A NEW BREED, A NEW BROADHEAD - RAVEN

FIRST AND FOREMOST: I AM A BOTTOMLINE BELIEVER IN SHOT PLACEMENT! A SHOT WELL PLACED IN THE KILLZONE with ANY BROADHEAD WILL KILL ITS TARGET! WE ALL KNOW NOT ALL SHOTS ARE PERFECT AND NOT ALL BROADHEADS PROVIDE A QUALITY BLOOD TRAIL FOR THAT IMPERFECT SHOT.

I'm searching for a mechanical broadhead that gives me confidence when I walk afield: larger cutting diameter, great performance, and reliability. I’ve tried ONE, before! It made me sick how much I had to “baby sit” it. Pre-deployment, dry rot o-rings/band failure, hard to replace blades, NOISY while in quiver…, ugh! Did I kill game with it? Yes, but I could have killed more! Also, I killed my biggest buck to date with a an other mechanical broadhead (READ STORY). THANK GOD FOR SHOT PLACEMENT!! The shot was perfect, the buck did not go far, VERY LITTLE BLOOD - GAH, that is scary!!

I currently shoot a fixed blade broadhead -no moving parts, less chances for failure. With a fixed blade bh, the only way I will fail, IMO, is due to shooter error and lack of woodsmanship and archery skills (bow tuning, broadhead alignment, fletching, etc.) This is not a post to “educate” you on broadhead selection or tips on tuning your bow, but to give a humble opinion. So here I go with my “FIRST IMPRESSION” on the Full Magic Archery RAVEN broadhead. I ran into this broadhead at the NWTF Convention:

1. Tip: The RAVEN, being so new, does not give you options in that department. I LOVE the chisel tip over the cut-on-contact, because I want it to crush though a bone in case of an imperfect shot to the near shoulder, for example. This happened with its competitor - the tip bent preventing it from potentially reaching vitals. HOWEVER, I am still willing to give this broadhead a try if it performs well on MY FIELD PRACTICE SHOTS (remember >>>>>> shot placement).
2. Noise: IT’S QUIET! This bh remains so even when shaking it vigorously. I tested the broadhead inserted to an arrow shaft, swung the shaft hitting my fingers and palm of my hand – made MINIMAL noise (less than a famous competitor)! The other bh I used prior, same test, rattled and made too much noise.
3. Feel: love it! Blades are SHARP!! Their unique 46 degree angle/shape is impressive. I noticed it right off the bat.
4. O-rings: Yes, it does have them. I hate them because they rot. However, due diligence on my part will prevent me from going afield with bad ones. Too, I LOVE THE LOCKING "HOOK" ON IT!!
5. Cutting diameter capability: Are you DOUBLE kidding? UNlike its competitors, a 2.3" inch cutting diameter is gi-gormous! Blood trail, if shot placement is right should not be a problem. The only way to miss the blood trail is if you are color blind. NOTE: A debate I had in the past – THIS IS NOT A “LICENSE” TO TAKE BAD/LOW PERCENTAGE SHOTS!!! A reader on another site misunderstood (and eventually he saw my point. A larger cutting diameter may turn that marginal shot into a better shot. Maybe it reaches that artery the 1-1 ¼” could not. It will open the wound more as to prevent coagulation, thus loss of blood trail.
6. Weight: I shoot 100 gr, so I’m am fine, but I’d like to see 85 gr or 125 gr options for others. Again, being new, all is good. Besides they are in my preference.

I have not shot this broadhead…., YET. I want to be clear, I do not know how it performs when shot. My next review will be on its flight and impact on practice targets.

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