I'm got my first bow for christmas, a Bowtech razor edge, and some refurb arrows from a local shop and I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction for broadheads and whether I need a stabilizer or not.

by the way, I've looked at the Rage broadheads and im looking for something a bit less expensive (probably not mechanical)

You can do a search here on AR for Slick Trick broad heads.

I have been using them for 3 years now and they have never failed me on any of the African game I hunted.

A stabilizer is always good.

Go to your local Pro Shop and test as many of them as you can.

Then only decide what is the best one for your shooting style.

Welcome to the addiction.

The Muzzy 3 or 4 blade heads are all good, although you will break some blades off occassionaly.
Break a blade off on a rib and it will not matter one ounce, if you have stuck it into the vitals there will be more than enough cutting edge left to take them out.

I am not saying that you whould try mechanicals, all that I am going to say is that as a new bowhunter you are going to hear lots, and I mean lots of shit from people who have not the faintest idea what they are talking about.
They will hear some bit of BS at the local archery shop or on the internet and in their mind it become gospel.
I don't hunt much with mechanicals,, primarily because I like looking at the end of my arrow and seeing razor's.. Makes me feel deadly for some reason.
But I will tell you this for a fact, and not gossip, a few years back I was hearing so much negative about mechanicals that I decided to do a little test of my own.
I ordered the cheapest dozen mech's I could find from Cabela's, and proceeded to kill thirteen pigs with that dozen arrows.
One head I shot and killed three different pigs with.
They work, and work really damn well.
However the only reason I was wanting to use them at all was to reduce wind drift, and since I started using the Bacon Busters I don't get any more drift than with the mechanicals, or if I do it is not enough to matter.

As for a stabilizer, no it is certainly NOT needed.
It will take some of the shock out of your shot, but to be honest at hunting ranges and for hunting accuracy you don't really need one at all.
But I would say shoot without one, and with one and see what you prefer, but if you do decide you need one then get the short fat kind that does not stick out to catch brush and other assorted buggers in the bush.

Muzzy MX3's, I've used these broadheads for the past couple of seasons with good results.

quote:

I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction

The best advise I can give is:

Spend a little time here!!!

There is a lot of info at AT that is very helpful on choosing and arrow/broadhead combo.
Getting the right spined arrow makes a huge difference on accuracy!


Smed

I would also suggest hitting a pro shop and trying out different stabilizers, you may find you like one or maybe not.

There are many good options for broadheads. Some prefer chisel points and others knife point heads. Some like changeable blade, others like sharpening their own blades.

My personal preferences are the G5 Montech for a 3 blade, and the Muzzy Stinger for a 4 blade. Last year my friends and I used the Rage 2 and 3 blade heads on deer and they performed flawlessly. However, I will not shoot any mechanical at an elk, again personal preference.

Any broadhead can fly like a field point, however some take more work (tuning) than others. Whatever you decide make sure to practice with the broadhead and re-sharpen them afterwards.

Or Bowsite.com. I wouldn't use mechanicals for anything bigger than a turkey. (I'll get flamed for that comment). Muzzy's are great, Maq's are great. The G-5's look good, as well as that company's replaceable blade heads.

Nebs, you are getting great advice here, many of us have started with long bows, recurves, then went to compounds and some go the other direction but bow hunting is my favorite way to spend time outdoors. Wood shafts to aluminum to carbon,, what's next,, who knows ..Most of us are willing to try new products and give them a run for their money. We have gone from heavy shafts, heavy broadheads with slow bows but with good kinetic energy to smaller lighter arrows with overdraws,, more speed, now to what we think are lightning fast quiet bows such as what you got at Christmas.
I wish I could remeber all the broadheads I have tried and used over the years, many I bought probably because they look good, all were lethal, some harder to tune and get to be consistent in flight, I have a hard time remembering the ones I thought performed poorly, probably because they aren't in business now, most that are still around are because they work well. We didn't have the internet to shop in the old days so our local sporting goods store was our source of products. We didn't have AR forums to trade ideas. If the local archery shop would push a brand we would buy them. Now with all the Tv shows and sponsors and internet forums I think we are better informed. Stick to the proven names and you should be in good shape. Every bow hunters broad head is the best on the market, or why would we use it. You can't go wrong with a Muzzy, Rocky, Montec, Magnus, Slick tricks, or Steelforce. You need to make a decision based somewhat on what your game is,thin skin animals like whitetail or big boned, thicker animals like elk and plains game, do I want a chiesel point like a muzzy, a cut on impact like a Steel force or Magnus. My first plains game trip I shot a 125 gn 3 bladed Muzzy. I went 10 for 10 with them in Namibia so I can't complain about them. I chose them for several reasons. I killed a bunch of deer and hogs with them so I had confidence with them, I could drive down the street and buy them easily, they had replaceable blades so it reduced the cost and quick to get field ready between shots. Taking the extra blades was easier to pack flying, or at least seemed to be for me. My hunting buddy shoots Steel Force, he has killed everything from rabbits to cape buffalo with them so I switched over to steel force this past summer before our last safari. Once again,, I could drive down the street and buy them easily and they didn't break the bank. I had the same success with the Steel force,,,,better blood trails though. If you like to sharpen broadheads, the Montec G-5 is a great broadhead. Find what is is in your budget and easy to get and give them a run for the money.
As far as stabilizers, I have never bought the same brand with any different bow, it seem like they all shoot different depending on your bow so go to a shop and try them out and see what performs the best, if you can't tell it is improving your shooting,,,, there is your answer,, shoot a different one.

Another major point for me in the selectin of broadheads is my main hunting destinations involve "ROCK". Shooting from an elevated stand to a rocky surface,,, pretty tough on any broadhead and re-use is sometimes not an option so I stay away from the expensive expandables. [We shot 65 feral pigs off those rocks in 08 so we do get to shoot a bunch of times and we didn't put a dent in the pig numbers]
I get a lot of great ideas from these guys on this sight so listen and learn, we're not shy giving advice, and we can be opinionated at times, only because we know we are right! Good luck and let us know how you do with the new bow. drwes

I've used Steel Force fixed/cut on impact heads and Spitfire mechanicals for a number of years, & have killed numerous whitetail deer & several African plains animals with both. Both are efective, & both are a bit on the "expensive" side, but think about it - - even at $3 or $4 more per head than inexpensive heads,how many of these are you going to shoot per season? - you need 2 or 3 to practice with, & you may shoot another 2-3 max at game. That's maybe $20 more per season to use a high quality head (& the headsyou practice with will hold up a lot longer). Not a lot compared to the $$'s you'll spend on equipment, licenses, travel, etc. over the course of a season, & this is a VERY important piece of equipment. It is what you spend all that other money & time trying to put into a game animal.
BTW - tune your setup and practice at least part of the time with the broadhead you will be hunting with. I learned the hard way 25 years ago that hunting heads can impact in a very different place than practice points unless you tune your bow & rest to what you are using to hunt with.

BTW, for me, a stabilizer would be a must - it will tighten your groups.

BTW one more time, NAP Thunderheads have worked well for me on whitetails in the past & I think they are less expensive than Steel Force or Spitfire

One broadhead will suffice for the rest of your life. The Magnus 125gr Rothhaar Snuffer. I bought a six pack of these 15 years ago and still have not replaced them. They resharpen to an edge as deadly as any head out there. I once had one come off of the insert that it was glued on too and called Magnus. Mark sent me a whole new pack just to make up for one failed glue job. Buy Magnus and go hunting, there is nothing else to worry about.

Nebs, all the advise is good these guys are giving you. I use 100 gr thunderheads for the last 5 years, to me they work. Any broadhead will do the job as long as they are sharp and you put the arrow where it belongs. I use a stabilizer also. The arrows I hunt with I shoot em before I go out incase I got a flyer, just to be on the safe side. Also before you go huntin make sure everything on your bow is tight, things come loose when you don't expect it.

All good advice.I have had great results with Muzzy,WacEm's,Montec,Rockets,Rage,Thunderhead.They all will do the job if you keep em SHARP.Good luck to you and after you kill your first animal you will be addicted to archery.

I prefer the fixed 3-blade broadheads like Razorcaps, because they are strong and idiot-proof to sharpen. The blades act as quides for each other on the shaprening stone, and you can go to as fine a diamond stone you want. This gets the cut-on-contact point'sticky' sharp, so they can go through the thickest, hairyest, dirtiest hides.
Stabilizers tighten the group and protect your sights in the bush.
Have an experienced hand help with the arrow selection..length of draw,spine,weight..at first.
Then good form and practice will pay off.
Enjoy!

Thanks everyone, your advice has been and will be very helpful!

I Use muzzy broadheads. They do the job and i have hunted all sorts up to the size of wilderbeast with them. Of course the grain of the broadhead depends on what you are hunting.