Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

I've been pouring over all the posts and have read what fixed broadheads and what mechanical broadheads everyone prefers. But how does one make the dissision of fixed or mechanical? I've been using fixed and like them but thinking about trying the rage mechanical.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

I'm kinda going through the same thought process. Really like the way the mechanicals fly, but a lot of my fellow archers out here think they are risky - particularly on elk. I have also heard credible stories about angling shots where the expandable caused the arrow to deflect and stay on the outside of the ribs. This was on an antelope, which is not a very heavy boned critter.

There is also quite a bit of discussion about whether one needs a heavier bow to get good performance from mechanicals. Takes a certain amount of energy to get them to open.

Expandables also seem "safer" in terms of the potential to accidently cut yourself.

One head that seems to be shooting pretty well for me is the G5 Montec. They have a great reputation for elk. I'm sure they would shoot through a deer even with a low poundage bow. Just takes a little more tuning to ge them to impact the same spot, and the ability to sharpen them.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

For me, I take into concideration the animal I'm hunting and the most likely shot distance that I may enounter on that animal.
For instance, when I am planning on hunting turkey, obviously the animal is small and penetration won't be an issue with a large cutting mech. out of MY bow, and I want a lot of cut on the way through the animal.
When I hunt antelope, again a small animal, BUT my shot may be on the long side, so I stick with a fixed blade because I expect my arrow to be loosing KE at longer distances.
On whitetail, I fully expect my shot to be maybe 25 yards, so I think either head would give me plenty of penetration, BUT if I oops and hit the shoulder, I want the fixed, so that's what I choose, although I've shot several with expandables with no problems.
On elk, they are big bodied critters AND my shot may be longer, so I want all the penetration I can get, so I go with fixed!
So that's how I decide.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

I've used both mechanical and fixed. My expierences with fixed left a lot to be desired with a wounded deer i never found, i managed to find 8 spots of blood over 400 yards from the shot and that was it. The other draw back of fixed I could not get them to fly right after 20 yards. Since then i have switced to the Spitfire expandables. Of the four deer i shot the furthest went 200 yards. I shot two at an angle and don't see with this broadhead how it would deflect off an animal that is quarting unless it was standing strait away. Me personally I will continue to use my Spitfire mechanicals.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

Examples of how one or the other style didn't work usually come down to one thing and one thing only; poor shot placement. They both work well. The preference for me is purely a comfort thing. I'm really a freak about keeping blades scary sharp and I don't like those blades waving around out in the open. I feel safer using expandables. Problem is that AK doesn't allow expandables on any of our larger critters so I have arrows rigged with both; expandables for deer, caribou and black bear/ fixed blades for goat, moose and brown bear.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

I have video of a spitfire that had never been fired orhad the blades open (by me)opening halfway to a 13 point buck and turning left, thus skewering him through the guts in an open field. (OK you dont see the broadhead open< but the left turn is so dramatic that even spitfire admited that was the only explanation)

I sent this video to spitfire and they sent me a bunch of replacements. I gave them away.

I do regret not inspecting the head before using it, and I also suspect that the package, which is easily opened may have been opened, and the head may have been played with. (I watched the bow shop guy open a package a week later, open and close the heads to demonstrate them to a customer several times and put them back in the package at Gander Mountain)

So it may not be Spitfires fault, but be sure you inspect the head and be sure the box is factory sealed.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

With today's bow efficiencies and improvements on mechanical heads, there no reason not to anymore. I shot fixed heads for a few years, and took some deer w/ them. I made the switch to mech's for the giant cutting diameter. I'm pumping 75 foot pounds of KE so that 2" Hammerhead won't have any troubles..Should make for a great trail.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

I don't think he meant the arrow could deflect. They have been know to "cartwheel". That meaning that as the head enters on a quartering shot the blade that contacts the hide first creates drag thus "throwing" the tail end of the arrow sideways as it enters. This can alter the path the arrow takes through the animal and greatly impede penetration.

As for only having 8 spots of blood over 400 yards? Any sharp head placed in the boiler will yield buckets of blood very soon after the impact unless something blocks the wound channel. Sharp blades rom a well tuned bow is the secret. Remember the words "well tuned". This is the shooters responsibility.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

Exactly the same thing can be said about fixed blade heads.

There are tooooooo many excelent fixed blade heads out there that will fly as good or better than many of the mechanicals on the market.Fixed headsare many times stronger and reliable than a mechanical head could ever be.

The fact is that white tail deer aren't exactly tough to get a broadhead through. The majority of people that are hunting with bows these days can choose either one and be just fine.But remember that regardless of which one you choose the shooter has the responsibility to make sure the bow rig is tuned well and firing the arrows straight. If the arrows are not flying true then penetration, KE, accuracy, will all suffer and may still result in bad shots and lost animals.


Adewide, if you only got 8 spots of blood in 400 yards then that animal was shot through the guts, maybe the liver,and definetly though the lungs/ heart. If your fixed blade heads were flying bad after 20 yards then they weren't leaving the bow flying good to begin with. They don't just decide to start flying bad once they reach a certain distanceThe one deer thatwent 200 yards couldn't have been a good shot either.They just don't run that far after a broadhead cuts through both lungs.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

I just picked up my first broadheads, and after months of listening to opinions, reading polls and other reviews, I finally decided on Grim Reaper mechanicals. I'm not worried about quartering away deflection with these due to the distance that the point extends past the closed blade edge. I don't have to worry about penetration or activation power shooting 300 fps either. The main reason I decided on mechanicals was simply the wider cutting path available. Being colorblind, I need (or maybe just want) that extra blood on the ground. I did decide on the 1 3/8" cut instead of the 1 3/4" cut. I do want to make sure that I get a good pass through. Don't know if I'd get that from the 1 3/4". Anyway, if you haven't seen this, check out the pics at this Grim Reaper address:
http://grimreaperbroadheads.com/RazorCut.html

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

i think that if your current fixed broadheads are doing good for you, then why bother change them? so just think about that, if they are doing good, flying good and all that, then why change?

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

You are exactly right. With one major exception....Not ONE of those fixed blade heads offers a 2" cutting diameter.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

A 2" cutting diameter with how many blades? Because there are definetly a number of fixed blade heads that DOcut more tissue than a 2" two blade expandable.


There isn't a mechanical out there that is as strong, durable, and reliable as a fixed blade head.

There isn't a mechanical out there that can guarantee 100% with out a doubt that they will open up 100% of the time.

There isn't a mechanical out there that can guarantee an entry wound evry time it strikes an animal.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

Two inch cutting diameter isn't necessary, on anything except maybe turkeys. On most NorthAmerican animals 1" to 1 1/4" will get the job done. This theory about "bigger is better" is truely a myth. Ask any woman.

It's men, with their testosterone that have the ego problem, whether it be penis size or broadhead size.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

I agree that the larger cutting path isn't necessary, and I also agree that a 1" or 1 1/4" broadhead will get the job done just as well. That being said, I don't see how punching a 1 3/8" to 1 3/4" hole through an animal's vitals wouldn't do more damage and make it bleed out faster. Granted, a 2" cut is only available in a 2 blade BH, but there are 1 3/4" cut 3 bladed heads out there. The question there, in my opinion, is that too much resistance to get a good pass through.
Bigger may not be better, but bigger will absolutely get the job done faster.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

I think you're right. All things being equal, I would expect a head with more blades or a wider swath to not penetrate as well as a head with less blades or a narrower swath.

I still know some folkswho think theideal scenariois for the broadhead to notcome out the other side -reasoning that it will continue to cut and do damage as the animal runs off. They also think the advantages of the pass through are far over-rated. Yes you have a good blood trail. But you are probably going to need it, since the animal is probably going to go aways. I'm not sure I buy this logic - but will admit there is probably some ideal balance of penetration and a lot of internal cutting.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

Some bowhunters will make the choice of a mechanical because they can't get a fixed blade to fly correctly.
Don't make the choice of a mech. based on a poorly tuned bow. The fact is that fixed blades are 100% guaranteed when it comes to blade cutting hide, and your bow can be tuned to shoot today's accurate flying bh's at 300+ fps if you are willing to commit to that end. I'm not saying that the mechanicals are no good. They are excellent, but even a mechanical out of a poorly tuned bow won't do it's job. If it contacts the animal while fishtailing or corkscrewing it's robbed of Ke. and the blades may not open properly or penetrate as it should.
Some bowhunters make the choicebased on terrain and distance of the shots they will take. A mechanical may fly better on a 50yrd shot at a moosein a 20mph crosswind in open country,than a fixed blade.

Make your choice based on reasonsOTHER thanthe tuned condition of your bow and go kill something.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

I agree, they can both do the job, andthe newer verisons of both taking are it to the next level, accuracy wise. Personally, I'm always a little worried when using a mechanical, mainly if one of those blades snaps off inside the animal, and I find it with my hands when field dressing!!
Seriously thinking of going to either a Wasp Boss bullet or the Slick trick's this comming season just for that very reason.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

You act ass if fixed blades have never broken inside of and animal before. Mechanicals are new and they scare people, but as the years pass they are going to get better and better. It is like the switch to carbon arrows people had these same kinds of arguments. I personally see a complete pass throug a waste of energy. I have taken a lot of physics classes in college, and know that a arrow flying through animal and sticking in the ground is a waste. You want all the KE to transfer to your target thus giveing a more effective and humane kill. I personnaly do this through mechanical arrows. Others can get bigger arrows, but My ultimate goal is for my arrow to create and exit hole but stay in the animal or fall/be pulled out by the animal.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

I would tend to agree with you if a broadhead killed the same way a bullet does, but it does not. From my observations over 30+ years of bowhunting I've seen deer hardly react at all to a good double lung hit when the arrow passed completely through. They do react to the noise it makes when it hits the ground. I've shot deer that took a couple bounds, maybe 100',and stood looking around till they fell over.

On the other hand I've had shots where bone was hit and the loud "thwack" created made the deer take off running. With that and the arrow cartwheeling around inside created a lot of trauma, making the deer run harder and faster, seemingly trying to "get away' from the intrusion. And anybody who's ever seen a deer run can attest that they can cover a lot of ground in that 8-10 seconds that takes them to die. Maybe a couple hundred yards.

Now which one would you want to trail. The one you just watched die or the one that flew helter skelter to who knows where?

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

You need to take some more physics classes because a broadhead tipped arrow is not designed to transfer energy to the animal at all. It is disigned to pass through the amimal and cut as much tissue with as little resistance as possible on its way through. It does not kill by the transfer of energy it kills by hemmoraging. The more tissue cut then the more hemmoraging occurs. If the arrow stays in the animal then it blocks the flow of blood rom the wound to the ground and can make finding that animal more dificult.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

So your telling me that you don't want the Ke of the arrow to transfer to the dear. Really Wow then why are we even saying the word in relatioship to hunting. Lets just forget about the blunt force tramma that happens when and object strikes a deer. We should also ignor that fact that the DNR Makes us us larger arrows and have poundage limits on our bows so that their isn't a sufficiant ammount of KE whoops I said it again. And I wonder what type of forces cause the cutting action. Im sorry Im not an expert but you dont need to be a dick.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

Hallj86, I am not being a **** but you don't seem to understand how a broadhead tipped arrow works.When a personposts that they have taken numerous physics classes in collegeandprocedes to tell us how a broadhead killsbyposting incorrect information people tend to call them on it.

There is no blunt force trauma associated with it. Broadheads are not striking the deer like a baseball bat, they are slicing through the deer. Just likewhen you cut yourself shaving... there is no blunt force trauma there, just an extremelyclean slice that bleedsfor hours.

No I do not want KE transfered to the deer at all. 40 - 80 foot pounds of KE is a very small ammmount andif thisvery small ammount of KEwas transfered to the animal like a bullet, bat, or even a blunt tipped arrowthen the broadhead would stop dead right about the first ribs and we would all be wounding these animals. The sufficient ammount of KE is there to assure that the broadhead gets through the animal far enough to cut enough vital tissue to cause massive hemmoraging. I want my broadheads as sharp as possible so that they slice very cleanly and effortless through the animal and transfer as little KE to the animal as possible. Most of the forces that actually slow or stop an arrow from passing through an animal have more to do with friction on the arrow shaft and fletchingsthan the transfer of KE to the animal.

Yes I am sure very very verysmall ammounts of KE get transfered to the animal but it is so miniscule that it is neglegable.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

Bigbulls is correct.
We kill by hemoraging w/ a broadhead. The energy of trauma is related to a bullet.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

Your not going to understand so im done trying to make you. I just have one question what energy is behind the cutting force of the arrow. Some new kind that I dont know.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

It obviously takes some energy to push an arrow through hide, flesh, and internal organs. A very sharpbroadhead with a COC design and a narrower cut takes less energy to accomplish this than a dull broadhead with a chisel point and a very wide cutting profile.

But the energy involved here is peanuts compared to energies in the firearms world. A 30/30 Winchester, agood short rangedeer caliber, produces about 2,000 foot pounds of kenetic energy. The .300 Winchester, a good solid elk rifle, has about 4,000 ft. lbs. Even the lowly .22 Long Rifle has more KE than most bows.

The whole energy thing may be somewhat misunderstood in rating both bows and firearms, though. The bottom line is that the size and shape of the wound channel is what kills game. The KE figures can only give you an idea of sort of potential the projectile has to inflict the wound - there are other significant variables as well. With the bow, the broadhead cuts a swath(s) of a certain size and depth of penetration. I have never heard this argued on this board, but I would venture that a pass through on game with a 55 lb. bow does not kill any better than a pass through with a 70 lb. bow - all other variables being equal. The 70 lb. just shoots a little flatter.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

Energy in the firearm world is a big deal. However, even in that world I want an exit wound. Exit wounds tend to leak, if ya knowwhatImean? That in a hunters world is a big deal, leaking critters that is. As for a broadhead, they kill an animal by hemoraging, period. There are others in the world that have at least a minimal understanding of physics, I happen to be one as I teach the subject.That said, I'm still firmly in the corner of broadheads doing their work by hemoraging. Kinetic Energy, how does that go? KE = 1/2 mv^2, or something like that....

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

Then you understand that KE going into the deer is what causes the cutting.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

I'm thinking we are all in agreement here more than we realize. And although arrows kill by creating a lot of bleeding and have very little shock (maybe enough for a bunny); there is still a certain amount of KE needed to get the arrow in the animal deep enough for the broadhead to do its work. A 15 lb. kid's bow isn't going to be able to drive a Carbon Expressarrow,sporting the latest Slick Trick broadhead, deep enough into a big game animal to facilitate a humane harvest. I'm sure that is why Colorado (and many other states) has a minimum (35lb.) pull weight for archery big game.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

But only a very small ammount of that available KE isactually transfered to andabsorbed by the animal.

The physical properties of the moving object as well as the physical properties of the intended target determine how that stored energy is transfered to the animal. A razor sharp broadhead is specifically designed to transfer a little energy as possible to the animal. It is designed to pass through this soft tissue as effortlessly and efficiently as possible.Soft tissue like lungs and muscle will not allow that razor sharp broadhead to transfer energy to them becasue they are too easily cut by the blades. Striking heavy bone will obviously allow more of that KE to be transfered to the animal becasue the physical properties of the bone are much different than that of muscle and lung.

Now, remove the broahdead and install a rubber blunt on the arrow and all of the available KE is being transfered to and absorbed by the animal with outso much as breakingtheskinand the arrow will bounce right off the animal. Yes, the available KE is transfered to the animal but what good did it do?

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

It might of put a welt on the deer and made it run,BUT other than that, not much else![8D]

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

Well, kind of. Actually what I do understand is that the KE of the arrow (or any other projectile) is what gets it to the target. On the other hand, it is momentum (p=mv, where p = momentum) is what drives the projectile home. While p and KE are related (they are both functions of mass and velocity) is the MOMENTUM of the arrow that drives it into the deer, allowing the broadhead to do it's work. I hear about KE all the time, and I understand the significance thereof. However, I never hear about the significance of momentum. That is unfornatute and momentum is that which causes pass through, or no pass through, bone breaking etc. Certainly penetration is not quite that simple, as many things contribute (diameter of the arrow, coefficient of friction between the shaft and the target, and all that stuff), but again, all things being equal, it is momentum that is the real deal behind penetration. Momentum = penetration, penetration = dead critter. Velocity is important is more important in getting the projectile to the target, but mass is equaly important when it comes to penetration...

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

Which is EXACTLY why I like a 3 blade mech. w/ a 2" cutting diameter. Or is my thinking just completely wrong here??

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

If it works for ya...

Someof the reasons I don't like mechanicals is becausethey are pain to practise with. I also don't like the way they can catch some thing on the way to a target, or the way they fit in a quiver.

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

Just shoot a Muzzy like everyone else! (Ha! Ha!) I am faced with a serious delimma myself..... Just started an Archery-Only hunting ranch. Do I allow hunters on my ranch to use mechanicals????? Would you????? If YOUR livelihood depended on it, would you still prefer mechanicals? Better give this some thought.......

RE: Fixed or mechanical broadheads
 

For deer hunting, I wouldn't flinch over someone using a mechanical. Particularly the ones that open before going through the hide - like the Rage and the Rocky Mountain Sniper. But for bigger game, and especially for bows that are pulling a little on the light side, I would want my clients shootingfixed heads.