Should I use fixed blade or mechanical for Deer
08-12-2020, 11:29 PM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 3
Should I use fixed blade or mechanical for Deer
Hi, I am relatively new to hunting and had no background of hunting deer or anything like that with a bow, I need suggestions that whether I should consider fixed or mechanical broad heads.
09-15-2020, 03:46 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: west central wi USA
Posts: 2,242
I tried Rage mechanicals for a season. I switched back to fixed blades when I had an arrow glance off a buck's rib on a steep angle shot and stick in the ground. Never had that happen with a fixed blade and I'm not a fan of mechanicals for that reason. A corollary to Murphy's law goes: "Anything that can go wrong, will." In my opinion, introducing a broadhead with moving parts, adds another factor into the equation. Others swear by them. Not me. There are a lot of fixed blade designs which are as accurate as field points, so that's not an issue any more.
09-15-2020, 06:11 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,743
my 2 cents almost 40 yrs of bow hunting experience)
BOTH broadheads work JUST fine when you place them where they should go!
typically folks go to mechanical heads due to they fly better in MOST all bows without any issue's
where as FIXED heads, some times can be more finicky on bow's, meaning NOT all fixed heads fly as true in bows, you have to many times FIX a broad head that fly's from your set up, and or you need to tune your bow to get them to fly rue
paper tuning things is a IMO a very important thing when shooting any arrow/broeadhead set up, to know your bow is in tune and working as best it can ,
but even still, when a bow is 100% in tune, some fixed heads do NOT fly true, some need you to adjust more for them, this is exactly why there are SO many different designs to fixed heads, every maker TRIED to make a design that would fly true to EVER bow
yet IMO, there are ZERO designs that do this 100% of the time!
the only one's that come close to being able to fly out of every bow, , is SOME of the mechanical heads
when thinking of heads , maybe think of this
fixed heads tend to be stronger and as stated above, less to go wrong! and IF left INSIDE a animal, they will more likely do more damage as an animal runs, walks and moves in general,!(as many mechanical s when they are in a animal have edges or blades that can fold back in , or can even allow an arrow to back out, due to blades can close back up sort of, allowing arrow to come out easier than a fixed head )
thats there main advantage!
BOTH can be deflected if they hit something in mid flight, and or hit bone, there is NO magic head that goes thru things period!
angle,. speed, and other variables come into place, that can effect the path in which either fly at!
I have killed many many deer with both designs, I personally prefer GOOD mechanical these days due to how much easier they are top get to fly true, MEANING they fly the same as my practice arrows with target tips( this is a BIG part of bow hunting, having your target arrows fly to SAME point of AIM< as your broadheads, MANY fixed heads again will NOT do this, they will have a SLIGHTLY different point of aim)
when your hunting deer or most any BIG game animal, your aiming spot is NOT at BONES on an animal, your aiming more at softer tissue to get into vitals, so when you DO your part right, hitting bones isn;t normally a issue to worry about
BUT when things go wrong or off target some, this is where ANYTHING can happen
Fixed heads MIGHT have a small advantage when things go wrong, due to , there stronger, no moving parts, and can stay in an animal better!
but I still prefer an arrow to fly's better to lessen the odds of that off target shot placement!
but BOTH again work well when there set up to fly true to YOUR set up!
something else to keep in mind, is making sure your bow and arrows and broadhead's are all of proper weight for things for YOUR set up
to work well together!
if your not sure, ask a good local bow shop about YOUR set up and math all things up, to get you the best possible set up!
BOTH broadheads work JUST fine when you place them where they should go!
typically folks go to mechanical heads due to they fly better in MOST all bows without any issue's
where as FIXED heads, some times can be more finicky on bow's, meaning NOT all fixed heads fly as true in bows, you have to many times FIX a broad head that fly's from your set up, and or you need to tune your bow to get them to fly rue
paper tuning things is a IMO a very important thing when shooting any arrow/broeadhead set up, to know your bow is in tune and working as best it can ,
but even still, when a bow is 100% in tune, some fixed heads do NOT fly true, some need you to adjust more for them, this is exactly why there are SO many different designs to fixed heads, every maker TRIED to make a design that would fly true to EVER bow
yet IMO, there are ZERO designs that do this 100% of the time!
the only one's that come close to being able to fly out of every bow, , is SOME of the mechanical heads
when thinking of heads , maybe think of this
fixed heads tend to be stronger and as stated above, less to go wrong! and IF left INSIDE a animal, they will more likely do more damage as an animal runs, walks and moves in general,!(as many mechanical s when they are in a animal have edges or blades that can fold back in , or can even allow an arrow to back out, due to blades can close back up sort of, allowing arrow to come out easier than a fixed head )
thats there main advantage!
BOTH can be deflected if they hit something in mid flight, and or hit bone, there is NO magic head that goes thru things period!
angle,. speed, and other variables come into place, that can effect the path in which either fly at!
I have killed many many deer with both designs, I personally prefer GOOD mechanical these days due to how much easier they are top get to fly true, MEANING they fly the same as my practice arrows with target tips( this is a BIG part of bow hunting, having your target arrows fly to SAME point of AIM< as your broadheads, MANY fixed heads again will NOT do this, they will have a SLIGHTLY different point of aim)
when your hunting deer or most any BIG game animal, your aiming spot is NOT at BONES on an animal, your aiming more at softer tissue to get into vitals, so when you DO your part right, hitting bones isn;t normally a issue to worry about
BUT when things go wrong or off target some, this is where ANYTHING can happen
Fixed heads MIGHT have a small advantage when things go wrong, due to , there stronger, no moving parts, and can stay in an animal better!
but I still prefer an arrow to fly's better to lessen the odds of that off target shot placement!
but BOTH again work well when there set up to fly true to YOUR set up!
something else to keep in mind, is making sure your bow and arrows and broadhead's are all of proper weight for things for YOUR set up
to work well together!
if your not sure, ask a good local bow shop about YOUR set up and math all things up, to get you the best possible set up!
09-16-2020, 05:57 AM
#4
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 12,746
I totally agree with MRBBs post but not so much with Wingbone's. Regarding his comment I've had the same thing happen with a 4 blade Muzzy broadhead after placing a perfect behind the shoulder shot. After jumping the deer and then backing out I recovered it to find my arrow did the same thing coming out on the opposite side just forward of the hip.
I've been bowhunting for 55+ years and have used both designs. I've killed tons of deer with Muzzys and Magnus Stingers. Most of the deer I've shot with the Stingers died within sight. I suppose that was because they went through them so fast they may have thought they were stung by a bee or something. But if yoou use these be forewarned to use new out of the pack for hunting. They are somewhat "soft" and shooting into a layered foam target has been know to bend them slightly causing erratic arrow flight. Magnus does honor their return policy and will replace any that do this. However I currently use Rage mechaincals. The devastation they cause is something to behold. This is a major plus on a less than perfect shot.
Keep in mind there are some designs of mechanicals that IMO aren't that good. Schwackers and those that don't open up until entry can cause you a tracking problem if you don't get a pass through. Designs like Rage and NAP Bloodrunner are good designs. IMO though the Rage 2 blade is hands down the best out there. I prefer the Hypodermic.
I've been bowhunting for 55+ years and have used both designs. I've killed tons of deer with Muzzys and Magnus Stingers. Most of the deer I've shot with the Stingers died within sight. I suppose that was because they went through them so fast they may have thought they were stung by a bee or something. But if yoou use these be forewarned to use new out of the pack for hunting. They are somewhat "soft" and shooting into a layered foam target has been know to bend them slightly causing erratic arrow flight. Magnus does honor their return policy and will replace any that do this. However I currently use Rage mechaincals. The devastation they cause is something to behold. This is a major plus on a less than perfect shot.
Keep in mind there are some designs of mechanicals that IMO aren't that good. Schwackers and those that don't open up until entry can cause you a tracking problem if you don't get a pass through. Designs like Rage and NAP Bloodrunner are good designs. IMO though the Rage 2 blade is hands down the best out there. I prefer the Hypodermic.
Last edited by bronko22000; 09-16-2020 at 06:00 AM.
09-16-2020, 02:29 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,743
also keep in mind, you didn;t mention what weight your bow is set at, as SOME mechanical
s require a certain amount of LBS to use them so they work right
they sell one's for lower poundage bows as well, as higher(like for X bows)
hitting bone with any broad head is never a GOOD thing, IMO
heart ,. lungs, are where you want things and there rather soft tissue make up, so any GOOD SHARP broadhead will work, get off target some and anything can go bad!
s require a certain amount of LBS to use them so they work right
they sell one's for lower poundage bows as well, as higher(like for X bows)
hitting bone with any broad head is never a GOOD thing, IMO
heart ,. lungs, are where you want things and there rather soft tissue make up, so any GOOD SHARP broadhead will work, get off target some and anything can go bad!
09-17-2020, 07:30 AM
#6
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 12,746
also keep in mind, you didn;t mention what weight your bow is set at, as SOME mechanical
s require a certain amount of LBS to use them so they work right
they sell one's for lower poundage bows as well, as higher(like for X bows)
hitting bone with any broad head is never a GOOD thing, IMO
heart ,. lungs, are where you want things and there rather soft tissue make up, so any GOOD SHARP broadhead will work, get off target some and anything can go bad!
s require a certain amount of LBS to use them so they work right
they sell one's for lower poundage bows as well, as higher(like for X bows)
hitting bone with any broad head is never a GOOD thing, IMO
heart ,. lungs, are where you want things and there rather soft tissue make up, so any GOOD SHARP broadhead will work, get off target some and anything can go bad!
IMO too if anyone who archery hunts says they haven't lost a deer probably hasn't been doing it for too long. In my 55+ years of archery hunting I lost 2. Both of these were totally my fault and were unnecessary losses. Both were on decent 8 point buck that I thought were good shots and my error was starting to trail them too soon, jumping them and loosing the blood trail. One I found a week later (I had walked 15 yards past it the day I shot it) and another word got back to me that someone else had found it.
PLEASE.....please after your shot, even if it looks perfect, give the animal a minimum of 45 mins to an hour before starting to track it. If its a less than ideal shot, go home or wait about 4 hours or even over night before you start looking.
02-12-2023, 02:50 PM
#8
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
Posts: 15,436
To be honest, you can be equally as lethal with fixed blade and mechanical, but I usually use mechanical because I don't have to broadhead tune my bow with them. There's a pretty good mechanical broadhead article that has some great options for mechanicals.
