Mechanical BH failure
 

We all hear about them. Who has actually had one that they know failed to open, broke blades, etc? I always laugh when I hear "My (insert name) mechanical didn't open and I lost my deer." When they lose a deer with fixed blades, its a "bad hit". I have shot many types of BH's over the years. I started with Razorback 5's, moved onto serrated blades (idk what I was thinking there) then muzzys and now grim reapors. I have been using mechanicals since 03 w/o any problems at all. Just wondering if any one has actual pics of mechanical failures.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

I have had the tips on some older Rocky Mountain Snypers curl, but that's as close as I've come in 15 years of using mechanicals to a failure.

Oh, and each time the tip curled, there was a dead deer not too far down the trail.:D

This should be fun...

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

Before I went back to Muzzy's I used to shoot Wasp Jak Hammers mechanicals in one season I had 4 shots wherethe blades opened in flight. Nothing will screw up your arrow flight more than a mechanical broadhead that the blades open in flight.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

For those who haven't noticed..the Broadhead survey is complete and a sticky at the top. It's seems fixed blades still are king!

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

I got sucked into these "scorpions" years ago. Not the NAP version, but some other brand. 4 blade, 2 long 2 short. I have had these open in flight and break blades off in pass through. I have 2 left and use them for turkey only, just case they open so frigging big.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

And it took you 4 years to switch?[8D]
I might try the Rage 2-blades out this year, depends on whether I end up in Colorado or Louisiana...
Decisions, decisions.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

I know what you mean. I haven't hunted yet, but out of six Grim Reapers, I had two of them open in flight. That's a real confidence breaker.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

Depending on what mechanical you are shooting and how fast your bow is there are different positions where to place the rubber o ring. My friend shoots the wasp jak hammer and hasnt had a problem and I shoot eastman firstcut's and have never had a problem. I have also heard of people using two retention o rings. There is a very slim chance that on impact the dull spur of the blade will not catch on the hide or flesh to open the blades.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

I spined a big 4x4 about 5 years ago at 8 yards, facing directly awaywith a Triska SK 125 gr. head (76# draw - aluminum 29" arrow - KE through the moon).

This was a shot I'd made many times before with fixed heads. This was my first (and last) experience with high-diameter mechanicals.

Well, the arrow was perfectly placed, and penetrated just enough to bury the head of the ferrule in the bone, and crush the entire unit, shearing off two blades entirely, and demolishing the entire head. The deer ran about 10 yards before the arrow fell out, and I got the joy of watching him stroll across a 100 acre field and into another wood plot.

The head looked like you fired it into a concrete wall. Complete failure.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

I have never heard from anyone that took a "good" shot on a deer with mechs and have any problems. 99% of the crap I do hear about mechs is second hand info from a friend of a friend.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

The closest thing I've tested to a failure on a variety of mechanicals is when the blades shear off on some of the cheaper (thin-narrow blades) ones. I use an old "block" tarket to test mine. If I can't put the head through the target multiple times without loosing blades or causeing a major failure, I won't use it.

Shot placement is the biggest thing. I also know of a buck that was shot this past season with a fixed head at a hard quartering-away angle, and the broadhead deflected off the ribs, basically going through the arm-pit without entering the rib-cage of the buck. It left a major wound, but the buck survived and was killed during gun season. Would you consider this "head failure"? Anything can happen with any head. You don't believe me, how would you explain lost animals before the advent of mechanicals?

I use mechanicals because it reduces my tuning time, increases my forgiveness and accuracy at greater distances. I've killed something like 12 or 14 different deer with my heads only loosing one to a low brisket shot, which wasn't the heads fault - it was only following my aim!

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

I'm not here to tell anyone how to shoot or what shots to take, but I think we will all agree that a spine shot facing directly away is a very low percentage shot and that hitting the spine directly can destroy many broadheads. While the fact that your broadhead came out looking like you had shot it into a wall should not be dismissed because any broadhead that is well made, fixed, mechanical, whatever should not fail like that. I think that your example shows a combination of a poorly made head and a less than optimal shot selection. That's not to say that you could not make that shot, but losing that deer cannot be attributed solely to the broadhead.

I have used mechanical heads for 15 years and at times have switched to fixed blade heads. I have lost several deer with fixed heads, due to poor shots. I have only lost one deer with a mechanical and that too was a poor shot. This does not mean that one is better than the other, it just means I need to shoot better.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

Put it this way Bry, I know I'm not the first or the last guy here to take a straight-down, walking straight-awaychip shot (10 yds or less) into the spinal column. A couple inches left or right puts it straight down through the chest cavity. A dead center hit crushes thevertebral bodies at impact, separating the spinal columnand immobilizing the deer in its tracks. The vitals from directly above areclose tothe same size as they are from abroadside treestand shot. There's really not all that much less to aim at.

Not everyone will admit tointentionally taking a spineshot. But, there are plenty of readers out there who will read this post, take a quick glance up onto the wall at a rack with a bent-up aluminum shaft hanging in the points and givea nodacknowledgment that it is quite effective.

Believe me, if I think I'm about to get an 18 yard quartering shot, I'll wait. But if I don't, then I won't. It's that simple. Every opportunity is different.

My Muzzys, at 76#, 29.5" will reliably chew through a spinal column like a hot knife in butter at close range. I learned the hard way that some broadheads (at least the Trisk SK125) will not. Like I said before - complete mechanical failure.

So, I'm sure that if you want to hunt with a quiver full of Triska's, and wait for a perfect broadside 20 yarder, then by all means do. I'm sure they'll perform wonderfully, and you'll be left with a bloodtrail that a blind man could follow. All I'm telling you is not to expect it to reliably crush/penetrate the spine in all circumstances, because there was at least one circumstance where it failed miserably.

Ijust won'twait for a perfect shot to present itself if I don't think it's going to happen. Maybe that makes me unethical, maybe it doesn't? I just expect my broadheads to be able to decimate a vertebral body at close range and separate the spinal column after a well-placed spine shot. I expect them toshatter an adult whitetail shoulderblade en route to the vitals, or saw through a couple ribs on impact. That's why I hunt at 76# instead of 56#. That's why I threw away the Triskas.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

I never had a "failure"............but I had a less then optimal performance with the WASP JAK-HAMMER.

Shot went right between the ribs, right through a lung and dead center through the heart...........what it DIDN'T do was pass through the opposite side hide.

I had one HIGH hole in the deer and scattered drops of blood..........then it started raining. One of the more difficult track jobs I have done and the deer only went 100 yards. It was early and the woods were thick so it was a long, hard, slow job finding him. If I had gotten a pass through I would have found him in 1 minute............instead it took almost 3 hours and 4 guys.

From that day forward I made it my primary goal to get a pass through so I didn't have to go through that again.

The head performed EXACTLY as designed though so no knocking the WASP.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

My one and only failure. I did recover the deer so I dont count it as a complete failure. Scenario was 40 yard shot at a doe, she was perfectly broadside until some squirells made noise underneath my stand and then she faced me. I had been at full draw for quit some time and decided to take the shot. Frontal shots are deffinetly not my prefered shot to take but I was more than confident that I could put the arrow where it needed to be. Anyway at the shot the deer jumped the string. One of the blades nicked her chin and kicked the arrow down. It entered the white patch on her throat hit the neck bone and slide down and exited just above the chest coming out the front just like it went in.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

Mechanicals fly great BUT! If anyone has hunted in the snow or frezzing rain those blades are frozen shut or you hit that off shoulder and dont know that you broke part or all of that blade off and go to guttin and find it the hardway or forget to put new o-rings on the next season and wonder why the head opened in flight. Those are just some of the problems I've had with them. Now I shoot Muzzy 4 blade 100gr or 100gr shuttle T which do unspeakable damage and I dont have to collect those tiny little rubberbands anymore.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

If this is the same buck I know about, it was shot with a fixed blade head. If it's not the same buck, I'm in idiot.

Either way, it's win-win. :D

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

just the possibility of this makes me stick with the trusty muzzys. they probably wouldnt fail me if i got some, but who wants to take a chance if you get good flight with fixed blades?

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

I had the same problem of deflecting off the ribs a few years back when I shot a doe at a steep quartering angle, fortunately the arrow did penetrate the chest cavity but didnt do it until just in front of the heart. The arrow entered at the last rib, and luckily all the arteries coming out the front of the heart got cut when she took off runing with the arow still in her. That was a 100grain 3 blade muzzy.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

never had one fail shot many of deer with older slow bows the VORTEXS performed great.shooting a carroll intruder and high country excalabur.
a head with 2 inch cut does the job. if the head would fail it would still have a 7/8 inch cut.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

I have to know,how did you know it opened in flight?



I have had one problem with mechanicals andone problem with fixed.The expandableI recovered and the fixed I did not.I had a blade come off on impact once but the shot was perfect and the deer was recovered.Rocket was more than fair with me when they sent me a new package of a different model.Apparently there was a problem with that particular model.




The fixed was a Thunderhead and it caught whatI believe was the back of the shoulder and I found the arrow about 30 yards down the trail.The head was twisted beyond belief.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

TFOX, I had sort of a similar problem with rockets. I bought a pack of 100 grain steel heads I believe and all the blades fit loose in the grooves. I didnt like that one bit and emailed rocket about the problem and they said as long as they werent falling out it was fine.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

I use the Steelheads and haven't had a single problem with them.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

The reason I am curious about knowing if the heads open or not is because I have purposely left the bands off mine before and had NO problems with flight.I do use smaller cut steelheads though.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

I stand corrected, I was shooting the ultimate steels I believer they were called. Sollid steel with the bacon skinner blades.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

Aren't those fixed heads.[8D]

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

yes, and the blades were rattling cause they were so loose. In my amazment rocket said it was fine.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

I've used several mechanicals over the years.

Punchcutters

Rocket Miniblasters 3L

Wasp Jak-Hammers

along with several fixed blades

Thunderhead 125's

Satelites

Wasp Cam-Loks

Muzzy 75's


I've taken many deer with each head. I've taken most with Rocket Miniblasters. Not sure how many but probably around 20 with just that head.

I never had one fail. I will say this, Every time I shot a Rocket mechanical it would severely bend the blades or break them off. They were only good for one shot.

Idid read somewhere, that the Rocket blades were designed to bend and break as to not stop penetration. They wanted the arrow to keep penetrating and not to get wedged and stop.


One other problem with some mechanicals is on very sharp angles. They will slide along theyrib cage, instead of penetrating sometimes. Ive had this happen twice.

Below is a pic of what a Rocket did on a sharp angle. It really sliced open a heck of an entrance wound. Yes, that is the entrance wound.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

"I never had one fail. I will say this, Every time I shot a Rocket mechanical it would severely bend the blades or break them off. They were only good for one shot."



If the blades bend or break or shear off, then they're not even good for that one shot.

Nothing out-performs a solid two blade conventional broadhead. Nothing.

-Sharpster

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

cant go wrong with fixed broadheads :D

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

Its so funny hoe people come up with all these situations where mechanicals fail when everyone knows fixed will also fail.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

The Rockets do not hold together, that's for sure. From what I read, they were designed that way. I forget where I read that though.

I actually liked their performance on deer. Whether the blades broke or bent the result was a dead deer, in my case.

What I didn't like was replacing blades after they were shot.

I used them longer than I've used other blades and have taken more deer with them.

Like I said, I liked their performance. Large entry hole, good blood trail and I rarely tracked one more than about 50 yards.

I even shot through shoulder blades on a few deer that were within 20 yards and quartering toward me. I know it is a poor shotangle and I'll hear some flack, but I admit, I did it and had very good results.

I would not attempt a shot like that with other heads, especially a fixed blade. Because a fixed blade is so sturdy and won't sheer blades, it will wedge itself in bone and not penetrate.

I only took very close quarting toward shots and did not attempt shots farther than 20 yds.

RE: Mechanical BH failure
 

QS, we've both been around this forum long enough to know not to criticize individuals for shot selection, but to look at the shot selection itself. So, please don't take that as a knock on you. I'm sure that if you felt anything less than confident in your ability to make the clean kill you would not have taken it. The straight down spine shot is always a tricky one, because the spine can stop an arrow dead cold no matter what head you are using, and if you miss it to the side you can at best hope for a one lung hit. While lethal (most times) it is not the most preferred scenario. I have trust that when you choose to take that shot it is a last resort and you are as sure as you can be that it will result in meat in the freezer. Besides, I'm not gonna knock someone from my hometown too hard.;)

Windwalker had an intersting post, so I'm going to go through all of the broadheads that I have shot and the results I have had.

Bear Razors-Miss

NAP Razorbak 5 blades-No shot

NAP ThunderHeads-unrecovered 8 point (gut shot)

Punchcutters-2 button bucks, 1 doe(all recovered within 65 yards)

Puckett's Bloodtrailers-1 groundhog, 1 racoon (too afraid to use them on deer)

Muzzy 4 Blade 90 grain-1 hog, 1 lost 7 point (gut shot)

Rocky MountainRevolutions-1 button buck, 1 spike, 1 non-typical odd rack buck

Rocky Mountain Snypers-2 doe, 1 6 point

Rocket Steel Heads-1 lost doe (very poor penetration after hitting shoulder joint)

NAP Spitfires-1 doe, 1 button buck, 1 8 point buck

So, I think it's safe to say that no matter what head you use, if you do your job the broadhead will do its job. Yes, because of mechanicals' design they are more likely to have damage if they are put in the wrong place, but that is not to say that the same shot would result in a successful harvest with another head. Besides it is our duty to make sure that we do our part to make sure our equipment does its. We should not count on our equipment to account for our lack of practice or skill. That is, do not count on a mechanical to make up for a poorly tuned bow, and don't count on a fixed blade head to punch through bone on a poorly placed shot. While both may do this effectively, we should do everything within our power to make sure they do not have to.

OK, soapbox session over. Thanks for indulging me.