This small 2b broadhead penetration craze is kind of an online phenomena.
I suppose if you disregard the thousands of years of effective stone point use....
The question we should be focused on is lethality. Is penetration THE lethality problem we should be focusing on at all costs?
I agree, lethality is the focus. And I don't think penetration should be the sole focus based on your data.
Your data shows that accuracy is the #1 problem, shot placement is a combined 74%.
Accuracy is the other reason I shoot small 2b. My experience has been that smaller 2-blade heads group better than 3/4b or larger heads.
Most will agree that smaller heads are less affected by wind drift than larger heads. (accuracy)
Most mechanical shooters I know don't even have a problem with penetration and definitely don't have lethality problems.
I've always had problems with penetration with mechs. I even went to heavier arrows, now shooting 480 and I shot my mule deer this year with a 1.5" Sevr. broadside and it did not make it through the opposite shoulder. He did only run 50 yards and I don't question the lethality of mechanical heads, I've always had them kill, but I've had several other whitetails not get pass thru with NAP killzones and rages.
We should be selecting our broadheads based on your individual specifications and select it to address multiple lethality problems. If we're thinking about shot likelihood - statistically what is the most likely error? Just due to pure anatomy if a broadhead doesn't impact where you intend it to - then it's much more likely to be far back, too high, etc. than impact a bone on the near side that is realistically going to be a problem. If a fixed broadhead doesn't impact hard bone both a 1-3/16" 4b and you're 7/8" will pass through. Both will go through ribs and scapula no problem. There's WAY more liver, diaphragm, stomach, guts, etc. than there is big bone that hunters should be exclusively concerned about. Which head would you feel better about with that scenario?
I see your point that a bigger head will do more damage if it hits vital organs, and I don't disagree, but if shooting that bigger head means you're less accurate and less likely to get thru bone when needed, then I don't see a net benefit.
It's hard for me to believe that 7/8 thru the liver won't kill, but a 1.5 will. and if it's all gut with nothing major, it won't die in a reasonable time no matter the head.
Will a 7/8" 2b work on a good shot? Yeah, so will about anything. Will it help penetration on a frontal? Sure but my 3b and 4b's blows through everything too including an elk frontals. My 3b's and 4b's tend to blow through animals so fast I barely know what happened. I love frontals on elk within 25 yds, mulies I'd be more sketched out by unless it's 20 and in. Penetration with sharp fixed broadheads out of the average compound shooters bow is just not the problem it's made out to be. Shoot well designed 3b/4b broadheads, get them as sharp as possible, set your bow up properly and tune the arrow to it. Unless you have a 25.5" draw shooting 55# I would never recommend someone to shoot a 7/8" broadhead on elk. Not to be a jerk but pretty much any killer I know would laugh at it. The penetration gains from even a 1-1/8" is so marginal. Most guides would be sketched out as they know their life is going to suck if you make a less than ideal shot. Heck a lot of elk guides I know now are using mechanicals or hybrids on elk.
I think penetration is sometimes underrated, a larger cutting head isn't doing as much damage if it doesn't penetrate. More penetration=longer wound channel=more cut area
I'm not hating on 3/4b fixed heads, I think they do well. I had two exodus blow through an elk with no problem and muzzies and g5's on whitetails. I've just had less than consistent results with accuracy over the years.
Will a 7/8" 2b work on a good shot?
Any head will work on a good shot.
But will a 7/8" 2b work on a bad shot through heavier bone and tissue, yes, better than a larger or mechanical one.
I think the only argument you're making for the bigger heads is more cutting area of nonvital organs and blood vessels on a bad shot. I can agree it makes sense, but can you prove its x amount more lethal than x size head? and is that worth the loss of pen on other bad shots?
A smaller head is still doing a lot of damage when you consider the length of a wound channel(which is also longer when you have complete penetration)
I don't see a smaller head, on bad shots, being the problem it's made out to be.
Not to be a jerk but pretty much any killer I know would laugh at it
Here's one for them to
laugh at, #164
Also, quartering to shots have and will remain a low percentage shot regardless of your setup (depending on how steel quartering it is). I just lost a whitetail doe at 10yds on a quartering shot. Blew right through her but it clearly hit further back than I intended. It's a damn small window. Lost a bull last year not taking account enough of the quartering angle. Depending on how steel the angle is, it's a just low percentage shot - regardless of what broadhead you're shooting. I'm not saying I'll never take one but I'd My lesson learned - most quartering to shots are easily avoided by waiting a split second or two.
IMHO there will come a time that the 7/8" with no bleeders will bite you. The best advise is to use setup that is good all around - still likely to pass through the vast majority of the time and you've still got enough cut to help out on a marginal shot. There's a good reason that the majority of the hunting industry has moved to vented 3 blades or 4 blades (including 2b with bleeders). You get a larger cut while still maintaining good arrow flight. It's not some conspiracy theory against Ashby Fdn. It's just what tends to work best for the most scenarios.
I agree quartering are lower percentage, but I hunt public land and I'm taking my first decent opportunity, and for a deer, probably not an elk, I'll take a quarter too.
I do plan on going up to the IW or day six 1-1/16" head, I haven't decided on bleeders yet. I've mostly been shooting the killer bees, cause they're the most accurate I've found. I've recently gone to helical for better accuracy and hope to get a slightly larger head to fly better, but I still think 7/8" will do the job.
