Arrow Penetration....

[Beendare]

In my 4 decades of bowhunting, I have come to appreciate arrow penetration.....namely pass through shots.

I know, the "Big Hole" BH's are sexy and many guys are convinced they are the way to go....until they don't get much penetration.

I know one guy in Montana that probably wishes he shot a setup with more penetration after losing a really nice 6 point bull.

 

[N2TRKYS]

What was the shot location and angle?

 

[Bump79]

Did you pull it out of a bull you killed? Where did you find it?

 

[BTLowry]

Need more details

Especially if you killed the bull

 

[Okie-hunter]

I can see the appeal of large cut expandables for deer hunters but they have no place in the quiver while elk hunting imo.

 

[Beendare]

Its from a bull my buddy shot....

 

[Bump79]

I can see the appeal of large cut expandables for deer hunters but they have no place in the quiver while elk hunting imo.

I hear ya for the most part. However, I will absolutely always carry one in my quiver elk hunting. In my opinion - It's a must have for long range follow up shots.

If I have a bull that I shot at reasonable range, then he stops at 90 yards then I'll be launching a mechanical all day everyday. The accuracy is significantly better than even the best fixed heads in real world hunting conditions. If I'm shooting a mech, then I've given up bone penetration and a pass through isn't guaranteed.

A Sevr 2.0 or 1.5 hybrid is my choice.

 

[Okie-hunter]

I hear ya for the most part. However, I will absolutely always carry one in my quiver elk hunting. In my opinion - It's a must have for long range follow up shots.

If I have a bull that I shot at reasonable range, then he stops at 90 yards then I'll be launching a mechanical all day everyday. The accuracy is significantly better than even the best fixed heads in real world hunting conditions. If I'm shooting a mech, then I've given up bone penetration and a pass through isn't guaranteed.

A Sevr 2.0 or 1.5 hybrid is my choice.

I can get on board with that logic.
From what I’ve seen Sevrs are good durable broadheads and any broadhead will kill elk if you hit it right.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

no head is guaranteed to pass through the knuckle, humerous, ridge of the scapula, or a vertebrae of a bull elk out of a compound bow. if the head pictured didn't kill the elk, it's because it was put in the wrong spot or something else was really jacked up with the setup (like a 40#, 300 fps ibo, 25" draw and a 900 gr arrow or some other idiotic setup), not because the head failed.

 

[Okie-hunter]

no head is guaranteed to pass through the knuckle, humerous, ridge of the scapula, or a vertebrae of a bull elk out of a compound bow.

You’re right but large cut mechanicals reduce the odds of getting a pass through period. Let alone hit hard bone. Saw a guy hunting elk w G5 megameats and figured he’d probably be lucky to get a pass through after just hitting a rib or two.

 

[dreamingWest]

I'd like more details (which may not be possible). That looks like a Rage NC +P. So not a huge hole for a mech.

I use fixed blades for elk, but of any Rage BH that one would seem to be the one to try on an elk. Shoulder punch? High meat shot?

Congrats on your buddy's bull.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

i blew through a bull 2 weeks ago with a rage trypan, the cut was 3-4" wide. agree that the megameat is probably not a great choice, but there are photos out there of elk killed with them. even with a fixed head, you're only guaranteed 1 hole on a bull. i prefer that hole to be a big one.

 

[Bump79]

I can get on board with that logic.
From what I’ve seen Sevrs are good durable broadheads and any broadhead will kill elk if you hit it right.

Yeah, at that stage I'm just trying to put another hole in him in vitals. I agree though, mechanicals are mostly for deer and pronghorn for me. Maybe Bear if I ever decide to chase them.

 

[Billy Goat]

9 elk with a mechanical, even the really big, open over the top style.

No penetration issues, even long ways. Never more than 72#, and relatively light shaft.

I think most issues with mechanical heads are in tuning, guys are using them because they can't get a fixed head to fly.


I'm not recommending them to people, but I generally don't think they are the problem they are made put to be. An arrow coming out of the bow crooked, and the energy it loses straightening back out, or impacting out of alignment is probably the real reason for a lot of of the penetration issues.

 

[Wilderlife]

Cool thread topic.

I've been looking into a heap of this more and more over the last few months, especially with a lot of the Chris Bee stuff floating around.

Some of the broadheads my mates and I are using down here aren't necessarily the best choice for maximum penetration, but the animals are small enough and our poundage is heavy enough that we don't want for penetration. Our main concerns at the moment are durability, as we are culling a lot of animals and many longer heads bend in the terrain we hunt. just this weekend gone I shot a billy goat with a frontal shot and it exited out in front of one of his hips, so a decent amount of penetration. the arrow carried behind him and jammed under a rock and the back of the arrow at the fletches snapped off, but the broadhead was fine.

If I ever get over there to chase elk I'd likely pick a different broadhead with a higher mechanical advantage and isn't quite so wide so it flies a little better at longer distance.

 

[yeti12]

The bow setup plays into it as well. Someone with a 32" draw pulling 75lbs and sending 500+gr arrows above 300fps is alot different than someone with a 28" draw at 60lbs sending an arrow 125-150gr lighter going 275 or slower.

 

[TripleJ]

If you hit 'em too far forward in the shoulder knuckle/leg bone, you'll be much better off with a smaller diameter durable fixed blade, but it still may not penetrate. If you hit 'em too far back, you'll be much better off with a large diameter expandable, 2 small holes through the guts doesn't gain you anything. If you shoot 'em where you're supposed too, it doesn't really matter. Anybody with a 60-70# draw weight, reasonable arrow weight, and durable broadhead combo (fixed or mechanical) flying true is going to have a 30-150 yard blood trail with an elk at the end, if they shoot them in the heart or lungs.

 

[Bump79]

9 elk with a mechanical, even the really big, open over the top style.

No penetration issues, even long ways. Never more than 72#, and relatively light shaft.

I think most issues with mechanical heads are in tuning, guys are using them because they can't get a fixed head to fly.


I'm not recommending them to people, but I generally don't think they are the problem they are made put to be. An arrow coming out of the bow crooked, and the energy it loses straightening back out, or impacting out of alignment is probably the real reason for a lot of of the penetration issues.

Good points. I just watched a Sevr 1.5 Hybrid blow through a bull at 50 yards. It made me reconsider some of my previous notions. The scenarios that happen where they wouldn't penetrate are likely balanced out by the times it might save you. I do hate how almost all of them will deploy in your quiver though.

 

[Okie-hunter]

I think most issues with mechanical heads are in tuning, guys are using them because they can't get a fixed head to fly.

Thats another factor. I believe people willing to put in the work and time to get fixed blades to fly correctly probably shoot more than a lot of guys that just throw an expandable on a couple weeks before season expecting them to “fly like a field point”.

 

[rclouse79]

If you look between the ribs you can see my arrow from the frontal shot I took on a spike with a sevr 2.0. The arrow was completely inside the body cavity and I had to push it back out when I removed the heart. With my draw weight and draw length I have zero concerns about penetration if I hit where I am aiming. This is based on my experience with five animals shot with that head. I think a fixed broadhead would penetrate farther if hitting solid bone on an elk, but I have seen plenty of videos where a fixed broadhead hitting a solid bone on an elk still did not penetrate far enough to be lethal. I think the wider cutting area of a mechanical might help the chance of recovery on a shot farther back. In addition a mechanical is going to be more forgiving if you torque the bow in a state of being all jacked up shooting at an animal.
I understand many are big fans of fixed blades and many of those are anti-mechanical. If you take an ethical shot and hit where you are aiming both will do the job.