Minimum broadhead weight..

[coondog]

Just looking for a little expert advise...what would be the minimum broadhead weight for elk for both compound and crossbow...any input appreciated..september is coming quick

 

[bowrunner]

It all depends on what broadhead, arrow, and bow setup. If you want speed and want to go light, then you will need a cut on contact head. If you go with a cut on contact head with a light arrow, then you can get away with a light head. I shot a huge bodied Illinois whitetail when I was 13 with a 320 or so grain broadhead/arrow combo, with a 50lb pse deer hunter shooting 165 fps. I had an 85 gr steelforce sabertooth broadhead and achieved a complete passthrough. It was because of my broadhead choice.

With that said, I shoot a 505 gr arrow and a 68lb bow now.

Let me know your bow and arrow setup and I can help!

 

[HuskyMusky]

100grs is ideal for everything in my book.

 

[Big Chief J]

Cutting diameter is important too. It's hard to push a wide broad head all the way through a big elk vs a smaller deer. Plus smaller heads are generally tougher.

 

[Skibum81]

This is one of those questions that everyone has an opinion on, just like the which caliber is best drunken camp fire argument. However I do not believe this has the same amount of wiggle room. And obviously this is my opinion. You need to work with your archery shop, to use their chrono to come up with a rig that works best for your draw length and weight. Never use a mechanical broadhead, and I would say a 100g broadhead is the bare minimum. 125g is better. Use the online calculators to figure out foot pounds of energy with your rig. On this I would say 65 foot pounds in the minimum and 75+ is better. All of this comes down to your overall arrow weight, not just the broadhead. A quality arrow, potentially a weighted insert for more forward weight, and a 125g broadhead will do the trick. I am shooting a 525g arrow, 68lbs draw for elk this year.

The stick and string is a primitive weapon. This means to properly respect the animal you need to practice way more and do the research to make sure your equipment is as lethal as possible.

 

[Maxhunter]

I prefer 100 or 125 grain heads. They've worked well for me!

 

[Slugz]

125g fixed blade Montec G5 is what we use.

 

[87TT]

I used to use 100 grain Muzzy 3 blade with total arrow weight of 415 gr and 68#draw. After losing a bull to a marginal shot, I have researched and retooled. I now have 125 gr Kudupoint broadheads I went from a 340 spine to 300 with 50 gr inserts. Total weight 505 grs. You can kill an elk with a sharpened stick but I think we owe it to them not to cut it close and use the most efficient equipment.

 

[Hilltop]

This is one of those questions that everyone has an opinion on, just like the which caliber is best drunken camp fire argument. However I do not believe this has the same amount of wiggle room. And obviously this is my opinion. You need to work with your archery shop, to use their chrono to come up with a rig that works best for your draw length and weight. Never use a mechanical broadhead, and I would say a 100g broadhead is the bare minimum. 125g is better. Use the online calculators to figure out foot pounds of energy with your rig. On this I would say 65 foot pounds in the minimum and 75+ is better. All of this comes down to your overall arrow weight, not just the broadhead. A quality arrow, potentially a weighted insert for more forward weight, and a 125g broadhead will do the trick. I am shooting a 525g arrow, 68lbs draw for elk this year.

The stick and string is a primitive weapon. This means to properly respect the animal you need to practice way more and do the research to make sure your equipment is as lethal as possible.

Like you said- It's a matter of opinion. I have harvested several elk with a 100 grain mechanical and continue to use them. I have also had numerous elk shot by hunters while guiding that used mechanicals. The bottom line is you need to get a sharp head through the lungs and you will cleanly take any elk on the planet. It's up to the hunter to know their equipment's limitations and to practice enough to make the shot when it counts.

 

[bowrunner]

I used to use 100 grain Muzzy 3 blade with total arrow weight of 415 gr and 68#draw. After losing a bull to a marginal shot, I have researched and retooled. I now have 125 gr Kudupoint broadheads I went from a 340 spine to 300 with 50 gr inserts. Total weight 505 grs. You can kill an elk with a sharpened stick but I think we owe it to them not to cut it close and use the most efficient equipment.

We have almost exaxtly the same arrow setup.

 

[bowrunner]

In general, if you have the spine in your arrows, Id go with some heavy point weight. You can do it with either a heavy insert or a heavier broadhead. They seem to fly better for me. Even if you have to drop some bow poundage to stiffen your spine some, the slower speeds wont hurt you as much as the improved flight.

This is all my opinion, others may disagree. Most modern bows are shooting enough speed you can get away with a lot more than you used to. Broadhead design makes a huge difference tho.

 

[Bonecollector]

Good advice from bowrunner.

I like to shoot mid-weight arrows as I do a lot of long range target shooting and longer-than-most hunting.
I shoot 430 gr with a 73lb bow at 300fps. It's still relatively flat, but zips through 'targets' at longer ranges than the recommended minimum of 350-360 gr. arrow weight. I also still use a 100gn tip. If I want to further increase my weight, I'll move to a 125gr tip.