PETE WARD
"WELCOME TO MY OUTDOOR WORLD"
PETE WARD
"WELCOME TO MY OUTDOOR WORLD"
Fall 2005 update:
Tusker "Aztec" broadheads were used to take this Elk and Whitetail. Both were 1 shot kills with a short recovery distance.The AZTEC'S were also my small game/bird point.
I used 175 grain Aztecs,100 grain steel adapters, and 100 grain Brass inserts on carbon arrows to harvest these animals with my Adcock ACS CX 50# longbow.
All of the broadheads used are still in new condition.The Elk had an Aztec burried to the shaft in solid bone and had to be removed with Vice Grips.It was undamaged and still sharp.Several Aztecs were shot into the groung at Birds and none were damaged. These are tough broadheads that stay sharp.
REVIEW
From Down under I received a set of the TUSKER BROADHEADS to review. These are a very interesting concept in broadheads. The design shapes are very similar to a lot of our commercial broadheads from North America, but this is only the beginning of the attraction I have for the TUSKERS. The most interesting thing about them is that they are the most economical broadhead that I have seen., with costs at about $1.30 US per head. That’s $15.60 for a dozen broadheads. Everyone has to like this. But there is a catch to this deal. They are not sharpened from the factory at this price, and they are in glue on style only.{If you want to pay more they are available pre sharpened and with screw-in inserts installed.}The models available are the Spirit @ 100 grains with a 5/16" ferrule, the javelin at 125gr with a 5/16"ferrelefor the light weight models. The heavier models are ranging from the 155gr concord, 160gr Delta and finaly the 175 grain Aztec all with 11/32 Ferrell’s.
The 5 different styles I received had some with the screw in inserts and the rest were glue on's. This gave me an opportunity to see how well they would fly from a trad bow as well as some high speed testing in the 290FPS range. As expected they all flew well from all of the traditional bows that I shot them from. When I screwed the TUSKERS onto a carbon shaft and shot them from a compound I was pleasantly surprised. They grouped well and showed no signs of wanting to wind plane at speeds ranging from 170 to 300 feet per second, depending on the weight broadhead that I was shooting.
Tuskers are made with hardened steel blades,.9mm thick and hardened to Rockwell 48, sharpening is a lot easier than might be expected. This job will take a file to set the initial edge as they do not have any edge at all when you receive them. I used a 10" long fine bastard file and after about 6 passes on each surface they were sharp. We normally end up sharpening most factory broadheads anyway so this is not a big deal considering the time involved and the savings.
I have been shooting the tuskers from longbows and compounds at ranges out to 40 yards with the 54# ACS longbow and 65 yards with the compounds.In every case flight and grouping was not an issue, even at 280 FPS with the large Aztec weighing 210 grains when it had the threaded adapter installed.
Every model from the little Spirit to the Aztec spun true with the aluminum adapters installed and flight was always good.The Spirit is a model I find particularly apealing,due to its small size, strength and weight.It weighs 100 grains as a glue on , but when it is mounted to the 32 gr adapter it jumps to 135 gr. and should prove to be a great penetrator.For those of us that like the heavy weights Tuskers are available in 100, 125, 155 , 165 , and 175 grains.By adding the adapters the weights will increase by 32 grains Plus epoxy for a total of about 35 grains.This pushes the Aztec to a whoping 210 grains.
At a recent traditional shoot I was shooting the Tuskers at a rolling tire from a forklift. These are solid rubber and if you missed the center the broadhead was driven to its base in the tire. A few missed shots also tested the Tuskers on Northern Alberta Aspen trees. In both cases the tuskers were pried from their victim and recovered in like new condition. They did not bend or fail and the spot welded ferrule stayed intact. This is a lot more punishment than an animal will ever give your broadhead.
| Copyright © 2004 PETER WARD |