Trends with those who shoot mechanical broad heads

[wakechase]

There is the age old debate about mech vs fixed. We’ve all beat that into the ground. A different idea I was pondering was the trends of those who seem to be shooting mechanical heads. No need to drop names from the industry but i can’t help but notice that a lot of these guys that have a target archery background are shooting mech heads and swear by them for all the game that they hunt. Seems like the trend between them is that their set up is more “forgiving” with a mech head. I don’t know if this is something that I’m looking to much into but just got me thinking and was wondering what y’all thought. I have strictly shot fixed heads but will not rule out mechs if they will improve my forgiveness of arrow flight, wind drift etc. What do you think?

 

[S.Clancy]

I'm assuming it's based on who gives them the most money...

 

[dkime]

I'm assuming it's based on who gives them the most money...

Spot on ^^^^ Dont over think it, there’s a reason why Levi had to become part owner of swacker to be able to shoot a fixed head. I’d also add that when target archery is your job and hunting is your hobby; you aren’t able to put as much effort into your hunting rig as your open setup


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[cuttiebrownbow]

I think mechanicals are 'more forgiving' to user error & bad form but I think 'hunting celebrities' shoot for whoever gives them the most money 99.9% of the time.

 

[nphunter]

Mechanicals are great IMO, I shoot fixed for years due to the state I live in not allowing mechanicals. I had good luck with them and killed lots of stuff. I switched to mechanicals two years ago and have zero complaints, I still shoot them and resharpen but they have been devastating on the elk I've killed with them. I have no plan at this point to switch back to fixed heads in the foreseen future except for in states that don't allow mechanicals.

 

[5MilesBack]

There is no doubt that at least some mechanicals are more forgiving and do better in the wind. It was the wind that got me to try them 9 years ago and now I always have at least a couple of them in my quiver.

 

[Wolfmann]

Mechanicals are no doubt more forgiving. I tune my bows to have field points group with bare shafts at 20 yards, but a little bit of torque and the bare shaft will hit way off. Point being the less your vanes need to steer the more likely they are to correct bad arrow flight. In hunting situations form often isn't perfect and i'll eliminate any variable I can.

 

[Beendare]

its crazy what “pro staff” guys will do for a little bit of free stuff. Doesnt Dudley swear by Hecs clothing?

One of my funniest moments (years ago) was hearing a sponsored shooter for Onieda sell a guy on how sweet and rock solid those bows are at an archery shop. I shot alongside of him and he broke 6 risers that one year.



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[Zac]

Both Dudley and Bill from Iron Will make very valid points regarding each type of broadhead. Neither is wrong. If you shoot forward towards the vital V, or quartering in, a fixed blade is without a doubt the best option. However if you shoot back, either on purpose or by accident a mechanical is going to be a far better option. I saw a Bow Only video where a guy shot a giant mule deer through the guts with a Rage Trypan. It only made it about 40 yards and died very quickly. I am going to try the Evolution Outdoors Hybrid this year because I believe it offers both of best worlds. You get a fixerd COC entry, with two inch blade expansion upon penetration. The disadvantages of this type of head is that it is an over the top deploying mechanical. This means that I am not getting two inches of cut upon entry. If I do not get a complete pass through I am stuck with a small entry hole.

 

[wapitibob]

I shoot a mechanical because it leaves more blood and the elk die quicker.

 

[CodeMonkey]

There are strong arguments for going either way. I'm back at square one since my arrow build for this year meant more weight for components, so I went down to a 100 grain head (from 125).

My limited experience so far had me moving away from fixed blades to mechanicals on deer and antelope. I originally started with a fixed blade head and wasn't impressed with the blood trail on a good hit on an antelope. The voice in the back of my head kept telling me that I would of lost the animal if it wasn't in open country.

I like how mechanicals fly and in theory they can be devastating. That said, I've seen too many videos on the internet of 2'' cut (namely Rage) broadheads on elk getting shit penetration. My other concern about mechanicals is that while they offer better flight to extend my effective range, I start worrying if the arrow at that range hasn't bled off a ton of energy to the point where penetration might be suspect on even deer sized game.

Another consideration is the design of the head itself. I wouldn't be the first to try a new mechanical design to find out it doesn't open on quartering shots. Another design point that I look for is how compact the head is in flight. Some mechanicals defeat their own purpose by being really bulky and in turn probably require the same amount of tuning as a fixed blade.

In years past, I've shot the SEVR broadhead, which I find to be a good design. Truth be told, I haven't put one through an animal yet. The one thing I've found however, is that out of the box a few of my heads had a minor QC issue where the blades felt a bit bound up. On some heads, it took a bit more pressure to get the blade to start to deploy / press against the O ring. This was easily remedied by re-installing the blades in most cases.

 

[Zac]

There are strong arguments for going either way. I'm back at square one since my arrow build for this year meant more weight for components, so I went down to a 100 grain head (from 125).

My limited experience so far had me moving away from fixed blades to mechanicals on deer and antelope. I originally started with a fixed blade head and wasn't impressed with the blood trail on a good hit on an antelope. The voice in the back of my head kept telling me that I would of lost the animal if it wasn't in open country.

I like how mechanicals fly and in theory they can be devastating. That said, I've seen too many videos on the internet of 2'' cut (namely Rage) broadheads on elk getting shit penetration. My other concern about mechanicals is that while they offer better flight to extend my effective range, I start worrying if the arrow at that range hasn't bled off a ton of energy to the point where penetration might be suspect on even deer sized game.

Another consideration is the design of the head itself. I wouldn't be the first to try a new mechanical design to find out it doesn't open on quartering shots. Another design point that I look for is how compact the head is in flight. Some mechanicals defeat their own purpose by being really bulky and in turn probably require the same amount of tuning as a fixed blade.

In years past, I've shot the SEVR broadhead, which I find to be a good design. Truth be told, I haven't put one through an animal yet. The one thing I've found however, is that out of the box a few of my heads had a minor QC issue where the blades felt a bit bound up. On some heads, it took a bit more pressure to get the blade to start to deploy / press against the O ring. This was easily remedied by re-installing the blades in most cases.

For the most part the blood trail has to do with the location of the hit versus the type of broadhead. You will see more blood with a wider cut of course. However even a small two blade in the vital V area will produce great blood. Ranch Fairy has a good video on this.

 

[D.Rose]

Put a fixed head on an arrow and a mechanical on the another. Draw back and barely torque your bow on purpose and shoot with each head. It will be very apparent how much more forgiving the mechanicals are. To me hitting where I am aiming is #1 and everything else comes second. Top level tournament archers understand that when your nuts are in a vice and the pressure is on, forgiveness is king.

 

[180splitg3]

I spent several weeks last summer bare shaft tuning and adjusting my yokes trying to dial my bow in to shoot fixed broadheads exactly with my field points. Eventually I just got so frustrated that I decided to switch back to mechanicals (which I used for about ten years prior). My form is not perfect (obviously) and the fixed heads I was using (magnus buzzcut) were so finicky with the slightest form flaw or torque I just decided I would be better off with the improved accuracy of the expandables. I shot a doe last year with a SEVR 2.0 and it produced a massive blood trail - shot was in the forward part of both lungs so the blood would have been good with anything, most likely...

 

[Billy Goat]

For the most part the blood trail has to do with the location of the hit versus the type of broadhead. You will see more blood with a wider cut of course. However even a small two blade in the vital V area will produce great blood. Ranch Fairy has a good video on this.

I'm not going to click that video, but I'm assuming he is comparing blood trails with pigs?

Ever hear the term bleed like a stuck hog?
There's a reason for that. Pigs actually have a little different circulatory system then other animals. It's biased towards moving blood through the body rather than more of an even split with the pulmonary system. That's my understanding anyways. I just know they use pigs for vascular medical research and training because of the resemblance to our own circulatory system. They use sheep for reproductive research, the sheep embryos are a closer match to us.

A blood trail is dependent on where it's hit, but add in hair and other factors, hole size really starts to matter in my opinion. I have killed enough with both fixed and mechs to see a difference, with deer anyways. Never shot a pig with a bow, but I can tell you just drawing blood on them, they bleed unlike other domesticated livestock.


Everyone needs to make their own decisions on what is going to work best for them. I typically have 2-3 different heads in my quiver. Usually experimenting with a few. I have heads that I'm confident in, others that I feel aren't proven yet. When I get a perfect broadside shot on a doe I'll try an unproven (in use, they have been shot into foam plenty) head to see the results.


Any more I don't put too much faith in what someone puts in a video, or says they shoot. Plenty of TV hunters will be using an old bow, but received this year's version a week before they started hunting. They refilm a kill shot with the new bow, gotta keep sponsors happy. They are just pimping for whoever is paying them. Starting to feel the same way about promo codes for products, that makes something seem less like an endorsement and more like buy this so I get some kick back.

 

[justin davis]

Some of these “target” guys also say they can’t get fixed blades to fly the same. I have found that I can get fixed to fly and group with my field points. But all I do it practice and tune for hunting.
Having a short draw length I always go fixed. I’ve tried mechanicals in the past and haven’t had the best of luck with them. I will also say that not all fixed blades are created equal. Some fly better and are more forgiving than others.

 

[jmez]

I don't think there is any question that a mechanical is going to be more forgiving and accurate than a fixed blade head. Simple physics still applies. The degree of forgiveness and accuracy is what would be in question.

My opinion, most everyday archers do not shoot well enough to see a huge difference in the two. Look into what Randy Ulmer has to say on the topic. You have the best of both worlds there. Is he a target archer that hunts or a hunter that is an accomplished target archer?

He is the one celeb/pro type that I don't take what he says with a grain of salt. I don't always follow his recommendations but I don't really question what he says either. Guy has forgot more about archery and hunting than I will ever know. Take you accurate fixed blades and shoot against him for money in a broadhead tournament once.

 

[dkime]

If you were going to use your platform to sell a product, would you sell a product to the small portion of the industry that has the ability to shoot well, the bow mechanic ability/equipment to set up and tune a bow, and the guy who has the desire to actually shoot his bow in february-april in hopes of getting them to fly and tune easily?

ORRRRR would you sell a product that requires zero tuning, "flies like a field point", leaves a big ass hole in the side of an animal, and advertise it to all the folks who havent replaced their string since they bought a bow because they think that the spine rating on the side of their arrow is how heavy their arrow is?

I shoot both styles of heads, both serve a purpose, but please do not think that money is not making the world go round for anyone at the top telling you what they shoot. (in BOTH the fixed blade and mechanical head dichotomy)

 

[Samdemarais]

Shoot what you want to, just put some thought into it. Maybe check to see if the blades are actually sharp and touch them up before you hunt and for love of god shoot your broadheads before you go hunting.
My experience is that mechanicals are definitely easier to shoot but learning how to tune and get a fixed to fly makes you a better archer. Also, if you want to shoot a mechanical you want your bow tuned as best as possible anyways because that arrow flying straight will make a difference in how well the head penetrates. I like to run a couple of fixed and a couple of mechanicals in my quiver.

 

[CodeMonkey]

Not to start a shitstorm, but what about hybrids? Best of both worlds? Worst of both worlds?