mechanical broadheads

[mrmorton]

well i have to say, i wish washington would allow mechanicals. i love a lot of the benefits of mechanicals and i currently shoot muzzy 3 blade 125grain heads. i just wish the option was there for me to choose. how do you guys or girls feel about mechanicals on elk sized game? ive seen elk killed with rage two blade heads. not the head i would use but ive seen it done. your thoughts?

[mrmorton]

 

[Ray]

There's several old discussions on the topic no doubt. I'm against mechanicals. Anything moving is prone to breakage and failure to deploy. It seems to me that there are really a lot of options for archers as it stands anyway. I want a strong broadhead which cuts on contact. Not a weak one with moving parts that may fail to deploy.

Archers should be concerned with length of season instead of gadgets.

[carpsniperg2]

i feel the same as ray. a good cut on contact broadhead is a must for me. there are so many choices that are out there i see no need for the mechanical broadheads

[Snapshot]

Yep, they are completely unnecessary.

[mrmorton]

compound bows are unnecessary. we all could just use longbows or recurves, they work. when will archers come to the reality that mechanicals are just as reliable as a fixed blade broadheads when given a good quartering or broadside shot. i shoot fixed but i would shoot mechanicals in a heart beat.

[Lowedog]

Only advantage I see is arrow flight.  A properly tuned bow should get your fixed blades flying as well as mechanicals.  I don't have any experience with them but I don't think I would use them on elk size game.  

I don't see any reason to make them legal here.  Better to learn to tune your equipment.  All part of the archery experience for me.

That being said if they were legal here I wouldn't care.  I still don't think I would use them.  

compound bows are unnecessary. we all could just use longbows or recurves, they work. when will archers come to the reality that mechanicals are just as reliable as a fixed blade broadheads when given a good quartering or broadside shot. i shoot fixed but i would shoot mechanicals in a heart beat.

The whole traditional/modern thing has been discussed at length on here.  Do a search on mechanicals and I'm sure you will find plenty of reading.

[colockumelk]

I don't know if I'd use them on elk.  To me for elk size game penetration on bone is the key.  Any broadhead on the market if shot through the rib cage on a perfectly broadsize elk at 20yds will give you a clean pass through.  However I want a broadhead that if I mess up will still penetrate through some good bone mass and penetrate at least one lung.  Or if I'm shooting at 40-50yds wont hit a rib and deflect.  I want it to punch through. 

For deer I'd use them in a heart beat.  In fact I plan on using them this year on deer.  I'm going to try them on hogs as well this year just to see how well they on bigger tougher game.  That is one nice thing about Alabama, I can field test a bunch of different broadheads on different game. 

So in short I'm not against them and I'm not for them.  I'm going to wait and see for myself.  But also I know fixed blades work great on elk so if it works why switch?

[Bob33]

when will archers come to the reality that mechanicals are just as reliable as a fixed blade broadheads when given a good quartering or broadside shot.

Probably come to the realization about the same time that they are as reliable.

An archer by the name of Chuck Adams has some thoughts: "The trouble is, mechanical heads are not perfect. In more than half of the 60 or so animals I have seen shot with mechanical broadheads, some failed to open, failed to penetrate well, or failed to hold up under impact with bone, however, I'm happy to report that the latest mechanical designs from New Archery Products, Barrie Archery, Satellite, Cabela's, and other top companies now open consistently. Likewise, such heads are stronger than ever before. But at their best, mechanical heads still squander 25- to 50-percent of an arrow's penetrating energy simply to open up. The butterfly action of these heads plus their long noses combine to create very high penetrating friction. And because blades are not supported at the rear when open, they can fold or snap on impact with bone or even heavy ribs. Compared to fixed-blade broadheads, mechanicals simply are not as strong."

[bow4elk]

I got to field test the NAP Spitfire 2-blade mechanical heads back in 1995 before they hit the market.  I was nervous to shoot them as there was only one other animal harvested with them prior to my two caribou bulls in Quebec.  Dave Holt and I both shot our bulls with them and neither of us experienced any issues.  Shot placement is and always will be the starting point of any discussion on broadheads.

I shot one bull at 8 yards, slightly quartering away.  He ran about 30 yards and piled up.  My second bull, a 350-class stud, was with a large herd moving fast toward the lone boulder I was crouched behind.  I peeked up and saw his palmated tops about 30 yards out.  I drew and waited at full draw for him to appear.  As he came around the big rock I grunted with my voice to stop him but because he was with about 300 other animals   they all scattered like a school of minnows.  He was around 24 yards broadside and walking when I released.  My arrow hit mid-body and I knew it was too far back.  As he crested a small rise I ran to close the distance for another shot.  He was facing directly away from me walking with his head down.  My second arrow buried full length into his left ham, and he only went another 30 yards or so before crumbling into a creek.

I got exceptional performance out of those heads and wouldn't hesitate using them again, but I'm a fixed blade guy at heart.  I like no-moving-parts because I feel it reduces opportunity for failure.  I use NAP Nitron 100s and love them.  I used T-125's for over 10 years, and T-100's for another 10 years.  My opinion is there are a lot of great heads out there today but sharp blades and shot placement win out everytime  

[Snapshot]

compound bows are unnecessary.

I couldn't agree with you more.   

[nockbuster]

compound bows are unnecessary.

I couldn't agree with you more.   

Post like this makes me sick! I read your other post about comp vs. Trad crap . you are the CANCER of Archery
Why do you want to separate  the 2? so we can have shorter seasons? or so you will no longer be able to hunt with Trad gear? If it goes to a vote you will lose and be like the hound hunters and baiting for bears. I go to 3-D shoots and Trad shooters come and shoot with us. BUT not you . YOU have Trad. ONLY shoots? why? We need to stick together as BOW HUNTERS.

[Ray]

It's interesting when those who want to propose the change to the status quo and upset the balance call out others as "Cancers" of the sport. I kind of think it works the other way around.

Why have a bowhunters shoot? Well, some of the same reasons there is a trad only shoot. To promote the sport, gather like minded individuals and foster a sense of brotherhood among them.

The analogy to baiting bears is much different than mechanical equipment differences. It had nothing to do with archery and there is no conclusive evidence that people who shoot longbows and recurves or self bows had anything to do with it.

[nockbuster]

Ray at the bow hunters shoots they NEVER have told someone they cant shoot there bows, because of the KIND of bow they shoot.
so what good would it do for ARCHERY to ban Compound bows for hunting? or is it just you don't want us compound bow hunters in the woods with you guys at the same season?..cancer..yep I have never heard compound bow hunters trying to stop the Trad. hunters.
Why cant you guys look at bows as bows. What is the difference between the 2?. I read that some think we have a shorter season because of the compound bows? Thats funny  as for the baiting and hounds  its the same ...small groups will get picked off one by one from the anti hunters. I know I would not want the people of Washington voting about bow hunting.
How has the compound bow HURT bow hunting?

Oh I have 2 Trad bows and 2 compound bows . I AM a ARCHER and a HUNTER

like I said WE as Archers need to stick together.

as for Mechanical head I would not shoot them on elk. the key word is I  just like I dont like cut on contact heads

[bearpaw]

Mechanical Broadheads
I have a story about mechanical broadheads. They are illegal in Idaho too, but I had a hunter show up from Ohio with them. I told him he had to go to town and buy new broadheads, he went to town bought broadheads and showed us arrows with the fixed blade broadheads. We didn't check his arrows every day, but later in the hunt he gets a broadside shot at a 6x6 bull. Guess what???

Yep, he arrows the bull, the arrow hit bone and didn't penetrate, he says "I don't know why it didn't penetrate better, I used an expanding broadhead, and it kills whitetails back home every time."  I felt like sending the guy home, first he broke the law, second he lied to us, 3rd we never recovered the elk due to lack of penetration. That still pi$$e$ me off when I think about him wounding that bull.

Expandables are probably great on small game, but from experience I can tell you they are inadequate on large game and there is a reason the western states do not allow them.

Fixed Blade
I swear by fixed blade broadheads on big game. Even the ones with replaceable blades are strong. I used muzzy's on my muskox, they went through all the hair, through the shoulder blade and exited the other side. On my moose the fixed blades passed all the way through. I had a friend who shot zwickey black diamonds, one year he killed his deer, bear, and elk all with the same broadhead. He is the only person I know to have done that and all he had to do was resharpen it.

Compounds vs Traditional
Like all other hunting sports, division will be the detriment. As long as the equipment is adequately effective we should support each other. There are legitimate arguments for and against each type of bow, we are all much farther ahead to support each other. I personally think archery in general is taking some hits in lost opportunity, archers better quit bickering and just support each other. Due to an injury I don't have a choice anymore, I can only shoot a lightweight compound.