Eight New Broadheads to Consider for 2019
As bowhunters, the primary goal is to send our arrows accurately and efficiently through the big game animals we hunt. With an emphasis on making swift and ethical shots, good broadhead quality is a must whether shooting fixed or mechanical ones. While both options have positive traits, it’s important to continually educate yourself regarding the current offerings on the market. Though you can’t be expected to have an intimate understanding of all choices, picking an effective broadhead (like any bow tackle) is paramount to success in the field. With each new year comes new features, innovations, and technology to consider. Here are eight new broadhead alternatives worth checking out for the 2019-2020 hunting season.
Rocket Siphon and Siphon XB
With all-new blade locking technology, Rocket Broadheads are offering two new broadheads – both mixing deadly designs with quality materials. The new 100-grain Siphon and Siphon XB broadheads feature a new internal blade locking technology, removing the need for broadhead bands or clips. The internal blade locking mechanism provides dependable blade retention, preventing premature deployment. This all equates to not only field point accuracy, but the sizable entry and exit wounds bowhunters crave.
Both priced at $39.99 per three-pack, the XB is specifically intended for crossbows.
NAP Dark Knight Aluminum 125
NAP (New Archery Products) Dark Knight Aluminum 125 combines a hardy one-piece aluminum ferrule and a sharp steel tip designed for maximum penetration. It touts the cutting width of a fixed-blade head, as well as formidable pass-through performance and accuracy. The three-blade system boasts a 1 3/8-inch cutting diameter. The most unique feature, however, is the ability of the locked blades to pivot in the ferrule. Whenever they hit an obstruction such as bone, the blades pivot within the ferrule rather than deflecting. This equates to a second entry. With these traits come good pass-through capabilities and straight flight patterns. Additionally, bowhunters can expect destructive wound channels through all big-game animals. With no rubber bands or O-rings required, the Dark Knight Aluminum 125’s bleeder blades utilize the NAP Spitfire blade retention system to ensure reliable open-on-impact performance.
Priced at $39.99 per three-pack.
G5 Striker V2
G5 Outdoors Striker V2 fixed replaceable-blade broadhead. Like its previous model, the Striker V2 is made from laser-sharp 100% stainless steel and leaves extraordinary blood trails. The fully machined steel ferrule exceeds the strength of the competition. With a 1.25” cutting diameter, this broadhead is lethal for any large game animal. Like with its predecessors, the new V2 continues to offer industry-leading success for bowhunters through incredibly sharp Lutz blades, which are easy to replace.
The Striker V2 will also have G5’s Ballistic Match Point (BMP) available, removing any need to use your precious broadheads while practicing. This devastating broadhead is available in 100 and 125-grain.
Priced at $42.99 per three-pack.
Rocky Mountain Switchblade
Known for quality and performance at a good price, Rocky Mountain strikes again with the introduction of their new Switchblade broadhead. The Switchblade uses a dependable and accurate four-blade system sporting a powerful 7/8” cut on contact. The resulting optimal penetration is followed by two expansive wing blades held in place with an unwavering O-ring blade-retention system. Upon impact, these beefy .035″ thick wing blades spring instantly into action, deploying to a full 2″ cutting diameter, producing a huge total cut of 2 7/8″. This entails massive entry holes, vast wound channels and indestructible force on game animals. Rocky Mountain once again outperforms its price with this 100-grain powerhouse of a broadhead.
Priced at $24.99 per three-pack.
Rage Hypodermic NC (No Collar)
For 2019, Rage has the new 100-grain Hypodermic NC (No Collar). This hard-hitting broadhead delivers a fatal charge through a simple, yet advanced design. This groundbreaking broadhead utilizes innovative tabs on the blades’ Slip Cam pivot point to “anchor” them while in the closed position. The result is no need for a shock collar, band, or O-ring. Still maintaining reliable blade retention, the blades deploy to a 2” diameter on contact. The wide-cutting performance effectively matches that of all broadheads in the Rage Hypodermic series. The field-tip accuracy and aerodynamic design of the Hypodermic NC are achieved largely through the hybrid tip, more slender profile, and needle-like ferrule.
During flight, the streamlined design makes for superior field-tip accuracy. The two .035” thick blades deploy on impact, sliding into a swept-back blade angle while the monstrous 2” cutting diameter delivers a wide entry hole for ferocious blood trails and efficient tracking jobs.
Priced at $49.99 per three-pack.
Spectre Broadhead
The Spectre Broadhead was designed to fly like a field point, and it features a strong, aerodynamic, machined 7075-aluminum ferrule with a hardened-carbon-steel four-face chisel tip that provides extremely reliable penetration through hide, flesh, and bone. The Spectre Broadhead has thickest, strongest blades of any expandable broadhead on the market. The pair of 0.047-inch-thick razor-sharp, swept-back blades are magnetized to hold them together until the moment of impact when they reliably deploy to cut a path of destruction. The chisel tip and blades have a gold Cerakote finish for lubricity and wear resistance. The new Spectre Broadhead is available in two versions—a 100-grain with a 2-inch cutting diameter, and a 125-grain version that boasts an impressive 2.25-inch cutting diameter.
Priced at 44.99 per three-pack (plus a practice head and an extra set of blades).
Ramcat Cage Ripper
The name says it all with this broadhead. The Cage Ripper is designed with a sturdy aluminum body and a deadly chiseled tip. As it flies through the air, the oil-resistant rings keep the broadhead stealthy and quiet. Its innovative spring-loaded system (Transformer Deployment System) opens the .032” blades on impact, resulting in a vast and deadly two-inch cutting diameter. The two-blade 100-grain system boasts the most accurate, deepest penetrating broadhead on the market. The Cage Ripper uses a piston-driven design that pushes the blades into place at impact without fail. The Posi-Lock Plunger System guarantees the blades stay deployed upon impact.
Priced at $44.99 per three-pack.
SIK SK2 CB Broadhead
SIK Broadheads has launched a new broadhead, the SK2 CB rear-deploying mechanical broadhead. Made for crossbows, this 100-grain innovation is designed to handle all speeds and features a huge 3.625-inch cutting surface to go along with a two-inch offset wound channel. Using patented FliteLoc Technology, the SK2’s Offset Blade Design promises deployment on contact. It utilizes a FliteLoc clip which precisely holds the blades in position until impact. Fast and ethical kills ensue from the SK2’s large wound channel.
Priced at $49.99 per three-pack.
Based in Texas, Jerald Kopp is President of 1st Light Hunting Journal. His articles cover a variety of topics about hunting and the outdoor lifestyle. Jerald is an avid outdoorsman with deer hunting and whitetails being by far his greatest passion. He was introduced to hunting and fishing at an early age and has been enjoying it for 40+ years. In 2005, he established the Empowerment Outfitter Network (EON) – a faith-based non-profit organization that provides hunting opportunities for disabled and terminally-ill children and youth. When not hunting, he spends his time traveling and enjoying life with Amy, his wife of over 30 years. Jerald and Amy have two adult daughters and a son-in-law.