Fixed/Mechanica/Weight
Equipment
Fixed or mechanical broadhead and weight for compound bow with 62-63# draw...? Opinions...
Pretty tough to find opinions about this subject on Bowsite. Might try the Leatherwall.
Ever watch a gladiator movie??? Ever see them run into battle with there sword sideways and try to kill someone....no you haven't. Fixed blade cut on contact 2 blade single bevel just started using them this year and am very impressed
You want to bring up mechanical on Leather wall?
The answers will vary with how long ago the person who answers has been in archery among other factors. Many early mechanical s were not all that good. I was late into archery. I got good advice from a gentleman with the fish and wildlife department. He told me "If the company has been around a while and the price is not too good to be true the product will be good. " I personally like 125 grain fixed heads with a 1" TO 1.125 cutting diameter. It is purely my preference.
Personally, I'll take 125gr over 100gr every time...provided they tune well with your bow/arrow combo. If the 100's tune better, then go with them. It's not like 25gr is going to make much of a difference either way
125 gr fixed 3 blade broadhead. Example, VPA 3 blade, G5 Montec, Hellrazor are heads I have been successful with. I currently use VPA.
Ya why bring it up on leather head...? I’m shooting a 2020 blackout epic compound not a recurve or longbow.. just curious was others sets up were for compounds in that pull set up
^^^ I thought it would be obvious it was a joke.
Anyway, I shoot 65# at 29”, 450 gr arrow and not a speed bow. I shoot 125 gr heads in NAP Spitfire mechanicals (not the new ones) and Slick Tricks.
I saw your tongue firmly parked in your cheek, Ambush.
^^^^ Yeah, I thought it was pretty obvious. ;-)
"Ever watch a gladiator movie???"
Line from the movie "Airplane"?
Killed many critters with both fixed and mechanicals with my current set up at 63lbs. Most of the shots blew completely through if your worries are about enough energy
Quality mech for smaller stuff, deer and bear, switch to a fixed for elk and moose sized game. I've always shot 100gr fixed and mechs, never had a problem
I would say that if you have to ask what broadhead to use, then you should go with an expandable with a cut at or less than 2”. Weight of the head matters very little. Once you learn to tune your bow well then try a slick trick magnum and everything in between and form your own opinion.
MA-PA there are MANY good options today - it's truly not either or (though a debate on the subject among hunters may make it look like there is). A 1.5-1.75" mech will work great, as will a FB. Really comes down to your confidence and what you like.
Spitfires, Wasp, Vortex, Sevr, Rage (oh no, I said a bad word, run for your safe space :) KIDDING PEOPLE!) all being good options...
Slick tricks, exodus, Wasp, Montec, Magnus and others being good options for fixed blades.
That's not a full list, just some good off the top of my head options.
A friend who shoots a similar set up generally has pass through's with 1.75" spitfires for example, and has had awesome luck with them for example.
I've shot about a dozen deer with mechanicals at 60# and 29" draw length, but I never used a wide mechanical like a Rage or Killzone, etc. I don't like the angle of attack, too flat. I used a very conservative mechanical, Rocket Steelheads in both 100 and 125s. The 125s were my favorite. I've dropped poundage so shoot fixed heads now, but if I were to shoot a mechanical now, I'd choose some of the 1 3/8" options from Grim Reaper or I think Wasp makes the Jak Hammer in a 1 1/4" diameter. These heads would penetrate better, especially if bone is hit, IMVHO. But if you are shorter draw length, I'd opt for a fixed head and make sure you tune your bow well to shoot them.
"Ever watch a gladiator movie???"
Line from the movie "Airplane"?
At least he didn't lead with "you ever seen a grown man naked?"
With that setup you can easily shoot fixed or mech. Something like a rocket steelhead is a much and penetrates as well as a fixed. Pick something that suits your fancy. But regardless, tune your bow
lol....Matt, received the same comment via PM.
Ambush it was. For a second I was confused cuz I was doing online school for my work license and trying to multi task way beyond my capabilities haha.
I am shooting a 175 grain, 3 blade VPA fixed blade at about 63# on a fairly heavy and durable 340 spine shaft. 28" DL. They fly very well for me and blow through most of the time. The last 3 deer were shot with the same arrow/broadhead. I would rinse it off, sharpen the head and put it back in my quiver. none of them made it out of sight. The adjacent landowner uses an expandable and he has pretty much the same result so pick what you like.
Try shooting most any mechanical into the shoulder blade of a decent sized deer and than try shooting a fixed blade cut on contact into the shoulder blade of a deer and see which has better results! I understand you may not do that intentionally but stuff happens. i tried a couple mechanicals and never had any use for them, I killed deer with them but never was impressed. Shawn
^^^^
Stuff does happen, however, what about when stuff happens and your shot hits too far back rather than too far forward? I can’t imagine anyone preferring a 1” hole rather than a 2-2/12” hole in that scenario.
Full disclosure: I’ve never shot mechanical’s, nor will I for a couple reasons.
Like Ambush I shoot NPA Spitfires in their various configurations. I’ve probably killed over 100 deer with them and never had an issue.
I have killed 72 deer with 100 grain Jak Hammers with great results. They have never failed me.
Now we're deciding on what heads to use by what is portrayed in some fake@ss Hollywood movie??
When ever the subject of on game broadhead performance comes up it is important to keep in mind that native Americans were using the most basic of archery equipment quite effectively I might add to kill bison weighing from 1klbs to over 2klbs at least over 500 years ago. So todays archery gear and broadheads I think I can safely say are a little bit more effective and even a small adult bison is at least 5x bigger than a large whitetail. My point being the broadhead type will NEVER matter as much as what you put the broadhead through. In my experience of having killed over 40 deer with a bow I can tell you if you shoot a deer with an arrow and you fail to recover it after an all out best possible effort to recover it the odds are IMHO 95%+ YOU not the broadhead failed in some way. except for one every last other deer I shot and recovered (and I only hit and failed to recover two deer), all were pass through double lung hits. No deer I ever double lunged went farther than 150 yards, 90%+ went less than 100 yards. Same has been true of all my friends, double lung hits short tracking and recoveries. I know it can happen, but it is a rare excerption that a double lung hit deer is not recovered if the hunter made an all out effort to find it. Bow hunters should concentrate strongest at being as good a shot as they can be and only make high percentage shots that have a 90% or better chance of passing through both lungs, heart or a combination of the three. In my experience a deer hit in only one lung can go a LONG LONG way and not be recovered.
Krieger.....I’m pretty sure “Airplane” is based on a true story!.....loosely. I read it on the internet somewhere;-)
A fast, #62 compound with a reasonably heavy arrow will shoot through stuff I could NEVER get through with my #62 longbow. And a #40 longbow will blow through the ribs of a deer no problem.
So you have your options.
On another thread, someone said “It's WHAT is cut, not ‘cut with what.’”
Kind hard to argue.
But FWIW, there are guides and outfitters who prohibit their clients from using mechs - these are mostly Elk outfits - and none (to my knowledge) who require them. Personally, I don’t begin to understand why anyone would use a mech that opens up to the size of a typical fixed-blade - seems like they are taking on 100% of the potential down-side in exchange for only the in-flight characteristics. I can see going with a really big cutting diameter where A) you have plenty of juice on tap and B) you feel a need to drop the deer extra, extra quickly because you're in the suburbs and an extra 20 yards on the death run could make the animal unrecoverable.
I just want 2 holes. Easier to get there with fixed.
