Field Point vs. Broadhead Accuracy

Every broadhead we tested had more drag than the Gold Tip field-point baseline. Stretch the range far enough and a broadhead will hit lower than the field point you sighted in with.

If you plan to shoot broadheads at distance, make a sight tape for your broadheads. (I can help with that!)

But point of impact is not the same question as grouping. A broadhead can hit lower and still group tightly. This article asks the grouping question: how close did fixed-blade and mechanical broadheads group to the field-point baseline?

We start with category averages: the Gold Tip field-point baseline, all mechanical broadheads, and all fixed-blade broadheads. Then we show the per-broadhead group-size and mean-radius plots so the individual heads do not get hidden inside the averages.

For full details on the test methods, group capture, and analysis processes, check out the Methods page.

Hover over the dots in any plot to see the build configuration and results details.

We lead with group size plots because they are intuitive and relatable, but statistically speaking, mean radius is the better metric to compare.

Click any dot in the per-broadhead plots to open the annotated group photos.

On average, the mechanical broadheads grouped close to the field point. The Gold Tip field-point group size was about 3.77in. The mechanical average was about 4.83in. Mean radius tells the same story: field point at about 1.32in, mechanicals at about 1.44in.

Fixed blades were a different story. Their average group size was about 10.07in, and their average mean radius was about 2.95in. That number is pulled upward by a few loose groups, but that is part of the point: fixed-blade grouping was much more variable in this test.

The individual group-size plot shows why averages only get you so far. Some broadheads were right in the field-point neighborhood, while others opened up hard.

Grim Reaper Fatal Steel, Evolution Outdoors Jekyl Wyde, Speed Titanium, and Sevr Hybrid 2.0 were the closest broadhead groups by extreme spread in this dataset.

Mean radius is less sensitive to one outlier arrow, so it is the better plot for comparing broadheads.

Grim Reaper Fatal Steel was actually a little tighter than the Gold Tip field-point baseline by mean radius in this test. Sevr Hybrid 2.0 was nearly identical, and several other mechanicals were close.

A few fixed blades also held up better than the average suggests. Evolution Outdoors Jekyl Wyde and Iron Will Wide were the best fixed blades by mean radius, though Iron Will Wide had a larger group size.

Some broadheads did group like field points in this test, especially mechanicals.

That does not mean they will hit with field points at distance. Every broadhead we tested had more drag than the Gold Tip field point, so point of impact will separate as range increases. But for pure group tightness, several mechanical broadheads and a couple fixed blades were close to the field-point baseline.

A few caveats:

• Group analysis with this many arrows is noisy. Grain of salt.
• The category averages are simple averages across the heads in this test. They are useful for the broad pattern, not as universal claims about all mechanical or fixed-blade broadheads.
• This article is only about external accuracy. It does not consider terminal performance, blade durability, penetration, wound channel, etc.