There are some things many folks don't click with right away using a mechanical head. I have shot these few different models a ton the last few weeks. I've fooled with them at several levels. Took them all apart checked blade sharpness, yeah even had stitches put into my hand because of this relentless desire to see how things work. Nearly ruined my bear season with the damage to my fingers. I had be sure I understood all I could about the designs.
The one common thing about mechanical heads is the power of delivery. A 60lb draw with 350-380grain arrows is not enough. I am not sure if there is a spec on this from the manufactures but from all the sheep I have now killed I can say I would NEVER use a delivery system this light. I had too many arrows not make a clean pass though on these 90-125lb sheep.
Moving up to 60 plus to say 65lb and 440 grain arrows will work good to about 30-35 yards. However if you really want to see what a mechanical can do, 70 plus ( I used 74lbs) and a 500 plus grain arrow will knock your socks off. With this level of power you can see the blood explode from the entry hole at impact.
The weak link or the functional limit becomes the velocity to get extraordinary performance and not destroy the blades at impact. The long blades will twist and bend.
The next issue I have to get my head around is that the big advantage we all believe is a 2" slice going in and coming out. If it's only and entry hole without an exit then did it help? Shot at a downward angle from a tree puts the hole high in the body. Blood flow does not always flow out good from a high entry and no exit.
The logical thought is go down to something like the ulmer edge to 1.5" so with a lower power delivery system can get a pass through. Even with this 1.5" size there is, or at least to me seems to be a penetration reduction. My best thought on this is that it's like a parachute opening at impact. With the 1.5" cut on this design, the blades swivel with the possibility that one blade rides against the ferrule and only one is deployed to cut.
More important is that dropping to a mechanical of only 1.5" with 2 blades gets you 1/4" over a head like the slick trick 1-1/4" cut head, but that fixed blade model has 4 blades. This fixed blade will out penetrate a mechanical from what I have seen 100% of the time. Working perfectly with 60lb draw and 400 grain arrows.
The time spent was great fun, except for the emergency room. I feel a lot better about having this conversation with my hunters now. Rather then just bluntly saying mechanicals are bad. I don't feel mechanicals are bad. I do think you need to put a lot of thought into the delivery system. These designs need some serious power to make them perform with stunning results.
There was a time that I felt mechanicals would eventually take over ( down the road a ways yet) when the designs were more refined and dependable. Now I'm not so sure. There is a need to drive them with high powered bows to get the most out of them. I would not be confident shooting less then 60 pounds and a sub 400 grain arrow.
You guys decide, I'll keep using them on turkeys. There is no broadhead better then a 2" mechanical for turkeys.
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