Mechanical/Fixed

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A1H Skyraider
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2007/11/04 08:30:45 (permalink)

Mechanical/Fixed

I shot an 8 point friday night and I'm sure I my be opening a can of worms thats been debated many times before, but I shoot mechanical broadheads , I shoot the Cabelas ones made by rocket with my bow set @ 70#, with a 31# 435 grain arrow, (i have a long draw so I end up with a super heavy arrow) My friends all say they would never use mechanicals because they are not reliable, durable, it takes away the energy, or you can't stick the bad angle shot.  Anyway, this buck is the 9th deer I have shot with my bow and mechanical broadheads.  I have had 8 complete pass throughs with the 9th actually lodging itself in the opposite leg after making an exit hole, several of these are at bad angles but the I shoot heads that have the point sticking way out past he tops of the blades so you get some penetration before the blades deploy.  I butcher my own deer so I have had the opportunity to examine all of the entry and exit holes.  I have sliced through ribs, the thin parts of the shoulder blades, and never have I had one not completely open and make three cuts on impact.  This last one did have a broken blade but it occured when it stuck in the ground because after examaning the exit hole it made a perfect three cuts.  With all of this said I dont want this to turn into a mechanical/fixed battle I just want to read others experiences with the issue.  (not what your buddy told you, your experiences)  In my experiences I have had no reason to switch from mechanicals.  I do believe you loose some energy so if you have good or bad to say please list you bow # you shoot and, if you know, the total grain weight of your arrow. My theory is its not what you shoot, its where you hit them!!!!
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    Maga2120
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    RE: Mechanical/Fixed 2007/11/04 08:42:40 (permalink)
    i shoot mechanicals.... 70 pound draw back 273 fps 100 grain tip on a maxima 350 never had a problem... i say just use wat works for you not ur buddy because every day something new comes out and it has its pros and cons
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    thedrake
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    RE: Mechanical/Fixed 2007/11/04 11:50:54 (permalink)
    I've killed several deer with mechanicals, mostly rockets. I have had only 2 kills out of 10 that were not complete pass-throughs, but in those cases the broadhead still passed through both sides of the deer. I have had only ONE deer make it out of my sight with mechanicals. I think its because of the wider cutting diameter mechanicals usually have.

    I have been shooting rocket steelhead xp's for the past few years, and have seen entrance holes on all the deer that i've killed with them. I shot NAP spitfires before that, and did not always have full size entrance holes, but I did have extremely large exit wounds. Nonetheless, most of the deer hit the ground within sight when I used spitfires.

    As far as steep angled shots, I dont think anyone should take them, fixed blade or mechanical. Steep/sharp angled shots are marginal shots and arent a good idea, so anyone who says they wont shoot mecanicals because they deflect, are most likely taking shots that are a poor choice anyway. That being said, I have never seen evidence of mechanicals deflecting.

    There are certainly trade-offs when it comes to the 2 types of broadheads. One difference is accuracy. Mechanicals in my experience are typically more accurate, and do not require you to move your sights, so there is no re-sighting session when you switch to your hunting setup. I have shot some fixed blade heads that didnt require me to re-sight my bow, but it hasn't been that easy with most. I have not shot a mechanical that has required me to re-sight in the middle of preseason practice. Another difference with mechanicals, is that you do not have any "flyers". With most fixed blades that I have shot, I have often ended up with a head or two that simply would not fly straight.

    Penetration is better with fixed blade heads. There is no denying that fact. If I were to hunt elk or bear, I would switch to a fixed blade, no questions asked. On deer, however, I have pass-throughs with mechanicals often. So, like I said earlier, penetration is not an issue. I do believe that to shoot most mechanicals, you need sufficient energy. I wouldnt recommend using them with a low poundage bow, or extremely light arrows.

    Fixed blades are typically stonger than mechanicals. There is no denying that either. That being said, I have not once broke a blade with a mechanical head, or a fixed blade head.

    In my experience I have not seen anyone present a good case against mechanicals. All those people that have told me they are bad, have never tried them, or seen their effectiveness.

    I have killed deer with muzzys, thunderheads, rocket ultimate steels, steelheads, sidewinders and a few others that I am probably forgetting, and the bottom line is this, they have all killed deer with a well placed shot. No matter what broadhead you shoot, where you hit the deer is what matters most. We can agrue which broadhead is the best for days at a time, but in the end how well you shoot them is probably more important than which one you shoot.
    post edited by thedrake - 2007/11/04 11:54:17
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    thedrake
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    RE: Mechanical/Fixed 2007/11/04 14:17:23 (permalink)
    I just realized that you asked us to mention our setup.
     
    I shoot a bowtech at 68 pounds with a 29 inch draw at around 280fps with a 396 grain arrow (I used my reloading scale).
    #4
    S-10
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    RE: Mechanical/Fixed 2007/11/04 16:40:15 (permalink)



    I shoot a Bowtwc set at 62# and went to 2 blade snypers when I got the Bowtrc with excellent results. I have had full deployment, complete penetration and all deer fell within sight. Prior to that I used thunderheads for years also with excellent results. My only complaint with the snypers was the rubber band would catch on brush and slip off. I am switching to the Rage 2 blade  head to get away from the rubber band. The only other heads I ever used were the Muzzy which I didn't like and Bear razors Which I used for about 20 years with the recurve also with good results.


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    bingsbaits
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    RE: Mechanical/Fixed 2007/11/04 17:17:28 (permalink)
    I just got to shoot my buddies new bow tech tribute I think it's called. What a sweet shooting piece of equipment. Wish I had an extra $700..

    "There is a pleasure in Angling that no one knows but the Angler himself". WB
     
     


    #6
    BIGHEAD
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    RE: Mechanical/Fixed 2007/11/05 05:20:02 (permalink)
    I have tried the satellite mechanical broad heads years ago and was not to wild about them. They had the rubber band and always wanted to slide. When i shot them they went straight and true . But trying to sharpen the blades really was not fun and could never get them as sharp as i wanted to. I just stick with Thuderheads 125's . I shoot a hoyt mangna tec @ 75lbs @312-315 fps. The new rage broad heads look nice but i have a pile of thunderheads and can't see buying them. well maybe next year .   GOOD AND SHOOT STRAIGHT   DAVE
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    griffon
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    RE: Mechanical/Fixed 2007/11/05 07:36:00 (permalink)
    All it will take is one bad experience with a mechanical and you will go to a fixed head.  Yes, deer are lost with fixed heads, but those deer would have been lost with a mechanical as well.  However, there are deer that are lost with mechanicals that would have been killed had a fixed blade been used.  I know of a buck that was lost this weekend and it was completely due to a shortcoming of a mechanical head.  Had that buck been shot with a fixed blade it would have been dead, end of story.  I used to shoot mechanicals and killed a lot of deer with them.  That said, never again.  A good fixed blade with a well tuned bow gets the job done, no questions asked. 
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    bingsbaits
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    RE: Mechanical/Fixed 2007/11/05 10:00:17 (permalink)
    Something I've noticed on the tv shows. Most of them shoot a fixed blade. I shoot small rockets 100 grn. , 350 grn. carbon arrow out of a Mathews FX set at 70#. Have always gotten good penetration.

    "There is a pleasure in Angling that no one knows but the Angler himself". WB
     
     


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    thedrake
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    RE: Mechanical/Fixed 2007/11/05 11:15:16 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: griffon

    All it will take is one bad experience with a mechanical and you will go to a fixed head.  Yes, deer are lost with fixed heads, but those deer would have been lost with a mechanical as well.  However, there are deer that are lost with mechanicals that would have been killed had a fixed blade been used.  I know of a buck that was lost this weekend and it was completely due to a shortcoming of a mechanical head.  Had that buck been shot with a fixed blade it would have been dead, end of story.  I used to shoot mechanicals and killed a lot of deer with them.  That said, never again.  A good fixed blade with a well tuned bow gets the job done, no questions asked. 

     
    How would the buck you mentioned been killed with a fixed blade? How did the mechanical head fail?
     
    Not doubting you, i'm just curious.
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    griffon
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    RE: Mechanical/Fixed 2007/11/05 12:17:05 (permalink)
    The guy who shot the buck hit him real high behind the shoulder with a spitfire from a low hanging treestand at 15 yards. The broadhead was a spitfire, which generally is considered to be one of the better mechanicals by many.  At the angle of the shot, the protruding blades actually hit the buck before the point did.  When the blade opened, it pivoted the arrow driving it straight down less than 3 inches through the deer.  We did find the arrow and it confirmed the lack of penetration along with the details he told us of how the arrow was sticking straight up as the deer took off.  Is that scientifically solid? The answer would be no, and noone will ever know for sure.  That said, a good fixed blade head hits there and it tracks straight in.  If it does not spine the deer it passes through.  If it does not pass through it continues cutting, provided the deer runs off at all.  I do not believe that the head failed (although this does reveal a known shortcoming), and a better shot would have been the best solution. 
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    Maga2120
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    RE: Mechanical/Fixed 2007/11/05 22:22:09 (permalink)
    i spot a doe in the shoulder bone last year with a fixed bladed muzzy last year i had a pse set at 65 pounds... it suck in and it didnt do crap... (i was ashamed of my self for hitting her there) so i think every broadhead can screw up,but you are right a fixed blade has more energy so theres less chance of it screwing up 
    #12
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