Longbow4 — a traditional welcome to you here. You would do very well to start by reading T.J. Conrad’s “The Traditional Bowhunter’s Handbook.” I’d been doing it for decades when I first read it, and still I learned a lot. A bit of a learning curve, you bet, but that’s a big part of the fun. It’s all about welcoming personal challenge, as opposed to taking the easy way out and pretending. IMHO. dave

As for broadheads, read everything you can from Dr. Ashby, then make your decision…I find two bladed fly better IMHO…Be well and good luck…

Yes, I agree with Smithy above: a long/narrow two-blade with a Rockwell hardness of at least 50, single or double-bevel. You should look at the Brown Bear, Tusker Concord, Grizzly, and STOS to name a few that make the grade. Shoot the heaviest head your arrow spine can handle. And indeed, read Ashby. dp

I love the Zwickey’s, currently have the Eskimo’s and Delta’s.

Zwickey Eskimo 2-blade. The 4-blade model is also very good but can be a challenge to sharpen if your not used to it.

I prefer two blade broadheads. They have never done me wrong. Magnus seems to make a good broadhead but I don’t see any reason why a Zwickey would not work. Between your two options, I prefer the Magnus II (which I think is on the outs as Magnus made a statement that they intend to stop manufacturing them) as it has a straight blade and is easy to sharpen.

Longbow4, Welcome to the forum!

I use both Maguns & Zwicky, & like them both, I like the Eclipse too. A friend gave me a Wensel Woodsman & I’m playing with it, but so far haven’t shot anything but targets with it.
Frank

longbow4 wrote: Does anyone have advise for a new traditional bowhunter ?
Are the simple 2 blade broagheads (zwickey, magnus)as effective for deer or would the bleeder blade type be better.

Thanks

That’s one of those discussions that’s probably been going on since long before any of us were born and will continue long after we’re gone. There are valid pros and cons for each type. It’s probably best to read everything you can on the subject and decide for yourself which one gives you the most confidence.

longbow4 wrote: Does anyone have advise for a new traditional bowhunter ?
Are the simple 2 blade broagheads (zwickey, magnus)as effective for deer or would the bleeder blade type be better.

Thanks

Lots of great heads to chose from and most have been mentioned. Read the Dr. Ashby studies to assist with your decision. I have personally used numerous two, three, and four blade heads since 1972 and have settled on two heads for my personal use: The Abowyer Brown Bear and the Grizzly El Grande. Both great heads!

Ireland

Jason’s insightful comment sums it up … Read all you can (starting w/Dr. Ashby) and decide for yourself. My brother’s shot Zwicky two-blade Deltas for decades. My limited five-year experience, after trying several others, finds me using the Stos broadhead … easy to get scary sharp and flies well. I doubt I’ll ever change. I’ve heard good things about the Woodsman, but the best advise I’ve ever heard on broadeads came from Glen Beck at Black Widow. When asked what broadhead to use, Glen simply said to use “a sharp one.”

Welcome to the traditional world … you’ll love it.:D

Chris

I’ve been shooting Wensels for the past 5 years.I like the 4 blade Magnus Stinger also. The damage of a long lean 3 blade is hard to beat. A good example of this is plain to see when shooting into foam targets,when you pull that arrow out, look at all that target that comes out with it!

assenheimer wrote: A good example of this is plain to see when shooting into foam targets,when you pull that arrow out, look at all that target that comes out with it!

Actually that only shows the rear of the broadheads resistance to the foam, which is no indicator of what it will do on a live animal. I will stick with a good sharp 2 blade broadhead.

I understand what you are saying about the back of the broadhead as it comes out.What I was refering to was the amount of sliced up target that the blades made going in.My yard gets covered in that stuff everytime I pull an arrow out.I THINK ANY WELL BUILT ,VERY SHARP,CUT ON CONTACT IS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED! AIM SMALL, DREAM BIG& LIVE GRAND

Read all you can (starting w/Dr. Ashby) and decide for yourself, as for me I will not let Styrofoam Blocks be the indicator how my broadheads will react on live game.