Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Swhackers?

Has anyone here used them? On another site I frequent (of which the inventor, his son and several close friends are on) they are very very highly regarded. I have a couple of packs that I am going to try on hopefully a javelina or two, and on my spring bear come May.

I looked at these and I'm unable to make sense of the way they open.

The rage has the blades slide back and open so that they are expanded before they hit the skin.

The Swackers open differently which from what I can tell the small lever begins to open the blades after the point is all the way through the skin.

With this design it would seem that the blades are opened after or partly during the entry? so to get a large two blade 2" wide cut it would have to exit the skin on the other side. I probably don't understand the function completely. Just from the way it looks from the website. From what it looks like, the rage opens completely before the skin is hit with the blades. With the Swacker, I'm not sure that is how it will work.

I've never held one in my hand, Just looked at them on line in the past.

You're right, they open as the blades (at the rear) come in contact with tension. Basically, if they don't penetrate completely you're screwed. They really need to exit to leave the 2" cut they advertise.

This seems accident prone, but I have never heard a bad experience from probably 30 or more animals that my buds/people I know have taken. I plan on using them this year.

The concept of the Shwacker is good as the blades are still sharp when they reach they goodies but I am no fan because they are not all that sharp to begin with and if you do not get an exit you only have a 1" slit from the entry to get a bloodtrail from. Now given that large cut a deer will likely fall in sight so no blood would be needed. Personally I have no experience but a friend that I shoot with likes them. Just food for thought.

I've used them on two coues bucks, neither buck was shot at long range. Neither buck made it 20 yards, nor out of sight. Both bucks spewed so much blood out of their mouths, an entry or exit bleed wouldn't have been necessary for tracking. And neither broadhead penetrated the offside.

Also shoot well enough that I've smacked two turkeys with them.

The rear wing blades aren't supposed to be all that sharp, the actual cutting blades are razor sharp on all mine.

I'll be using them again. Think of them as the Berger VLD of broadheads and you'd be close. FWIW.

If you want to run a mechanical, and still have the guaranteed cut of a fixed blade, the No Limit Archery "Grave Digger" is the way to go. Swackers are not my idea of what I want in a broadhead. Tiny hole going in. Must exit to get the advertised cut. Ill pass

Swhackers are the only mechanical head I would use... if I need penetration and an exit hole, I bump from 340 to a 300 shaft, and go 125 muzzy, slick trick or even steelforce phathead.

Oddly enough, I find I don't mind as much not getting an exit when the deer dies in sight, nor that the 2" cut is "only" in the vitals.

Fixies nearly always led to a 60-100 yard tracking job for me on deer.

The mulie my wife shot this year was with a 100 NAP Thunderhead. She pulls 51 lbs but only has a 23" draw. No exit, 100 yard or so tracking job. Broadhead stopped in the offside shoulder, which was wrecked in the 5-10 seconds that deer took to make it 100 yards.

One of my buddies shoots the Swhackers and likes them a lot. I've seen him kill (and lose) lots of hogs with them. Their performance seems to be as good as any expandable.

Think youll be impressed once you get to witness the Grave Digger first hand on hogs. Looking forward to the new year. Ill shoot you a text later this afternoon

My experience was not great with these heads out of my Excal Xbow. FYI- You need a very high KE bow for these to penetrate.

I went back to Slick Tricks

You must be talking about Schwackers. Even tho your reply followed mine

My experience with expandables is limited to turkey's for me and the ones my hunters have used in Africa with me.

There is one common denominator that needs some thought and conversation here. I have seen on many occasions the guys shooting very high speeds with heavy draw and light arrows have far more struggle getting the picture perfect performance with expandables of any brand.

Compared to the guys shooting heavy arrows slower with expandables. My opinion which is open to conversation here as I welcome all ideas and thoughts on this. The speed is not so much the concern as the weight of the arrow to drive through and exit.

It seems those arrows over 450 grains shooting rage broadheads exit with far more frequency then those under 400. I say rage because those are the brand I've seen most frequently used.

Although the shwackers look similar they do not open at entry, they open after entry. Without an exit they will provide less blood then a small fixed blade.

The exits seem more consistent with a heavy arrow to drive them through. This opinion comes from seeing these used, not my shooting. Either way I have noticed the equipment difference seems to have a connection to mechanical head performance.

I Use A 70# With A 30" Draw And 420 Grain Total arrow weight.

JJ I will agree. Momentum, not KE is the magic word here. Im a short draw shooter. And its hard to get a ton of arrow weight with such a short arrow(26.5" carbon to carbon). Im real close to 400 grains. Will be switching arrows after season. Was going to go to Black Eagles with a finish weight of around 416 grains. But now that No Limit has their deep six Grave Diggers on the market, the Easton carbon injexion will get a serious look as well. I like an entry and an exit. And I prefer to shoot heavier arrows

I will make myself more clear. Swhackers are junk with a capital J

No worries man. I dont have any use for the Slacker heads either. I like pass thrus and huge holes. I also like a COC head. Thus my broadhead choice. But if a swacker type design is desired, Slick Trick Nukes is where id look. Heard several hunters say that head is what the Swacker should have been. Also hear tons of complaints about the Swacker blades being dull.

The wing blades aren't supposed to be super sharp, and are a one sided scandi style grind. Haven't seen a dull main blade yet, out of about 3 dozen. The main blades never touch hair or hide on entry, and no other head I've seen can say that.

Well whatever the case, I like massive holes on entry and exit. Something a Swacker cant provide. And if for some reason I dont get both, i got one massive hole at entry....not a little one that leaves lots to be desired.

I'm with you,
I would sooner stay with a slick trick with a 99% exit track record then only a 1" entry hole if there is no exit.

Yep.... it's TOUGH to track deer that promptly perform the "Curly Shuffle" and die in sight.

Better have two holes and a damn good exit.