BROADHEADS AD ABSURDUM

[Dennis La Varenne]

Here is an absolutely astonishing broadhead in eBay which beggars belief as to what the inventor was thinking when it was invented. It looks to have a gaping beak like a chook in a drought. It helps explain why Ed Ashby went to so much trouble with his broadhead efficiency work.

Here is the URLhttp://www.ebay.com.au/itm/311038066327 ... 1438.l2649

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[Mick Smith]

It might be effective on small game perhaps, but you're right, it is absurd.

In much the same vein, I can remember buying some Black Copperhead Magnum broadheads from the states back in the 1970's. To my mind then, they looked very deadly.

I can distinctly remember drawing on a nice fox at about 10 meters, while using one of my 'deadly' broadheads. The shot was near to being perfect, hitting the fox right behind the front leg. I can also remember my absolute disgust when the arrow just bounced off. So much for being deadly. It hit a rib and due to its design, it only penetrated about half an inch before rebounding back.

I haven't used them since, which is probably a good thing as they're now worth about $40 each to collectors.

[Dennis La Varenne]

Yes Mick, that one is remarkable too. Both seem to be cases of inventors going off half-cocked on an idea which they have not properly tested, or at best, very limited or no testing at all. It is almost worth having a SILLY BROADHEAD forum on Ozbow.

[bigbob]

When the quote was devised about man's ingenuity, these two examples of man's ponderings were noticably absent from the table. Sheeeeessshhh!

[cmoore]

Wow....all that came to mind when looking at the ones that Dennis posted was......"Thunderbirds are go"

[Dennis La Varenne]

Here are some more from eBay. The bloke wants $US80.00 for this one. The ferrule is made from plastic -

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This next one is called a BEESTINGER -

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No3 is called the SABRE and has 45 degree wings on each side of the main blade -

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No4 is called the HELIX SPIRAL -

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The first magenta coloured head in my first post is called the BLOOD TRAIL.

[Bill]

What do you think of these, you will need radar to guide and operate them so as to deploy the blades at the correct time.
I don't think they are designed for what they look like, but are part of an modern art display.
But just looking at them, they are so futuristic.

[Dennis La Varenne]

Bill,

Heads like that frighten our pollies. If somebody from the Greens told the Parliament that they were laser guided so as not to miss, we would be in trouble. They look real bad even though a design like that is close to pretty useless. Our caveman ancestors got it pretty right way back then. Ours are the same design - just made from more durable materials.

[UPTHETOP]

Dennis I have scean very similar ' broadheads ] to your first picture, Once in Japan I saw a few on some arrows and they use them for trick shots for cutting strings that hold the target and shoot at the string while the target swings below it. They looked nearly identical to the photo.

Cheers Wayno

[Dennis La Varenne]

I can understand that purpose but you may be right about it. But the seller wasn't selling it as that. Interesting thought. But you must admit, there are some outstandingly silly designs around.

[Chase N. Nocks]

Wow...$80 with a plastic ferrule.

Reminds me of the F - 35. an overpriced dud, designed to suck in dummies.

[Dennis La Varenne]

Yes, $80. I think it is being sold on 'rarity' value. But it has a very high absurdity factory too. Here is the URL - http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-AND-VER ... 3ce5d3fcc7

[Bill]

If the pink 50 year old Broadhead was like a birds beak to poke a hole, take a look at these.
The big one is for Turkey hunting
The triple borers with three and six blades are all one shots, if that; in my book of efficient blades.
The Toxic head is expected to punch through like an apple corer.
Test results indicate that it does. in foam......

All three do not cut on contact, but require a fare amount of force to punch through a hide, then cut their way towards the vital organs needed to give a quick and painless demise.

[Dennis La Varenne]

Bill,

Here is a pic of the silliest head in my small collection of broadheads - a Browning Serpentine head. It is another version of the 'apple-corer' principle. If you look at it closely, you will realise that if you don't use left wing feathers on your arrows, it can't cut because it is turning away from the sharp edges just like the Turkey and Cyclone heads you posted above. That Toxic head looks like a head designed by someone who hasn't realised that arrows rotate in flight. Once that thing hit, the blades would stop it penetrating at all. I wonder if any have been sold in Australia?

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[CraigH]

Thanks for the pics. Some interesting, weird and scary designs.

[Dennis La Varenne]

Here is another absurd head I downloaded from eBay - a pizza cutter. Has anybody ever been bowhunting for pizza? Don't be shy. Let us all know.

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[Gringa Bows]

There's some weirdo heads there Denis

[Bill]

There needs to be a lot of meat on your pizza to buy that head @ $150.00 at the moment.
At present I don't have one in my collection but at that price it would have to be plated in Gold and used only on very special occasions.

Below is a broadhead I've seen used and it would have to be the worst, I am thankful it is no longer made.
The head makes a good talking point as to how it is supposed to work, commencing to open on impact. The blades are then meant slide around during penetration, opening up and folding back as the head passes through its intended target of Ballistic Gel. Thin spring steel blades and plastic ferrule. I just can't see the practicality or cost for one.

[Dennis La Varenne]

These heads certainly make for interesing conversation pieces. It is almost worth starting a collection of the silliest broadheads ever made. That would be an interesting category.

[Mike-dy]

I have been collecting broadheads for a but over ten years now, mainly focusing on Australian made heads. (Still looking of a Ribtek big game pro to complete my Col Graham collection.)
As my collection increased in size I decided to put together another sub collection of "unusual designs"
These are heads that just looking at them you can tell that they won't be around on the market for long.
Some fine examples Dennis has posted above

Cheers,
Mike

[Bill]

Hi Mike, I've sent you a pm.

[Dennis La Varenne]

These things just keep on appearing. The first pair of pictures looks like it could have some kind of afterburner. The second pair suggests some kind of fishing head, but it seems to be the wrong way round. The asking price for it was $US100.00 last time I looked. The third pair has one with so many moving parts, hinges and pins, it is hard to imagine it being up to more than a single shot and its pair is an imitation of a stone head, but for what advantage in steel, I don't know.

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[Mike-dy]

The head that is an imitation knapped head is a Ropers but not steel Dennis but die cast aluminium, the head with fish hooks on it was used for bird hunting, the other two are early mechanical heads, the complex looking one a the bottom is a hawk matrix, the name of the first escapes me and all my reference material is still in Melbourne.
I do have them in my collection though.

[Mick Smith]

It's good to see you posting again Mike. When this thread first started, I thought to myself, ''what a pity Mike can't chime in here.'', as you're our Ozbow expert when it comes to broadheads in particular.

[Bill]

Hello, have a look at this Star Wars movable blade broadhead call a Knife Wing, forward projecting blades that fold back on impact. Different thickness blades, different weight.

Then there is the one below it, one of several baker dozen (becoming into the hundreds of) movable blade type broadheads.
If anything it's one of the best, But I don't like the punching on contact aspect of the head.
Moving parts, small screws with thin blades not a good head to be using on that big pig.

[Mick Smith]

I think that some of these expandable blade type broadheads could be good to use on tough small game, like foxes and cats, as they can be very hard to stop with less than perfect hits and they're small targets. I don't think I'd like to try them on bigger species though. I certainly can't see myself ever buying any.

[Mike-dy]

Hi Mick, it's been a while nice head that first one Bill
Nothing like a change to make you reassess some life goals
It's good to see some familiar faces still around though.
With the heads we are seeing in this thread if you go back through the history of commercial broadheads and look at the "unusual heads" and " current market value" (collector value in the US) these heads are increasing in value do to their rarity.
This show that they weren't successful as broadheads so have a short life span.
Simple two bladed heads however continue to be produced and have far lower prices years later.
There are exceptions to the rule how ever
If current prices stay were they are makes my collection worth around US $10000
But just before anyone thinks they'll make a buck buying these heads of EBay and saving them for a rainy day China wasn't pumping out crappy designs by the millions twenty years ago. If you wanted to build your own broadhead it had to be good because the initial investment to start was huge.
Either that or you assembled a few by hand and they were either horrendously expensive or you made a commercial loss. Now with China in the mix any man and his dog with a few bucks can come up with a dubious design and have it knocked up in some factory for bugger all.
The design is then cloned by every second pirate in and soon we're flooded with millions of them, the Toxic heads and Rage heads being some of the more recent ones.
They do add colour and interest to the display though

Those that do hunt use what works for you but with your support locally manufactured heads like the outbacks will become a thing of the past.
Speaking of which must get onto to Woody and get some more heads myself.
Ps heard a horrible rumour from a good friend the new black stumps are made in China now, didn't ask when I emailed them the other day (still waiting for a reply, must be out hunting but blackstump I see have changed hands again, just an example of offshore production to reduce costs to stay profitable. It's business folks

[Bill]

Ps heard a horrible rumour from a good friend the new black stumps are made in China now

Not a rumour I have some two and three blade heads (yes, that's correct there is a three blade Blackstump out and about) labelled as Blackstump and the two blade head is only held together by only seven maybe eight spot welds. They are nothing like what they used to be, as per sample below.[/color]
With the amount of broadheads being made and coming out of China, I just can't keep up. I've put a hold on the amount of heads I'm collecting that are being made by them.
I dread the day that they start coping the Outbacks.

[Mike-dy]

Great photo showing the difference in quality there Bill

[Fanto]

And the most absurd part? broadhead manufacturers are still making ridiculous spring loaded devices and paying "Celebrity Hunters" to go and arrow big game to proove they work.

I get facebook updates from Cameron Hanes for example. He is in africa shooting a 90Lb compound, 600 grain arrows (cue oohs and aahs from the compound shooters) and silly little mechanical broadheads. He took a shot at a dead hippo, looks to have made about 5" of penetration.


I guess there is no big profits to be made in high end, custom made 1000gr arrows and simple sharp 2 blade single bevel broadheads.

Bit of a disclaimer here: if Hoyt tapped me on the shoulder and said hey, go hunting for a full time job, I would be signing up in a flash....