The best crossbow broadheads for deer

Crossbows generate considerably more kinetic energy than most compound bows — published figures on this site run to 152 ft-lb — and commonly cited guidance puts whitetail deer around 25 ft-lb. You have energy to spend. The question is what you spend it on.

In detail

Five heads for deer

01The 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

02One-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

03The 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

04Fixed and mechanical blades on one head

$43.10/Amazon

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Muzzy Trocar HBX Hybrid

Muzzy

8.3/ 10

Four blades: two fixed, two mechanical, with the fixed pair offset to induce spin. It is a genuine middle path — the fixed blades cut on contact and the mechanicals widen the channel, and the chisel tip and stainless ferrule are built to survive bone.

Published spec	Value
Weight	100 gr
Blades	4 (2 fixed, 2 mechanical)
Type	Hybrid
Tip	Chisel
Ferrule	Stainless steel
Design note	Offset fixed blades induce spin
Cutting diameter	Not published

What it does well

• Fixed blades cut on contact even if the mechanicals do not open
• Offset fixed blades stabilize the arrow in flight
• A stainless ferrule and chisel tip for bone

Where it falls short

• No cutting diameter published
• Four blades mean more drag and more wind planing than a 2-blade
• More parts to inspect before every hunt

Our rubric

Flight

8.0

Penetration

8.6

Consistency

8.2

Durability

8.8

Value

8.2

05The cheapest proven mechanical

$29.97/Amazon

$39.99 25% off

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NAP Spitfire Crossbow

New Archery Products

8.2/ 10

A 1.5-inch cutting diameter with Diamize-sharpened blades and a Trophy tip, for under thirty dollars. The Spitfire has been in production long enough that its failure modes are known, and the crossbow-specific version exists because the standard one was not holding up at crossbow speeds.

Published spec	Value
Weight	100 gr
Cutting diameter	1.5 in
Type	Mechanical
Blades	Diamize sharpened
Tip	Trophy tip
Blade thickness	Not published
Per pack	3

What it does well

• A 1.5-inch cut at the lowest price of any mechanical here
• The crossbow-specific version is built for the velocity
• A long production record

Where it falls short

• No blade thickness or speed rating published
• Fewer features than the Rage at twice the price

Our rubric

Flight

8.2

Penetration

7.8

Consistency

8.0

Durability

7.6

Value

9.2

How we picked

Cut diameter, penetration characteristics and reliability, weighted for the shots a crossbow hunter actually takes — close, often from a blind or stand, sometimes at a quartering angle. See our methodology.

Which head for which shot

The broadside case: mechanical

On a square broadside shot behind the shoulder, there is no heavy bone in the way and the limiting factor is the size of the hole. That is where a mechanical earns its keep: a 1.5 in cut through both lungs produces a blood trail a fixed 1-1/8 in head does not.

For a crossbow specifically, pick one that cannot deploy early: the Rage Trypan NC's No Collar design, or a head with a published speed rating. See broadheads for 400 fps bows.

The quartering case: fixed

A quartering-to shot means the arrow may meet the shoulder, and a mechanical that has already spent energy opening is the wrong tool. A one-piece steel fixed head with cut-on-contact geometry drives through: the G5 Montec's 1-1/8 in cut and all-steel construction, or TenPoint's version of the same design.

The hybrid Muzzy Trocar HBX covers both cases: two fixed blades cut on contact regardless, two mechanicals widen the channel when there is energy to do so.

Grain weight for deer

One hundred grains is the default and what your bow's included arrows are matched to. 125 grains pushes more weight forward, improving front-of-center and penetration, at the cost of some velocity — and it changes your zero. If you switch, re-verify at 40 yards. See 100 vs 125 grain.

The pre-season routine

1. Spin test every head on the shaft. Tip wobble means re-seat or replace.
2. Shoot three into a broadhead-capable target at 20 yards. Confirm they group with your field points.
3. Never into a bag target. Broadheads shred the fill. See broadhead targets.
4. Check your state's rules on minimum cutting diameter, which some states specify for big game.
5. Replace blades after any hit. A used edge is not a hunting edge.

What we would carry

A quiver with the mechanical you have zeroed, and the knowledge of which shots to pass on. If you hunt thick cover where quartering shots are the norm rather than the exception, carry the one-piece fixed head instead and accept the narrower cut — penetration you have beats a wound channel you did not reach.