A good cut on contact fixed blade will always work whereas a mechanical is more dependent on having enough speed/kinetic energy and momentum to penetrate and deploy the blades. Most guys have enough kinetic energy and momentum to make a mechanical work on deer reliably with a well placed shot, but elk are a lot larger though. Most mechanicals don't react well to thick hides and bone and penetration will suffer. To get over that hump, you need a lot of speed and a heavier harder hitting arrow. A fixed blade will just slice on through until it runs out of steam. Now there are hybrid mechanicals and you get some of the advantages and disadvantages of both.
The primary theoretical advantage of mechanicals is that they are less sensitive to tuning issues and bad form. That may be true to a certain extent. However, if you practice consistently and tune or have your bow tuned to the best of your capability, I would never let tuning issues determine what kind of broadhead I use. Practicing is way more fun and the animals life is worth much more than an excuse like that.
I think the better question to ask is how much do I need to practice? What kind of arrow setup do I need to shoot a big German Kinetic, Solid, or similar flying battle ax? If you want to use a mechanical, what kind of arrow setup will work best for you draw weight, draw length, and available speed/kinetic energy.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
