ve shot many deer. My biggest complaint with the V2 was the stainless steel just would not hold up well and the edge would chatter and break. The Croc solves all of that, at a cheaper price.
The Croc’s blades are made from Cr12MoV tool steel at 0.060-inch thick brought to a 58 HRC on the rockwell scale. With a profile of just 1″ in length and 1.25″ in width, this thing is engineered for superior flight stability, penetration, and rotation. The 7075 aluminum ferrule does what it needs to do. Crimson Talon managed to beat this design down into a cost effective thing of beauty.
Its 35° bevel angle, sharpened on both sides, makes it dead simple to sharpen with only two edges. The Croc comes razor-sharp out of the box, but I recommend a final touch-up to make it scary sharp. Testing so far tells me this thing is on par with the Alien V2 in flight and penetration but the Cr12MoV holds its edge much better.
Durable, high-performing, budget-friendly… what’s not to love? Well, I tried calling the company to see where these broadheads are made. I didn’t get an answer but I will attempt to again and update this article when I can. They aren’t proud of where they make them so I’m going to assume it’s made overseas. I recommend buying the VPA’s before these things on that fact alone.
Specs:
- Height of only 1″ is great for flight
- Cutting Diameter: 1″- 1 1/4″
- Weight: Available from 100 to 200 grains
Features & Benefits:
- Strong materials ensure long-lasting performance.
- Low-profile design reduces drag or planing
- Simple sharpening
- High-quality at a budget-friendly price.
These come and go on Amazon so try going to their primary website to order directly from them.
Magnus Hornet
The Magnus Hornet with bleeders is another hammer of a broadhead. It’s 100% made in the USA at a price point that is just really hard to argue with. Go flip around youtube and you’ll see guys slinging these through pigs like they’re butter. I’ve been impressed with the performance with these as well harvesting many does over a seasons use. If I were to pick up double bevels again the Magnus Hornet or the Hornet Ser-Razor are in the top 3 of my list. They are short, stout and fly like field points because of it. Their penetration stats are up there with the best of them and the extra bleeders give a little extra cut to help for great blood trails.
I’m not sure what they did to the stainless steel to make them more durable but I didn’t have any of the chattering/chipping edges I usually get with stainless on these. I’ve never had any deformation, other than some tip curling, on the Hornet either. Add in the renowned Magnus Warranty and you’ve got a recipe and this blade can certainly tick all your boxes. If you did somehow break one of these broadheads Magnus will replace it for life. It’s no wonder this blade is a great selling broadhead even still this year.
Specs:
- 1-5/16″ x 1-1/14″
- Main blade .059″ thick
- Bleeders are .040″ thick
- Weight: Available from 100 to 150 grains
- Double Bevel
Tip:
- Cut-on-Contact
- Very Slight Tanto TIp
QAD Exodus Swept
There is a reason the QAD has a large share of the market with the Exodus Swept and it’s the same reason its coming in at number 4 on our list. If you asked me what cut-on-contact, fixed, replaceable blade broadhead to get I’d tell you the Exodus Swept. I’ve seen this broadhead’s devastation first hand and it leaves a legit gapping hole in the animal.
QAD claims the “Blade Over Shaft” design creates an effectively shorter head which increases accuracy. The design is crazy clever but it has one hitch in it: it can be considered “barbed” in some states. Pull up your legislation book and make sure they’re not illegal in your state. Check the archery section and if there is no mention of barbed heads being illegal then you should be fine. If they are outlawed in your state QAD makes an Exodus Full Blade Version that is not considered barbed.
I can’t recall alot of 3 blade replaceable broadheads that have a 1-1/4″ cut diameter but I believe QAD can get away with it due to the shorter design. The ferrule on this head is bomb proof too and the blades are very strong for being stainless. It’s a very good quality high carbon stainless (400 series) that has been hardened. I’m not sure of the rockwell rating but I had minimal chipping or chatter after a bone shot.
If it wasn’t for modern day fixed blades I would honestly probably still be shooting this. I never worried when I had these in my quiver and I highly recommend them. Maybe one day I’ll return to replaceable three blades. For now I’ll keep running my single bevels but the QAD’s will always have a place in my heart.
Specs:
- 1-1/14″ diameter cut
- Ferrule only extends 13/16″ off insert
- Blades .040″ thick
- Weight: Available in 100 and 125 grain
Magnus Stinger Buzzcut
The Magnus Stinger Buzzcut is a the classic Magnus Stinger with some serration on the main blades. Constructed with stainless steel, they are razor-sharp right out of the package and ready to hunt with. It’s a two-blade broadhead with two additional small bleeder blades. You can also get this head for around $10 cheaper without the bleeders.
If you haven’t heard of the Stinger you probably haven’t been hunting long. It’s a classic head thats been around for ages. My dad has hunted with these for as long as I can remember, always returning after he inevitably tries something else only to end up disappointed either with the heft of his wallet or the performance of the blade. We’ve used these heads through thick, thin, turkey, deer, pig, you name it. We’ve always been happy with the Stinger, even though nowadays I think there are better designs.
One disadvantage to these blades are they’re THIN. .046″ is around 65% thinner than the VPA Single Bevel on our list. I consider them to be one shot blades unless I get a nice clean pass through and it falls out gently. If it buries in the dirt just pray there isn’t a rock waiting for it. Of course you could argue that I could just send the blade into Magnus for their lifetime warranty and get a fresh blade that’s just not the type of consumer I am. It’s also extra work and 10$ shipping when I know I can get a thicker tool steel broadhead for not too much more and just touch it up on the diamond stone and put it back in my quiver.
I’m included this blade maybe for my nostalgic memories but I like to think it still stands up to the test of time. It’s definitely been replaced in my quiver but it’s made in America and it gets the job done at a great price.
Specs:
- Cutting Diameter: 1 1/16”
- 1-1/16 ” W x 2-1/8″ L x .046″ thick.
- Weight: 85-125 gains
Slick Trick Magnum
Sometimes a big part of my day is talking shop to hunters from around the world. We usually get around to talking about broadheads at some point because I just love talking about them. Slick Trick Magnum Broadheads have been around for a long time, and it’s one of those broadheads that gets mentioned by a lot of guys and for great reason.
These heads get so much love because they just shoot lights out. Take one look at the profile of that head and how compact it is and it makes sense. With 4 blades and 1-1/8″ cut the blood just leaks. Great blood trails, great flight. Find someone who’s used these in the past and you’re gonna hear good things.
I’ve been told by some that Slick Trick sold the company at some point and there are some concerns that the quality isn’t what they used to be. You may have to return a package to get a good one, I’m not sure. I stepped away from this broadhead because of the thin stainless steel blades. They’ll chatter and chip (.035″ thick) which I just cannot abide by. I want a clean straight edge so I go with a better tool steel broadhead. One could argue that you can just buy a new pack of blades for them and that’s true too, especially for the guy who doesn’t like sharpening and rather spend his money than time fiddling.
SlickTrick doesn’t list their heads country of origin so I’m gonna guess these are made overseas now. When I purchased mine they were made in the USA. I’d rather not send my money overseas especially when we have such great made in the USA options on the market. Slick Trick also makes this in a new version called the GrizzTrick. I can’t comment on it other than to pass on word from others I have spoken to that they are a great performing head.
Specs:
- Cutting Diameter: 1 1/8″
- Weight: 100 or 125 Grain
- Chisel Tip
Picking The Right Broadhead
So which one of these heads should you choose for your elk hunt? Well, that’s up to you to decide. A sacrifice is made somewhere with every design and even country of origin can be a deciding factor to help make it even harder. Here’s a quick reference chart just in case you want to compare the specs of the selected broadheads:
| Manufacturer | Model | # Blades | Cutting Dia. | Blade | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VPA | Single Bevel | 2 | 1-1/8″ | 0.07″ | 125-300 |
| Crimson Talon | Croc | 2 | 1-1/4″ | .059″ | 100-200 |
| Magnus | Hornet | 4 | 1-1/4” | .059″ | 100-150 |
| QAD | Exodus Swept | 3 | 1-1/4″ | .040″ | 100-125 |
| Magnus | Stinger Buzzcut | 4 | 1-1/16″ | 040″ | 85-125 |
| Slick Trick | Magnum | 4 | 1-1/8″ | .035″ | 100-125 |
Every one of the broadheads I’ve listed here is capable of penetrating and doing great damage to a mature bull elk; its up to you to decide which one to bring in the field. Good luck out there this season!
Conversation | 1 comment:
qad exodus, innerloc ss ,wasp boss 4 blade, wasp hammer,magnus snuffer, nap hell razor, ozcut 3, min 650 grain arrow footed for hard bone impacts. shooting 725 grain arrow 250 spine footed 72 lbs high country always a pass through. Never shoot a mechanical for elk , moose or brown bear. This setup peels the blades clean off a rage on a fresh cow shoulder bone, shrapnel for blades. good for deer and small game.