Gerhard, what is the general perception of mechanical broad heads in Africa and what is your opinion of them? I have never used them. I know a few guys that are hard core archery shooters that swear by the new designs for shooting Whitetail. I have been shooting Whack’em broad heads. They fly great but I have not had a chance to kill anything with them yet.

In the past we had a lot of trouble with mechanical broad heads failing.

We prefer a client hunt with a good fixed blade broad head. Like Slick Trick, Muzzy, NAP Thunderhead, Montech ext...

If a client want to hunt with a mechanical we suggest that the total arrow weight not be less than 450gr on a 70# bow to generate enough momentum and kinetic energy to enable the mechanical broad head to function properly and penetrate as deep as possible.

The Rage 2 blade broad head have received some good reviews here in South Africa...

I personally believe in if its not broken dont fix it.

The range of broad heads made by Slick Tricks have always produced the goods and you will always found one on my hunting arrow.

My broad head of choice is the 125gr Slick Trick Std...

I'll second your endorsement of Slick Trick broadheads. I've been using their Magnum 100's for several years now and everything I've shot has died.

While some of my friends swear by their mechanicals (especially the Rage), I continue to swear at them. I've also noticed on television shows that there seems to be an awful lot of deer running out of camera range with an arrow sticking out of its side.

That doesn't happen with my Slick Tricks and I'm only shooting 70 lbs from a 29" axle/axle Forge bow!

Two trips to SA (2003 & 2005). On the first trip I used both fixed and mechanical broad heads, couldn't see much difference. Second trip was all mechanical with no issues. Mechanical head was Spitfire 100 grain for a total arrow weight of 405 grains and about 285 fps off the bow. Animals included Zebra, Kudu, Warthog, Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Waterbuck, Red Hartebeest, jackal, Gemsbok, Ostrich, Bushbuck.

Hi I have hunted allot of african and some north american animals with Spitfire mechanicals 125gr with a 450gr arrow,the only thing i think you must consider is a nice heavy arrow.Sothat you can get the KE up sothat you will get more penetration.Then you must remember that shotplacement will make the world of a difference!!

Reon van Tonder
African Barefoot Safaris
info@afaricanbarefootsafaris.co.za
01127824147597

Welcome to AR Reon.

Dankie man...Thankyou buddy!!
Yes Richard Kayser hunted with me and he talked alot about AR i had to have a look for myself!

I still stick with a fixed blade, but a couple of my buddies have had nothing but great results with the rage mechanicals. If you plan on shooting thicker skinned animals I would probably use something sturdy that doesn't have replaceable blades, just as added insurance for good penetration.

are there any mechs that lock open?
i like the fixed blades as they provide for continued cutting as the animal runs after taking the arrow,short of a complete pass thru.
have guided bowhunters in N.A. for the past 15 yrs and watched the lastest greatest technologys
evolve but this was always my argument when it came to the biggest difference between the two

Any broadhead works well on soft tisse. However, if bone is hit that is when a fixed blade really shows its worth.

Was a fixed blade guy for many years, then switched to mechanicals for a few years. The real reason was that it was just a bit more difficult to fine-tune the fixed blade heads. I had very good results for a while -- then as I here all the time from other folks, had a few episodes of very poor penetration, deflection, and one outright malfunction (on a Bobcat). Went back to fixed blade heads and have not looked back. Now use Slick Tricks, and am very happy.

Have been lucky enough to go on a number of bowhunting safaris, including dangerous game. When coming to full draw on that trophy of a lifetime there is no substitute for having absolute confidence in your equipment.

Several African bowhunting concessions I have hunted at strongly encourage hunters to not use expandables -- fixed blade heads are proven and work.

It would depend on the model of mechanical. Some of them, Grim Reapers for instance, perform flawlessly on plains game and cut a decisive wound channel through the animal resulting in massive blood loss and easy recoveries. If you use a mechanical use proven products.

Ken Moody

quote:

Originally posted by Ken Moody:
It would depend on the model of mechanical. Some of them, Grim Reapers for instance, perform flawlessly on plains game and cut a decisive wound channel through the animal resulting in massive blood loss and easy recoveries. If you use a mechanical use proven products.
Ken Moody

Ken -- really do not care to get into a debate on this -- but -- personally observed one of the Grim Reapers fail -- badly -- on an eland couple months ago -- my hunting companion paid the price for the wounded/lost eland he then switched to fixed blades and had vastly better success --- I would also note that some people have had reasonably good success with them -- but --- it appears that just as many have had bad results -----

I will stick with fixed blades ---- they get r' done
G

Every brand of broadhead will eventually experience some type of problem but in my experience the GR head has worked perfectly and that's on dozens of game animals I've seen shot with them. Were I to recommend a mech head the GR would be the one. While I've personally shot well over 300 big game animals with Muzzy heads and never had any problems I am sure that there are bowhunters who have. Shoot what you like and have confidence in.

Ken Moody
Ken Moody Hunting Africa
www.kenmoody.com

I like the KISS principle personally...

125gr Muzzy, 450-475gr arrow, 280+fps.

Rich
Monster 7 shooter

quote:

Originally posted by Ken Moody:
Every brand of broadhead will eventually experience some type of problem but in my experience the GR head has worked perfectly and that's on dozens of game animals I've seen shot with them. Were I to recommend a mech head the GR would be the one. While I've personally shot well over 300 big game animals with Muzzy heads and never had any problems I am sure that there are bowhunters who have. Shoot what you like and have confidence in.

Ken Moody
Ken Moody Hunting Africa
www.kenmoody.com

I agree with Ken, The GR's a great - I have used them on many animals here in BC as well as back home in the Limpopo province, never had a failure yet.

But, like anything many people are afraid of mechanicals because they have heard that old Piet Pompies shot a Blou wildebeest and the bleerry thing just bounced off - or some story that another Okie shot a Kudu and the blades did not open because he never had enough KE - yada yada yada - I have heard them all as well.

I shoot a PSE x force bow set a 60lb - I use GR's and Blue flames, throw in a couple of shuttle Tee's and a slick trick or two and there is nothing that I have ever shot at, that is not on the ground within 50 to 80 meters. And that’s from “bosveldt” conditions on "rooibok" to alpine conditions shooting stones sheep.

The times that I have seen broad heads fail is when the archer was taking hallelujah shots at 60 meters plus.



..

the guys I hunt africa with have shot just about everytype known,, by our last trip,, we were all shooting fixed blades,, 2 bladed steelforce with bleeder blades. We probably shot 30 animals, all pass through,, even on giraffee and eland. We go back july 2011,,,we will all be shooting fixed blades, cut on impact broadheads..proven reliable... we left a few that passed through the animal and buried into the stone at a few water holes,, we couldn't get them out of the stone,, I guess those were the failed broadhead,,,

Thank you for all of the input. I am going to tune my bow and my wifes bow to either the Magnus Stingers or the Razor Tricks. It just removes on more thing that could go wrong by going to a fixed blade. Perhaps I will try some mechanicals on doe whitetails the next time I am in Ohio. Failures are not as expensive on those.

I highly doubt that you will find an issue with either of your choices. They are both reliable and great heads.

If I were going to recommend a mechanical, so to speak head, it would have to be the Steel Force Phathead SOB. Just from knowing what the standard has done on some hogs my bud has shot, and how they hold up to heavy bone, with the added expanding arms of almost equal thickness I believe it would be the only one I would consider for hunting abroad.

Good luck to the both of you, be sure you post up a report when you return.

I never liked mechanical broadheads for deer let alone african animals with large adrenal glands. You wont regret your decision to go with a solid broadhead design.

If you want to see some methodical testing of mechanical broadheads go to Tradgang.com and look at the ashby reports. Some very eye opening stuff there. I like the way Ashby approaches this stuff from a scientific point of view and not marketing hype. Then make up your own mind what you wan to use.

the chef