100 vs 125 grain broadheads

Twenty-five grains on a 400 gr arrow is a little over six percent of the total mass, which does not sound like much. What makes it significant is where it goes: all of it at the very front, which is the most leveraged position on the shaft.

In detail

Heads in both weights

01One-piece steel, nothing to come loose

$44.95/Amazon

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G5 Montec 100 gr

G5 Outdoors

8.9/ 10

One-piece metal-injection-molded steel with a 1 to 1-1/8 inch cut, cut-on-contact geometry and every head spin-tested before it ships. There are no blades to replace, no screws to loosen and no collar to fail. For a fast bow, a fixed one-piece head is the most reliable thing you can put on the front of a bolt.

Published spec	Value
Weight	100 gr (85 and 125 also offered)
Cutting diameter	1 to 1-1/8 in
Blades	3, fixed
Construction	One-piece MIM steel
Sharpening	Diamond cut, cut-on-contact
Quality control	100% spin-tested
Per pack	3

What it does well

• One piece: no blades, screws or collars to fail
• Every head spin-tested before it ships
• Resharpenable, so a head survives more than one animal
• Cut-on-contact geometry starts cutting immediately

Where it falls short

• A 1-1/8 inch cut is narrow next to a 2.25-inch mechanical
• Fixed blades plane more in wind than a closed mechanical
• Needs careful tuning to fly with field points

Our rubric

Flight

8.2

Penetration

9.4

Consistency

9.0

Durability

9.6

Value

8.4

02The widest cut here

$41.57/Amazon

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Swhacker #202 125 gr

Swhacker

8.1/ 10

A 2.25-inch cut from a 2-blade expandable, with a patented two-stage design: wing blades make the entry hole and the primary blades stay folded behind them until impact. At 125 grains it also shifts weight forward, which is the right direction for a heavy-bolt setup.

Published spec	Value
Weight	125 gr
Cutting diameter	2.25 in
Blades	2, expandable
Type	Mechanical, two-stage
Ferrule	Aircraft-grade aluminum
Blades material	Stainless steel; hardened steel tip
Per pack	3

What it does well

• 2.25 inches is the widest cut on this page
• Two-stage design protects the primary blades until impact
• 125 grains helps front-of-center on a heavy setup
• Replacement blades are sold separately, so the ferrule is reusable

Where it falls short

• A 2.25-inch cut needs energy behind it; not for a 300 fps bow
• 125 grains changes your zero if you are set up for 100
• No speed rating published

Our rubric

Flight

8.0

Penetration

7.6

Consistency

8.0

Durability

8.4

Value

8.2

03Serrated blades and a lifetime guarantee reputation

$43.60/Amazon

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Magnus Stinger Buzzcut 4-Blade 125 gr

Magnus

8.2/ 10

A chisel-cut serrated main blade across four blades at 125 grains. Serrations tear rather than slice, which is a deliberate choice aimed at blood trails rather than clean penetration. At 125 grains it is the heavier option for a heavy-bolt setup.

Published spec	Value
Weight	125 gr
Blades	4, fixed
Main blade	Chisel-cut serrated
Type	Fixed
Patent	US 7,160,217
Per pack	3
Cutting diameter	Not published

What it does well

• Serrated main blade is aimed squarely at blood trails
• Four blades at 125 grains for a heavy front-of-center setup
• A long production record behind the Stinger line

Where it falls short

• No cutting diameter published
• 125 grains changes your zero if you are set for 100
• Four fixed blades need a well-tuned bow

Our rubric

Flight

7.8

Penetration

8.6

Consistency

8.0

Durability

9.0

Value

8.2

04The most total cut from a fixed head

$48.99/Amazon

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Slick Trick Standard Pro Series and Magnum

Slick Trick

8.7/ 10

Four .035-inch stainless blades in a short Super Steel ferrule giving 2-1/4 inches of total cut, with a 4-edge bone-splitting tip and Alcatraz blade lock. Short, fat and fixed: it flies like a field point because there is barely any ferrule forward of the blades to plane in the wind.

Published spec	Value
Weight	100 gr
Total cut	2-1/4 in (1-1/8 in + 1-1/8 in)
Blade thickness	0.035 in
Blades	Stainless, 4
Ferrule	Super Steel
Blade lock	Alcatraz
Tip	4-edge bone splitting

What it does well

• 2-1/4 inches of total cut from a fixed head
• A short ferrule means less wind planing
• Alcatraz blade lock keeps blades seated through bone
• Explicitly suited to crossbows, compounds and recurves

Where it falls short

• Four fixed blades need a well-tuned bow to fly cleanly
• Replacement blades add to running cost

Our rubric

Flight

8.4

Penetration

9.0

Consistency

8.8

Durability

9.0

Value

8.2

05The mechanical most crossbow hunters land on

$57.49/Amazon

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Rage Hypodermic Trypan NC

Rage

8.6/ 10

A one-piece titanium ferrule, .039-inch stainless blades, a hybrid tip and No Collar retention — meaning the blades are held closed by the ferrule geometry rather than a rubber band you have to replace every shot. For a fast bow, the collar is the part that fails, so removing it matters.

Published spec	Value
Weight	100 gr
Blade thickness	0.039 in
Type	Mechanical, expandable
Ferrule	One-piece titanium
Retention	No Collar
Tip	Hybrid
Per pack	3

What it does well

• No Collar retention removes the consumable rubber band
• A titanium ferrule is lighter and stronger than aluminum
• .039-inch blades are thick for a mechanical
• Ferrule alignment adapter helps it spin true

Where it falls short

• Most expensive broadhead here
• No cutting diameter published on this listing
• Mechanicals lose energy opening, which matters on a slow bow

Our rubric

Flight

8.6

Penetration

8.4

Consistency

8.8

Durability

8.8

Value

7.2

What actually changes

Front-of-center, which is the real argument

Front-of-center is the proportion of the arrow's weight forward of its balance point. More FOC makes an arrow fly nose-first and recover from imperfections faster — it flies like a dart rather than a tumbling stick. Wicked Ridge publishes 14 percent FOC on its Match 400 arrow, achieved with a 46 gr aluminum insert, and claims up to 20 percent tighter groups from it.

A 125 gr head is another way to buy FOC. So is a heavier insert — Guide Gear's Victory-made bolts carry a 110 gr brass insert, the heaviest on this site, and Bloodsport's 20-inch Witness ships with a 95 gr one. If you want FOC and not the velocity loss at the tip, a heavier insert and a 100 gr head is a different route to the same place.

Velocity, and whether you care

A heavier arrow leaves slower. The practical consequences on a crossbow are small at typical hunting range and real past 40 yards, where the drop steepens. If your bow publishes 400 fps with a 400 gr arrow, going to 425 gr puts you under that figure — which matters because your scope's speed dial is set for a velocity.

The part people forget: your zero moves

This is the one that costs people a shot. Changing from 100 gr to 125 gr changes arrow weight, which changes velocity, which changes trajectory, which moves your 30, 40 and 50-yard holds. Your 20-yard zero shifts least and your long holds shift most.

1. Change the head.
2. Re-zero at 20 yards.
3. Verify at 40 yards and adjust the speed dial if the hold has moved. See crossbow speed rings explained.
4. Confirm the broadheads group with field points of the same grain weight.

What your bow says

Check the manual for the minimum total arrow weight. Going heavier is almost always safe; going lighter is the dangerous direction, because below the minimum the limbs absorb energy the arrow should have taken. Nothing on this page asks you to go lighter.

Which we would use

One hundred grains, for most hunters, most of the time. It matches what your bow was built and published around, it keeps your speed dial honest, and every head on this site is available in it.

Move to 125 if you want more penetration for bigger or tougher game, or if your fixed heads are not grouping and you want more FOC to stabilize them. Then re-verify properly, because a 125-grain head on a zero set for 100 is a miss waiting for an opening morning.