Contributors to this thread:
I just bought a pack of rage hypodermics. First time I’ve dipped my toe into the mechanicals. I wasn’t impressed with the sharpness out of the pack, but I took them apart and stropped them. Hair popping sharp.
The last 3 years I’ve killed 3 bulls with german kinetic xl. Two were pass through and the other broke a rib on the way in and the shoulder on the way out. It made 2 holes but didn’t exit completely. I’m thinking of carrying 1 in my quiver for a windy day, etc. I’m pushing a 560gr arrow at 275fps so I should have plenty of momentum to drive it deep!
Anybody else carry multiple types of heads in their quiver?
Most of bowhunting tinkering is us solving stuff that has been solved for a long time. I usually have 3 types in my quiver: 3 suited for whatever I am hunting, 1 random old head for a small game species of opportunity, and a blunt for stumping.
#1) Possibly ;o)
#2) Often
Rage hypos make short work of elk!
The only mechanical I feel comfortable with is the 1.5” SEVR. I killed a turkey, a cow bison, and a little rag horn bull with them last year. All were complete pass through and I watched them all die in sight. The elk and the buffalo were both dead within 20 seconds each.
I used the hypos a few times but switched to the trypans. I really like them. I carry 3 of those and a blunt plus another odd head for small game or whatever else needs shot ;)
Interesting...thought about it, decided long ago that I could get confused and grab the wrong arrow/broadhead combination. Have all of the same broad heads in my quiver.
I've had great luck with the handful of animals I've killed with Trypans. The one's I've purchased were VERY sharp out of the pack. The blades are a little thicker than the hypo and a little more swept back.
I would prefer a stainless body like the hypo for the Trypan rather than titanium but it hasn't been an issue on my small sample size.
Yeah, I usually have multiple broadheads in my quiver.
For myself, I put a lot of thought & practice in choosing the broadhead that will tip my arrow setup. I don't want my confidence wavering towards one head over another in crunch time because of a specific distance or situation. Therefore I choose one head that I have 100% confidence in that fills my quiver. A lot of bowhunting is having confidence in your equipment, no room for 2nd guessing for me!
Nope. Mechanicals will never be in my quiver again.
Matt
I don't know when if ever that I've had all the same BH's in my quiver. If it's 100 grains and spins true, it hits the same spot for me. 4-blade Stingers are my go-to but, I also have mechanicals for windy days. Two of each in my quiver. Spitfires being my favorite however, I modify the clip dimple so it takes less effort to deploy them.
I used to carry 4 vpa 2 mech and 1 judo. Probably will again someday after I’m over my heavy head kick.
My quiver only holds 4. I think I am in the same situation as X-MAN in that I don't know if I've ever had all 4 heads match. That being the case, they are generally all the same head for hunting the same game (I've been shooting mechanicals since my first deer for more than 25yrs as I do the math in my head) . Maybe back when I was younger I had a blunt on one of my arrows. Then I got too cheap - shooting an arrow that costs more than $10.00 at a squirrel just didn't work for me.
I carry only Jak-hammer expandable broadheads. Have killed 72 deer with them so I see no need to change.
Depending on what I'm hunting, I either carry three 3 blade broad heads and one two blade... or three 2 blade broad heads and one three blade. I make sure that they all fly the same.
I might call you crazy since you've had great success with the GK heads. Why switch? Were you not happy with the blood trails or the distance the elk went afterwards? Or are you just curious about how the Rages will work? You obviously have enough oomph to use the Rages for sure. Good luck with them!
Only in Australia when hunting fallow deer and big boars on the same mountain. Carried a couple weighted arrows with wide 2 blade VPAs for those nasty critters.
I know a guy who carries different arrows and broadheads for long shots, medium range, and short shots. Never really understood that.
12yards, I have zero reason other than the fact that shooting 84lbs I have lots of momentum and KE, so why not shoot a 2” head? The German kinetics are absolutely devastating btw.
“ so why not shoot a 2” head?”
The words “catastrophic”, “failure”, “structural” and “integrity” come to mind....
I don’t even know if that head is a mech or not, but JMO, it strikes me as seriously foolish to use anything but the strongest head you can get your hands on if you’re using an #84 compound.
With that kind of KE on tap, it seems that your biggest concern would be shattering a broadhead on a solid bone hit.
Often have multiple heads. Also depends on species. This weekend I think I'll have a different broadhead on every arrow, but that's just for a gobbler, and I am reusing some lightly used mech heads. I'm not worried about re-using the SS Vortex I pushed through into a mulie last fall. They all spin and fly true.
Yes. Always at least 1 or 2 mechs in my quiver on every hunt. They have both advantages and limitations. You just need to know those.
There is a 50 page thread on AT praising trypans for elk. I still wont buy into it. Had bad luck on a deer with them last year. Broke the damn ferrule on a scapula hit on a 250lb buck. No penetration on an area i have penetrated with Ramcats before, best i could tell anyway. Was only a 7yd shot and it appeared to be plenty far back to avoid the scapula. But penetration appeared to show otherwise. No way im shooting an elk with a mech head like those. Killed two elk with Gravedigger cut on contact, but im sticking with Ramcats from here on.
No clue on whether you are crazy or not. Check with a local psychiatrist to figure that out :)
As for the heads. I've put hypo's through whitetails many times. Some quartering away going in by the last rib and out in front of the shoulder. That is a pretty long ways with some tough tissue close to exit.
For Elk? I've never shot one. So only offer that experience above to show that hypo's can penetrate pretty well... But you may want to be cautious about angles on a critter that much bigger. Elk are a lot bigger than a 150-200# whitetail deer for sure!
I carry 3 sharp broad heads, 1 that has been used not sharp painted orange, for squirrels and such, and a blunt just because.
Scott
Elk yes moose not so much
I'll be hunting elk and anything else larger than turkeys with Trypans from now on.
Pretty rare they are all the same. Been days I went out with 3 or 4 different heads cuz that's all I could scrape up on short notice that were sharp and spun well. Have never let something like being unprepared stop me from doing some things.... And I like to carry at least one mech most times for, um, windy days.....
That and everybody needs a cat arra........
