Mechanical broadhead test

[mchurch]

I have an excalibur micro 380. Total arrow weight is 400 grains at around 350 fps. I wanted to try my thorn hpx broadhead on really large hogs..350 pounds. Do you think shooting like 3/4 inch plywood would be a good test to see if I'll get enough penetration?

[janesy]

I have an excalibur micro 380. Total arrow weight is 400 grains at around 350 fps. I wanted to try my thorn hpx broadhead on really large hogs..350 pounds. Do you think shooting like 3/4 inch plywood would be a good test to see if I'll get enough penetration?

That's the tried method.

[Carnivorous]

I used a mechanical on the hog I shot in March. I didn't get a pass through but the hog dropped on the spot. Next time I will go with a fixed smaller diameter head. The hide on a 350lbs hog will be incredibly tough to penetrate with a mechanical...

[mchurch]

Carnivorous, which mechanical head?

[Carnivorous]

Carnivorous, which mechanical head?

Swat. The swat easily passes through deer and bear. Hogs are in a different league...

[AJ01]

Carnivorous, which mechanical head?

Swat. The swat easily passes through deer and bear. Hogs are in a different league...

Yes, they is!!!

I only shoot fixed at hogs. And down here we shoot a lot of them. I have seen hogs shot with mechanicals that the head never made it to the "boiler room".
One of my son-in-laws took a friend hunting, shot one with a Rage. From a vertical We killed the hog 2 weeks later with the arrow broke off at the shoulder. The head never made it past the shield.

Just my 2 cents worth!!

[longbow joe]

I only killed 2 hogs with a crossbow years ago it was with the plain old boltcutter broadhead and a 2219 alluminum bolt no issues with a 330 matrix.
If l hunted them again l probably would use the same broadhead but wit a zombie and a 100 grain insert.
I don't think you need some self sharpening exotic expensive one piece broadhead for them.

[janesy]

I without a doubt, would be shooting a TOTA after watching them in testing for the past couple years.

500fps, a block target and a morrel high roller and it still went into the rocks and survived. No hog was stopping that.

[flinthead]

I’ve killed quite a few over the years with archery gear… with the exception of four or five that I killed with a longbow (Simmons Tiger Shark) I have used a fixed blade Muzzy.

[Boo]

I might be wrong but the tip of those mechanicals that you are looking at do not look like they encourage entry/penetration. I would stick with a good broadhead that has a sharp tip. I've used the G5 Striker Magnum with good success on hogs.

[mchurch]

I definitely don't want an angry wounded hog

[nchunter]

Lusk Archery has tested a few Thorn broadheads. Here’s one of them:
https://youtu.be/-KIb7mFblu8

It’s penetration was rather poor, compared to most of the other broadheads tested. He shoots them into ballistic gel, and measures the inches of penetration. Then he also shoots it through compressed corrugated cardboard, and counts how many layers it cuts through. Most broadheads pass through at least mid-50’s to 70 layers; the Thorn only cut through low 40’s.

[nchunterkw]

Your goal as an archery hunter is a complete pass through. For hogs my feeling is you need a heavy arrow...like 600gr and a strong fixed head that won't bend when it hits something substantial. Ranch Fairy shoots a ton of hogs. Check out his youtube channel. 400gr arrow on a hog is just not heavy enough. The shield on a big boar is easily 3/4" thick. And you want to pass through 2 of those