Howard Hill Broadheads - General Discussion on "Is your Broadhead Tough Enough?"

What is tough enough to kill a deer, elk, or pig in North America?

Newer folks getting into traditional archery are often mislead by marketing into thinking that the latest and greatest broadhead is what you need.  The newest are the toughest, best steel, sharpest, most durable...yadda yadda. The big question is does it really matter if your broadhead can survive an impact with a cinderblock?  I'm not hunting cinderblocks.

Recently, there have even been some denial about what some of the past archery greats must have used on the ends of their arrows.  The marketing is working.  Let's take the Howard Hill broadhead for example.  I have heard some say that Bob Swinehart, did not kill his Rhino with a production Howard Hill Broadhead.  He had to have used the elephant broadhead because, 'no way that old-fashioned "weakly fabricated" broadhead could have done the job right'?  Nope!  Let's look at the facts. 

First of all, Bob Swinehart posed with the arrowhead.  Why on earth would he hold an arrow type he did not use to kill the Rhino.  Which is clearly a Howard Hill type.

Next, let's look at Bob's own words from the January1967 issue of Archery magazine Pg. 25, the following:

"Many people considered it impossible to kill the tough-hided monstrosity of nature with a mere bow and arrow, but his hide is not armor-plated by any means. It is tough, but not as tough as an elephant's. A 90-pound bow drove a Hill head in 20 inches through lungs of my rhino."

Also, in Bob's book Sagittarius page 196 while discussing his rhino equipment Bob wrote, "I decided on the 90-pound bamboo longbow, and 1200 grain conventional length arrows with metal nocks, with the largest Micro-Flite fiberglass shaft available, and two-bladed Howard Hill Broadhead."

Bob used a file to sharpen his heads, so the plain old Howard Hill broadhead brought down this incredible beast.  So, are they not similarly good enough today for a pig, elk, or deer?  

In my opinion arrow heads should not have to break the bank.  They are ammo.  I have enough insurance with my hunting gear (62 pound draw, reasonably heavy cedar or bamboo arrow) that I don't have to stress about the little things.  Dacron vs fastflite, one head vs another, file sharpened vs razor, it is all going to get the job done if I do my part.  After all, those that went before me did a lot more with similar gear.  I'm not hunting elephants or rhinos...or cinderblocks.