This clip is from Episode #33. Dan Infalt and Josh Teulker discuss mechanical and fixed blade broadheads. Here is a link to the entire episode. • Episode #33 - Mid-Seas...
I think the key too is to have confidence in what you shoot. I personally use a 300 spine micro sport and 125 grain rage and my results for me are great. Most times I watch the deer fall over. There is benefits to both kinds and you just have to decide what works best for you and go with it.
Yup I use fixed blades be ause I shot in brushy areas where I run risks of touching grasses. So a single bevel fixed blade for me I run 100 grain heads and a 250
Great feed, it does cost more to find what work well, but it's worth it. Nothing beats practice, keeping yourself, and all your gear sharp. Like the big man said: regret carry's a high price.
Bottom line IMO/IME is the vast majority of deer hit with a absolutely razor sharp fixed blade don't know what happened and do not react as if attacked While deer hit with a mechanical react much more fearfully because the sence the effect of the blades deploying inside of them this makes them react as if they have been attacked or they feel they are in danger
I have learned over the years that you have to shoot every arrow/bolt and every broadhead in your inventory to be sure. Too many guys assume an arrow is going to fly straight out of the box and that every tip is going to fly comparably on grain weight alone. Test shoot a dozen of each to come up with a couple that fly right.
I agree with Dan for sure on fixed! Not a Mechanical guy myself. I helped design broadheads with Rocky Mountain for years. Back when the company was owned by Bruce, and Bob Barrie. That being said the Snyper was the first camback broadhead which most know as the rage. Like Dan stated even that head which had proper blade angle, and quality blades, and parts still took a little over 30 lbs of kinetic energy. This can be a big issue with low poundage, and or short draw lengths. Great info and overview guys. Also like you said the new fixed heads are machined much better. I am a QAD Exodus guy! Short ferrel and double lock blade front, and rear with a .040 blade and the laser sharpening make a damn near in destructible broadhead. Thanks again guys!
@@Brian-R Actually to make the head deploy, and pass thru even a whitetail our tests showed 30# min for opening, and deployment on a whitetail type of animal. That being said this was with a 11/2 cut not the two inch you are speaking to. I can not tell you the amount needed for a full pass thru with that head as I have never tested that but with the cut and blade angle I am just assuming it would be in the 45 to 55 range for KE it also will very if you hit bone, and so on like Dan stated. Nothing wrong with a rage just have the bow, and energy to do the job! Oh and they shoot no better than a fixed head, at any distance . They all work that simple.
i shot fixed for 35 years or so, along with some rocket steelheads, this year i tried the swhackers and they are my new go to heads. i shot a big 9pt, a doe, and a turkey with them so far this year. no blood trails needed, everything was down and dead within 50 yards. NEVER had quicker kills.
When I'm in brushy country or shooting thru screen out of a blind I use Muzzy's. All other situations I shoot NAP Shockwaves or Swhackers. I shot a little buck a month ago on a long angle quartering away at 50 yards. Entered in front of the back ham, came out his neck and stuck in the ground. I only shoot 55lbs, 30inch 300 spine arrow, 100 grain insert and a 125 grain NAP shockwave for a total weight right at 525 grains moving only 260fps. Third deer I've killed with that same exact head.
Just a thought, as a guide in Michigan for bear and Prior Whitetails guide in southern ohio deer, that he is so correct yet again. Day 6 heads for my bow are the best and for my xbow due to my recent back surgery the SWAT broadheads 3.75 inch cut head is out of this world! I’ve shot 10 big bucks with the Swat and even though they are mechanical I was sick of watching my xbow arrows sunk 20 inches Into the dirt and that waisted kinetic energy was sickening!! So I tried Swat and the 4 inch cut splits the deer in two!!!! From gut shots to shoulder bones they do it all. And for my bow the day 6 is absolutely out of this world.
I use rage hypodermics and never had an issue with them as long as you know how to tighten them on the shock collars. Also have an old muzzy from my dad I keep one in my quiver for coyotes and other stuff. I recently shot 2 pheasants with that muzzy and they both hit exactly where I was aiming. Dug the arrow out of the dirt. Banged it off the best I could and sent it through the second pheasant lol first one was at 30 yards and second one was at 20 yards. Pretty crazy how it flew the same. Like I said they were probably 30 year old muzzys so probably still good quality. 👍🏻
That stinks. Been using those since 2006 and never had a issue. I've seen 3 blade heads skim off of ribs at a steep angle. It's pretty hard to do with a swhacker because of the long narrow point lol. I hope you get him next time. Good luck
Josh you got to change the ending of your videos LOL from one Hoosier Deer Hunter to another looks like you're popping up from doing a gagger great job on all your dear so far this year buddy I got my biggest this year from following Dan and your advice and tactics thank you very much
I remember when mechanicals were all the rage people looked down on me for sticking with my 3 blade fixed but now all the pros are coming out saying they don’t trust mechanical heads anymore. Sometimes you have to stick with your gut not the trends
I just shot a really nice Buck and failed to recover him. However, I did recover the arrow and the mechanical broadhead I was using failed to open. Neither blade opened and I had no blood or fur at impact and tiny drops of blood to follow until it stopped completely about 100 yards from where I shot him. I will not mention what brand I was shooting, but I will never use another mechanical broad head again. Lesson learned.............The hard way
Same argument when it comes to heavy vs light arrows. I always ask the question with both. Why would anyone shoot something that might work when you can shoot something that'll definitely work. Rolling the dice shooting mechanicals. Iron will single bevel 200 grain broad heads with 100 grain insert. Shot 6 deer with them over last 3 years. Unbelievably good. Shoot a deer, quick touch up with some buffing compound and right back in the quiver.
They have hybrid broadheads. I’ve never used one before though. I think mechanicals excel in crossbows due to reliability at opening at higher speeds and long range accuracy due to its narrow profile.
I know this is an old video, but I've killed piles of deer with both types. I've hunted with mechanicals now for several years now, but I only shoot an 1 1/4" diameter model. I add an extra 50 grains of insert weight up front. Passes through deer out to 40 yards with zero issues, ever. However, with that being said, I keep several fixed blade heads on hand. I also paper tune / nock tune every arrow I own. My setup will also shoot fixed blade heads every bit as accurate as my field tips....on a calm day. If you're gonna shoot fixed blades take the time to tune your bow and each arrow. It's worth the effort. Don't know why I don't use my fixed blade heads though. Hahaha
I started with fixed 23 ish years ago and then switched to rage. They were my go to without issue for years. Maybe 10+. But they were not sharp, one and done broadheads. You had to replace the blades as it takes nothing to bend them. I’m now use heavy two blade fixed heads. I will say rage blood trails are awesome but the deer always seem to run an extra 50 yards compared to a good sharp fixed blade head.
It really depends on what you shoot. If your shooting a 50lb bow you certainly don't want to shoot mechanicals. If you shoot 65/70 pounds or more you can pretty much shoot what you want. A guy I know hit two deer last week with fixed 2 blade heads and neither deer was recovered and both deer left with the arrows so it can happen with anything. I've mostly shot fixed heads in my life and like them. Now I shoot a fast bow and I shoot a mechanical. It's a little more forgiving and it blows through deer with ease. I broke both front shoulders on a 13 point with my setup so hitting bone is not a problem. I see guys shooting 50 pounds or so using a 2 inch mechanical that takes quite a bit of energy to open before it even goes in the deer so they don't penetrate well. People should find what works best for them and use what they have confidence in.
I shoot G5 deadmeats. They are unbelievably accurate. I practice with the b.m.p. points that come with them. They are relatively weak as the blades bend, but even if they don't open they still cut because there rear deployment. I used to shoot qad exedus which are no joke! But I got sick and tired of them wind planning.
I like those too. I was going to try them but i saw Michael waddell shoot a big buck at a angle and it skipped off a rib and he didn't get the deer. Anything can happen with any head though
It’s nearly impossible for modern rear deploy to NOT deploy. They put down deer quicker. I shoot Magnus Stinger BC and NAP Killzones. The Killzones simply put them down within 100yds every single time. Less chance you lose them in my experience. I used to be all fixed blade but more blood and shorter tracks with Killzones for me.
Every time there's an unrecovered archery buck in my sphere of hunting friends, everyone first asks, where'd you hit em? & what kind of broadhead, lol.
65lb bow 250 spine black eagle bloodsport 100gr insert and 125gr magnus stingers. Blows right through animals don't know what happend and dead within seconds.
I've never had a problem with the rage 3 blade chisel tips. I've blown through both scapula before. Mind you it was 70lb at 10 yards but maybe the draw weight does have something to do with it.
@@Brian-R that's what I've thought. Ever since they went away from the oring style they've all been really good for the most part. I mean common sense tells you that for bigger game you need heavier equipment
@@Brian-REver shot a big, heavy buck straight down into the spine? I’m not sure the Rage (or any expandable) would be as reliable as a fixed blade in that situation.
I prefer a smaller diameter mechanical broadhead. I shoot fingers instead of a release out of my compound and they fly much better. Can't get fixed blade to fly well since my arrows aren't perfectly tuned. If i still shot with a release, I'd definitely shoot a fixed head.
I agree with Dan on the fixed blades being better than mechanicals.There are some very strong and well made mechanicals but if you take the time to tune your bow and sight in with fixed blades .Fixed blade broads like qad exodus, tooth of the arrow and slick tricks are some of most durable and best flying broadheads you can buy.
Yes not all mechanicals are created equal. There's a particular channel on RU-vid and they use those nap spitfires 1-1/2 1-3/4 and 2 inch cut and they don't seem to have any issues unless they're just not showing or talking about it when they do and then there was a very popular show a few years ago and they started using those rocket meet seeker heads and seemed like they were having a lot of issues. I don't like that design at all. Personally if I was to use a mech I probably would use a 1-1/4 small cut head. I for sure wouldn't go over 1-1/2
best compound bow fixed blade I ever used were Sonic (american BH co. now out of biz) the penetration and blood trails were incredible from such a tiny head. I also used a hybrid head call gravedigger from blood sport it was a 1" fixed 2 blade with a 1.75" expandable, those were devastating....now that Im pretty much hunting with a recurve its single bevel 2 blade only
I've never had a mechanical kick. I started with bear fixed blades and had major accuracy problems with planeing, so I switched my setup to spitfire 125s and lighter arrows now I use dead ringer, three inch massive cut channels on quartering deer and they fly like a field point. I've always shot all the way through deer and into the ground and never had a problem with penetration. The truth is fixed blades plane, that's why everyone wanted mechanicals back in the day. because they flew like a field point and the only way you could make your arrows faster was to lighten them, to beat a deers drop response when shooting at them. So we went from heavy arrows and fixed broadheads to lighter arrows and mechanical broadheads and everything was fine, and still is. now everyone wants to go back to fixed broadheads and heavy arrows. Why? The only way a heavy arrow can have more penetration as if it has more power, which it cannot, have because the bow is delivering the same amount of energy each shot. A heavy arrow would have to move at the same speed as the lighter arrow to have more power thus more penetration. This is proven by 410, 20 and 12 gauge ballistic comparison. From what I've seen on heavy arrow hunting videos there's a lack of penetration with their setups. I see a lot of people lobbing arrows now and there seems to be a community of dumbasses that are talking down about mechanical broadheads and light arrows. Seems they're trading speed and accuracy for fake penetration dubbed momentum. Lol you overweight and arrow and you lose speed and accuracy for slow lob and think your getting better penetration if you hit the deer. A lot of heavyweight arrow videos prove they're not getting the penetration they hoped for which was already proven years ago. Take a 400 grain arrow moving at 400 fps and a 500 grain arrow moving at 325 fps and see there's no gain in power. You have to propel the 500 grain arrow at 400 fps to gain power and a bow cannot provide more power, it's the same amount each shot. Sharp broadheads do not need a lot of momentum to cut, they cut with very little effort but they need the speed to propel the quickly with the animal. It's a known fact by most that you that weight loses momentum very quickly as it's speed drops when encountering an object in the way. Speed is what carrys momentum. Whiteout the same speed on a heavier object, you gain nothing. As a side note, I've shot all the way through a quartering to deer with a crossbow a 450 grain arrow with mechanical broadheads. I shot the front shoulder and they bolt came out the back hip and landed in the bushes on a level shot from the ground. I'd like to see a heavy arrow with a fixed broadhead do that.
You're wrong on the momentum of a heavy object. As an example: which would be easier to stop, a semi moving at 50mph or a toyota camry at 100? The more mass an object has the more momentum it carries. Now which is easier to roll: 30lb bowling ball or a pingpong ball? The pingpong ball because the bowling ball requires more energy to move it. Obviously the pingpong ball will roll faster but once it hits the pins it bounces back, yet the bowling ball even at a slow roll continues through. These are extremes of a concept yes but it is the reason why people are going back to fixed and heavy. It is as you stated our draw lenght is fixed and that determines the amount of energy a bow can output. Those of us that have shorter draws have to compensate with either heavier arrows or heavier draw weights. All things come at a compromise with merits on either side.
I used a 1 1/2" Spitfire mechanical,.30 ft high in a tree, the buck came into 10 yards. I punched straight through front shoulder. 6 1/4" of the arrow broke off inside him. I hit a main artery & he bled out within seconds. Shooting 65 lbs. I consider myself VERY lucky to have killed that deer & that the arrow wasn't deflected. I've shot exodus fixed & they always shoot 5" left & 2" low compared to field points. I wish I could switch to fixed blade but I need consistency. I've been told paper tuning is a waste of time because it never stays in tune & to just stick with mechanicals. Does anyone have a solution? I think I just need to find the right archery shop to tune my hoyt.
I shoot both. I have a magnus in my wuiver for certain situations but i shot a doe quartering away with a grim reaper and it passed thru the leg on the opposite shoulder and every deer ive shot with them died in less than fifty feet. I shot a buck the other day with one and he died in one step. Just a well placed double lung shot that take the top of the heart but that deer died in one step and that’s with a mechanical whitetail special grim reaper 3 inch three blade. I think confidence and paper tuning are the two most important things coupled with plenty of practice and developing a relationship with your bow
Fixed heads show your shooting form for what it really is. A tuned bow will help in fixed heads flying better. If you have really bad torque and don’t know about it, it will really show. Mechanicals will shoot with your field points all the time and even with bad form and torque it won’t really show. I switched to fixed do to poor penetration on a 1/4ing away shot and ended up losing that deer from it. So i now pratctice and shoot with iron will a d grim reaper fixed heads all the time, almost every day i shoot the broad heads and really focus on my form and paying attention to everything my hand is doing and my release hand. It all makes a difference. In the end it comes down every individual hunter there preferences.
With any broadhead if you shoot clean thru the game, how many times can you use that broadhead? A second time? Or are they basically one and done? Thank you too whoever may reply and give me their opinion.
depends on what happened to the arrow/broadhead .. was it an easy pass through into soft earth? did it hit bone? did the head end up embedded in a log afterwards? based on those answers and a visual inspection, i will make a determination to re-use (sharpen) or toss it. stuff is too expensive these days to throw it away for no reason.
I've used the same broadhead to shoot many deer and I just replaced the blades but if I hit heavy bone and bend it I trash it and start with a new one.
fixed broadheads for me i prefer a good single bevel can make it thru the shoulder if need be. i shoot iron will 100$ a pack lifetime warranty i shot a few deer on the rage hype train had bad penetration any bone is gonna stop stop or deflect alot of those mechanicals i also feel like shooting mechanicals thru any kind of cover or stems is almost impossible to punch thru. fixed heads alot less likely to break and easy to sharpen with superior penetration... no brainer for me. my uncles and his buddies still shoot rage and i just laugh at them and say good luck im not coming to track all those wounded deer 🤭
I've learned that taking a hundred practice shots a day doesn't help it only wears out your bow string and damages your arrows. If you really want to build confidence and accuracy only shoot one shot a day. Because one shot is typically all you're going to get, so you shouldn't practice taking 20 shots to feel confident, one is all you get.
Personally I can’t understand how anyone can still shoot mechanicals today. The single bevel razor sharp is proven beyond any doubt to the best broadhead.
Disagree with Dan on this. I prefer a balanced setup. I shoot a 480 grain setup with a 1.75” mechanical shooting 291 fps out of a 70 lb bow. I have no issues with penetration or blades not opening. Many fixed blades I’ve tried don’t fly well because of their design, and yes my bow is tuned. Love my grim reaper whitetail extras. I also disagree with Dan on hitting them perfect; the blood trails for a mechanical are much better than for fixed blades
Bottom line we’re shooting deer not cape buffalo worst blood trails i ever had was with annihilators shot 7 animals and wasn’t impressed at all shoot a buck with the iron wills last year not impressed going to the beast 💪🏻🫡
Anyone that says a mechanical failed. THEY MADE BAD SHOT. I'VE KILLED DEER AT ALMOST EVERY ANGLE. LOVE SWACKER VORTEX CUDA . I'VE SHOT MECHANICAL THROUGH A 20 OZ CUP OF WATER AND THEY OPEN.
@@lorrimorseramos3333 A dumbass is someone who tests expandable broadhead efficacy on a cup of water with an intention of proving anything at all. It's embarrassingly stupid
