Gear Wise: Speed Broadheads Titanium 100

Bowhunters discussing broadheads often resembles political debate. Everyone has an opinion, and no matter how much arguing occurs, it seems hardly anyone ever changes their position. That said, I believe two recent experiences with the new Speed Broadheads Titanium 100 are worth sharing — and just might convince you to give Speed a closer look.

I’ve long been a fan of rear-deploying, 2-blade mechanical broadheads with a big cutting diameter. They fly well and make big entrance and exit wounds that, combined with the wide wound channel, result in great blood trails. Speed launched its new lineup last summer, and the first time you look at one, you may think of a very similar mechanical head that’s been on the market for a long time.

But, where Speed differentiates itself is with patent-pending Speed Reactive Technology that guarantees total blade security in flight and total deployment upon impact. The secret is a micro-piston embedded in the ferrule. Upon launch, the force of acceleration drives the piston against the blades, locking them in place. The faster the shot, the more securely the blades are held. This means Speed Broadheads work great whether you’re shooting a 40-pound youth bow or the fastest crossbow on the market, all without rubber bands or retention collars. The other great thing about Speed Reactive Technology is that upon impact, when the arrow abruptly decelerates, just 1.5 pounds of force is required to open the blades. This is truly a “best of both worlds” scenario.

The Titanium 100 is a 100-grain head featuring an extremely durable, chisel-tip titanium ferrule and tough, .039-inch thick, high-carbon, stainless steel blades that open to a 2-inch cutting diameter and are honed for extreme sharpness. Speed also offers a 100-grain Crosscut Aluminum head with a .39-inch bleeder blade on the tip, a 100-grain Titanium Crossbow chisel tip and a 125-grain Steel Crossbow chisel tip.

After learning about Speed’s new offerings, I was intrigued and wanted to give them a shot (pun intended). So, I had the Titanium 100s screwed onto my arrows on the afternoon of Oct. 6 when I headed to a ground blind on a clover plot for my first sit of the Pennsylvania archery season. Just before last light, a nice doe appeared, offering me a 35-yard shot. With only minutes of legal shooting remaining, I sent an arrow on its way.

Normally, I wait 30 minutes before following up, unless I see a deer drop in sight. But with darkness fast approaching, I decided to hustle out of the blind and look for blood where the doe entered the woods. I found it in short order, and judging from the frothy, bright red sprays on the ground and trees along the trail, there was no need to wait any longer. Within minutes, I was standing over the doe, admiring Speed’s quick work on a double-lung hit.

My second Speed experience was a bit more adventurous. On Oct. 20, I headed to a second ground blind tucked into a transition area between a bedding thicket and a cut cornfield. Shortly before last light, two fawns trotted past and straight out to the field edge. I figured mama wouldn’t be far behind, and about a minute later, there she was, following the same path. She moved at a fast walk, quickly getting past my anticipated shooting window. I then had to scramble to open a rear window as quietly as I could, drop to my knees and come to full draw. I hastily pulled through the shot and then heard a watermelon thump as the arrow impacted. By the sounds of it, and the doe’s reaction, my hit was “further back” (aka, a gut shot) than I would have liked. Ugh!

The doe ran a short distance, paused and then slowly walked over the crest of a hill that led back toward the bedding area. As on my previous hunt, I exited the blind right away and used the few remaining minutes of light to gather what intel I could. Unable to locate my arrow, or any blood at the sight of impact, I walked to where the doe had disappeared and found a few drops of dark blood on the leaves. This confirmed my suspicions, and with night falling and temperatures forecast to drop into the low 40s, I decided to head home and take up the trail in the morning.

Picking up where I left off about an hour after sunrise, I managed to follow a modest blood trail downhill to the edge of the thicket, where the blood became heavier. Entering the thicket, I soon came across a series of bloody beds in thick, thorny cover that slowed my progress, sometimes forcing me to move on hands and knees. Thankfully, by this point the sign was sufficient to convince me the deer was dead. I simply had to locate it, which I did, lying just 10 yards from the edge of a cut soybean field where I could drive my truck!

Although my shot placement had been less than ideal, the Speed Broadhead did its job wonderfully, creating gaping entry and exit wounds that produced a relatively strong blood trail given the circumstances. According to my onX Hunt app, the doe was recovered 177 yards from my blind, though I’d guess the winding route she walked to be closer to 300.

I guess the moral of my stories is this: be diligent in your hunt preparation and do your best to remain calm in the moment of truth. But if and when things don’t go exactly according to plan, you may be glad there was a Speed Broadhead on the end of your arrow!

$99 per 3 | speedbroadheads.com

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