badshotbob

Couldn't have said it better.

....and this:

Well, what's the point then?



A few years ago, I got on the mechanical kick. Bad mistake. It didn't open on contact. Something went wrong with my mechanical broadhead. Why? Because it was mechanical. Anything mechanical has an inherrant nature of breaking down. Not to mention, I rarely take a shot more than 20 yards so what's the advantage of shooting a mechanical? None to me. Thunderheads are deadly accurate at 20 yards and wow do they blast through a deer.

TFOX

Is it just me or isn't a bow a mechanical device.Isn't a rest a mechanical device.Isn't a release a mechanical device.Heck,a rifle is a mehanical device.If these things fail they can kill the person behind it.A bow could fail and hurt the person behind it really bad and send an arrow of course causing a bad hit.If we look hard enough we can find enough reasons to just stay home and watch t.v. instead of getting out and doing what we love.




That isn't getting it in my book.Like anything else,it has to be a QUALITY product with a good reputation to be used by me.It must also test well.


We really need to get passed this because good mechanicals are as dependable as good fixed,if not more so.

Elkcrazy8

I have to pipe in I guess. I am not disputing the fact that mechanicals are effective on deer. Because I believe that they are. My point is that, even when hunting deer, I want the optimum in penetration. I will always use a fixed for this reason. Kinetic energy IS desolved in the opening the blades. This is the main reason people use the mechanical blades for turkey so that the arrow will not penetrate through. The issue here is how much is enough. Yes the mechanicals are enough to kill a deer but I want to be sure that I have the ulimate in penetration. The pic, that was posted on another forum showed me that I was correct in my thinking. there was alot of extenal damage to the doe on the ground. Obviously there was enough internal damage to kill the deer. The external wound however showed me that there was alot of energy lost ripping the gash in the side of the deer. I personally would like that energy to be pushing through the vitals or bone if it is a marginal shot. I am not taking sides, as I prefer not to. I am just stating my observations and my opinion for what it is worth. Larger cutting diameters and will destroy more area, at the same time will also eat up more energy. It also takes energy to cut a bigger hole ,or to open blades. The smaller the area cut, the less energy needed.Opening blades= KE dissolved. This shows me that this is what I stated. How much is enough. This to me all boils down to proper shot placement and arrow speed. I will not argue that Good mechanicals are effective on deer however I will always beleive that a fixed head will out penetrate a mechanical shot out of the same bow at the same speeds in the same conditions. The mechanicals do have better flight characteristics than do the fixed. Lets face it. There is less suface area to catch the wind. However if the shots are kept within traditional hunting yardages. There won't be enough to make a difference to a skilled archer with properly tuned gear. Everyone has made a good argument one way or the other. But we have to remember that we are all hunting with different gear, shooting at different speeds, wind conditions and are all at different points of our archery career. If the mechanicals work for you, use them. If the fixed work for you ,use them. But lets not keep bringing this up. Just make sure that whatever you choose to use. Put some thought into it first and know your equipment. Make sure that when you release that arrow that you have done all you can do to insure a quick clean kill.

c903

"We really need to get passed this because good mechanicals are as dependable as good fixed,if not more so."

Can't be! Why? Because there are several important do and do not conditions that must be met when shooting a mechanical to avoid a malfunction and/or malperformance, conditions that a fixed blade does not have to meet.

Arthur P

TFOX, I really cannot believe you actually said that!!!

Bowhunter57

A mechanical broadhead only has to fail one time and an animal can be lost, wounded, etc. I'll use what's been working....cut-on-contact broadheads that are shaving sharp.

If someone else wants to use mechanicals, fine....have at it. They're not for me!

Good hunting, Bowhunter57

fastfire

I belive that every hunter should use what ever they feel is best for them.
Both have advantages & disadavantages.
I have used both.
Just let me say that most but not all mechanical broads that fail that I have personaly seen are people that are speed freaks shooting light weight arrows at high speeds so there is almost no KE at the far end.
Fact: It takes more KE for a mechanical to pass thru than a open head.
Fact: You should not use a mechanical head if you dought it will work with your set up as you will never trust it to work.
Fact: most but not all mechanical broad manufactures suggest an arrow weight of at least 485gr with broad head & a bow drawing at least 55 lb.

Straightarrow

I used a mechanical once. I shot a buck at 6 yards with a 400 gr arrow going 265 fps. I hit it square in the middle of the ribs and did not get a pass through. I got the deer, but lost all confidence in them. Some mechanicals may be great, but I will never find out. My own personal experience has given me 100% success with fixed blade heads and what I consider poor performance by the one mechanical I used. Whether mechanicals are good or not, doesn't matter to me. From now on I'm using what has worked great for me in the past. Besides, I've never had trouble getting any fixed blade head to fly like they should.

aeroslinger

I've only been shooting for the last 2 years so be kind. Does anybody have any type of data showing how much more KE is required with mech's? I see people complain about other stuff slowing arrows down and they are usually talking about a couple of fps which doesn't seem like enough to be the deciding factor. Also, if the mechs are so hard to open, why do they even bother with the o-rings on some of them? I have some mech's that if I hand push them into my target block they open up. I haven't shot long enough to be a good judge, but so far I like them and I have seen a lot of guys on here who have taken some really nice deer with mech's. It seems like the bottom line always comes back to use the equipment you are comfortable with, properly set up with, and most important - take a good, ethical shot.

davidmil

I believe the industry recognize(most often quoted KE) is 55 foot pounds... but I think that's almost pushing it if you shoot more than 25 yards or so. I would think if you had 60 you'd be good to go with proper placement. I said my buddy has killed a bunch with mechanicals... but he's pushing close to 80 foot pounds.