# 2 blade vs 3 blade vs 4 blade broadheads



## bd_slim (Jun 29, 2010)

Just wondering what the differences are, and what blade is better for what, ect. Just so there is no confusion, I'm talking about fixed blade.


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## Wood (Aug 3, 2006)

I became a 2 blade fan when I hit a buck in the shoulder with a Hellrazor and got no peneration. All other factors being equal, a good stout sharp 2 blade will out penetrate other configurations, and you have to have that to kill the animal. Dr. Ed Ashbey has done a lot of testing on this issue. I think the web site is tradgang.com, or something like that. More info. than you'll want to read.


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## Buck-Bomb (Mar 19, 2009)

i like a 2 blade with two bleeder blades


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## bd_slim (Jun 29, 2010)

So it all boils down to a 2 blade is better for penetration, while the 3 and 4 blades are better for blood trails, or larger entry/exit holes?


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## Viper69 (Feb 4, 2003)

Probably the two blade will be best overall. I mean no matter where you hit them you will get better penetration and if you hit them perfect two blades would be plenty. With that said I still am using a 4 blade grizztrick! Go figure....


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## Wood (Aug 3, 2006)

bd_slim said:


> So it all boils down to a 2 blade is better for penetration, while the 3 and 4 blades are better for blood trails?


Maybe a general rule but it all depends. My elk last year bled more than all but one animal in 45 years of hunting. Shot with a Hunor 125 grain 2 blade.


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## im-ocd (Mar 22, 2007)

I've killed several deer with fixed heads. The 3 blade 1 3/16'' model I used did not leave very much blood on the ground. 
4 blade heads have been better, so far.
I wouldn't want less blood than I'm getting from the 4 blade heads.
I have 73# KE and plenty of momentum so penetration is not a concern.
Many factors influence blood on the ground, even with double lung hits; like presence and height on deer body of exit hole.
All things equal (shot placement, exit hole, ect...) bigger holes and more cutting equate with more blood on the ground.


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## bd_slim (Jun 29, 2010)

I'm not as lucky as some of you with +70# ke. I am getting about 45ke and 240fps with my turbohawk (26" dl kills me). I picked up some 100gr hellrazors from my local shop, but have been thinking about trying some other ones. I'm just not sure of the differences.


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## im-ocd (Mar 22, 2007)

With your KE, 45#, you might consider a head like the Magnus Buzzcut or Stinger. The cut on contact design will maximize penetration.
I have ST Grizz Tricks and Magnus Buzzcuts in my quiver, both are 125 gr. four blade heads.
My wife has 38# KE (.37 momentum), I have her tuned for 125 gr. Buzzcuts and Stingers in the four blade version.

***I reread your last post, the Hellrazors will likely work fine.***


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## archerdad (Oct 17, 2002)

ok, lets think on this.
first i would say what kind of equipment?
compound? recurve?
then lets look at the energy that bow is gonna make.
so short draw long draw and draw weight.

shorter and lighter with a recurve is gonna mean less energy for less penetration.
at the other end you have longer and heavier on a compound is gonna mean more energy for more penetration.

so depending on how your equipment is setup and the amout of energy that it makes is gonna dictate what you can use and have enough penetration.

for all arguments more blades means more contact equals more friction equals takes more energy to penetrate the same as less blades smaller cutting diameter equaling less friction and more penetration capability.

so if you have a bow that is making upwards of 60 pounds of kinetic energy(just a random number) you can run a broadhead with more cutting diameter and more blades to do more damage and penetrate better.

if you have a bow that is making say around 40 foot pounds of kinetic energy you have less energy to work with and less momentum from the lighter arrow so a smaller cutting diameter and less blades will serve you better.

now another thought... arrow flight..
if your arrow is not flying striaght it will enter the animal maybe a little crooked and the arrow shaft is gonna drag harder than if the arrow was flying as close to perfectly straight as possible making a straighter entry with less drag on the arrow making less friction and allowing more of the energy transferred to the arrow to keep its momentum and penetrating deeper also.

what about arrow diameter? a fatter shaft drags more than a thinner shaft. i think you see where this is heading. 

so more blades does more cutting allowing the animal to bleed out faster beacause of a bigger wound channel than say a 2 blade broadhead.

a 2 blade also only cuts a slit which closes easier and allows less bleeding than say a hole with and "x" instead of a "/".
blade sharpness also attributes to cutting instead of tearing which also means less friction. take a dull knife and cut vegetables on a cutting board and then try it with a razor sharp knife... the sharper knife cuts easier. the same with a broadhead, sharper just goes through easier.

i really don't think there is a be all end all answer to penetration, but rather it is a combination of a lot of little things.
these are my thoughts, not gospel, just common sense things i have learned from helping others through the years.


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## Beendare (Jan 31, 2006)

IMO, the trick is thinking of your Bow, Arrow, and Broadhead as a system. 

If you want to max out penetration with the highest chance of putting 2 holes in an animal [toughest wound to recover from, better blood trails] then you want the heaviest arrow that will give you acceptable trajectory and the distances you shoot and a COC head. A 2 blade will give you a bit of an increase in penetration. Any setup has to be tuned to perfection and BH's shot for groups, "Easton tuning guide" free on their site.

Now, almost any combination of arrow weight and head can work [we see plenty of those threads- a testament to bow/ arrow efficiency] but you are on the right track in trying to maximize the lethality of your setup.


...


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## bd_slim (Jun 29, 2010)

I have done all the tuning, paper tuned to a bullet hole, walkback with field points, and broadhead tuned, and all is good out to 40 yards. My st epics weigh in at about 355gr with 100gr broadhead.


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## Beendare (Jan 31, 2006)

Personally, I would use a strong 2 blade head with that setup


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## joehunter8301 (Jul 16, 2009)

there has been no proof that a 3 blade kills faster than a 2 blade. like most advice here a 2 blade will out penetrate anything else but any bow over 50 ft lbs is plenty to pass thru a deer. so i say i would rather use that to my advantage and shoot a 3 blade to have a little more cutting in the animal. i shoot a fairly light arrow and still get pass thru's on all my deer. i shoot a coc 3 blade g5 montec. if i was to hunt elk i'd prob go with the 2 blade for the exact reasons we talk here. blood trails have been known to be weaker but a good shot is a good shot and most animals wont go far after a double lunger. me personally i think a 3 blade coc is a little sturdier than a 2 blade because it has more metal to support it. the 2 blade is more opt to bend when hitting something hard. so my point is main reason i shoot a 3 blade is because i want a little bigger hole and i have enough energy to pass thru any deer even with a 3 blade so i want to maximize my cutting area without throwing an axe at em:mg:


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## bd_slim (Jun 29, 2010)

So what about the 4 blades? Are they grouped with the 3 blades? And what about the 2 blades with the 2 smaller blades?


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## jalopyspeed (Apr 16, 2010)

also what do you guys find flies better? 2,3,or 4 blades?


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## joehunter8301 (Jul 16, 2009)

i have had all of them fly good out of my setup i dont think one particularly flies better because of amount of blades. i would say proper tuning and spin testing your heads and overall design of the head contributes to accuracy more than anything else. after saying that montecs and stinger 2 blades have flown as good as field points for me


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## goingpro24 (Dec 16, 2007)

they all kill


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## bd_slim (Jun 29, 2010)

goingpro24 said:


> they all kill


Yes, they do...but I would think that some would match up with your specs much better than others.


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## im-ocd (Mar 22, 2007)

*Typical two blade fixed head doesn't make a hole like this.*



goingpro24 said:


> they all kill





bd_slim said:


> Yes, they do...but I would think that some would match up with your specs much better than others.


Both statements correct. 
I'll add that some kill quicker than others by making a larger hole and leave more blood on the ground.
And a 1 1/4'' Grizz might not be the best choice for someone with low KE / momentum, if they are trying to maximize penetration.

I've killed 17 deer with various mechanicals, another 7 with fixed heads.
Some of the deer were killed (not harvested) with mechanicals that were 1 1/2'' - 1 3/4'' so I'm accustomed to (and want) copious blood trails. So, for me to think a blood trail is good, I'm going to see plenty of blood; I will not have to look for the next little speck once the blood is initally found, or mark the last place I found blood (I hate that). I've never had to do that when using 1 1/2'' - 1 3/4'' mechanicals with double lung hits. (I hunt thick places).

My wife had a good blood trail from a four blade 90 gr. Muzzy 1''
Her arrow blew straight through a small buck with only 38# KE using the Muzzy 90 gr. four blade; she was hunting from the ground, so the 15 yard shot hit a broadside deer and had a straight through angle.

I had a good blood trail from a four blade 100 gr. ST standard 1''

I had a good blood trail from a Grizz Trick 1 1/4'' however, unlike nearly all my other deer this one wasn't double lung hit; she was slightly quartering toward at the shot, which resulted in me only getting one lung, scrape the liver and out the other side. Despite my poor (for me) shot placement, the deer only went about 75 yards and easily recovered.
I think the four blade 1 1/4'' Grizz (which has more total cut than a 1 1/2'' mechanical) made a difference on the quickness of the outcome, and blood on the ground. *There is no disappointment in the entry wound*. Pictured.









Comparing total cut:
1'' three blade head = 1.5'' total cut
1 3/16'' three blade head = 1.78'' total
125 gr. Buzzcut or Stinger is 1 1/8'' x .75 = 1.87'' total
1'' four blade head = 2'' total cut
1 1/4'' four blade head = 2.5'' total cut

My wife is using the Buzzcut / Stinger because it has a cut on contact tip, to maximize penetration, and more total cut than a typical 3 blade head as a bonus. I've got them in my quiver because they fly good and I've never used them; also, I like to experiment / compare.

If you want to go with a four blade, try the Buzzcuts, Stingers, or ST standard.


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## dragman (Jul 12, 2008)

The HellRazor is a great head. I doubt that a 2 blade would offer much more penetration. 2,3,4,27 blade if you shoot a deer right in the shoulder it's not going through unless you shooting crazy high poundage with over 100 ftlbs of KE and some really good momentum.


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## bd_slim (Jun 29, 2010)

Wow, a lot of great info posted by everyone. I do have another question though...At what KE would you be ok with shooting a 4 blade, or non COC broadhead?


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## Roskoes (Jun 17, 2007)

Some good information here. I have always wondered how the amount of blood drained out of an animal, on the average, compared when you hold a 2" cut two blade up against a 1" cut 4 blade.


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## Beendare (Jan 31, 2006)

bd_slim said:


> Wow, a lot of great info posted by everyone. I do have another question though...At what KE would you be ok with shooting a 4 blade, or non COC broadhead?


BD, KE is a measure that doesn't really help you determine penetration. Here is an actual example from a test on a water buffalo; shot and killed with 840gr arrow, 2 blade head 80# bow 235fps- the arrow was hanging on by the fletch in the opposite side ribs [see Bowsite Videos "Australian buff hunt"] then when shot multiple times with a 440 gr arrow 314fps from the same exact bow [so its similar in KE] avg penetration was 9" deep.

So if you are shooting a head with more resistance[ ie; 4 blade, mech, etc] you want more bow weight and arrow weight. To answer your question, one would need to know the efficiency or "Mechanical advantage" [The more slope to the head the less resistance and easier to penetrate] of the head. I can tell you a 500gr arrow from a 70# bow packs plenty of wallop for many of the less streamline heads. Can't say exactly what is the "Works every time" cutoff point on energy.


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## joehunter8301 (Jul 16, 2009)

on deer size animal any average bow setup will drive a 2,3 or 4 blade thur the ribcage with no issues. if you hit something bigger than a rib bone then you will see a difference. the difference between 2 blades and 3 blades going thru bone is more than you think. one extra blade causes a lot of resistance in something as hard as a shoulder blade. to answer the ? about a non coc or 4 blade head i would say your safe with anything above 45 lbs of kinetic energy for deer size animals. slick tricks perform great for a wide range of hunters with no issues


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## Mallardbreath (Dec 7, 2007)

I've shot deer with all three varieties and it really didn't matter that much if I put it in the right spot. All gave plenty of blood on the ground to follow.


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