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