Trusting mech heads

I always said I wouldn't use them on elk and am now convinced. A guy I know shot a bull a few days ago about 30min before dark.
Trailed what little blood he could find and backed out. Next day went to his parents house to approach from where the bull was headed and when he got to
their house he noticed a nice bull pushing cows around by the apple trees. It was the same bull he shot lol. Arrow poking out and all. Anyway, once light he
poked him and the bull bugled so he poked him again. The mech head to the lung had failed to open.

Not a fan on mechanical. Will always shoot fixed.

Agreed

So this bull ran around chasing tail for at least 12 hours with an unopened mechanical in one lung?

What broadhead was it that failed to open?

Grim reapers will frak something up.

They may work but I'll stick with fixed...simpler is more trustworthy to me

A fixed head will out penetrate a mechanical head, that’s a given. It’s the “failed to open” that I don’t buy. The first shot was most likely a shoulder or high backstrap hit that did not penetrate very far. I’d like to know exactly what head it was and see some pics. I’ve heard this failed to open excuse too many times only for it to be proven wrong. That seems to be the number one excuse for people that don’t like mechanicals and have very little experience using them.

Whatever lol. He shot the bull with 2 mechanical heads. One failed to open and neither was a shoulder hit or high backstrap. The bull died after being shot
4 times. 2 mech heads and 2 Magnum Buzzcuts. As far as excuses, I don't need an excuse since I will not shoot an elk with one. They won't penetrate and hold up like
a fixed blade although people have great experiences with them.

Yes, you read that properly lol. I hit a bull high last year that was chasing cows the next morning.
We also had a guy shoot a bull high lung that was killed by another friend 3 days later still running his herd.

Pretty sure it was a Rage but, I won't know until he's back from a hunt and I'll ask

Cool, I really have a reason to lie about a broadhead LMAO. Why would I post something that wasn't me and I really could care less about ? Plus he killed the elk

Pictures or it didn't happen!!! Lol

I have shot close to 30 deer with Rage and I have never had one not open. Although I have made piss poor shots that resulted in two lost deer. One of which was found by buzzards with a two inch entrance and the other was gut shot and watched on camera for 3 days before she disappeared also with a gaping hole.

Actually got a reply, it was a Rage. I don't know anything about them because I don't use them. If there's anything requiring the user to do, he may have messed up but here's what I know
1 rage to one lung failed to open.
1 Rage up low and front, that was the bleeder he quit tracking about 10pm
next morning
1 buzzcut to lungs for a pass through
1 buzzcut to hind qtr trying to poke another hole and was rushed

Have fun, back to hunting for me

How does he know it didn’t open? Due to the design of the head, it would be damn near impossible for the blades not to open. The only thing I can see that would prevent it from opening, besides wiring the blades together, would be the head being gummed up severely with something or corroded. So if that head failed to open, which I highly doubt, it was user error on his part.

I’ve had good luck out of big cut mechanical heads. They may burn me one day……but haven’t yet. Even shot a 300lb black bear and got complete pass through. Same with every deer I’ve shot

If it's mechanical , it can fail.

Please don’t tell all the critters I’ve killed with multiple mechanicals that they don’t work. I’ve got em convinced pretty good. In my unprofessional opinion it would be hard for a rage not to open. I think ol buddy made a less than stellar shot.

PS I don’t shoot rages. I have and had great luck just found one I like better

Exactly. Why would you post something that wasn’t you and you have no proof of the broadhead failing to open. The whole thread is a joke. I don’t shoot Rage, but like others, I’ve killed plenty of animals with all sorts of mechanicals.

Sumpn aint right here🧐

He knows it didn't open because he killed the bull like I've stated lol. So, he looked at the head and it did not open. I also mentioned it could have been operator error as well...

*Well, since its an ARCHERY FORUM I posted it here and I know the guy it happened to
*I think seeing the head is proof
*as far as a joke, whatever. As far as you calling me a liar which you're basically doing, bite me lol

Simply looking at the broadhead after pulling it out don’t mean squat. Show me a pic of the entrance hole under the hide.

Just as I thought…..

I’m not calling bs but I’ve had several buddies say the same on marginal shots on whitetail. Don’t know if it was rage error or shooter error. But I destroyed a does front shoulder at 20 yds with a grim reaper chisel tip and she went 50 yds.

I have made some pretty good shots in several deer with muzzys and g5 montecs and have had trouble finding several. Swapped to rage for a couple years and my recovery rate went way up Swapped to Grimm reaper about 3 years ago and they are by far the most devastating head I’ve ever shot. I’m not saying I won’t ever shoot another fixed head but I don’t see it happening anytime soon. I see 0 benefit in them.

I agree. Many mech heads have a large cutting diameter and if your bow and arrow combination doesn't have the power to put one through whatever animal you are hunting then that chit is on you not the head. It's your responcibility to know such things.

As for the "it didn't open crap" I never believe it and with good reason. It's horse pucky. Over the years I have shot Rocket Steelheads, Rocky Mt Snypers, Grim Reapers, Spitfires, Wasp Jackhammers, NAP Shockwaves, Rage, etc, etc. Some of them I killed deer with and some I just tested on various target materials. Never had a single one fail to open, EVER. Hell I even tied some of them shut with dental floss and shot them. They snapped the dental floss and still opened. Yet every time someone loses an animal or has a bad time of it on a hunt they claim the expandable head they used didn't open. A claim that is particularly odd in the cases where the animal wasn't found because how in the hell would you know in such a case?

In the case in question here they claim the head didn't open and yet it only penetrated deep enough to get one lung. Well an unopened mech head would penetrate like a field tip. In other words it would penetrate even deeper if somehow it stayed closed. If it didn't open and only managed to penetrate to one lung then they are lucky it stayed shut or it wouldn't have broke the skin. Tell these guys to check their bow and see if the words "Playskool" or "Mattel" are written anywhere on it. If so, they need to take it back to the store and tell them this time they want a bow from the sporting goods section and not the toy aisle. LOL!

Bottom line: If you frack up on a bow hunt man up and take responcibility for your mess. This sounds like a case of either poor penetration, chitty shooting or a combination of the two.

I think the people that have heads that don’t open are trying to shoot a bow 30000000 fps so they shoot s super light arrow. After they don’t get penetration and they find the arrow that falls out of the entry hole and the blades aren’t fully opened they automatically say head didn’t open. Forward momentum in conjunction with hitting a given target opens the heads and keeps them open. Once forward momentum stops then the blades can move around especially when pulled backwards like when they fall out of a deer. I’m with Todd ive literally shot hundreds of heads and never had one fail. I also make sure to check each head prior to shooting it to make sure whatever mechanism it has that makes it operate isn’t messed up. I shoot a pretty heavy arrow pretty slowly and have blown through some big bodies deer. Ive shot through shoulder. Heck i shot one nearly from end to end one day on accident. I have lost some deer but I have never felt it was the heads fault. I think that’s just a cop out.

Yeah you keep thinking that. I think it’s funny that a couple of you are so naïve that you think nothing mechanical can feel I’ve already looked at broadhead and I know why it failed

This threads actually making me laugh. For the ones doubting the lack of penetration if it failed to open, you’ve never shot a bull elk into a solid rib, it slows down an arrow LOL.

Me being not the shooter would have no reason to make up some bulldoodoo story and post it on here.

If you’re really dumb enough to not think something mechanical can fail, due to human error or manufacturing, that’s really funny. Especially when some of your drink horse medicine LOL

I don’t have pictures of the wounds because I was not on the hunt, but I do know that the head failed, I saw the head, and I know why it failed.

Keep the guesses is coming

I have to get back to hunting

Well, if you know how it failed, enlighten us. Stop being an attention whore.

I’m not an attention whore, that might fall into your ball park since you’re the one that basically called me a liar. Lol

And you think that that a elk rib slowed the arrow down more with an unopened head than it would have if the arrow would have been trying to push a 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 inch opened mech head through it? How old are you? 12? And please do post up this photo that reveals how the head didn't open. I'd love to see it. Because I can't imagine how a photo could show such a thing unless somebody wrapped metal wire around the blades or welded them shut.

For starters I think you’d be surprised what elk bones stop, and the zinc baby Rocky Mountain milk these are big ass roses LOL. I just said it could have I did not say it didn’t so your 12-year-old comment pretty much proves you’re a moron. I clean 10 to 30 elk a year, we find broad heads in all parts of the bodies we find bullets in all parts of the bodies, these things are bad asses. My sons bought other night took it through the liver and lungs and stayed alive for four more hours. But anyway thanks for your guesses

Well after I looked, it appears that somebody hunted with their broad heads in the rain last year never took care of them. He also shoots a slow bow and had crossbow collars on his Broadhead. Pretty sure his bow did not have the force to break through the collar. If that’s not it I don’t know but either way there’s absolutely no reason for me to come on this forum and make up a lie. You guys crack me up Especially with the guess like arrow speed, arrow weight and all that fun stuff which I have nothing to do with broadhead opening. Anyway I thought somebody might legitimately play along and have a good guess but I stand corrected. Peace out

Like I said that’s my guess but I’m not a BH engineer, I don’t shoot expandable broadhead, but I do know that mechanical shucks fails

Your reading comprehension skills suck. No one has called you a liar. What Shaw and others including myself call bullchit on is the story itself. According to you the story originates with other people you know, not from you. I have no reason to doubt they told you this crock of chit therefore I am not calling you a liar. Now these guys you are talking about on the other hand are full of chit. My advice would be if you sell them anything don't take a personal check. LOL!

So the problem is the hunter is an idiot; did multiple stupid things; but you came here to crap on mech heads and blame them.

Well I really don't give a tinkers damn what broadhead you use. But if you are going to restrict yourself from anything mechanical because it might fail then here's some stuff to add to your list. Your truck, your 4 wheeler, your bow. your gun, and your climbing stand. You trust all those things. Some of them with your life but you draw the line at a mech head. LOL!

You need to be sporting some serious KE to put an expandable head through an elk. If the guy was using a slow bow then he should have known better and the whole cluster frack affair is on him. Furthermore if he hadn't checked his broadheads since hunting with them in the rain LAST YEAR then that just further proved what a total goob the guy is.

I'm pretty well against using mechanical heads. But that is only because of penetration issues. I've killed a bunch of deer with rages, swackers, spitfires, grim reapers, etc. Never had an issue with them performing, as long as I hit soft stuff. The problem was, I am like a honing beacon for shoulders. So a good cut on contact fixed blade, and medium weight arrow setup performs better for me.

I did not come here to crap on the broadheads but I do know that they have failed in the past on other hunters. I simply made a point that the BH had failed and a couple of you guys get all carried away because you’re the people that seem to know it all. If you read further down the post you’ll read where I said if it required something on his part he may have messed it up, so that pretty much means human error to those that can’t distinguish what I was saying. So back to the subject the post was about the mechanical had failed to open some people started wanking and all that kind of fun stuff and after I saw broadhead I simply pointed out the facts that I think made it felt to open. There was no busting on the Broadhead. It failed to open that’s just fact. Just due to the corrosion it may have failed to open properly but I didn’t play with it long enough to see.

I’m in the same boat and I don’t want a wider cut than what I already get with my fixed it. These balls are too tough to get a lot of penetration on sometimes. My son shot his bull two days ago at 42yds with a 125gr thunderhead and only the fletching prevented a passthrough. 2nd arrow base if neck into shoulder at 66

Like I said I didn’t shoot it was just passing along that it failed and you guys start wanking. I could care less if you care what BH i use. Lol, I put in too much work on my elk hunts to trust a mech head. BTW, i have a spare bow. That large cutting area is not my preference. Comparing that to my truck is just stupid it has nothing to do with the subject 😂

Whatever man… Is there a special reason you’re just being a dick?
All you had to do is read the posts and I specifically said it could’ve been human error but nope you want To keep acting stupid instead of recognizing that. I don’t care if you’re moderator not its still no reason to be a prick

Your original post. You didn’t mention jack until you were called out on it. It’s just like Todd said, you came here to crap on mech heads and blame them. Instead of acting like an adult and owning up to it, you start backpedaling and calling people names. Just like a teenage drama queen. “LOL”

Lol, when i made the OP i hadnt seen the broadhead. Im hunting ine unit and he was un another. Really never called anyone anything until basically being called a liar. Like I said I posted it could’ve been operator error you failed to read that and continue to act like a dick. If you go back and read everything there’s so many stupid comments that had nothing to do with a broadhead failing. I never said anything definite until I had looked at it, only that it had failed. The drama comes from your childish Memes
Just to be clear, Todd was wrong. I didn’t come out here to crap on mechanical heads i strictly stated that it had failed. I can’t help everyone starts wanking over a comment that’s true

No, I read it. You didn’t say anything until you were called out on it. Keep digging the hole deeper…..

I think I would have figured out the whole story before I blamed a piece of equipment then you wouldn’t have to circle back.

I did not blame a piece of equipment I simply stated that the mechanical broadhead failed. Then all the cool guys decided to start acting stupid about it LOL

Like I said you’ve been on here being a weenie. I simply stated that a mechanical broadhead failed. If I’m hunting one area and he’s hunting another area and we are not together holding hands I’m pretty sure I’m not going to see the Broadhead until we’re back in the same town. Once were in the same town I saw broadhead and Stated what Appeared to be the issue.. It’s not my fault you were on calling bulldoodoo on everything. I’m elk hunting for myself and was out caliing for my son until he tagged out. I wasn’t gonna waste my hunting time Trying to solve a mystery when we’re not even in the same area. You can keep twisting calling bulldoodoo or whatever you wanna do but the simple fact is the Broadhead failed

So….if it failed to open due to rain or crossbow collars are you still convinced that you shouldn’t use them?

Exactly. I guess if these guys didn't check the oil in their truck for a year then pumped the tank full of diesel on a gas engine truck, he would be on here claiming all pickup trucks suck when it stopped running. LOL!

So you were “convinced” and had time to jump on here and post about it before having all the facts. Ok…… That’s the problem I have with this thread. You jump on here posting about a mechanical failing to open. The same bullchit excuse I’ve heard a thousand times to cover up poor shot placement or not properly maintaining your equipment. I’ve heard the same bullchit excuse about losing animals and no blood trails because of fixed heads also because of poor shot placement. You didn’t backpedal until you were called out on it then started calling people names. And for the record, if I ever get the chance to bow hunt elk, I will most likely go the fixed head route. With my setup, a mechanical would be too risky due penetration, not because I’m afraid it won’t open.

I was convinced because i know the individual that shot the bull lol. I never back pedaled, just posted facts as they came. A few of ya jumped the gun like i was making shucks up, obvious by your comments. Just called one guy a moron for his reference to a 12 year ild and one a dick after he constantly tried to make the post more than it was. The OP was fact and accurate, it failed to open. Im done and you can try to twist it how ya please but, i never blamed the head, just passed a fact. My release mechanically failed today when i was using it as a “figit” hiking my death march uphill btw. Luckily i carry a twin in my pack

Nope, i dont care what ithers use but im convinced i wont use them on elk. Especially the Roosevelts. Our mature cows weigh as much as some Rocky bulls. I want penetration and i rely on whats been proven to me.

As far as Todds comment, its just another dumb statement

Shaw, as far as BHs elk hunting, fixed are proven over time. A lot of States have just recently made themlegal. Reviews are mixed. Quick bow any fixed head will do as long as you’re tuned. Slow bows and low poundage bows can use them but COC is most hunters preference.
Bad shots happen on all species. An elk survives almost all bad hits if its not to the guts.Deer sometimes die anyway. We have found multiple bullets/broadheads cleaning elk and elk often leave poor blood trails due to the wounds quickly clogging something. Biggest failure shots are the new guys thinking how cool frontal shots are but, they aren’t proficient enough to pull it off

Simple answer to all of this is, If you only shoot well made extremely sharp fixed broadheads you take the mechanical broadhead failure out of the equation!

There really isn't a mech failure problem to figure into the equation. Buy any well known mech head and they will open. Claims that they didn't are bull chit in the range of oooooh about 100%. Stop and consider a simple fold from the front 3 blade mech head. It's a simple hinge system. And each hinge operates independent of the other two. So for none of the blades to open you would have to have not one but 3 of the simplest mechanical systems on earth fail simultaneously on the same shot.

Sorry for his troubles but I’ll never shoot anything other than a rage. Just my experiences alone make my decisions. Maybe swhacker again if it came down to it

Shot Rages since they came out. Only lost a few deer and everyone of them was me making a horrible shot, mainly the “no man’s land” shot.

Rage worked fine for me this morning!

I shot rage for years and they always killed but they were alway unusable after one shot
I bought some Sevr mechs and have killed two hogs with the same broadhead and it still razor sharp
It is mounted on the same bolt ready for round 3

Rage opened just fine on this one earlier today!

Dayum!!

TRUST BIG & HEAVY

SIMMONS LANDSHARK 175GR + FMJ ARRAHS

THRU & THRU ON SHOULDER BLADES AND QUARTERING TO SHOTS ON A 60LB MATHEWS OUTBACK

/ THREAD

You just haven’t hit that one spot on the shoulder yet. 😉

That's just funny right there! 😂

Sounds like the guys arrow was off, hit hard bone, or broadhead didn't open just right, some or all. With a mechanical there are just more things to check. More to go wrong if it is not checked. Most mechanicals come with a practice head that is not the actual one being used on game and is closed not allowed to open. All products have a potential for defects. Molds making products get worn over time, process, or components could change, or weight could change, one blade could be more heavy, causing incorrect flight path. Have you ever noticed some arrows just fly more true than others, some ammo patterns are different, even if exact same kind?
Would it be best to shoot the broadhead being hunted with at a target even though it is mechanical just make sure it flies true? The broadhead should be cut out of the target as to not damage it, inspected closely, and blade sharpness checked.
Even a slight weight difference of a broadhead can make an error not fly true. An elk shot over a corn pile with a pre-arranged set-up would not be the same as one walking through the woods on different trails. Lot more possibilities for human error. We should check every arrow and broadhead combination before shooting any animal. Even then some testosterone rutting bull with all that adrenaline would keep going on with a shot that would take the usual animal down.

I’ve never had a problem with them opening, I had a problem with them deflecting. Now this was the old chisel tip design rages when they first came out. I shot a doe on a quartering away angle and it deflected. One blade was open and had two or three brown hairs on it. I’ve never shot them since. Slick tricks and ram cats for me. Ive never had issues with those.

Yep. Most of a deers shoulder is muscle and cartilage. The actual skeletal bones are much smaller. If you hit the actual bone in the front shoulder like the shoulder joint for example you will get chitty penetration fixed or expandable.

I’ve done it twice with a fixed head and once with a mechanical. Same result each time. You only get a couple of inches of penetration and you find your arrow from 5 to 10 yards away with very little to no blood on the ground.

That’s exactly why I changed my setup. With both fixed blades and expandable, bone stops it immediately with a light arrow. With a heavier arrow and sharp cut on contact, you will break bone some of the time.

A lot of people are taking the heavy arrow fad way too far. For my setup, 500ish grains is a good compromise. I’m still shooting 280fps, but if I make a shoulder shot, good chance the deer is gonna die. I shot a doe a couple of years ago, and thought I spined her. She dropped in her tracks. Turns out the arrow double lunged her and broke her offside leg as it exited.

Add mechanical heads to the “taboo” topics like religion.

Lot of folks don’t take into consideration that sometimes deer dip dive and turn on a shot. A lot of things can happen before that arrow hits the mark. I encourage folks to shoot with what they are comfortable with. I trust heavier arrows and fixed blade heads. If I do my part everything else should be smooth sailing. I feel like this topic kinda compares to Barnes vs ballistic tips.

I've been bow hunting for 32 years and all I've ever used are NAP Thunderhead 100gn. That being said I've killed lots of deer with no issues and they fly great. I've always said if it ain't broke don't fix it.