Best Broadheads Under $30 Per Pack
A $100 Iron Will S100 3-pack is not the only way to kill an elk. The heads below all come in under $30 for a 3-pack (roughly $10 per head), all have real specs, and all have real hunters running them season after season. If you shoot enough that resharpening or replacing blades matters to your budget, this is where you look.
Muzzy Trocar 100 (chisel tip fixed, 3-blade)
1.0 in cut, 3 blades, .035 in stainless, chisel tip. MSRP around $25 per 3-pack. Same tri-blade design and blade thickness as heads that cost twice as much. Made in Cartersville, GA. This is the honest budget fixed head.
G5 Montec Carbon Steel (COC, 3-blade)
1.0 in cut, 3 blades, .050 in carbon steel (not stainless, so it will rust if you leave it wet), one-piece cut-on-contact. MSRP around $28 per 3-pack. Cheaper than the stainless Montec, same cut and geometry. Resharpens easily on a tri-hone. Wipe with oil after every wet hunt.
Wasp Boss 3-blade (fixed, replaceable blade)
1.125 in cut, 3 blades, .036 in stainless, chisel tip. MSRP around $27 per 3-pack. Wasp has been making Wisconsin-built broadheads since 1970. Not fancy but blades index correctly, ferrule is straight, and heads spin true out of the pack.
Truglo Titanium X4 (fixed, 4-blade)
1.125 in cut, 4 blades, .028 in stainless, titanium ferrule. MSRP around $25 per 3-pack. .028 in is thinner than the whitetail sweet spot but the titanium ferrule saves weight and the 4-blade config opens a wide wound. Fine for whitetail on a 60 lb bow, not the head for elk shoulders.
Run Muzzy Trocars on a $400 Diamond bow and killed 4 deer with them this season. Total cost of the broadhead pack was less than dinner. Fancy is not required.
Archery Talk, Bowhunting Discussion, 2024
Broadhead law by state
Fixed blade: Legal in all 50 states for big game archery seasons.
Mechanical: Legal in ~44 states for big game. Restricted or discouraged in Idaho (mechanicals prohibited for big game archery), Oregon (mechanicals prohibited), and check current-year Wyoming regs. Legal but not preferred for elk and moose where cut-on-contact fixed heads penetrate through heavy shoulders.
Cut-on-contact: Legal in all 50 states. Preferred or required in some traditional-archery-only hunts.
Minimum cut diameter: Most states require 7/8 in cut for big game. A handful (Georgia, Mississippi, others) require 1 in. Always confirm current-season regs with your state fish and wildlife agency.
Blade count: Some states specify minimum 2 sharpened edges. Most modern broadheads exceed this by default.
This is a research summary, not legal advice. Confirm the current season regulations with your state fish and wildlife agency before you buy or hunt.