I am in final prep for a PG hunt in Mozambique and need to purchase another set or two of broad heads. Any thoughts on best options? I am pulling 60 lbs on a Matthew Z7 with 125 gr heads for a total arrow weight of 430 gr. Most of my current supply are G5 Montecs. Appreciate your thoughts.

My thoughts are that your arrows are a bit light.

Go on youtube and watch a buch of videos and see how many arrows get poor penetration. By poor I mean anything less than right to the fletches. Then google Dr. Ashby and read his recomendations regarding broadheads and arrow set up. From there you can form your own well informed opinions.

Don't forget that plains game includes some damned big animals, your set up is fine for deer sized stuff but might be a limiting factor with larger game such as eland, kudu, wildebeest. If you've taken moose with your set up also remember that moose are much more "sedate" and have a huge kill zone so are a bit easier to drop than the African stuff.

Have fun on your trip.

arrows are lighter than I would advise to use, something closer to 550/600 with 180 gr Silverflames. Best head on the market, bar none, pricey at $30 apiece but it's only money. They come sharp, stay sharp, and are damn near indestructable.

troy

That is very interesting info. i have never bowhunted africa so i cannot speak from experience, and i dont want to be an armchair expert. i would have thought his setup adequate but improvable.

i have killed elk with a similar setup to 1st timer, although my current deer setup is 490gr arrows and 70lbs with a true 30" draw. (i like things a little speedy)

but african animals really are that much tougher and harder to bring down? i guess maybe thicker ribs / closer spaced together, and forward vitals make a pretty big difference with stick and string.

Of interest, my outfitter has no concerns about my setup. I have read the Ashby reports and I am mulling them over. My only real concern is on an eland so up to this point, I've told myself to pick my shot carefully or hold off. With less than 4 weeks to go and all dialed in and just continuing to practice, I am reluctant to dramatically change arrow wt.

I am going to Zimbabwe in 11 months and plan to use 450 grain arrows with Muzzy MX4s at about 265 fps.

Your Montecs would be my choice. One piece, durable and easy to sharpen. I shot cridders with the same Montec in RSA one morning!

Just got back from Namibia, used full metal jacket arrows w/ weight tubes, and montek 3 blade one piece broadhead, total weight 500g, penetrated totally on zebra, oryx, and hartebeest, just hung by fletching on off side, nothing ranmore than 50 yds, use at least 500g.

Thanks everyone.

After thinking about it some more, I ordered some weight tubes to boost my overall wt to 510-520 grains.

I've killed kudu, eland, gemsbok and mtn. zebra not to mention a half dozen smaller PG using ICS Hunters 400 tipped with Muzzy X3 shooting 60#. Nothing went more than 80 yds after the hit. I do not believe any of the PG are any tougher than like sized North America game, puncture both lungs and they die. IMHO a well used copy of Robertson's "The Perfect Shot" goes a lot farther than a big BH/heavy shaft in the wrong place.

1sttimer: Whatever your final gear choice, it's your practice and your shot placement that will count more than anything. BEST OF LUCK!

You don't give your draw length. I think that is an important variable here.

My last trip to Namibia, I believe my arrows weighted right at 430 grains, with 100 grain Naq heads if I recall. I was shooting 70 lbs, but was only drawing 28". Didn't have many complete pass throughs, but that is because I try to break the arrow on the off shoulder if possible. Never had inadequate penetration.

My concern, isn't the weight of the arrow, but the draw weight and I can't see ten pounds making that much difference, especially if you have a longer draw length.

On eland, a slightly heavier arrow might help.

One more thing. With just a month to go, don't change much. Stick with what you are doing and good luck.

I truly love muzzy three blade 125 for African pg. Have fun!

It's true if you're going soon just keep practising and don't start monkeying around with the arrow weight. It might be prudent to choose the shot well with the bigger stuff. Dang I wish I was going too!

Just returned from Africa, I took one of my best friends son to Namibia,, he shoots the same bow,, has it set on 70 lbs,, shoots a carbon express 350,, 125 gn 3 blade Muzzy. Everything he shot died within sight,,,, It sure helped he had great shot placement. The giraffe he shot was about 18.5 ft tall and over 1350 lbs... Fell like a dropped hammer at less than 60 yards. He had the same result with red hartebeast, 2 blue wildebeast, 2 kudu , gemsbok, 2 wart hogs, 3 jackels. The most important thing,, he had perfect shot placement. I shoot an older Matthew switchback at 70 lbs, carbon express 350 a 125 grain steelforce,,,,2 wart hogs, bemsbok, Eland and impala. Eland looked like a perfect shot on film,, buried in offside shoulder slight quartering away,, walked over 4 hours and 9 km to find it....Great shots and good equipement help but those african species are large and tough. Practice and put it in the boiler maker...The shot was good on the eland,, double lung but only cut outsice of heart,, not through it...Have fun over there..

My draw length is 29.5 in and my bow is set at 60 lbs. My weight tubes arrived but I am leaning toward not installing them since I am shooting so well right now without them. I really appreciate all the comments. I am convinced putting the killing shot in the boiler room is priority number one.

You're set up is fine for PG. Even the big ones (except giraffe), just make sure to hit'm in the ribs.

I think any sharp cut-on-contact BH should be just fine. I like Magnus Snuffers. I love my German Kinetics 2 blades as well. I think they call them Silver Flames. Put the arrow in the breadbox and it just doesn't matter what type of BH it is, as long as we're talking about fixed blade (and no, I am not trying to start and argument about mechs).

For plains game a 65# bow with 450gr arrows and a fixed blade broad head will get the job done.

I shoot a 70# bow at 30 inch draw length and my arrows weigh 450gr with a Slick Trick Std on the arrow most of the time.

I have been hunting with Slick Tricks for the last 6 years with no problem even up to Eland.

But as in all types of hunting...

RULE 1 - SHOT PLACEMENT !!!

Shot placement is the secret in making sure you get the animal in the salt as quickly as possible...

Enjoy the trip and take a lot of photos.

remember to shoot more forward on broadside African animals. Go straight up the foreleg about 1/3 of the way. Their vitals are situated differently...I used Carbon Express Maxima Hunter 350's with 100 gr Wac Em's and Slick Tricks, and got total pass through on everything including eland and kudu - except a sharp quartering away mt Zebra, and I buried to the fletchings. Nothing went more than 120 yards. I don't know if I would want to shoot an eland with a 60 lb bow, but everything else, I would say you are fine with good shots...have a great trip.

Steelforce for broadheads.

I got back last week. I had pass thrus on gemsbok, kudu impala with my Slick Tricks. 70# , 280 fps, 440 grains

By the way , the ph uses a 60# Mathews

I will second the Steelforce recommendation. No Eland, but I used them on Kudu, Gemsbok, Warthog, Impala & Blesbuck with complete pass throughs on everything.
+1 also on the vitals seeming a bit further forward & low compared to our whtetails.

I shoot a Mathews Switchback with a 30.5 in draw length, shoot a 400 Gr Gold Tip with a 85 gr or a 100 gr Steel Force broadhead at 302 fps. Complete pass through on a 60 yard shot on elk. Don't recommend the long shot as the animal get more chance to move but have not yet had an animal not have a pass through. I think you get to trade of penetration for speed on
African game. They are definitely tougher than US game. Speed equals penetration. Stick with what you are comfortable with and just make good shots. You'll do fine

The only problem I can see with that setup is that you are shooting a Mathews....

Other than that you are fine. My personal preference is for Slick tricks but there are many guys who love the montecs here too.
Good luck with the hunt.
HQ

With your set up you should be fine as long as you stay away from mechanicals and use a strong fixed broadhead.

I prefer 125 grain Slick Trick Magnums myself.
I am using a Bowtech Destroyer 340 at 70 lbs and 31" DL. Not sure about my arrow weight atm.

If you are worried about the penetration, you can use a good cut on contact broadhead. Magnus Stinger, Silver Flames and Razor Tricks are all good choices in my opinion.

ill be the odd guy out i use 2 bows for 90% of my hunting a 75# long bow with 750 grain arrow broad head combos and my 90# long bow with 1100 grain shaft/head set ups.

i will not hunt with a arrow lighter than 550 grains absolutly will not.

iv seen far to many game aninals shot with light 320-400 grain arrows that got what maybe 5-7" of penetration max. and this is out of a 50-65 pound bows if any bone is contacted your fucked out right, the light arrow shafts dont have the energy to split and smash thru heavy bone where as the heavyer set ups do as long as you avoid all bone youll be fine with some of the lighter stuff but hunting dosnt always go as planed.

id bet 200$ cash that my 90# bow and 1100 grain hunting set up will smash thru any buffalo shoulder you can put infront of me.

i use the 315 grain ashby 2 bladers or the steel force 225-300 grain 2 bladers with easton fmj arrows.

I am hearing several guesses and opinions.

I have been PG hunting x 2 in S Africa. My set up was very similar to yours. Will you be hunting from blinds and or will your shots be under 35 yards?

My set up was a draw length 29+, draw weight either 72 or 64, 30" long shafts. I had a weight around 430 for heads and shafts combined. I used Slick tricks, Montecs, Shuttle T broadheads...all worked very well.

I have also used this same set up on Blacktail deer in Alaska and Musk Ox. The only issue I had was presentation of animal and that takes patience on my part.

The ONLY shots that did not give me pass throughs were those that hit the off side shoulder. Did I hit bone going in? You bet, the broadheads I used had not problem with ribs. I would not be concerned about shooting Eland with your set up. I would just want him to be broadside and fairly close.

Never underestimate the benefits and perfromance of s supersharp broadhead put in the right spot.

Cheers and good hunting.

Matt

Just realized that I forgot to close out on this issue. The high and shifting wind during my hunt made archery a real challenge. I hunted from tree blinds for 4-5 days of a 10 day hunt and harvested two monster warthogs and one impala with my bow. The G5 Montecs and my setup worked great--heavy blood trails although the impala covered at least 100 yes before hitting the dirt. Never got a bow shot at anything big that I wanted but will try again down the line. I did harvestva very nice éland and bushuck with a rifle.

Good to hear
Congrats with some nice trophies.
Got any photos to show us?

Was wondering how this turned out. Congrats.