I am going to be using mechanical broad heads that I bought last season for this seasons hunting. They are the style that uses rubber bands to hold the blades in place. I have not shot them yet. I practice now using 100gr field points. The broad heads are 100gr. They are carbon express and I don't remember the model name. They are very similar to the NAP Shock Wave. I may end up switching to something like the Rage that uses a slip cam system. I only have a few of the rubber bands to hold the blades and am not sure where to buy them if I did need more. I have read that these type of broadheads fly just like a field point so there is no need to practice by shooting the arrows with the broadheads installed. Is this true??
It's definitely a good idea to practice with them. Most have replaceable blades. I like to use the foam targets from d icks sporting goods. They are cheap and work awesome, but they don't last long at all. As far as bands, I've heard of many guys using the little o-ring / rubber bands that you can get from an orthodontists office that are used on braces. I haven't tried them myself but a guy at work uses them on his meat seekers and he says they work perfect.
Definitely shoot them before you go out. One way to do this is to remove the rubberband and save it, then tie a piece of dental floss around the blades where the rubber band was. Trim off the excess floss after tieing them on. This will keep the blades from deploying and getting bent as they dig into the broadhead target. You can, or should be able to shoot them a few times just like a practice head that way.
Thanks guys. I will try th e dental floss trick. If they fly the same I wont worry about shooting them any more unless I change my set up.
Warning: My bow destroys absolutely expandable heads in my practice target. It bends the hell out of the blades, which costs me money and pisses me off. Tie down one set of blades as mentioned above and do as little "practice shooting" with that head as you realistically need. I'd wait until your last round of shooting before the season begins to start monkeying around with that. Mine have always shot right with my field tips, give or take an inch or so. Good enough for government work. Do what you want, but don't be surprised if the blades deploy on impact, and come out twisted-up and/or broken off. Those things are engineered for one shot, and one shot only.
Hey quick, try getting a cheap foam target. Wal mart used to have them, now you can find them at d icks sporting goods, or probably most cheap places. I shot my meat seekers through them and the blades were perfect afterwards. Keep in mind they sure don't last long though.
