Carbon or stainless steel broadheads

[Briar Friar]

What are the pros and cons to both metal types?

I am running some Abowyer single bevel stainless steel 250 gr...stainless because of corrosion resistance. I was given the option between carbon and stainless steels upon purchase and went with my gut on corrosion resistance.

Im running into the heads bending beyond the ferrules. Ive noticed its not just a bend but a torque. In particular...I am wondering if a softer metal will be more likely to flex with torque and resist holding a bend or more likely to hold torque and bend. I am speculating that the offered carbon grade is softer than stainless.

Im not shooting hard stuff...besides WT bones.
Thanks for the guidance.

[KenWood]

Even with knives I’ve always preferred carbon steel. Yeah if you breath on it it rusts. It takes an edge easier and actually holds it better in my opinion. The pictured broadhead design, I think, will bend no matter what it’s made of hitting bone. The ferrel just leaves a whole lot of flat metal out there unsupported.

[BeardedAg08]

Wow, get your money back. Otherwise I'm no help.

[critter69]

If they are bending, I say find another head.

[Bisch]

Idk about the abowyers??? Never used them. I use stainless German Kinetic and CE Piledrivers, and have not had any bend. I also have some stainless Magnus Stingers, and have bent several of those.

Like said above, if they are bending just going thru deer, I would be shopping around for another head to use.

Bisch


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[DRT]

Stainless and carbon steel come in different hardness ratings. To me a quality stainless blade head is a better option just because it is lower maintenance.
That said I've had two carbon steel heads bend on me since I started to shoot trad. Woodsman Elites. Yes both hit bone. One the spine and the other shoulder and leg. One bent at the tip and one at the farrel.
The harder it is the less likely to bend. Too hard and it snaps off. Building a head is a balance of several things.
I did bend the tip of CE Piledriver. But it hit a San Saba rock after a doe made a ninja move. Other than that I have had good luck with them as well even on shoulder bones.
Ken is correct. The farrel on that head stops way before the tip instead of running way out through to near the end.
You'll get a lot of opinions on which head is best, which head sharpens easy, holds an edge etc. You'll just need to figure out what works for you and go from there because with so many options and opinions on those options the science is often hard to separate from the fiction.

Gary

[Trumpkin]

I think that bending is just simple physics, not the steel in question. You have a long flat blade that has very little torsional resistance to bending when it hits bone. I'm not really a fan of the long narrow broadheads for that very reason. I also prefer a wider cut, personally.

I also thought carbon steel takes a better edge? I could be misinformed.

[Horsehide]

The specific type of stainless or carbon will also be a factor, besides the blade design.
The soft carbon steel in a Ribtek will not fare as well as the A2 steel used in an Iron Will if we are talking direct impact on heavy bones. On the other hand, the Ribtek will be a breeze to resharpen, while the Iron Will will require a little more care.
Besides these two heads being on the opposite ends of the price and design spectrum (from caveman simple to work of art), the longevity of the Iron Will might be worth it depending on the game you are after.
The same reasoning applies to stainless heads, as a lot of manufacturers use a grade of steel with a fairly high level of nickel and chrome. Great for corrosion resistance, but detrimental to the edge retention and toughness of the blade.
Stainless heads like the GKs utilize low-chrome high carbon steel (read expensive) coupled with a great design optimizing the performance. You cannot cut corners when using stainless.
Most heads will perform well on a perfect broadside double lung hit. More expensive heads (better design and manufacturing quality control) will likely hold together better in less that ideal situations.
Abowyers are far from cheap. I would contact the manufacturer and send them the picture you posted. They might replace that head or swap it for a carbon one you could test.

[Briar Friar]

Good stuff. Thanks for the guidance and info Yall.