Swhacker vs. Grim Reaper
General Topic
Contributors to this thread:
I was thinking about changing my mechanical broad head set-up before going to Africa (plains game animals only). Which broad head would be better?
The 1-3/8" Grim Reaper Razortips have worked well for me on everything from deer to hogs to elk and moose.
I'm thinking about using Swhacker 125 g this year on whitetails. Impressive video showing tests came with the BHs.
Ask yourself which head you would feel more comfortable with going after an elk or a moose. That should help you make your decision about Africa.
Personally, I don't shoot your kind of bow, so my opinion and preference to a COC broadhead doesn't really apply to your situation. But think of it this way, if I am shooting a bow with a lot less horsepower than you are and choose a COC and do well with it....
The Magnus Buzz Cut folks have a video out of them breaking balloons at 100 yards. So a COC can be accurate at long distances.
But in the end it is up to you. A compound guy I know really loves his Swhackers.
Good luck on your hunt.
TBB
I hunted with Dries Visser a couple years ago. I carried both fixed and mechanical BHs in my quiver.
Dries told me their recommended point for plains game including kudu, gemsbok, niala, warthogs, etc is the Rage 2-bladed head. No quartering to or away shots. Only broadside.
For zebra, I was told to use a good fixed blade head.
My shots were all less than 25 yds. Most 18-22. Nine arrows killed eight animals. One impala required a second arrow.
A large cutting HB makes a good shot excellent, and a fair shot good.
The entry hole is generally small on a Schwacker. The blades don't deploy until after they pass beyond the hide. No pass through, small/no blood trail.
Nap Killzone for me, COC with over an inch and a quarter of penetration prior to contact with fully deployed blades. Grim reaper would be a close second choice.
I like pass thrus, two holes bleed much better. I used 2 blade 1.5" mechanicals on my first Namibia hunt and had two shoulder blade hits ,no penetration.on gemsbox. So next time I went with 1" solid steel force 76 lbs , and was 7 for 7 including a shoulder blade pass thu on a blesbox.This fall I also shot thru a elk shoulder blade so I like small heads, heavy bows and arrows.
Of the two, I'd take the Wasp Jak Hammer 1 3/4 cut...
I've never been much on using mech heads, but last year tried the 1-3/4 inch cut, 100 grain Grim Reapers on a Dall Sheep & Caribou hunt. On recommendation from a respected archery sheep guru from Alberta, as well as my local archery pro-shop owner. And then stayed with them for a Mt Goat hunt and two deer hunts. Shooting 430 gr axis shafts at around 295 fps I got pass-throughs on a Mt Caribou, Mt Goat and two deer. On the caribou shot, the mech head buried in the tundra several yards away. My experience so far is limited to those 4 kills, but on that basis I'll probably stick with the 'reapers for a while longer. Especially on animals that are known to "die easily" like sheep, deer, pronghorn, moose, caribou. And when hunting where strong winds are likely. Probably wouldn't use them on animals notorious for extremely long death runs, like elk.
The advantages for mech heads is more forgiveness of minor shooting form errors at long ranges, and slightly less affected by cross wind. For close-up blind hunting over a waterholes in Africa or elsewhere, I'm not sure they offer any advantage over fixed blade heads.