As most of our loyal patrons know, BowCountry.com has always had an appreciation for products with the Muzzy name on them. While speaking with new chief operating officer Fred Settles at this years ATA show about Muzzy's New 4 blade broadhead the MX-4. We knew Muzzy had hit home once again.
How do you make a great product even better? Muzzy took their tried and true four blade 100 and toughened it up, anodized it "blood" red and renamed it the MX-4. The New MX-4 is shorter than Muzzy's standard four blade by about 1/8". Shortening the ferule makes it much more difficult to bend when striking large bones should your shot not go exactly where you wanted it. By shorting the overall length of the MX-4, Muzzy was able to increase the cut diameter to 1 1/8" compared to the standard four blades 1" cut diameter. This allows the use of thicker stronger blades of .025 compared to the standard .020 blades. This may not sound like much but believe me it makes for an extraordinarily strong blade.
How do you test a broad head for toughness? Some people shoot bricks, some people shoot steel drums, but none really simulate actual bone your going to encounter when hunting. I personally don't hunt bricks or barrels, so I didn't feel these where the best items to use for our test. Fortunately living next door to a dairy farm I have an abundance of large, worst case scenario cattle bones. As you can see from the pictures, I blasted a very large leg bone with a new Muzzy MX-4 with a 73 lb Oneida Eagle. The MX-4 passed through the large bone effortlessly. When I examined the MX-4 I found amazingly all four blades still intact, 2 where badly bent but 2 where still in good shape. The most encouraging thing I noticed was the ferrule was still perfectly straight. Most broadheads don't fair so well when slammed into such large bones. I was able to unscrew the Trocar tip, which showed no damage, removed the damaged blades and install new ones and had a brand new MX-4 ready to go again. A bone this size is a good representation of about the worst case scenario you might run into when actually hunting any big game. LetŐs check out how the new MX-4 scores under our new evaluation format.
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Fit & Finish
The fit and finish of the MX-4 is excellent. The new "blood" red anodized ferrule is so fitting for this particular product considering it's intended use. Once you install the blades and tighten down by the Trocar tip, the MX-4 is rock solid. Top that off with Muzzy MX-4 etched in white letters on the side of the ferrule makes for a very visually appealing product.
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Engineering
The engineering behind the MX-4 is outstanding. Just when you think you couldn't make it any better, the engineering department at Muzzy makes a shorter, stiffer, stronger broadhead with thicker blades and a larger cutting diameter. What many people don't realize about the MX-4 and the other Muzzy broadheads, is that once assembled the blades make a solid stainless steel core that runs from just below the Trocar tip to the base of the broadhead. This column of steel helps to add to the rigidity of the broadhead so maximum energy is transferred to, and most likely through the animal.
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Hype to Reality Ratio
"BAD TO THE BONE" has always been a muzzy trademark and the new MX-4 really backs up that statement. Is the new MX-4 "BAD TO THE BONE"? After the cow bone test I would have to say that it is bad through the bone!
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IIWII: (it is what
it is)
The new MX-4 is what Muzzy claims it is, one tough broadhead.
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Pros:
- Shorter, Stiffer, Stronger broadhead
- Larger cutting diameter
- Thicker stronger blades
- Replaceable blades
Cons
- Only available in three packs
Conclusion
Is the new MX-4 for everyone? If you want a rock solid fixed blade broadhead, then yes the new Muzzy MX-4 is for you. Our only complaint is the fact when we tested the MX-4 is only available in 3 packs instead of the traditional 6 packs. This has nothing to do with the MX-4 itself. Hopefully the MX-4 will be available larger quantities in the future. Hats off to the fine people at Muzzy Products for making a great product even better. We know what your thinking, but we couldn't find any flaws. If you shoot fixed blade broadheads and want "Rock Solid Performance" we think you'll love the durability of the new Muzzy MX-4.
