Your Broadhead Steel Matters
“They just don’t make them like they used to,” said every old timer you grew up around. I often assumed it was one of those things geezers said based on very little but rough observation. While that is still most likely the case, I think they hit the nail on the head when it comes to some of the broadheads they used to shoot.
The broadheads of today, like most other things, are primarily made overseas to keep costs low and profits high. The assembly line churns and engineers do what they can to cut costs. As is good business. The problems, however, start when the corners you cut are the most important thing to your cutting-edge, quality steel.
Upon impact, the broadhead enters a remarkably intense set of conditions, which the edge must escape unscathed. It is a lot to ask of something to survive a 200-plus mile-per-hour collision, let alone be salvageable on the other side. In many ways, the deciding factor to your broadhead’s success is the quality of the materials it is composed of.
To survive the collision there are a few material properties that need paying attention to. Those would be, hardness, toughness, yield strength, and impact strength. The higher the hardness rating the higher the likelihood your blade edge will dull at impact and lose energy designated for your target. Next, the right level of mechanical toughness relates to brittleness and the likelihood of your blade shattering like cornflakes at impact. Yield strength will keep your broadhead’s structural integrity as it passes through and prevent energy and momentum losses needed to drive the arrow through the target. Finally, impact strength is the ability of the material to survive the collision impulse and not shatter during the impact. Where this differs from toughness and yield strength is this property focuses on the ability to absorb a shock or sudden force like hitting a nail with a hammer. The higher the impact strength the more force the material can withstand in a remarkably tight time window.
While that all may mean little to you, what this means is the quality of your steel is everything. The wrong steel means broadheads that fold over, mechanicals that fail to deploy, and big bucks lost. Many consumers are familiar with two types of steel from their hardware drawer: stainless and rusty. In reality, the pool of steel variations is miles deep. What is best for broadheads will be your high-carbon steels and tool steels. The differences are subtle, but the high carbon content in both alloys leads to high levels of both hardness and toughness. The additional heat treatment these metals undergo further raises their yield and impact strength.
But what does that look like on the broadhead box you picked up off the shelf? If you are lucky, they will read S7 or A2 tool steel right on the package, like Iron Will and Tuffhead. Others such as Tooth of the Arrow, will mention high carbon steel designed for toughness and strength, VPA broadheads indicated premium grade tool steel, and the rockwell hardness rating. Regardless, with disclaimers like these, you are probably in good shape. If it omits the quality of the material or says stainless steel, it is best to move down the shelf.
While stainless steel might be great for keeping your broadheads rust-free, it falls short on the hardness required to hold an edge or punch through shoulders. Anything with aluminum should turn you away as the soft metal will be prone to energy loss from the metal deflecting. Same with titanium, while it is a buzzword thrown around by many companies, the so-called “super metal” is not best suited for cutting edges.
In the world of broadheads, each year a new fad emerges. Regardless of your cutting diameter or arrow FOC, the lethality of your arrow will fall short with cheap steel. Before your favorite influencer makes your decision for you, check your steel. It might make the difference between a trail gone cold and a tag filled.
