In this review, I’m going to be covering a broadhead that has been around for a while. It’s one I’ve actually used in the field quite a bit and been fairly successful with. It’s called the Gravedigger.

The Gravedigger Hybrid broadhead overview

Let’s take a look at the design and some of the features of the Gravedigger Hybrid head (it’s called a “hybrid” because it has both fixed and mechanical blades). Then, I’ll show you how it performed when I put it through my standard array of tests.

The cutting diameter of the Gravedigger Hybrid’s fixed blades is 1 inch. In the closed position, the mechanical blades are ½-inch. So, just in the closed position, if the blades were not to open at all, it would be an inch and 1/2 of a cut, which is no slouch of a cut.

But the mechanical blades do open. They open really well, in fact. They’re not held in place by an O-ring or a retention clip, but rather just by friction, and that’s adjustable with a small Allen bolt.

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Gravedigger Blade specs

The blades of the Gravedigger are made out of a 416 stainless steel. The ferrule is a 7075 aluminum. It’s a pretty vented blade, but it’s still is a good stout aluminum, and the tip is a hardened steel, really stout, chisel tip.

I couldn’t find any information listing the blade thickness, so I used my micrometer to measure. The fixed blade measured 0.039 inches thick and the mechanical blades were 0.032 inches thick.

Gravedigger broadheads testing

I was eager to see how this head performed in my tests. I did not test it for long range flight, because I know it flies really well.

I consider it like a mechanical in terms of flight in the closed position, and I don’t test mechanicals for long range flight, because they all fly really well, even though this head has the little one inch fixed blade. I know it flies fantastic.

I tested for edge sharpness and retention, for penetration, and for durability.

Let’s see how the Gravedigger performed.

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Sharpness Test

The Gravedigger cut paper after four strokes of the arrow.

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Ballistic Gel Penetration Test

The Gravedigger penetrated 6 and 1/4 inches through the foam and ballistic gel.

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MDF penetration test

I shot the Gravedigger through MDF five times. Below are the pictures.

I shot the first one in the closed position and the baldes didn’t open very much. But, then on the following shots, I kept the head in the open position when I was shooting, just to test durability.

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Final Thoughts

So, what do you think of the Gravedigger?

Going through these tests reminded me why I liked it so much when I first started using it way back.

There are just so many heads. It’s hard to keep using just one. I’m a broadhead junkie and like to keep trying new things!

But, this is definitely a broadhead that’s worth a look. There are some weaknesses to it but there are a lot of strengths to it as well. It performed fairly well for an over-the-top mechanical.

So, check out the score sheet below and see what you think about it, and decide if these broadheads are the right heads for you.

In this review, I test a cool broadhead by Crimson Talon, called the Battleaxe.

I’ve already tested some of their fixed blade broadheads. And now I’m testing their mechanicals and hybrids.

The Battleaxe is a hybrid (but it’s not called the Hybrid… That’s a different one that I already tested.)

For all these tests, I’m using my Bowtech SR6 set at 72 pounds and I’m using Bishop FOC King Arrows for most of the shots. (I’m using the Bishop FAD Eliminator for the really hard impact ones.) Let’s check out this Battleaxe 125-grain head!

The Battleaxe broadhead up close

Now, let’s take a closer look at the Crimson Talon Battleaxe broadhead:

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Now, I would think that the 100-grain is going to be a bit more forgiving in flight than would be the 125-grain, just because of that extra wide leading blade. However, it’s still pretty small, at 7/8-inch and just two blades with a really low profile to the back mechanical ends of the blades. So, I thought it would fly really well.

I was really eager to put this head to the test and see how the Battleaxe performs. So, let’s see how it did!

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Flight Forgiveness Test

I shot 1 field point and then 2 broadheads from 40 yards…

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Initial Sharpness

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Penetration Test

I shot the Battleaxe into 1/2″ MDF that was fronted with a 2/3″ rubber mat and ballistic gel behind it.

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Edge Retention Test

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Penetration Test 2 (layered cardboard):

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Angled Shot Test

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Durability Test (1/2” MDF max 3 shots):

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Durability (22 ga steel plate max 2 shots):

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Durability Test (Concrete 1 Shot):

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Final thoughts on the Crimson Talon Battleaxe Broadheads

So what do you think of the Battleaxe?

They did pretty well. I don’t know how Crimson Talon does it for the price that they do it at.

There are definitely heads that are higher quality and they cost a lot more, but these heads are really functional and get the job done.

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So, check out the score sheet below and see how it performed in the areas that matter to you the most. (You can learn more about my scoring system on my YouTube Channel.)

Great job, Crimson Talon!

This review is BIG.

Why?

Because I’m reviwing the Big Game 3 by DXB Broadheads (Dead X Bowhunting Broadheads).

Talk about a really cool, creative, massive, beast of a broadhead!

This is a beast of a broadhead. If you compare it to a Muzzy Trocar, the Muzzy Trocar just looks like a toy, like a baby compared to the Big Game 3.

A closer look at the DXB Big Game 3 Broadhead

So let’s zoom on in here and check out this Big Game 3.

Another thing, other than its large size, is that the Big Game 3 is very well-constructed.

The owners are also professional machinists so they are bowhunters and machinists, so they do everything with really high tolerances and specifications, which is obvious when you put these heads together.

The total weight on this head is 300 grains. And the total cutting diameter is 1.8″ which at 3 blades, 1.8″ of diameter, that gives you 2.7″ of total cut which is going to make a really nice hole, a super wide hole.

And, with 3 blades, it’s going to cut a lot of tissue while it makes that super wide hole. So, I imagine it’s going to be devastating on whatever it hits.

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Assembly of the Big Game 3 Broadhead

Now, just a little tip here.

When you put the head together, because the tolerances are so high, you want to make sure it’s really snug on your arrow… like super snug. Otherwise, you’re going to get a little bit of a wobble.

The owner of the company told me about this and cautioned me about it. And, sure enough, I put it together and I got a bit of a wobble, and I thought, “Man, what’s wrong? It’s wobbling.”

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But, then I took the blades out and tested the ferrule and the tip, and it spun perfectly true, so I knew that the blades were just not seated properly. So, I screwed it on really tight, moved the ferrule a little bit and then it just lined up and spun perfectly well. And, then I tested all of the rest of them, and they all spun really well.

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The blades are also made out of high-carbon steel and they’re 0.062″ thick, which is also going to increase the bloodletting and make that hole hard to close up. And, they are also single bevel angle of 37 degrees. That 37 degrees is going to help it to prevent edge chatter and also gives it a bit of rotation.

The single bevel, combined with the weight and cut size, means this is going to be one deadly head. So, I was really eager to test these out and see how they performed.

Big Game 3 Broadhead Testing

For these tests, I’m using my Bowtech SR6 set at 72 pounds and I’m using Bishop FAD Eliminators for most of the testing here because this broadhead is so heavy and because of that spine, but then I’m also using the FOC King for some of them as well.

Flight Forgiveness Test:

Because my total arrow weight is so heavy, I performed the flight test from 30 yards, rather than a normal 40.

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Initial Sharpness Test

Penetration Test 1  

In this test I shot the Big Game 3 into ballistic gel that was fronted with 1/2″ MDF and a 2/3″ rubber mat.

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Edge Retention Test (sharpness after Penetration Test 1):

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Penetration Test 2 (layered cardboard):

Sometimes you see a big mechanical that will penetrate better in the cardboard penetration test than this head did, but that’s because of a really long, skinny tip and blades being way at the bottom. That’s not the case with this head.

Rotation Test (FBI Gel):

Durability Test (1/2” MDF max 3 shots):

Durability (22 ga steel plate max 2 shots):

I shot the DXB Big Game 3 into a .22 gage steel plate two times. Here’s what happened…

Durability Test (Concrete 1 Shot):

I want to remind you that this is with an 800-grain arrow, so there is a lot of impact, a lot more momentum than I normally shoot pounding into that concrete and yet, it held up really well.

The blades are still in excellent condition, with just a little cosmetic scratching. The tip got a little bit dulled as can be expected on a concrete, but spins perfectly well and absolutely reusable.

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Final Thoughts On The DXB Big Game 3 Broadheads

So what do you think of the Big Game 3?

Man, this was a really fun head to test and I think it’s going to be really fun head to hunt with as well. I look forward to sticking an animal with one of these in the days ahead.

It did really well in each of the tests.

I was really impressed and honestly surprised by its durability. I didn’t think it would be able to hold up to the concrete like that especially with all that momentum pounding into it.

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But, it did really well in every area. The blades were super sharp for such a thick blade. That was really impressive. It flew really well. And man, the cut size obviously speaks for itself. The durability, it performed perfectly in all of those durability tests that I do that are pretty grueling tests.

The only challenge to it is the penetration. And that’s just because of the cut size.

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Everything is a trade-off in broadhead design. So, if you’re one of those people that has a heavy setup and you want to try something that’s just going to make a really big hole, man this is really worth considering.

You can use it for anything, from turkey, to deer, to hogs, black bear, and really anything in North America or the world, if you have the kinetic energy and the momentum to drive it deep into those animals.

This broadhead is definitely worth a look to see if it’s right for you. Great Job DXB! I look forward to seeing what you come out with in the future!