Broadheads for faster bows

[ThereWillBeSpuds]

If you ask any blood tracker, upwards of 8 out of every 10 deer they track was shot with a mechanical head.


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How much of that is just because more people use mechanical heads?

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[andreww5001]

How much of that is just because more people use mechanical heads?

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That is a tough question to answer because I have no way of quantifying that. However, the blood tracker said a good portion of the hits he is called for have only an entry hole. Mechs like the Rage with its slap cut are designed for one BIG hole. If you get the exit, it is a bonus. This can be detrimental if the head hits something really hard on entry.


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[dougell]

This is what I'm assuming happened, and why I'm switching to larger diameter mechanicals.

There's no disputing the fact that it worked. The deer died and was recovered. But I prefer large blood trails and wounds that put down deer fast. Hunting some suburban areas and some thick swamps, the further a deer runs, the higher my chances of running into complications.

I have the opportunity to get a lot of tags and kill a lot of deer.For many years I was also on a committee for a controlled hunt that went out and recovered wounded deer.I've killed well over 100 deer with various fixed heads and mechanicals and have recovered hundreds more,again with just about every head out there.From lot's of practical experience,nobody will ever convince me that a mechaical BH of any size is advantageous over a good fixed head.A bh needs to be razor sharp.penetrate completely and hold together.The size of the hole is of no advantage and in fact,can be a big disadvantage.I've watched enough deer react to conclude that more often than not,deer shot with big mechanicals take off like a cattle prod just zapped them in the ass and run further on average.I'm not sure if it's the sound or the fact that they just feel it but they definately react more.That's expecially true with marginal hits in the guts.I've been on well over 100 gut shots that were recovered and the ones shot with big mechanicals ran further on average.Intersting,just as mnay were still alive the next morning as those shot with fixed heads.

 

[shwacker]

I like the trypans, good blade angle. Killed more than a handful with them so far. Killed a bunch with the chisel tips before that, killed a pile with NAP spitfires before that. Used to shoot a 400 grain TAW. Now at 425 with my pierce arrows. Shooting 290 FPS. Zippin through em with no issues


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[Hall17]

My PSE shoots 315 FPS with a 390 grain arrow set up. I shoot Rage mechanicals as they have never given me any issues and they fly true. I will say I do not take marginal shots or anything past 30 yards typically in a hunting situation. I have double lunged basically every deer I shot since I switch to Rage about 6 years ago which means I should not have had any issues. If I would hit bone/shoulder then I don't know how my set up would perform. I am confident in my shooting ability, my set up and my shot opportunities.

 

[Weldabeast]

The guy peeps love to hate......
Look at 3:50 mark and u see trypan loose some little metal bits that fly off, shallow penetration, and lots of arrow paradox after arrow hits..
How that relates to whitetail I don't know but where I live and hunt we have big hogs and I wanted to have an arrow setup that I wouldn't second guess if big stink pig shows up......

 

[andreww5001]

My PSE shoots 315 FPS with a 390 grain arrow set up. I shoot Rage mechanicals as they have never given me any issues and they fly true. I will say I do not take marginal shots or anything past 30 yards typically in a hunting situation. I have double lunged basically every deer I shot since I switch to Rage about 6 years ago which means I should not have had any issues. If I would hit bone/shoulder then I don't know how my set up would perform. I am confident in my shooting ability, my set up and my shot opportunities.

The argument between mechanical vs fixed broadhead has historically been one of the most controversial. I think every hunter I’ve ever spoken with will admit that in perfect circumstances and ideal shot placement a mechanical will do the trick. As the fairy says “plan A always works, but what about when it doesn’t?” Nobody ever references the times when after effectively killing the deer, the broadhead lost a blade or how that they are almost impossible to sharpen, they don’t come all that sharp, and after passing through an animal they wouldn’t even cut butter. I’m not trashing Mechanical hunters. I know many and respect many of them as hunters. I think they have looked at the data and are willing to take a calculated risk for good flight characteristics. I just struggle when people say, “I always take perfect shots and I’m a fantastic archer so that’s why I choose mechanical broadheads.” If that is your reasoning then a fixed blade would do the same thing. Heck a field point would too!


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[dougell]

People use mechaicals for two reasons.First,they may have issues tuning a bow and getting good flight with a fixed head.Second,they erroneously believe that a wide cut mechanical is advantageous on a marginal hit.Neither is a reason to use one.

 

[Hall17]

I agree. That is what is great about this sport, plenty of options. Some choose to shoot $100 bows and others $1,500. Cheap ammo vs. expensive ammo and the list goes on and on. Just like choosing a saddle, some think option A is the only way to go while option B works for others. I will say some hunters do pass on shots because they do not feel comfortable taking that shot while others sling away. Just depends on who you are I guess.

I certainly hope you are not referring to me as the "perfect shots and I'm a fantastic archer". Never said that and certainly didn't want it to come off that way. Just said I am confident in those things I mentioned.

 

[shwacker]

The guy peeps love to hate......
Look at 3:50 mark and u see trypan loose some little metal bits that fly off, shallow penetration, and lots of arrow paradox after arrow hits..
How that relates to whitetail I don't know but where I live and hunt we have big hogs and I wanted to have an arrow setup that I wouldn't second guess if big stink pig shows up......

I believe that’s the collar, not metal.

There is a lot of consideration to take into your arrow setup, as others have said. Mechanicals wouldn’t be my first choice for large pigs due to the large shoulder. If I ground hunted deer a lot and/or expected frontal shots, I also wouldn’t advise mechanical as the best choice. If you pick your shots, broadside or quartered away and stay behind the shoulder a mechanical won’t give you any problems, or at least hasn’t for all the deer I’ve shot.

Most data is anecdotal.

Even this “experiment” is apples to oranges. I’m not sure what a penetration test with a 200 grain difference in arrows proves. Of course the expandable and 4 blade fix won’t do as well, even if they are inferior to begin with.


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[Weldabeast]

I believe that’s the collar, not metal.

There is a lot of consideration to take into your arrow setup, as others have said. Mechanicals wouldn’t be my first choice for large pigs due to the large shoulder. If I ground hunted deer a lot and/or expected frontal shots, I also wouldn’t advise mechanical as the best choice. If you pick your shots, broadside or quartered away and stay behind the shoulder a mechanical won’t give you any problems, or at least hasn’t for all the deer I’ve shot.

Most data is anecdotal.

Even this “experiment” is apples to oranges. I’m not sure what a penetration test with a 200 grain difference in arrows proves. Of course the expandable and 4 blade fix won’t do as well, even if they are inferior to begin with.


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I thought the collars were blue or black? Whatever was flying was shining like metal

Even if we all watch the same video we all draw different info that we'll find useful or not.....I didn't watch to see a penetration test because all those arrows were different so it wouldn't be an accurate test.....the thing I was watching was the way the shaft paradox after impact....

 

[shwacker]

Grey on trypans.

Yes, it’s a lot of flex and what he says about it makes sense as far as foc. Then again the other fixed head was a similar FOC and didn’t have the paradox.

I haven’t shot a deer in the shoulder in about 10 years, back then I had a 60 pound bow, 400 taw arrow, and all at a slower speed and softer spine than current set up.

However, I have broken offside humerus on two deer and still got a pass through.

There is a balance with this stuff, mechanical or not. All I know is what works for me. I’d have to start having a lot of failures in the woods before I overhaul my setup just because there’s fairy dust in the air...


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[kyler1945]

I use a scalpel to take deer apart in the field. Why? I hate sharpening blades. And it weighs an ounce. Why do I feel comfortable doing so? They’re dead. They can’t hoof me in the goodies. Their bones can’t move and side load and break a blade. I have unlimited time to separate pieces of deer when it’s dead. It’s not a very dynamic situation - the angles I’m cutting at, the pressure I’m cutting with, and what I’m cutting are in my control. If one dulls for some reason, I just pop another on.

I use thick bladed, small diameter, cut on contact, edge retaining broadheads that are extremely sharp - when I want to take apart live deer. Why? They’re alive, their bones, skin, and tendons can move, I have about .00001 seconds to get a sharp edge through parts that will hemorrhage. And the angle, pressure and media to be cut can change just before, during, and after the shot.

we all have a story to tell ourselves.

 

[andreww5001]

I’d be surprised if someone was actually suggesting that a mechanical head which requires energy to open the blades and generally has a larger cutting diameter than fixed blade heads would penetrate deeper into the same medium. I’ve shot a lot of hogs with a bow and I’ve seen big boars stop some of the deepest penetrating fixed blades with a medium weight build arrow after about 4 inches of penetration. They some tough critters.

The question I think really is will a mechanical get through too? Not whether the fixed head will bury six inches into the dirt on the other side of the animal. A rage laying flat on the ground after making a entry and exit is just as good as an iron will buried to the fletching in the dirt after doing the same. My personal belief is that the mechanicals simply do not achieve entry and exit at a high enough percentage because of the energy dump upon impact. When coupled with other factors such as blade thickness, sharpness, and integrity I’ve just decided I will “get what I hit” with a smaller diameter fixed blade and not worry about broadhead failure.


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