mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

i got some spitfire mechanicals but never shot at a deer with em last season. then talked to some people and read some posts on how they didnt open up and it was like shootin a deer with a feild point. i think i am gonna switch to 3 bladed muzzys.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

I do not use a mechanical any more either. But I would say most of the "horror" stories you hear about mechanicals aren't true. People like to blame their equipment for their mistakes. I used mechanicals to shoot 2 coyotes. Never used one on a deer but my brother has taken many with the Shockwave by NAP. I see no reason for myself to shoot a mechanical when you can get field tip groups out of a fixed blade.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

I would be uncomfortable using a broadhead that had to open in order to cut. Thats just one more thing I got to worry about and think about while Im tryin to make a shot.
I would, and am gonna prolly try, the Gator 100s tho.
Check em out:)

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

I switched to 100gr. vortex 2 years ago. I have shot 7 deer with them none have gone more than 60 yrds. I have to agree most of the bad press mechanicals get is from poor shot placement. Put a vortex with a 2 3/4" cut in a deers vitals he wont go far.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

I use the Vortex, too, in fact that is what I started with and all I have ever used.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

I'm done with them as well. Not only did my arrow pull out within 15 yards, but one blade bent at least 45 degrees......When was the last time you saw a bent fixed blade??? Trash.........

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

hey buck shot and isatarak. if the vortex came out this year how did you guys shoot em before now. do you work for em?

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

I think ill use vortex on turkeys this season, but not on deer. I cant say horror stories because ive never used them, but ive had so much luck with fixed blades ill just stay with them on deer.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Shot two deer with nap spitfires last fall. Both opened on impact and had passthroughs. Used the first arrow and head on the second one. The arrow and head are like new yet. Just touched up edge after first shot,but couldn't tell it had dulled any. Both were broadside shots at 25 yards. I wouldn't take a angle shot with one.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

don't know who told you they came out this year but they are wrong because Iv'e been using 100 gr. for the last 2 years and use 125 gr. the year before so I know they have been around for at least 3years.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

well thats jus one mroe thing that can go wrong and if it is the difference of a deer being wounded and a dead deer it would be worth gettin rid of em. but the way i got hooked was that people told me they shoot perfect as feild points right out of the box. but when i was target shooin with my brother he put on his fixed and they shot the same groupin that his feild points did.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

I killed 3 with the Gator XP's this year. I like them a lot.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

If fixed blades work for you then don't change but you can get wounded deer with fixed and the blades will bend and break if they hit bone. The vortex I use have a 7/8" cut even if they did not open and I have gotten clean pass throughs on all shots so far

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Groundhunter,Actually the last time I shot a deer with a fixed head I had exactly what you described happen.I think I remember your other post on this subject and I believe I had the same type hit.I got the shoulder blade and twisted the Thunderhead into a spiral.The arrow was broken off almost immediately and the rest of the arrow was found 20-30 yards down the trail.the mistake was mine,first I made a less than perfect hit and secondly,I thought I had a better hit and started tracking too soon(15 minutes) and pushed the deer.All my fault and I will under no circumstance track sooner than 30 minutes after a shot.Longer if I think it MAY have been a questionable hit.This was several years ago.



Mechanicals get a bad rep from just these kinds of stories and all suffer from a few bad ones.Some mechanicals are fine heads,such as the spitfires but they need high ke to function well,imo.Others,such as the Rocket steelheads penetrate better than most fixed heads.They can be used out of almost any setup with as good or better results than fixed.They do have a durability issue but that is usually from the ground causing bent blades on the other side of the animal.I have never had over 57 ft/lb's of ke with mechanicals and usually much less and never had a problem.




As far as fixed shooting as well as field points,that just isn't going to happen.Yes it is possible to get the same groups with field points and broadheads but that is where it stops.A field point and mechanical allows you to have form flaws and still get good arrow flight.A broadhead on the end of an arrow will not allow such form flaws with good arrow flight.The form flaws I am talking about are the kinds that are experienced when hunting.Like bending around a tree to make a shot and torquing the bow a little.If that arrow comes out of the bow less than perfect with a broadhead,the broadhead takes over and leads the arrow where it wants to go.If the arrow has a field point or a GOOD mechanical,it recovers and is still heading for the target.Basically,a mechanical is more forgiving than a fixed.



I don't care what a person uses as long as it is matched to his or her equipment and is well tuned.That is really the most important,along with shooter ability.


For the record,I did hunt with a really good fixed head this year and will be going back to Rockets this upcoming year for various reasons.(I didn't shoot anything with them for a number of reasons)I like shooting and practicing odd shots and fixed doesn't give me the versatility I like.I also really like the fact that most deer that I hit with the Rockets expire VERY quickly and I don't use or even like the large diameter ones.That is another problem that gives mechanicals a bad rep.People trying to push 2" expandables out of underpowered bows.If you are using big heads,fixed or mechanical,you better be packing a punch or you will be disspointed. Just my 2 cents

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

I prefer to use fixed broadheads myself, but We have taken 2 of 3 bull moose with mechanicals .I've heard lots of guy's say not to use them for anything larger than deer but each guy has his own opinion and obviously they are just that OPINIONS because we have 2 moose that say they'll work on very large game as well.Not that I'd change my mind but I do know that mechanicals do work.I think mechanicals are much better now than when they first come out and it's probably why some hunters just don't trust them. I know they work but I can't help but think when I use them that's when one blade won't open properly and I'll injure or lose a animal ,so I will stick to cut on contact or fixed .
But mechanical's do work.For each his own.

nubo

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Like others have said, most horror stories about mechanicals are either made up, or they are due to the hunter, not the b-head. If a mechanical is put where it needs to be, it will kill a deer.

I have two mechanicals and 4 fixed blade b-heads sitting right in front of me and I can tell you that the mech's are pretty impressive.

I havn't hunted with mechs, so I can't comment on them, but, I have shot my mechs into various targets and other items, and they have suprised me.

Right now, I have 100 grain Rocky MT Gator and a 125 Votex Pro Extreme sitting in front of me.

These both fly great, but, my bow is tuned very well, so that is a major reason. As far as opening goes, I shot them through a watermelon to see how quick they opened. The Gator was almost fullyed opened on the front side and it was fully opened on the back. The front hole was 1-7/8" and the b-heads cutting diameter is 2". The Vortex wasn't as quick opening, but gosh, when that thing got fully opened, it looked like someone took a machete to the watermelon. It was about half open on the front and fully opened on the back. You can't believe was a 2-3/4" hole looks like until you actually see it in something. When shot with dental rubber bands on, into the b-head side of my Knight and Hale (cube style) target, I was getting entrance holes that were just a little under 3-1/2" wide. I couldn't believe the size of gash that was.

This fall, I am gonna carry 2 mechs and 2 fixed blades in my quiver. What I am gonna try is 125 grain Rocky MT Snyper XP's and 125 Grain 3-Blade Muzzys. If they group the same (which they should), then I am gonna do this. If a doe comes in, I am gonna let a Snyper fly at her. If a buck comes in, I am gonna go with the proven Muzzy.

I am still a little skeptical of mechs, but no because of penetration or blades opening. I am a little worried about blades breaking, that is the only reason I didn't use the Gators I have last year.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Sorry, but my Muzzys do out of my setup or I would not use them. Of course I spend a lot of time getting them to shoot that way.

I have not yet tried mechanicals so I cannot comment except to say I just cannot make myself yet try a head that has to open up upon impact, maybe this fall I will give a mechanical head a try.

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[Deleted by Admins]

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Vortex heads have been around for alot longer than 1 year , I know they have been around atleast 5 , and probably alot longer than that . I used to be a fixed only archery allso , untill I saw with my own eyes , for 5 years in a row , how the vortex heads worked . They are an excellent head for deer , I dont think Id use them for mouse or elk , but I'll bet there are members on this board who have had sucess with these heads on those animals allso .

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

If I were using a compound I'd have no problems at all shooting mechanicals. I killed deer with Vortex and Shockwaves and were very impressed, my Dad kills his deer with First Cut's -

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Mechanical heads are definitely not for everybody. The two main factors that determine this, in my opinion, are your KE levels and how well your bow is tuned. To address the first, if, on paper, your bow is generating acceptable levels of KE...(50-55 ft. lbs on whitetail sized animals)..then you should have no problem using small to average cutting diameter mechanicals.....Steelheads, Snypers, Shockwaves, etc... However, if you start getting over a 1.5 inch cutting diameter and/or the efficient head design changes then you can run into some problems. That is where "extra" KE comes into play. 60-65 ft. lbs is even better to get mechanicals in the 1.5 inch range to work effectively and I would probably recommend a minimum of around 65 ft. lbs if you are going to use a 2 inch cutting diameter head or larger.

Ofcourse, this is assuming that your bow is well tuned and proper shot placement is there. You could have 70 ft. lbs of KE but if your bow is not tuned properly then that KE will not get placed where it needs to and your head will not work.

Most mechanicals on the market today are of very good quality and design though there are still a few that you won't catch me using even with my setup.

1. Check your KE levels on bow jackson's website www.bowjackson.com.

2. Make sure your bow is well tuned.

3. Pick a head that fits your setup.

4. Use proper shot placement.

...and you should have no problem using many of the more popular mechanical heads out there.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

You should never walk out into the woods with equipment you are not 100% satisified with or confident in. If you believe what you heard about spitefires than by all means get rid of them and use what you are comfortable with..

I know for a fact that they do work and work well. I use shockwaves now as I have turned the lbs down on my hunting bow a bit and the shockwave is smaller. They also work and work well.

Fact of the matter is in order for any broadhead to do it's thing, it has to be put where it can do its thing. Shoulder bones isn't one of those places..

I don't know why for the life of me, that when people make a bad shot with a fixed broadhead, they will say I made a bad shot.
When they make a bad shot with a mechanical, more than likely they will say, it's mechanical broadhead failure. Don't know why it's true but it is, none the less.

At any rate, Good judgement and arrow placement comes with experience. It takes time to learn what works for ya and what doesn't.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

[8D] Have tried mechanicals but felt more confident with my trusty Thunderheads. They are real rib busting broadheads! That is very important to me because they are very likely to be hit upon entry & or exit. I have just found them very much to my mindset. I don't knock mechanicals, except the cheepies.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Stay away from spitfires and use rockets! I have been using the Rockets since they first came out. I use the 3 blade Miniblasters and now the Slammerheads. I have shot probably 15 deer or more with them. I get complete pass through unless I hit off side shoulder after it has gone through the vitals. Almost all the deer do not make it more than 50 yards, I had one go 80 yards, most go about 20 yards. It is kind of amazing the way the fall so quickly. I only shoot Broadside or Quartering away shots! I do not want to risk injuring a animal and not finding it. With the Rockets I am batting 100%. I have been bowhunting for 30 years. I went through the troubles of tuning fixed wing broadheads for years, some flew good, some did not, even though they spun perfect. With the Rockets I just match the weight of the fieldpoint and the broadhead that I use, 95 grains with the Slammerheads. I never had a problem with arrow flight with the Rockets. They are great on turkeys too! I shot a 220 lb field dress deer at 45 yards this year and I got cmplete pass through, he went 30 yards and dropped. I shoot a 60lb Bowtech Pro 40 DC and Carbon Express 300 arrows that weight 365 grains. I do believe carbons help give better penetration with the mechanical style broadheads. I will never go back to fixed!!!!

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

ive had good luck from steelheads, spitfires and rocky mt assassians. i had terrible luck w/ rocky mt revolution's.

but--ive had the best luck w/ muzzys.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

i've used vortex 2" cut 2 blade heads for about 4 years not one failure only two times did i not get a pass through both this year,first one i hit the shoulder opposite side of entry she didnt go far.
second one hit a doe arrow looked like it only went in about half way down the shaft upon recoving this doe,she had a hole in her arm pit and a cut on her leg but the arrow never looked like it went in that far.these heads work great.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Hey, Bees! Now I understand why you don't see any difference between straight and crooked arrows. You're shootin' mechs! :)

I tested several brands of mechanicals a few years ago and decided they'd be ice skating on the streets of hell before I ever used 'em. First, out of the ones I tested, only the NAP Shockwaves were what I'd call 'hunt ready' right out of the box. Sharp and totally functional.

Rocket Steelheads and Rocky Mountain Assassins would not open without grabbing each individual blade with a pair of pliers and pulling them open. Further inspection revealed a lot of crud and machining chips in the Assassins and the Steelheads had stamping burrs that had to be filed down before they'd work properly.

Out of the mechanicals I've tried, I experienced a 75% rejection rate. I'm sure there are too many people that do not check their heads before using them, and I'd bet most of the 'failures' you read about can be directly attributed to that.

Anybody that thinks they can simply take mechs out of the package, screw them onto their arrows and go hunting is a fool! They MUST be checked out thoroughly for function and sharpness before they go to the woods. Not doing so is just plain unethical.

Anyway, I'd rather spend my time getting fixed blade heads ready to hunt rather than spending that time FIXING THE JUNK THE FACTORIES PUT ON THE MARKET. When I pay for functional heads, I darn sure expect to GET functional heads.

But I can't finish this post without giving credit where credit is due... I must say that Bruce Barrie and the folks at Rocky Mountain are top notch. When I contacted them about the problem with their Assassins, they went out of their way to make things right. Two thumbs up for them!

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Yep maybe, I take the time to tune the bow to shoot, four bladed muzzy, and steelforce arrow heads. Those are what I used to qualify my tunning. I get all to group with the filedtips.

Like you I have not yet found a shockwave defective out of the box. I take them out and take the rubber off and tip them up. the blades should fall open immediately. If they don't check for a burr or bend blade. I never had any that didn't pass yet.. then I check sharpness which is usually good. then put the rubber back on and spin it on the shaft. Ready to go then..

By the way what is the straightness on a CXl 250 arrow??

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

MrFishy.......there is a lot to learn in Bowhunting and reading peoples success or failure ...is tricky business. PAbowhunter is dead on and that has much more to due with the stories than the actual broadheads. Spitfires are extremely tough, very dependable, unbelievably sharp(especially compared to any Rocket), and give a great bloodtrail . But like any of them.......your bow has to be tuned, your KE adequate, and your shot placement on ..........if you do that your in business.......if not.......well you can have the best fixed blade on the market and be sitting here typing a post about how they don't work !! ;)

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

It's funny how some of you people can get on here and rip mechanicals and you probably haven't even shot a deer w/ them. Here are my results in the past 4 years I have been using the spitfire 3 blade mechanical. 12 deer taken, 2 deer lost (bad shots) all but 1 was a complete pass through. To add to this this was all with only 6 different spitfires. This year I took 5 deer lost none and took 3 w/ the same head. Just clean them sharpen them and put them back in the quiver.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

I killed deer with both fixed and mech! I don`t know about the horror storys some talk about. I have lost deer with both type heads. one time or another if you bowhunt long enuff it will most likely happen.but i hope it dont! Goodluck, I really can`t comment on what others post only the experience that i have.I have been bowhunting for more than 20yrs.I started useing mechs about 5-6yrs ago. they just sounded to good to be true.a broadhead that would fly like a field point? well i tride them and the only thing that i can say about mech that i have hunted with is that some times you just don`t get as good a bloodtrail as with fixed heads.BUT IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT KIND OF FIXED OR MECH YOUR TALKING ABOUT. and how many pounds your pulling.The deer i have lost was most of the time just bad shots! I hate to say it but it is true.there are alot of factors you have to look at when you compaire the to heads.mech`s i will agree are not for every one! but if you set your bow up right and place your shot where it should be.the animale will die fast! But the trouth is we don`t always get the pefect shot. so here is where thing come into play? like others have sead bending around tree`s twisting and other wierd shots that make the biggest diffrence.on weather you get a passthrough or not as for me I will hunt with mechs and i fill confident with them. i have taken some nice animals useing them. but i also take a little more time placing shots just to be sure.But when you talk abount fixed blades there is no doubt they cut a lot faster than mechs and won`t slow the arrow down near as fast.the only reason i switched is it took me a while longer to tune them.getting one to fly right and to do what i wanted seem to take a lot more time than it should. I have shot muzzy`s and thunderheads and they are great and i would not have a problem using them agian. And i may even use them again in the near future.but like i sead bad shots is what is the problem with most people`s lost deer! mechs or fixed!:)

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Sorry for the spelling! :)

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Cougar mag


I don't and will not agree that any fixed blade head above 7/8" will be as FORGIVING as a field point or mechanical.This is just a physical impossibility.That is not to say you can't get good flight and even groups the same.I,myself have my broaheads and field points shooting the same out to 50 yards.But as soon as I start twisting and turning,which causes torque,the fixed will start to take over.


Try this,take a broadhead tipped arrow and stand at 40 yards and grap the handle and twist the grip a little and shoot and see where it impacts.Then try the same shot with a fieldpoint and I think you will see where I am saying a fixed will not shoot like a field point.Also wind will have much more of an affect on the fixed than a mechanical.Especially for the advanced shooter/hunter that takes shots longer than 40 yards.


Please don't misunderstand my posts.I am not trying to bash fixed or am I saying you can't get them shooting great.It is quite possible and like I said,mine do shoot great,but they are not as forgiving.As a result I will be shooting my Rockets next year.I just like them better and that is what we,as hunters need to be looking for.Something we like and are confident in.

For the record,I used GKF Deadheads this year and they are great heads,but not a field point.;)

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

I use the cheapest broadheads i could find and killed my first deer just fine, its all about shot placement.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

TFOX, it's easy. Quit trying to blast the lightest arrows you can get as fast as you can make them go, use STRAIGHT arrows, put adequate fletching on them and tune the bow... It's a breeze to get good quality fixed blade heads to fly like darts.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

I can`t get over how someone that has never used a mechinacial head hunting! Can begain to give there opinion on how well they work on game.I like fixed blades as well as anyone.But to set there and say that mech`are unethical . Well thats just plain crazy.it sounds like who ever was doing there test on mechs already had thair minds mad up before they ever shot the first one.I killed my first deer over 20yrs ago with a fixed blade. and if i may add that i did not have the problem that some hunters n had with there fixed heads plaining when they shot. i was lucky but it did take a good bit of time to get all of my heads to fly the same. you see thats why mechs were invented so many hunter back then were so frustrated with this problem they would practice all season and then just before opening day they had to face the windplaine problem again.and this also coused many bad hits! and lost game! so you see thats one of the biggest reasons hunters switch to mechincials.as for others even me i had a hard time getting used to something moving opening like a mech head but sence i have tride them i can say they work! they don`t plain and they do take game every year.and let me say there are as many bad hits with fixed heads as mech heads .but to say that they don`t work! well i can say that there are a lot of good bowhunters that take game each year with no problems and i`ll add that there are few being put in the record books each year buysome one using mechs. Before giving an opinion with your backyard test! at least try them first for real! then give an opinion! there are junk fixed blads made today just as well![:@][>:]

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Since I'm the only one who's used that word in this thread, and since I'm the only one who mentioned testing them, I can only assume you intend that post to be aimed at me.

I suggest you reread what I wrote. I did NOT say mechs are unethical. I SAID:

"Anybody that thinks they can simply take mechs out of the package, screw them onto their arrows and go hunting is a fool! They MUST be checked out thoroughly for function and sharpness before they go to the woods. Not doing so is just plain unethical."

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

I can't put down deer hunters for using them, But I hunt elk and there is no way I would ever use mechanicals on elk. Those ribs are too big to be bustin through with a mechanical. In fact, I wont use a fixed if it doesn't have an edge to the tip. Get an elk quatering away and its like trying to shoot through a picket fence sideways. Under the right circumstances I am SURE that you can kill an elk or moose with a mechanical. But I want to have the best penetration in all situations. Some of the bigger bulls are pushing 800-900 pounds. I set my bows to shoot around 270-275 fps, Two bladed fixed tune like a dream at these speeds. I can split hairs with my broadheads and they hit the exact spot where my field points do. If a bow is tuned properly there should be no differance in impact points. Next year I am planning on using the same set up on griz. Thats how confident i am with the penetration. And no. You are not unethical for using GOOD mechanicals on deer. But as ArthurP put it your are unethical for hunting with gear that you have not tested if that be the case.

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

The same can be said about fixed blades. Anyone who takes any broadhead out of the package without practicing with them should not be in the woods

RE: mechinacials. dont think i ever use em...
 

Exactly!