Mechanical Broadheads
West Virginia
I learned a tough lesson this year. What draw weight shoul be the minimum for using mechanical broadheads?
Just depends. Every deer I have ever killed with archery equipment has been with mechanicals. You just need to research or even test what you want to use. I used an over the top (traditional) mechanical for years. Then I bought a much faster bow. I noticed after I killed a couple deer the blades were not opening. I then did some research and that particular broadhead I was using was for bows that shot less than 250 fps. My arrow was going through the deer before the blades were opening. Then I went to a rear deploying broadhead but was not happy with the penetration so now I am back to a traditional mechanical. First referenced broadhead was Rocket Sidewinder, second was Rage, third was Rocket Hammerhead.
I hate them. Had bad experience when they first came out. I go with a quality 4 bladed fixed head. In my opinion the less moving parts the better. If a bow is tuned properly there is no need for mechanicals for accuracy in my opinion.
I like a 100 grain cut on impact fixed 3 blade out of 55-60 lb bow I can sharpen myself been using them over 40 years no problems..like smokey said if bow is tuned right and animal hit in proper heart lungs no need for them...I use g5 montec.. one lucky broad has has 5 deer a bear and wild boar to its credit...cant ask for more then than...my daughter shot thru 2 large russian boars with 40 lb bow and montec head...im sold on them...but im old and set in my way and not moved by tv advertising hype
That is the one thing about mechanicals ... You can rarely use them twice. Both deer I have killed this year has broken a blade on each broadhead. I use them because of the cutting diameter.
I understand that logic, however cutting diameter on the ouside does not always equate to cutting diameter on the inside where it's needed because of things like broken blades.
An eye opening 4 inch cut on the skin looks cool and bad but is unlikely to kill an animal. A 1 inch cut thru the heart or lungs will kill an animal .
I'm not saying they don't work because obviously they do most of the times. I had a bad experience with them when they first came out so I will admit I'm biased against them. But I will say that since I've used fixed blades like muzzys or more recently viper tricks I've never lost a blade and haven't lost an animal in the past 12-15 yrs.
100 grain Muzzy fixed blades for me.
I am not saying they are better or worse. Just the small amount of information I have reference wv lineman's question.
I can't say for sure but I believe the blades that broke this year broke when they stuck in the ground. As far as I can tell I didn't hit much if any bone on either one.
I always say a field point will kill them if you hit them right .... They used to tip arrows with rocks ... Haha.
The reason I brought it up is that I took my step-daughter hunting. She has hunted with her dad with a rifle for years but had never taken a deer with her bow.
A couple years ago, I bought my wife a bow with the intention of her hunting with me. At that time, the guy sold me 2-blade Rage broad heads for her to use and I never really thought much about it.
When my step-daughter went hunting with me, she didn't have broad heads so she used one that I bought for her mom. I'm not sure what poundage she shoots, but she made a perfect shot on a 5-point (I videotaped it). We waited about 45-minutes before trying to find it, which I absolutely thought would be a quick track job. We found small drops of blood for 30-yards or so from where she shot it, then nothing. Her arrow was about 10-yards from where she shot and it was covered with blood up to about 10".
Three days later, the 5-point was back at the blind eating corn. I am going to try to post the video (I've tried twice but can't seem to get it right). Please watch the video and tell me what happened? All I can figure is the poundage she was shooting was too light for the 2-blade Rage broad heads.
Thanks for the replies.
I shoot 70 lbs 30.5 inch draw. 490 grain arrow including my broadhead. My bow set up shoots 280 fps. The reason I quit using the rage 2 blade was lack of penetration.
By the way, the broad head had never been shot before.
I uploaded the video. The message said it was successful so I hope it shows up soon.
I'm not a big fan of mechanical broadheads. All the extra moving parts concern me. I have friends who have used them for years with good results and I have friends that have had bad experiences with them. It seems that everyone is really into the big entry hole that gives them large blood trails, thing. Any RAZOR SHARP broadhead placed in the proper location will produce a good blood trail and put an animal down very quickly. I personally prefer a simple cut on contact broadhead. Why should you take the chance of your broadheads working or not working due to it's design. Just keep things simple and place the arrow where it is suppose to be. As long as your bow and arrows are tuned properly they will perform well. As far as light weight bows, I would use a good 2 blade cut on contact broadhead. That should work well for your step-daughter.
Thanks Lone Eagle. I used Spitfires for years. Seemed I could get better flight. I bought a new PSE Decree this summer and started shooting G5's. They fly really well. Took a doe earlier in the season as well as a turkey with them. Had no problem recovering either.
Fixed cut on contact will bust thru a rib on any angle except I don't reccommend angling toward you shots . Just too much risk for me. I question angle shots with mechanicals .
I love these new Viper tricks . Solid steel ferrurle with a small bone busting tip, almost cut on contact replaceable German Lutz stainless steel replaceable blades plus 2 bleeder blades. I shoot 100 gr. out of a 56 lb. Matthews creed xs. I used to shoot higher poundage but you really don't need it and the colder it gets the harder it is to draw. I've shot 2 does and a bear this year with it and pass thrus on all 3. Good blood trails too. With a properly tuned bow and some practice they shoot like a field point. I shoot 4 2 inch blazer vanes.
When I shot my big bull elk in AZ i didn't get a pass thru with my 62 lb. Matthers DXT I had about 4 inches out on both sides but that worked well too.
I like solid state old school not going to malfunction broad heads.
I used to use "Wasps" when I first started out bow hunting, had trouble with a couple of the blades breaking after hitting bone / ribs. I then tried Thunderhead 100's in a fixed 3 blade style,.... have not ever used anything else since. They always come through for me and I've never had a problem with them, they do the job perfectly. Hey, If it ain't broke, don't mess with it.... lol
The "wasps" that I used were not a mechanical head, though. Just the blades would not hold up on the darn things.... (see attached pic)
This is a pic of the Thunderhead 100 that I use now
I've tried and tried to load a 8-second video of the shot uploaded. Emailed bow site to try and get it attached. I went with the G5 this year. They have done really well. I'd like for you guys to see the shot she made on the deer. I was really proud of her.
I used to use Thunderheads 125 and they were a great head. Killed a lot of deer and a few bear with them. When I got my Matthews DXT in 2008 I switched to carbon arrows and wanted a smaller profile broadhead cause I was shooting 60-70 yards in preparation for my Arizona elk hunt. I ended up shooting him at 16 yds. Broadside. I was shooting Muzzy MX 4 blades until this year when I switched to 100 gr. 4 bladed Viper tricks.
Hard to beat a 3 blade muzzy or Wensel woodsman. The woodsman can be sharpened on a whetstone and used over and over and over. There's no doubt mechanicals will kill deer with a good hit, but I think they're designed more for marketing.
I've used the NAP spitfires and the NAP killzones with no problems at all. These do not have rubberbands holding them together. They fly great and the deer hate them. I've shot deer quartering away and at sharp angles and have never had a problem. I shoot a 400 gr arrow at 67 pounds. I would not shoot them if I'm shooting 60 pounds or less. Massive holes and great blood trails. Also great penetration. They fly great out to 80 yards. They are great for deer. Some mechanicals are junk but some are not. Same with fixed blades some fly great others suck.
