In my opinion there is no “ONE” broad head that works on everything, yes they all cut holes, yes they are all sharp, and yes 99.9% of them will get the job done, or will they? One of the key selling points to broad heads has always been then look, if it looks deadly then it is bound to get the job done.

Lets take a second and put in the true variables that need to be considered prior to selection of a broad head. I use these daily when assisting a customer with their selection.

Draw weight/ Arrow weight/ Shaft spine/Arrow speed/ Type fletching/ Shaft diameter/Total kinetic energy/ and most important what type of game.

Arrow flight and accuracy can be greatly effected by the the physical size and profile of a broad head and should also be considered.

Fixed blade broad heads that are true cut on impact are always my starting point. They expend less kinetic energy when entering a carcass, no mater if its a broad side shot or quartering. The one thing to note with these type broad heads is the angle and length of blade. Short compact broad heads will expend more stored energy than longer tapered blades.

+ The fixed blade head is a big plus in short draw length lite poundage bows.

+ They provide a number of options from light to heavy carcass animals.

- Arrow flight issues and bow tuning may be a problem with larger fixed blade broad heads known as planning but I feel the little extra work to clean up the flight pays of big in success of the hunt.

(examples of various blades sizes and tapers)

Mechanical broad heads have made a large leap over the past few years in durability and effectiveness. These heads normally fly as well as your field points and require minimal to no additional tuning requirements. They however expend more stored energy to operate than a fixed blade and consideration of type animal to be hunted should way heavy in choosing this type broad head especially when hunting large animals  such as Elk, Bison or Wild boar.

+ These heads have larger cutting widths when opened.

+ Minimal tuning issues.

- Even larger energy loss when entering a carcass which is multiplied when attempting a quartering shot.

- Arrow speeds above 260 fps, in my opinion are a must.

Mechanical broad heads can be devastating, but I highly recommend the archer understand the limits and apply them to his or her specific application.

(examples of mechanical broad heads)

This article was written not to settle which 0ne is better than the other, but to make a few points to ponder as to your next selection for a broad head.  Good hunting and may GOD Bless.

The bow hunter Chuck Adams Laser range finder from Bushnell features Angle Range Compensation (ARC) bow mode technology. ARC lets archers determine true horizontal distance from 5-99 yards with shooting angles of -90 to + 90  degrees. The 4X eyepiece give crisp images and accurate readings from 5-800 yards (can be set to read meters)  available in realtree AP camo.

BACK GROUND

I want to start this review out by asking a simple question. How do the folks at Mathews keep building bows that just turn the industry upside down?

The first thing I noticed about the Z7 was what a radical step away from the normal look for a Mathews bow. The second thing was I really liked the red trim and highlights of the bow.

Now as most of my readers know I am not a small man 6’3 and 310 lbs and, I am not a big fan of short bows they never seem to fit or be as comfortable to shoot as say a 34-38″ axle to axle bow.

I was expecting to make a couple of comments about the snow cone effect or the ability of this bow to shoot at distance ( WRONG !! ). So now you have a little background lets get to the review.

SET UP

Initial set up and tune went like clock work with very little time spent paper tuning past the initial knock settings.  As with all of the bows I review they are set up as if I were going to take them hunting.

BOW SETTINGS

• Draw weight: 70lbs
• Draw length: 29″
• Let off:             80%
• Axle to Axle: 30″
• Brace height:  7″

EQUIPMENT

• Arrow rest:  Trophy Taker
• Sights: Extreme
• Stabilizer: Sims modular
• Quiver: Mathews T-5

ARROW

• Beman ICS Hunter Camo
• 3″ feather fletching
• Length 28″
• Tip 100 grain
• Weight total 405 grain

The Z7 tuned very quickly with minimum variation from the standard Mathews 16th of an inch high knock and center arrow position on the rest. I was very happy with the bows performance.

DRAW CYCLE

This is a smooth speed cam until the last 1.5-2″ of draw where if you are not ready for it will sneak up on you. The cam has a little bump at the back, but once you hit the valley and then into the wall which is very solid, it felt great.  A big plus of the Z7 cam was the solid anchor point and ability to hold the spot without fighting the bow.

SHOT GROUPS

• 20 yards : less than 1/4″
• 30 yards: 1/2 to 1″
• 40 yards: 2 to 2 and1/2″
• 50 yards:  4″ and less

This is a very forgiving short bow I had no problems holding kill zone shots with broad heads out to 60 yards. This changes my opinion of a short hunting bow without question, and yes this is the first short bow of all the ones we have tested in the past that I will give a 9 out of 10 score for shoot ability.

In my opinion Mathews has set the standard for the rest of the industry in this market.Arrow speeds for my test set up varied about 10 FPS with a high of 309 and a low of 299. This bow is very fast with such a heavy set up.

ROLLER CABLE GUARD / DRAW ASSIST

Roller cable guard / draw assist. This is something I can not say enough about, I have always had a problem with the short bow wearing cable servings due to the angle that the bus cable tracks in and out of the cam. I have observed minimum serving wear with the Z7.

SUMMARY

This is without a doubt the best short bow I have ever had the opportunity to shoot, it feels very stable has a great anchor point, and tunable speed. In my opinion this bow will have the same impact on the industry that we saw with the release of the Legacy. I rank this bow 9.5 out of 10 with the only negative being the hump at the back of the cam,  but understand that speed has to come from some where in the cam design. Mathews has done an outstanding job in the development of this bow from top to bottom so do yourself a favor if you are looking to upgrade or buy your first bow this year take a close look at the Z7.

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