Product Review – Raven Broadheads

The Raven mechanical broadhead is designed for numerous game animals and is capable with high speed bows and crossbows. Their claim is that the blades fully lock open upon impact creating huge 2.3″+ entry and exit wounds. With its 1.0″ flight diameter, it claims to fly like a field point to create more accurate shots. I set out to test these claims.

–

I tested this broadhead using a 2013 Mathews Jewel a set at 50 lbs and a draw of 24 1/2 inches. The test arrows are Deer Crossing Archery 500 shafts. The arrow also has a five inch wrap and is fletched with three Fusion-X 2.1 Vanes. Arrow speed is 230 fps. The targets consisted of several different objects. I tested the Raven’s by shooting through cardboard, sheet rock, hard plastic, butcher paper, and industrial grade Styrofoam targets.

After a couple of days and several hours of practice shooting, here are my results.

–

Cutting Diameter: I shot these broadheads into different targets at distances ranging from 10 yards to 30 yards. What I found was that the results were the same at all the different distances, when shooting the same type of target. The cutting diameter was consistently 2.0-2.2”. What I did notice, was that, the type of target altered the results. If I was shooting at something with not a lot of mass or thickness, it didn’t compel the blades to open as far on impact. For instance, when shooting at soft plastic, the 2.2” cutting diameter was met every time. But when shooting at a less dense target, the butcher paper or a cardboard box, the cutting diameter proved to be significantly less, 1.0-1.5”.

–

Penetration: I used the Styrofoam target to measure penetration. Again, I tried this at different distances, but I focused on 20 yards for this test. The Raven’s had a consistent penetration depth of 7 ½ inches.

–

Quality: The design of this broadhead offers a large cutting diameter in the field at 2.2 inches (variable). The giant 0.32-inch-thick deployable surgical steel blades are extremely sharp. Their rear-deploying design loses less kinetic energy when opening than traditional forward-deploying blades. The Raven blades present a less acute angle (46 degrees) as they pass through the target. This provides a distinct advantage as more energy is delivered to the target and better penetration is achieved. I appreciated these heads’ ability to remain intact while presenting such an expansive cutting diameter.

–

Overall: This is as rugged a mechanical as you’ll find. Heavily muscled shoulders on the blades eliminate failures that are common with other mechanicals. The 1.0” in flight diameter helps to minimize in-flight aerodynamic drag. The Raven displays very impressive consistency. I found their claims to be pretty accurate. I didn’t achieve the 2.3” cutting diameter, and I am going to chalk that up to my bow only drawing 50lbs. As with most mechanicals, they rate that cutting diameter based on a 60lb draw. I didn’t experience any arrow drag and it flew like a field tip. This is an astounding broadhead!

–

These broadheads are reasonably and comparatively priced. You certainly get the value for the money. I am excited to see what they release next. I would recommend the Ravens to any hunter.

–

To satisfy my own curiosity, I had 2 others test this broadhead along side me. They were males shooting a 70lb Hoyt Spyder and 70lb Mathews Creed. Both of these bows were able to reach the 2.3” cutting diameter consistently at a distance of 20 yards shooting the foam target.

–

One concern I have with this broadhead would be for women or youth, or even men, who draw less than 50-60lbs. I do not think that they could ever reach the full potential of the cutting diameter with the Raven. Although, there are still key factors as in distance and what type of target you’re shooting that will still result in maximum penetration for lighter pound bows.

–

The other downfall is that there aren’t any other options for Raven broadheads. This is the only one they have available currently. This is easily explainable due to the fact that they are a newer company and are working on producing more broadheads at the present time. I would love to see a 3 blade Raven 2.0” cutting diameter and a low kinetic energy mechanical.