annika3

Never listen to Guys that start their post this way.

bigcountry

In this case, I highly suggest you get out a pencil and paper and pay attention. You can discount my advise all this time but burnie's (aka kent) should not be taken lightly.

Cerdull

I prefer rage and I shoot a 79 lb bow and all but 1 have passed through

annika3

Obviously I agree with tuning your bow but then saying "go fixed" and "mechanicals are a quick "fix" is simply a hard nosed fixed guy trying to convince people the only thing you should shoot is what they shoot.

28 years of bowhunting and 19 of those fixed. 9 years ago I switched to The Revolution and then Snyper because rear opening made sense and continue to choose rear opening BH's like Rage because of the ADVANTAGES even though I know how to tune my bow. 5 for 5 passthroughs on MATURE Kansas and Iowa whitetail and many, many does kind of proves my point. 100% passthroughs, ZERO lost deer. I'm shooting a Switchback at around 265fps so I'm certainly not shooting a speed demon.

Fixed guys, at one time I was one of you saying I would never try expandables but as soon as rear opening expandables from Rocky Mt came out I was sold. I was hard headed like a lot of you but I am glad I wasn't so hard headed and that I was intelligent enough to take the blinders off when rear opening came out.

I am not saying "all fixed guys need to shoot Rage or other rear opening heads" but what I am saying is back off trying to convince everybody that they don't work or maybe even give them a try yourself. You just might be surprised.

Todd1700

Me either. Of course it's essential to tune your bow. That's a no brainer. But I despise the arrogant jack @$$es who perpetuate the myth that everyone using a mech head is doing so because they can't tune a bow. My bow is perfectly tuned. And I can tune a bow as well as you or anyone you know. Fixed heads have their strengths and weaknesses just like mech heads do. People who act like there are no advantages for any person under any set of circumstances in using a mech head are just destroying their credibility in my eyes. I laugh at such goobs. Wonder if they still ride around in an Ox cart cause them new fangled automobile devices might break down. LOL!

steve25

Reapers hand down!!! Great penatration when I use to use them I got pass throughs everytime but one, it was a spine shot.


But the key word is "used" I have since converted back to fix blades. I use to be one of those guys that used expandable as a quick fix. Now i am so anal about broadhead tuning don't have a use for expandables. Not to say they don't have there place just not with me due to they have poor penatration quailities when compared to a good fixed head like Slick Tricks to name one.

annika3

With today's bows you're going to get passthroughs with most setups so no, mechanicals don't have penetration problems with today's bows.

Also, I use expandables because they are more forgiving in all hunting conditions:

1. 0-60 in windy conditions
2. Torqueing the bow
3. Bad release
4. Cold weather and all the hunting clothes
5. Odd positions when shooting (not like practicing in you backyard)

I believe hitting where you aim and a mechanical will work better and more accurately under all the conditions above.

steve25

I was getting pass throughs with the reapers with an old PSE Nova. So using the speed of the bow is less relevant than having head that takes alot less ke or momentum to open and in that the reaper are far better than the rages.

As far as the conditions you posted all are subjective if a bow is tuned right with a good quality fixed head then all those things are irrelevant because heads like the slick tricks and a few others do not plane like lesser quality fixed heads. The vanes or feathers are what stabilizes the arrows. It would have to be a down right terrible shot due to form for your conditions to come into play.

And if you get your form that out of wack when shooting at game then that shot should NEVER be taken, period!!!!! Nothing good can come from it!!!!!!

I have done alot of experimenting on all weather conditions with various degrees of hand torque added in and in only one of test did the expandable out perform the fixed heads I tried but it was only by 1".

That is when I decided through my own testing that there is no benefit in shooting expendables and all they do is cut down on penetration.

steve25

Also let me say that I am not saying anyone posting here is not properly tuning there bow.

I feel archery hunting as a whole would be better off without expandable broadheads not because they don't have there place but too many archery's that DON'T take the time to properly tune there bow. They see on a package of broadheads the old "flies like Field points" hog wash and they just screw them on and never test them. And most take the packages word for it.

I wish all states would make bowhunter do a qualifying test in order to buy a archery tag. But that is just me and it would be very expensive but you would weed out those that don't take the time to make everything right.

farm hunter

I'm with Burnie on this one - would always prefer a fixed head. In my experience - there is good and bad with most heads. All through the 80s - I used Bear Razorbacks (bet Burnie did too - or zwickey) - they always did the trick - but were a heavy head.

With my carbon arrows I use today - I use muzzy 100grain 3 blade with excellent results. That said, I have no doubt that on any of the last 4 deer I've shot in the last 2 years - that ANY broadhead would have worked just as well. A well placed arrow is lethal