Northdraw
A broadhead is the cutting point you screw onto your arrow for hunting. There are two families, and both kill deer cleanly when they are sharp, matched to your arrow and placed well. The difference is how they fly and how they cut.
Fixed-blade broadheads
The blades are always open. Nothing moves, nothing has to deploy.
- Reliable: there is no mechanism that can fail on impact, even on a quartering shot or after brushing a twig.
- Simple: what you see is what hits the animal.
- The trade-off: the exposed blades act like small wings. At higher speeds, a fixed head can fly slightly differently from your field points, so you may need to fine-tune your bow or adjust your sight for broadheads.
Our pick: Fixed-Blade Carbon Steel Broadheads, 120 gr.
Mechanical (expandable) broadheads
The blades stay folded in flight and open when the head hits.
- Flight: folded, the head is compact and tends to fly much like a field point of the same weight.
- Cut: once open, the cutting diameter is usually larger than a fixed head.
- The trade-off: they rely on a mechanism to open, and opening uses some of the arrow's energy, which matters more with lighter draw weights.
Our pick: Expandable Broadheads, 100 gr.
Check your state rules first
Some states restrict or ban expandable broadheads for certain game, and most set a minimum cutting width. Check your state wildlife agency before the season: every agency is listed on our state regulations page.
Practice with the same weight
Whatever you choose, practice with field points of the same grain weight (100 gr points for 100 gr broadheads, for example), then shoot a few broadheads into a dedicated target before the season to confirm they hit with your field points. Our screw-in field points come in every common weight.
Quick summary
| Fixed blade | Mechanical | |
|---|---|---|
| Moving parts | None | Blades deploy on impact |
| Flight vs field points | May need tuning | Usually very close |
| Cutting diameter | Smaller | Larger once open |
| Best for | Simplicity, lower draw weights, tough angles | Flat flight, higher draw weights |
| Legal everywhere? | Generally yes | Check your state |
