How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Crossbow Hunting

Moderator: Excalibur Marketing Dude

Post Reply
User avatar
XB I GO
Posts: 634
Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2015 10:00 am
Location: Texas

How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by XB I GO »

I'm wondering what the real difference is between different cutting diameters of broadheads in hunting.

If a fixed blade is 1 inch and you got to a 1 1/8th cut does it mean a lot? How about 1 3/16th?

If an expandable is 1 1/2 inch and you go to a 2 inch, what does that really get you?
User avatar
janesy
Posts: 4721
Joined: Sat Dec 05, 2015 8:20 pm
Location: Beavertown. Ont

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by janesy »

I dont know anyone that would turn away the extra half inch really.
Blackout BD-Axe "Hatchet340"
Suppressor 400TD
Assassin 400Extreme
vixenmaster
Posts: 13618
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2005 3:51 pm
Location: Western Ky

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by vixenmaster »

Ok lets say you use a 1" fixed n the diff against a 2" Mech. the actual cut will be twice the slice. That is good great in vital organs ! I like 1 1/2" n larger Mech. B-Heads, makes me feel good. Now does it equal shorter death runs or more blood on the ground or faster death is a good ? PPL. can come up with more Data to support their claims or not
Half Bubble Off BD360

[email protected] 417-505-9315
longbow joe
Posts: 4246
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:55 pm
Location: south eastern pa (bucks county)

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by longbow joe »

All the data in my brain and past kills is simple. I was using a little boltcutter. .. ( great head) but when l switched to the spitfire and xact cut the blood trails was night n day bigger ....bigger cut more blood ....but if you go too big ...there goes your penitration its basically a balance of penitration and cut your looking for. Yes a mechanical blade will not penitrate as good as a fixed usually but you have a wonderful powerful acurate crossbow in your hands ,wait for a good shot in a non boney area and you dont have to worry about it .Enjoy following the wide cut heavy blood trail to your animal without being on your hands n knees.
Last edited by longbow joe on Sun Jan 28, 2018 12:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
Vixen 2, metal ibex,Phoenix,sapphire,matrix 330 ,matrix 355 ,vortex and baby grand piano y25 relayer.
Trigger tecs,leupold crossbones and nikon bolts.
Zombie slayers and mostly swat broadheads.
User avatar
8ptbuk
Posts: 1465
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2012 12:14 pm
Location: Patrick County Virgina

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by 8ptbuk »

No difference if You hit them in the vitals, Deer will be dead in 5/6 seconds or 50/60 yards. If you don't make a good shot you're in trouble with both !
James : 1 - 19-20 Know this , My beloved Brothers : Let every person be quick to hear , slow to speak , slow to anger , for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God .

8ptbuk's Flemish Strings
[email protected]
vixenmaster
Posts: 13618
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2005 3:51 pm
Location: Western Ky

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by vixenmaster »

Penetration n Mech. you will find all kinds of data sayin yes n no on cut size n so on. Power n arrow weight n what does it really take fer pass-through. This Doe was over 20 yds n i used 380 gr arrow n a 1 1/2" Mech. recovery 40-45 yds. Crossbow was 135 lb recurve Excal 235 fps named Pipsqueak
https://postimg.org/image/ufzsptczh/]Image
Half Bubble Off BD360

[email protected] 417-505-9315
User avatar
nchunter
Posts: 197
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2005 2:48 pm
Location: Piedmont, North Carolina

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by nchunter »

I've killed about forty deer with my 175lb Exocet over the years, with a variety of fixed and mechanical heads. There is no perfect Broadhead, but based on my experience the larger the cutting diameter most definitely the shorter blood trail.

And the newer crossbows are so powerful that you'll get a pass-through on pretty much anything other than a shoulder-blade shot, even with the larger mechanicals.
longbow joe
Posts: 4246
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:55 pm
Location: south eastern pa (bucks county)

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by longbow joe »

I agree totally with the shot placement 8 point. But if you hunted in the basically jungle like conditions of south east pa. One season l think you would soon be looking at the widest cut as possible as we do here. If l can get a few more drops of blood with a ramcat or wider expandable lm all for it.lve seen friends with downright embarrassing crappy gut shots that should have lost them find them because of the devastating cut of a large expandable such as a foc size head produced. Yes they were crappy shots but they would have not been recovered with a boltcuttter or smaller cut head.
Vixen 2, metal ibex,Phoenix,sapphire,matrix 330 ,matrix 355 ,vortex and baby grand piano y25 relayer.
Trigger tecs,leupold crossbones and nikon bolts.
Zombie slayers and mostly swat broadheads.
SEW
Posts: 1745
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2014 9:55 am
Location: NE Arkansas

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by SEW »

Sometimes we don’t have ideal hits. Large blade forgiveness is nice. The bigger blades give more forgiveness and shorter blood trails with ideal hits.
L. E. Carroll
Posts: 1258
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2015 5:32 pm
Location: VANCOUVER, WA

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by L. E. Carroll »

This is an informative post and i'm liking it as far as deer size animals with deer size bones go. :D

If asking about fixed vrs. mechanical on animals such as adult elk or almost any size moose where the bones size
and strength incountered by those heads could be a factor as to penetration and possible structural damage or breakage in regards to mechanicals what are your thoughts.

I'm asking as I primarily hunt Elk, and up to this point have relied on both 125 gn G5 Montecs and 125 Slick Tricks mated up with 92 grain brass inserts which give me micro length arrows ( I'm relying on a Micro 355 now ) while shooting 15-16 1/2' Black Eagle arrows in the 420 -440 ( depending on nock weight ) arrows.

Gene
Camo Micro 355 w/ XB30 SR Pro & TT trigger
Camo Matrix 380 W/ XB 30SR Pro & a Boo trigger
Very Nice 98 Jeep Tj
Sweet old 73 Bronco ( 2nd Owner)
Scamp tralier
vixenmaster
Posts: 13618
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2005 3:51 pm
Location: Western Ky

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by vixenmaster »

I have not used any B-Heads on Elk, jus deer n hogs. I look fer a well made Mech. that has thick blades, thin bladed Mech. works fer deer but is not well suited fer heavy bone if'en you mess up a shot
Half Bubble Off BD360

[email protected] 417-505-9315
User avatar
nchunterkw
Posts: 2904
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 11:21 am
Location: Wake Forest, NC
Contact:

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by nchunterkw »

As Vixenmaster says, I have a bunch of data that shows that size, number of blades etc etc does not matter at all on a good hit. Personally I like fixed heads because there are less things to go wrong than with a mech. head. And 4 blades make a better hole than a 2 or even some 3 blade heads. But my favorite is the RamCat. It's big and make a big hole.
Keith
Stand by the roads and look, and ask for the ancient paths; where the good way is,
and walk in it and find rest for your souls. - Jer 6:16

Micro 335 & 355
deerboyarchery.wixsite.com/trinitystrings
[email protected]
<{{{><
User avatar
Ferguson Outfitters
Posts: 257
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2016 12:14 pm

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by Ferguson Outfitters »

I tell ya, Someone once said “choose a caliber not because of how it works when things go right, but how it performs when things go wrong”, I concur.

I’ve shot animals in the exact same spot with lets say boltcutters, and the outcome was completely different on different ocassions.

I personally can’t make myself use a mechanical but the blood trails on the ones I’ve seen in action are night and day.
User avatar
IronNoggin
Posts: 3549
Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:53 pm
Location: Port Alberni, Vancouver Island

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by IronNoggin »

longbow joe wrote:
Sat Jan 27, 2018 4:47 pm
All the data in my brain and past kills is simple. I was using a little boltcutter. .. ( great head) but when l switched to the spitfire and xact cut the blood trails was night n day bigger ....bigger cut more blood ....
My experience as well. The Boltcutters did the job, but left little in the way of a blood trail, and the deer moved overly far IMO.

Switched to 125 grain Spitfires, and the difference was night & day! :shock:
HUGE blood trails a blind man could follow, and so damn short compared to the other.
I will not be switching any time soon.

The Matrix 380 is more than powerful enough to ensure blade deployment every single time within hunting ranges.

And as for elk sized critters, we hunt 400+ pound mulies that are a close second.
Mechanicals fold those Big Boys up like cheap lawn furniture. Really! :wink:

Cheers,
Nog
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."
dfinley
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2017 8:16 pm
Location: New Athens, IL

Re: How much cutting diameter makes a differnce?

Post by dfinley »

I have a hunting buddy who uses fixed blades(4 blade muzzy 1.1 inch) and I use mechanicals (1.5 inch spitfires) and we've been hunting together on and off over 17 years. Basically if you pull off a perfect double lung or heart shot they both work great. The mechanical works better for liver shots and the fixed worked better with shoulder blade hits. In fact spitfires don't work well at all for shoulder shots they do no penetrate bone very well.

I prefer the mechanical because they fly like a field point. I'm now experimenting with the BoltCutter and find they shoot pretty close to a field tip for some of my arrows. Maybe 50% of my arrows are good out to 30 yards with bolt cutters and 25% fly like a field point. You definitely will have to practice with the fixed blades before you use them..
Post Reply