grim reaper 1-38 header image

Should You Reap With Grim Reaper Broadheads? | In-Depth Review

In this in-depth review, I tested the Grim Reaper Mechanical Broadheads, specifically the 1-3/8″, 3-blade Pro Series tip.

I’ve hunted with these heads quite a bit and I’ve tested a number of Grim Reapers.

In these tests, I used my Bowtech CP28 set at 72 pounds, Bishop FOC King Arrows for most of the shooting, and then Bishop FAD Eliminators for the really hard impact shots, because they can really handle it.

Grim Reaper 1-3/8″ Pro Series Tip Broadheads Up Close

Let’s zoom on in here, go through some of the design features and specifications, and then put this Grim Reaper 1-3/8″, 3-blade to the test.

grim reaper 1-38 profile view

Here’s a good look of the head. Man, there’s a lot of cool stuff about this broadhead…

grim reaper 1-38 blade thickness

First of all, the materials… the blades are a 440C stainless steel and they’re 0.035″ thick so pretty decent thickness to them. And then the tip is a hardened steel tip. This is their Pro Series tip. They make a few different tips for their mechanicals. This is by far my favorite because it’s really sharp like a cut-on-contact tip but it’s also a chiseled tip which penetrates through really tough mediums very well. I’ve seen that thing buried really deeply into concrete in previous tests.

Here’s a good look of the head. Man, there’s a lot of cool stuff about this broadhead. First of all, the materials, the blades are a 440C stainless steel and they’re 0.035" thick so pretty decent thickness to them. And then the tip is a hardened steel tip. This is their Pro Series tip. They make a few different tips for their mechanicals. This is by far my favorite because it’s really sharp like a cut-on-contact tip but it’s also a chiseled tip which I mean, it penetrates through really tough mediums very well. I’ve seen that thing buried really deeply into concrete in previous tests.

And then you’ve got an aluminum ferrule right here. And, then you’ve got this retention cap which that’s a steel retention cap that’s not replaceable. And, that’s a nice thing. You don’t have to worry about O-rings or rubber bands or anything.

grim reaper 1-38 blades in open position

As the head impacts, it’s a front-deploying or over-to-the-top-deploying impact. There’s a spring inside. It gives it a little give to help it have a little bit better opening size than other broadheads. And the blades sweep back into this model with the black caps of 40-degree angle to the blades, and pretty sharp blades right there as well. So the total cutting diameter on this is 1-3/8″ and so with 3 blades, it comes to over 2″ of cut.



Grim Reaper Broadhead Testing

I was eager to put it to the test… let’s see how it performed…

Flight Forgiveness (I field pt then I broadhead @30 yds) 

grim reaper 1-38 flight test

As you would expect from a mechanical, the Grim Reaper had excellent flight, flying right with the field point.


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Initial Sharpness

grim reaper 1-38 initial sharpness test

It took 200 grams of force to cut through the wire which is a 10 on a 10-point scale.



Penetration Test 1 (2/3″ rubber mat, 1/2″ MDF, FBI Gel)   

grim reaper 1-38 ballistic gel test

It penetrated 5-3/4″ into the 2/3″ rubber mat, 1/2″ MDF and ballistic gel...

grim reaper 1-38 entrance hole in foam

And here’s a look at the entrance hole which is just the size of the broadhead in the close position.



Edge Retention Test (sharpness after Penetration Test 1)

grim reaper 1-38 sharpness after mdf ballistic gel test

It took an extra 75 grams of force to cut through the wire. That translates into an 8.5 on a 10-point scale.




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Penetration Test 2 (layered cardboard)

grim reaper 1-38 cardboad penetration test

It penetrated through 47 layers. And, I do think it’s noteworthy to point out that the last inch plus of that penetration is just that long tip. It’s not actually the blades doing the penetrating. But it still did penetrate through 47 layers.

Angled Shot Test (1/4″ MDF Carpet)

The Grim Reaper had no problems penetrating the 1/4″ angled MDF fronted by carpet, however in the next test…

Durability Test (1/2″ MDF max 3 shots)

grim reaper after 2 shots through MDF

Here is the look at the head after just two shots to the MDF. On the second shot, that retention cap broke open and rendered the broadhead useless thereafter. So, it didn’t make it to the third shot in the MDF and it will not go through to what would normally be the steel plate round. However, I still wanted to test the ferrule strength by shooting it into a concrete block.




Cinder Block Test

grim reaper 1-38 after concrete test

This is the head afterwards. As you can see, the retention cap, especially in the 100-grain models is quite weak with a really hard impactIt just kind of – it just fractures here and falls apart. However, when I shot it into the concrete it penetrated really deeply. I love those Pro tips! There was no getting that Pro tip out of the concrete. And, you can see the ferrule did get a bit of a bend to it as well.



Final Thoughts On The Grim Reaper Broadheads Review

So, what do you think?

I’ve really liked Grim Reapers. And, I love this Pro Series tip. And like I said, I’ve used them successfully in a number of hunts over the years.

On the 100-grain model especially, I like that there aren’t any replaceable rings or bands. However, it’s not the most durable system on the market.



Pretty much every time I’ve tested it on any relatively hard impact, it’s just broken. It has not done very well.

Now, of course, you can get new ones, but it just doesn’t quite have the durability that I look for.

grim reaper 1-38 lusk grade

The Grim Reaper 1-3/8″ expandable with the Pro Series tip scored 7 on the Lusk Golden Arrows grading scale.

Check out the score sheet and see how it performed and see if this might be a good fit for you.

g5 megameat broadhead review header

Is “MEGA” Better? | G5 Megameat Broadheads Review

In this review, I’m testing the Today, I’m going to be doing a retest of a head I did a couple of years ago. I’ve gotten so many requests to retest it, and since I’ve updated my broadhead test process, I’m going to be re-testing the Megameat, from G5 Outdoors.

First of all, Megameat… what a cool name!

And, it’s also a really intriguing broadhead! It has a super big cut, and it’s rear-deploying. There’s a lot to like about this head, so let’s see how it stacks up against other broadheads I’ve tested!

For this review, I’m using my Bowtech CP28, set at 72 pounds, with a 27-inch draw. I’m using Bishop FOC King Arrows for most of the shooting, but then I’m using the Bishop FAD Eliminators for the really hard impact shots.

G5 Megameat Up Close

Let’s zoom in and go through some of the design features and specifications of the G5 Megmeat!

G5 megameat profile

Here’s a good look of the 100-grain Megameat and there are a few things I want to point out right off the bat… it’s really tight and has a very low profile in flight, which is nice for such a big cutting broadhead.

G5 megameat ballistic tip

And, they also come with a ballistic matched tip that flies just like the broadhead. So, you can practice with this and know that the broadhead is going to fly similarly.

megameat ferrule and blade thickness

As for the materials, it has a stainless steel ferrule and the blades are also a steel, at 0.032″ thick. Now, I just want to note that the 3 edges of this ferrule are in between each of the main cutting blades. So, it actually is like 6 cutting surfaces.




megameat chisel tip

It has the 3 big blades and then 3 little edges in between. That’s just going to open up a really nice wound channel. Most broadheads have the chisel tip line up with those blades and that aids in penetration, but this is going to aid in cutting more stuff, which is why you get the Megameat in the first place, right?

megameat blades snap in

The blades are held in place by this base here. They clip into the base. That base is replaceable and they snap in very securely. It holds them very securely even out of a crossbow.

megameat in fully open position

And then when they’re in the fully open position they have a whopping big cut. So 2″ cutting diameter with 3 blades plus these little 3 gives it a total cut of 3.45″. That’s a lot of stuff being cut!

The Megameat has a nice short profile to the steel ferrule. While, I imagined the ferrule would be pretty durable, and the clips would hold the blades well, even at high speeds, I did wonder about the durability of the blades.

The blades slide pretty freely and are quite vented. They have a pretty standard diameter, or standard cut.

Our standard width here is 0.032″, but with a relatively thin design, and all that venting and then being so long, I thought that might be a weak point the the head.



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Megameat Broadhead Tests

So, let’s find out what the tests showed!

Flight Forgiveness (I field pt then I broadhead @30 yds):  

megameat flight test

The Megameat had excellent flight, with the broadheads flying near the field points.

Initial Sharpness Test

megameat initial sharpness test

It only took 150 grams of force to cut through the wire which is a 10 on a 10-point scale!



Penetration Test 1 (2/3″ rubber mat, 1/2″ MDF, FBI Gel):   

megameat ballistic gel test

It penetrated 6 1/2″. And here, you can see the entrance hole, which is just about its full cutting diameter. These heads really do open well on impact….

megameat bent blades after ballistic gel mdf test

But on the negative side, all 3 blades bent back quite a bit and that’s pretty rare that blades bend on this penetration test 1.




Edge Retention Test (sharpness after Penetration Test 1)

megameat sharpness after penetration test

It took an additional 25 grams of force to cut through the wire, which is a 9.5 on a 10-point scale.

Penetration Test 2 (layered cardboard)

megameat cardboard penetration test

It penetrated through 49 layers of cardboard.

Angled Shot Test (1/4″ MDF Carpet)

The Megameat had no problem penetrating the angled MDF.


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Durability Test (1/2″ MDF max 3 shots)

megameat after 1 shot into MDF

Here is the Megameat after one shot into the MDF and this was a new broadhead. I didn’t use the one that had previously bent on penetration test 1. I normally just use the same head all the way through. But since that was so bent, I started with a new head. And this is what happened just after one shot through the MDF. Normally, I do three shots, but I stopped after one because it was just so jacked up. So, it’s not going to go on to the steel plate test that I typically do.



Cinder Block Test

megameat cinder block results

So, here it is after impacting the concrete. Now as you saw, the blades got considerably bent on the MDF. And so, they didn’t make it to the steel plate round and even lost one of these blades. I used a pair of pliers to bend this blade back so I could shoot it into the cinder block, because I wanted to see how the ferrule would hold up. And man, the ferrule held up really well into the cinder block. The blades are just pretty weak because they are so long and they are so narrow and vented. But the ferrule did very well.



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Final Thoughts On G5 Megameat Broadheads

So, what do you think of the Megameat?

Man, there are a lot of cool features about this broadhead! I like the flight. I love the cut size. I love the rear-deploying blades and the way they open up to their full cut on impact. I also love the durability of the ferrule. That held up really well.

But man, the blades are weak!

I just wish they were stronger. I know in many situations, you can shoot it into an animal and it’s going to do just fine. I would say in most situations, it’s going to do just that. But, the blades are still just a bit weak.



So, how important that is for you… that’s up to you to determine. They bent very badly even in penetration test 1 (it’s rare that I see a broadhead get bent or damaged in that test), and then in the MDF, they just got all mangled. So, there is definitely a drawback.

Some people say, “Oh, it doesn’t matter. It’s one and done.” And I hear you.

But, it’s not just about being able to reuse the broadhead. If it’s one and done a quarter of the way through an animal, that’s a problem. It’s when does the “done” take place?

If it hits a rib or hits a bone, or maybe just an angled shot, and loses a couple of blades, or has some severely broken or bent back then maybe you’re not getting the big cutting diameter that you were really hoping for.



megameat lusk score card

The G5 Megameat scored 80.95 out of a possible 100 points on the Lusk Score Card, giving it 8 golden arrows.

But, if you hit in the right spot, man, you’re going to really make a huge hole and put them down fast. So, that’s up to you to determine whether that’s a reasonable risk to take.

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Beast or Pussycat? | The Bowmar BEAST Broadheads Review

I am excited about the broadhead I’m testing in this review… It’s the new BEAST Broadhead by Bowmar.

BEAST is actually an acronym that stands for Bone Evading Advanced Spring Technology.

This broadhead has a lot of cool features, so let’s go through those features and specifications and then we will put it to the test!

For these tests, I used my Bowtech CP28 set at 72 pounds, 27-inch draw. I used Bishop FOC King Arrows for most of the shooting, but then I’m using the Bishop FAD Eliminators for the really hard impact shots.

The Bowmar BEAST broadhead up close

Beast broadhead profile view

Here’s a good look of the BEAST. And man, it truly is a beast of a broadhead! There is so much going on here. First of all, you see it here in the close position, 2-blade broadhead. This is a 2-inch cutting diameter. In the closed position, it closes to 0.64″, so I assumed it would be very streamlined in flight and fly extremely well.

The point of the BEAST broadhead is a needle point tip. I actually thought I had cut myself when I touched it!

beast ferrule tip

You can see here that the ferrule starts really narrow at the tip, and then gets larger. That’s going to help in arrow dynamics and flight forgiveness as well as penetration. Also, notice the multiple groves in the ferrule as well as the tip and that’s going to aid in flight forgiveness as well. As it rotates around, it traps air in there and makes it a bit more forgiving as well as helping with durability.

The blades take 1.3 pounds of force to deploy, and they deploy with 15 pounds of force at 750 miles an hour. So, they are not losing the energy with that penetration.

They are actually gaining some with that stored energy that allows those blades to cut through the hide in an even faster way than they would have if they didn’t have that spring inside them.

beast broadhead wings

The two little wings at the front that impact the hide are not sharpened. But, when they impact, a spring is released and then the blades spring open at 750 miles per hour! (On the package, it says 650 but they have since added an extra component inside that actually increases the deployment speed to 750 miles an hour). That’s actually breaking the sound barrier! Plus, if you’re shooting it at 250, 300 feet per second, it’s all the faster.

Bowmar wanted to get a spring that could stay closed like this for a long time and then still work. And so, they looked all over the world and found these springs in the auto industry by a company that makes them for Lamborghini and Ferrari.

The spring has 15 pounds of stored energy inside the broadhead, but can stay in a closed (contracted) position and still retain 95% of its energy for 3-5 years. There’s never been a spring used like this in a broadhead application; it’s not just your normal little spring!



beast broadhead blade thickness

The blades of the BEAST broadheads are 0.035″ thick. They have a nice curve to them when they are open. That curve is going to aid in penetration and cut as well.



Beast broadhead in open position

Here are the blades of the BEAST in the open position.



beast broadhead gloves

Note that each pack comes with two little finger gloves so that you can grab the blades, and that’s what you need to wear when you want to close them again. You just grab them and pinch them down. It works really well. Don’t try doing it with your bare hands, as the blades are extremely sharp.

Once the spring is deployed, it pushes the blades into the open position. It’s not barbed because these blades can fold back beyond just their barb stage. But, I will say they are difficult to get out of a target.

I shot them into a target and though they do bend back, they don’t bend back so much that they’re super easy to get out of. So, I wouldn’t be shooting them into targets too often.

beast broadhead blade tension

But here, the springs serve a secondary purpose after being opened. If bone is encountered, then the blades can compress back, and that allows them to stay straight as they continue to penetrate and not lose their edge and not lose the energy. They just can go right around that blade and then they spring back into place after a quarter of an inch. So that extra tension can allow them to go right between or around bone and then spring back to their full open position.



beast broadhead aluminum ferrule

This head is the 100 grain and so it uses an aluminum ferrule (7075 aluminum) which is a really good aluminum. I always say if you are going to use aluminum, that’s a good one to use. It’s stronger than some steels. But, perhaps in heavier models that come out in the future, they will use all steel, not sure.



Bowmar BEAST Broadhead Testing

I was eager to put this BEAST broadhead to the test! Here’s what I learned…

Flight Forgiveness (I field pt then I broadhead @30 yds)  

beast broadheads flight test

As you can see, the BEAST flew right next to the field points, as you would expect from an expandable.

Initial Sharpness

beast broadheads initial sharpness test

It only took 125 grams of force to cut through the wire which is a 10 on a 10-point scale.


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Penetration Test 1 (2/3″ rubber mat, 1/2″ MDF, FBI Gel)   

beast broadhead ballistic gel test

It penetrated 7-3/4″. And here’s the entrance hole. It opened an inch and a half on this medium and it’s not uncommon for heads to not fully open on this medium so I’ll do a more formal opening test in a minute.


Edge Retention Test (sharpness after Penetration Test 1)

beast broadheads 2nd sharpness test

Wow! It took no additional force to cut through the wire, which is a 10 on a 10-point scale.



Penetration Test 2 (layered cardboard)

beast broadhead layered cardboard test

The BEAST penetrated through 52 layers of cardboard.

Opening Test (Leather stretched over box)

beast broadheads leather stretched over box

The entrance hole was 1-3/4″. But, on the back of the box, it had opened up to almost 2-1/2″.



Angled Shot Test (1/4″ MDF/Carpet)

beast broadhead in angled mdf

It had no problem with the angled MDF.

Durability Test (1/2″ MDF max 3 shots)

beast broadheads after shots into mdf

It was in great shape after 3 shots through the MDF. The only signs of wear are right close to the ferrule where you can see the blades kicked forward into the tip and made a little bit of a dent in the blade there.


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Durability Test (22 gauge steel plate max 2 shots)

beast broadheads 22 gauge steel plate test holes

It held up very well through the 2 shots in a steel plate. You can see it got a little bit of edge chatter in the edges of the blades and the tip got a little bit rolled over. And then you can see the holes. They are a little smaller than the cutting diameter and that’s just because of that spring mechanism. They can’t open fully when going through a steel plate, which is understandable.

Concrete Test

beast expandable broadhead embedded in concrete

I shot the BEAST into a concrete block. The tip embedded really deeply into the concrete which was pretty cool to see. There’s no getting that thing out!



beast expandable broadhead after concrete test

So here it is after impacting the concrete. And as you can see, it broke right there in the ferrule. I managed to find one of the blades that had flown quite a way across the yard. And I as I say all the time, the concrete test is not like a pass-fail. It’s not like, “Oh, this broadhead failed because it didn’t hold up to the concrete.” That only accounts for 3% of the overall score. As for the durability of this, man, it held up very well through the MDF and the steel plate as well.




Final Thoughts On The Bowmar BEAST Broadheads Review

So what do you think of the BEAST?

Man, there’s a lot to love about this broadhead! I love the low profile and the flight, as well as the super secure retention system blades. There are no O-rings and no clips. And, I love the spring action that they have in there.

I get the feeling that they’re going to be a lot more effective on animals than my testing really allows. There’s only so much you can do with standardized tests. But, even so, it did well in my testing, and I think it’s going to do even better on animals the way the spring causes those blades to just pop forward with such force.

beast broadhead lusk grade

The BEAST broadhead scored 91.86 out of 100 on my Lusk Grade scale!



I love the blades and the sharpness. And then there’s the edge retention! That’s the sharpest and the best edge retention of anything I’ve tested. I’ve tested others that were 125, but this one was was 125 grams of force after going through penetration test 1. That’s super rare! I’ve never seen that before.

So again, just a lot to like about this broadhead. I look forward to seeing the future models that they come out with!

Josh Bowmar, you’re on to something really good here. I appreciate all your hard work and ingenuity in designing this head.