Grim Reaper Mini Mag

[-bowfreak-]

So what's your reasoning with going with a very fragile mechanical vs something very robust like the Sevr? It doesn't concern you that blades break going through MDF? You just want to get by with just enough?

I have shot them both and all things considered I prefer the Trypan. Sevrs don't put as much blood on the ground. I believe it is due to the pivoting blades. I don't shoot plywood or steel plate and have had great results with the Trypan.

I am curious about the Reapers too as I am not opposed to any solid mechanical. I think mechanicals are the better choice for nearly every animal in NA.

 

[-bowfreak-]

I’ve shot plenty though animals and have never had a broken blade or other component. I’ve had blades bend and that’s it, I’ve also broken blades on fixed blade heads?
I also enjoy Lusks reviews but have to take them with a grain of salt. Not real world testing.
A high end fixed head will be way more durable than an expandable but in my experience, a good expandable with kill an elk faster and leave a bigger blood trail for me to follow.
I would 100% recommend a real Trypan anyday of the week for any big game animal with zero worry about durability. My only issue with the Trypan is that they deploy when I’m dragging them through the brush, I switched to a dead meat which kill elk equally well but without the blades deploying on me. I still use Trypans with 100% confidence in open country hunting deer or antelope where I’m not getting them snagged on brush.

Here’s a picture of the hole a Trypan put in an antelopes front shoulder last fall. A quarter toward shot at just over 50 yards.

View attachment 530257

The arrow laying in the grass 20 yards past where he was standing.
View attachment 530258

Here’s a clip right after the shot.

Are you shooting the Dead Meat V2? I owned original DMs and hated that they rattled like a cymbal in my quiver. Is this still an issue?

Also...do they seem to open all the way when you have shot game with them?

 

[nphunter]

Are you shooting the Dead Meat V2? I owned original DMs and hated that they rattled like a cymbal in my quiver. Is this still an issue?

Also...do they seem to open all the way when you have shot game with them?

V1, haven’t bought any for a while, I’ve only had one damaged enough to not reuse it, it just had damaged/dull blades with chips taken out of them. I’m not sure on the rattling, it’s not something I’ve noticed, I use a tight spot. I’ve never looked or worried about the holes, I did post some pictures of the animals I’ve killed with them but all the blades were opens when I found the arrows.

 

[-bowfreak-]

V1, haven’t bought any for a while, I’ve only had one damaged enough to not reuse it, it just had damaged/dull blades with chips taken out of them. I’m not sure on the rattling, it’s not something I’ve noticed, I use a tight spot. I’ve never looked or worried about the holes, I did post some pictures of the animals I’ve killed with them but all the blades were opens when I found the arrows.

I bought them when they first came out. Maybe the rattling is a non issue now.

I know nothing about them not opening completely. I just have read that on forums.


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[roosiebull]

A funny thing about the internet is the parrot effect, that can give some reliable heads a bad rap, or weak heads a great rap. I would trust many mechanical heads over this beloved fixed head… there is no chance this head hit anything more substantial than a rib. This head was shot twice into foam, touched up and lived in my quiver until I shot this bull, I watched him for about 5 minutes afterwards through 10x swaros and saw exactly where I hit him… nobody talks about how weak of a design these are with a split aluminum ferrule with a little screw holding it all together.

I could list probably 10 mechs that are tougher than this highly regarded fixed head

The lack of blade damage shows it didn’t take much to fold this head up like a Walmart lawn chair

 

[-bowfreak-]

A funny thing about the internet is the parrot effect, that can give some reliable heads a bad rap, or weak heads a great rap. I would trust many mechanical heads over this beloved fixed head… there is no chance this head hit anything more substantial than a rib. This head was shot twice into foam, touched up and lived in my quiver until I shot this bull, I watched him for about 5 minutes afterwards through 10x swaros and saw exactly where I hit him… nobody talks about how weak of a design these are with a split aluminum ferrule with a little screw holding it all together.

I could list probably 10 mechs that are tougher than this highly regarded fixed head

The lack of blade damage shows it didn’t take much to fold this head up like a Walmart lawn chair

Good point. I knew what head you were talking about and I couldn’t even get the picture to load. The two blade version has a much stronger ferrule. Oddly enough, many people will use that head for a lifetime and never have a problem, but in my opinion there are better choices. I actually have a new package of them in my basement right now that I picked up because they were cheap. I plan to sell or trade them.


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[roosiebull]

Good point. I knew what head you were talking about and I couldn’t even get the picture to load. The two blade version has a much stronger ferrule. Oddly enough, many people will use that head for a lifetime and never have a problem, but in my opinion there are better choices. I actually have a new package of them in my basement right now that I picked up because they were cheap. I plan to sell or trade them.


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I had used them a good amount in the past, without issue, and could almost write it off as a freak thing, a week later I got back on that bull, he had a bunch more cows and a nice satellite bull, it was the evening of the last Friday and I just couldn’t get close enough to that bull with all of the cows around, and it was really open, so calling didn’t make sense… long story short, the second time he chased that satellite bull to me, I decided to kill him, shot him at 26yds quartered away, and only got a half arrow of penetration… 642gr arrow @70#… huh?

Luckily I got another arrow in him, but that first shot a bunch of hair got wedged between the ferrule and blade and totally killed penetration… 2 bad experiences with the same head about a week apart, and that could have ended poorly too, gut, liver, one lung can take a long time to die, and there would be no blood to follow and that can be a very bad problem, especially on the coast. He had gotten into some really nasty stuff that would be very tough to find him with no blood… it would be hard to find a head that you could have that bad luck with in the same year

If they weren’t tightened tight from the factory it wasn’t obvious, I resharpened them all after confirming flight and would have noticed play if there was some, but if you look at them, it’s obvious it’s a weak design… pretty thin blade with a long unsupported tip, and then you have one of the weakest ferrules in the industry… it’s asking for it.

Nothing ever mentioned about that head other than from those who have had them fold up (I certainly wasn’t the first) if it had been a rage, it would get blown up in to a monumental dog pile, but instead, people were making excuses for it, like I got knock offs (from magnus ) or the screw was loose, or my eyes lied and my arrow had to have hit 6” forward of where I plainly saw the entrance wound for several minutes, then again a couple days later when I relocated him, then again when I killed his buddy a few days later… funny how the internet works sometimes

I would rather have a blade bend on a mechanical than either of those scenarios that year. The bull I folded that head up on was a dandy too, big black horned 7x8, and I shot him at 3 or 4 steps… I’m still bitter about it, haha

I have come to like causing some damage on them, and with modern equipment, there is really no reason to shoot a tiny head…I watched my buddies first elk, I think that same year take at least an hour to die with a 1” 2 blade through both lungs… wouldn’t believe it if I wasn’t watching it… as for a plan b arrow, a big mech makes more sense than a little single bevel, there is a lot more room for a bad shot back than forward

 

[-bowfreak-]

I had used them a good amount in the past, without issue, and could almost write it off as a freak thing, a week later I got back on that bull, he had a bunch more cows and a nice satellite bull, it was the evening of the last Friday and I just couldn’t get close enough to that bull with all of the cows around, and it was really open, so calling didn’t make sense… long story short, the second time he chased that satellite bull to me, I decided to kill him, shot him at 26yds quartered away, and only got a half arrow of penetration… 642gr arrow @70#… huh?

Luckily I got another arrow in him, but that first shot a bunch of hair got wedged between the ferrule and blade and totally killed penetration… 2 bad experiences with the same head about a week apart, and that could have ended poorly too, gut, liver, one lung can take a long time to die, and there would be no blood to follow and that can be a very bad problem, especially on the coast. He had gotten into some really nasty stuff that would be very tough to find him with no blood… it would be hard to find a head that you could have that bad luck with in the same year

If they weren’t tightened tight from the factory it wasn’t obvious, I resharpened them all after confirming flight and would have noticed play if there was some, but if you look at them, it’s obvious it’s a weak design… pretty thin blade with a long unsupported tip, and then you have one of the weakest ferrules in the industry… it’s asking for it.

Nothing ever mentioned about that head other than from those who have had them fold up (I certainly wasn’t the first) if it had been a rage, it would get blown up in to a monumental dog pile, but instead, people were making excuses for it, like I got knock offs (from magnus ) or the screw was loose, or my eyes lied and my arrow had to have hit 6” forward of where I plainly saw the entrance wound for several minutes, then again a couple days later when I relocated him, then again when I killed his buddy a few days later… funny how the internet works sometimes

I would rather have a blade bend on a mechanical than either of those scenarios that year. The bull I folded that head up on was a dandy too, big black horned 7x8, and I shot him at 3 or 4 steps… I’m still bitter about it, haha

I have come to like causing some damage on them, and with modern equipment, there is really no reason to shoot a tiny head…I watched my buddies first elk, I think that same year take at least an hour to die with a 1” 2 blade through both lungs… wouldn’t believe it if I wasn’t watching it… as for a plan b arrow, a big mech makes more sense than a little single bevel, there is a lot more room for a bad shot back than forward

"a big mech makes more sense than a little single bevel, there is a lot more room for a bad shot back than forward"

This has been my thought process too. I wasn't always there as I have been around since Puckett's and Punchcutters. I started shooting 2.75" vortex on turkeys and then started using them on deer and ultimately elk. They have saved me a time or two over the years too. There are quite a few dependable mechanicals out there, and in my opinion, they offer more than what the best fixed blade can bring to the table.

 

[roosiebull]

"a big mech makes more sense than a little single bevel, there is a lot more room for a bad shot back than forward"

This has been my thought process too. I wasn't always there as I have been around since Puckett's and Punchcutters. I started shooting 2.75" vortex on turkeys and then started using them on deer and ultimately elk. They have saved me a time or two over the years too. There are quite a few dependable mechanicals out there, and in my opinion, they offer more than what the best fixed blade can bring to the table.

It took me a long time to come around to that mentality, all of the arrow philosophies have some good arguments, but at the end of the day, I have no use for an “Ashby” arrow, and do like to cause as much damage as possible without sacrificing too much, and there have been enough elk killed with mechanical heads that it’s not really a risky situation sending a mech into a bull, especially if you use a little common sense picking one for the task.. I don’t want a 2” aluminum ferrule and a 2.5” cut, but a head with a durable ferrule and a modest cut (2” or less 2 blade, 1.5” or less 3 blade) I don’t see anything catastrophic happening… elk are not the rhinos some try to make them out to be.

Back in the day, before I knew anything about tuning, I was killing bulls every year with a 380gr arrow, a loud untuned bow, and a 100gr muzzy 3 blade with no drama… I didn’t know any better, and the elk didn’t either… and they have all been big coastal roosies… that experience showed me how much a person can reliably get away with, and my bows are always dialed these days, and about the lightest arrows I’ll shoot are 475ish gr.

I will always take the side of real world experience over internet regurgitation, and if I don’t like the results of a mechanical, I won’t keep using them, pretty straightforward

A few years ago I bought 9 trypans, and wasn’t brave enough to shoot one at a bull, when it came to it, I was grabbing a fixed head out of the quiver, I gave those trypans to my brother, and he killed elk with them the next 3 years… zero issues. One blade broke on a scapula, one got bent blades, but 3 dead elk within eyesight…

I understand all arguments, we all have to use what makes sense to us, but there is all sorts of stuff dying with every arrow and broadhead combo with very minimal failure… the most common failure is the person behind the bow, and it always will be

I’m done nerding out on arrows, it’s more of a distraction than a benefit

 

[BigCountry49]

I bought them when they first came out. Maybe the rattling is a non issue now.

I know nothing about them not opening completely. I just have read that on forums.


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Just bought a pack of on-sale v1’s and blades are very secure.

 

[-bowfreak-]

It took me a long time to come around to that mentality, all of the arrow philosophies have some good arguments, but at the end of the day, I have no use for an “Ashby” arrow, and do like to cause as much damage as possible without sacrificing too much, and there have been enough elk killed with mechanical heads that it’s not really a risky situation sending a mech into a bull, especially if you use a little common sense picking one for the task.. I don’t want a 2” aluminum ferrule and a 2.5” cut, but a head with a durable ferrule and a modest cut (2” or less 2 blade, 1.5” or less 3 blade) I don’t see anything catastrophic happening… elk are not the rhinos some try to make them out to be.

Back in the day, before I knew anything about tuning, I was killing bulls every year with a 380gr arrow, a loud untuned bow, and a 100gr muzzy 3 blade with no drama… I didn’t know any better, and the elk didn’t either… and they have all been big coastal roosies… that experience showed me how much a person can reliably get away with, and my bows are always dialed these days, and about the lightest arrows I’ll shoot are 475ish gr.

I will always take the side of real world experience over internet regurgitation, and if I don’t like the results of a mechanical, I won’t keep using them, pretty straightforward

A few years ago I bought 9 trypans, and wasn’t brave enough to shoot one at a bull, when it came to it, I was grabbing a fixed head out of the quiver, I gave those trypans to my brother, and he killed elk with them the next 3 years… zero issues. One blade broke on a scapula, one got bent blades, but 3 dead elk within eyesight…

I understand all arguments, we all have to use what makes sense to us, but there is all sorts of stuff dying with every arrow and broadhead combo with very minimal failure… the most common failure is the person behind the bow, and it always will be

I’m done nerding out on arrows, it’s more of a distraction than a benefit

Spot on.


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[Buckfevr]

So the 100 grain Minimag has been redesigned so that the collar is much more durable and the tip and ferrule is more streamlined. Suppossed to fly better and open faster. I've taken 2 P&Y whitetails with the older version and they worked great with great blood trails.

 

[Buckfevr]

Here some pics

 

[Buckfevr]

And another

 

[General RE LEE]

Any other in the field reviews of the mini Mag? I might pick up a pack on my way home from work at local pro shop.

 

[Zac]

Any other in the field reviews of the mini Mag? I might pick up a pack on my way home from work at local pro shop.

I like the In the Field disclaimer. That way you don’t have to watch that head get destroyed going through a simple piece of MDF. I guess you could head over to Cameron’s Insta page. He’s killed a pile of things by now with the larger model.

 

[Buffalomtn]

Or watch the Sevr close shut and make a 1” hole as it goes through the MDF and as Lusk admits have to pry the blades apart.

I like the In the Field disclaimer. That way you don’t have to watch that head get destroyed going through a simple piece of MDF. I guess you could head over to Cameron’s Insta page. He’s killed a pile of things by now with the larger model.

 

[sierracharlie338]

You cant go wrong with Reapers! I got turned on to them a few years back and they kill mercilessly. I shot three different heads of theirs and they are devastating. I can't see why the mini mag would be any different.

 

[General RE LEE]

Or watch the Sevr close shut and make a 1” hole as it goes through the MDF and as Lusk admits have to pry the blades apart.

Lusk’s tests are purely entertainment. He’s repeatedly shooting the same Grim Reaper head into everything but an animal and once it fails, the sheep say “oh no I guess I won’t shoot Reapers”. GTFO

 

[Zac]

Or watch the Sevr close shut and make a 1” hole as it goes through the MDF and as Lusk admits have to pry the blades apart.

What’s your point? Every mechanical can fail. The Sevr probably just sucks less than most of them. Over the top designs are just the worst. Hard quartering shots can sheer, without a pass through your left with no blood trail, and you get a really long aluminum ferrule that is prone to bending. I just don’t understand the fascination with trying to kill an elk with the shittiest broad-head possible . I know it can be done. Duds and Cameron are doing it on the regular. Maybe this is why everyone wants to follow.