From: ut-emx!shawn@emx.cc.utexas.edu (Shawn Boyd)
Subject: Re: Muzzy broadheads
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin; Austin, Texas
Date: 12 Aug 92 08:35:40 CDT
Originator: hunting@osnome.che.wisc.edu

In article <1992Aug6.072903.13517@doug.cae.wisc.edu> rigg@osnome.che.wisc.edu 
(Tim Rigg) writes:
>
>   A few years ago, I wanted to book a deer hunt at Tink Nathan's camp
>   down in West Virginia.  Tink sent out a set of instructions
>   that basically said that there were certain broadheads that he
>   forbade at his camp, because they were too light in the blade,
>   and tended to break blades on impact.  Muzzy was one of the prohibited 
>   broadheads.  (So was Satellite, back on the days when all they had were
>   those old .010" thickness blades.)  I don't know if this was a 
>   problem for Muzzy in the past that they have since corrected.
>
>I am very surprised by this.

Me too.  My last kill was a 40 pound Javelina at 38 yards.  I shoot an
80# bow with a 30 inch 2512's tipped with Muzzy's.  This setup blew
through the animal and sent the arrow another 25 yards down range with
a nice big entry wound and a larger exit wound, clipping the ribs on
both sides.  The penetration was nothing less than excellent, and the
trauma from the wounds had the animal down and dead in less than
thirty five yards, with an excellent blood trail.  No peroxide was
necessary.

>I shoot on a archery league which shoots every Wednesday.  The league shoots 
>a broadhead course which consists of a 2-D cardboard target in front of a 
>sand pile.  You shoot though the cardboard and into the sand.  There are 
>often rocks and other crap in the sand that do nasty things to your broadhead.
>My partner shoots a variety of heads including three-blade Thunderheads and 
>occasionally breaks blades.  I shoot Muzzy and have only broken two blades in 
>two years of shooting.  Both breaks occurred when one broadhead hit the other 
>broadhead.

Our club maintains a bowhunting range, and a circular target range,
with about 28 targets on each range.  That number may vary depending
on who's been out on the work parties setting things up.  Practice is
generally unplanned, with members showing up and shooting at there
convenience.  We get by the problem of pass through's breaking arrows
by using cardboard/paper targets pinned to hay bales or newsprint
bales.  If you hit the target, you generally are not going to break an
arrow.  You guys might give this some consideration.  It saves a lot
arrows (and money).  In addition to the two walking ranges, there is a
static range with bales at 5 and 10 yard demarkations backed up by a
twenty foot high plywood backstop wall for those inevitable muffed
shots.

Naturally, shooting broadheads into hay bales can result in a lost
broadhead, so broadhead tuning has to be done off range, generally in
someone's backyard.

>I have also shot more than my share of trees (usually accidentally)
>without breaking any blades.  Perhaps Muzzy has fixed the problem or
>maybe I'm just lucky.
>

Agreed.  That trocar tip on Muzzy's is super tough, and it certainly
gets me all the penetration I need.  Add to that the fact that the
blades interlock in the shaft of the broadhead with that trocar tip
screwing down and locking them into place, and you have one tough
little unit.

>On another note, I'd strongly recommend such a league to all
>bowhunters.  Walking through the woods shooting at realistic targets
>at unknown distances really sharpens your skills.  

Absolutely.  I find our walking ranges with alleys to shoot at varying
distances to be invaluable practice.  We play a game when we shoot to
keep score by letting the "winner" of the last shot call the shooting
point for the next shot.

Shawn


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