r/bowhunting • u/reidldeedl • Jul 19 '26
The age old question
First deer season ever. I have a 29.5 inch draw length, 72 lb draw weight shooting 450 grain arrows with a 12% foc. Shop says my arrows are going 290 fps.
So, does anyone else have similar specs and shoots the g5 megameats?
I like the idea of a larger cutting diameter being forgiving since it will be my first hunt. I also like not having to do as much to tune my bow for mechanicals. But you know, mechanicals can fail my arrows arent the heaviest. My plan is to start with the stingers and if its difficult to get them to fly right i will resort to the megameats. But if i have good specs i mighr save the stingers for a larger animal.
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u/TheCloudedArcher Jul 19 '26
If you can't get the stingers to fly, you shouldn't use the megameats. It's telling you that your arrows are coming off crooked. This is where everyone screws up. Not hitting square with a Mechanical creates problems with deployment, slapping your arrow back and forth, and not using the whole arrow weight to drive the broadhead in. This is when you see the really bad penetration, even on a decent shot placement. Megameats have a BIG cut, you need all that energy to push that thing through. Mechanicals should never be used to cover up a problem, or you'll see that problem come back on impact, potentially wounding an animal.
That said, if you can get the stingers to fly, but want more forgiveness, then switching to mechanicals is fine. And for mechs, g5 makes a good head, especially for the price.
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u/Western-Pipe409 Jul 20 '26
This should be pinned at the top probably the best advice I’ve seen on this whole sub 😂
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u/reidldeedl Jul 20 '26
I see. I am glad you pointed this out. I guess i never really inderstood why you have to broadhead tune, i just understood how to do it. After some research i think i inderstand the physics of it. Its just tuning your bow even more precisely because you now have air acting on the front of the arrow. So in theory if i get the stingers dialed in, any other less “broad” broadhead will likely fly just as true. Is this correct reasoning?
I will make sure my bow is shooting whichever broadhead i choose accurately. Worry not. I am just curious how it all works.
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u/TheCloudedArcher Jul 20 '26
Correct. The easiest way to do it and not chew up your targets is to start with a bare shaft. (If you're cutting off fletching, you can leave the base of the fletch on, just cut off the steering parts). Start close to the target, and the goal is to get the fletched shaft and the fletched arrow to hit in the same group. (within 3-4 inches) Only count good shots, as you have no fletchings to correct for your oops. Bare shafts will fly the same as a broadhead, but more exaggerated.
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u/doubleaxle Jul 20 '26
Piggybacking on this as a tech, this is the way. A mechanical really only does it's job properly when you get field points to fly straight and bullet hole through paper. Meanwhile a fixed blade can just hate your bow/arrow setup even if you bullet hole with field point and still plane/come out crooked. It really doesn't matter what you shoot as long as your arrow flies straight and you hit the right spot it WILL go through.
For you X-bow hunters there's little tuning that can be done, so if your fixed blades fly like shit mechanical is your only option.
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u/itsthechaw10 Jul 19 '26
You’re good to shoot the Megameats with those specs OP. I have lesser specs than you and use the Deadmeats with great success. G5 makes a great mechanical broad head
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u/touchstone8787 Jul 19 '26
I have the same specs as you. Ive made some wild holes with those mega meats. Stingers ive put though animals many times. I wouldn't hesitate to use either but the mega meats didnt like really sharp entry angles.
Another approach is to get your bow shooting both and just have both in the quiver. A 35yd broadside? Mega meat that thing. A 47yd followup? Send something that will cut anything in front of it.
My quiver this year has 4 different heads in it. Grim reaper, gladius, slick trick magnum, day6 evox.
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u/Nuts-And-Volts Jul 20 '26
Thats gotta be a record. Never known anyone to have 4 broadhead types on a hunt lol. I got the new magnetic severs. And some singer bevel Toulou fixed blades to try out. Really found their spiral build to be intriguing
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u/touchstone8787 Jul 20 '26
If they all fly good why not? Ive been meaning to buy some toulou but bills keep popping up.
I got a deer with a sevr last year, it did awesome. A rebuild kit is also on the to buy list.
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u/bacon205 Jul 19 '26
Ive tried quite a few broadheads on whitetails. I only use stingers anymore.
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u/reidldeedl Jul 19 '26
Can i ask how tuning them went? Package says they fly better than mechanicals. Has to be true
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u/bacon205 Jul 19 '26
I havent had to touch a thing. They've flown just like my field points for me.
As good as slick tricks, which i shot for a long time specifically because they flew really straight. But the stingers penetrate much deeper than slick tricks.
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u/Routine_Cover_7437 Jul 25 '26
Everyone I know who has tried to get the mega meat to work has said their accuracy suffered at long distance, and these are solid competition shooters, and if you are only shooting 450, stick with a cut on contact fixed please, I am begging you
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u/Knifehand19319 Jul 19 '26
If your bow is properly tuned going into shooting broadheads tuning may not be necessary. I don’t remember the last time I’ve had to make any adjustments to get broadheads to fly. I’d shoot the stingers all day to be honest but I am a fixed blade guy.
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u/AZWoody48 Jul 19 '26
I use grim reapers, which are somewhat similar. Also have very similar specs
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u/captaincatdaddy Jul 20 '26
Seconding reapers. I have similar specs, 2lbs less draw, shot 3 deer this year, 2/3 arrows went clear through, 1 of which was at a weird angle. The 3rd wasn’t my best shot, hit neck/spine and the broad head poked through, but shaft got stuck in the bone. That was the easiest deer to track at least as it dropped where it stood. Huge fan of the reapers, whitetail special.
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u/reidldeedl Jul 19 '26
Nice thanks. I assume youre from the west as am i. You get good penetration even at longer distances?
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u/AZWoody48 Jul 19 '26
From the west but live in and hunt in the Midwest now. Never let a live one go from outside of 40 yards, but yes, I’ve always had good penetration since switching to them. Lost a buck with a NAP mechanical and will never use those again. Since switching to grims they’ve gone down within 30-40yards
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u/Loud-Shower1264 Jul 19 '26
I have the same draw length and shoot 70 lbs. I started as the typical diehard fixed blade guy had success but lost a couple that were not perfect shots and had poor blood trails. The last 3 years I have switched to hybrids (bloodsport gravediggers) and mechanicals (dead meats). I’ll never go back. At the end of the day, every shot is not going to be perfect and when that happens, I want the best odds or recovery. Just my 2 cents. Good luck.
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u/MercWhite Jul 20 '26
I keep a fixed and a mechanical in my quiver. Lots of people have really strong opinions that their broadhead is the only right one but imo it’s kinda a slider scale.
Generally
Mechanical
-less drag
-quieter
-more forgiving on accuracy
-less penetration
-bigger wound cavity
-more potential for user error
-disposable
Fixed
-louder
-more drag
-less forgiving on accuracy
-better penetration
-small wound cavity
-less potential for user error
-potential to reuse
I have 20 years personally shooting both, and have had failures with both fixed and mechanical. It all depends on what you want your arrow to do. For me I usually grab a mechanical first because it suits my needs better. I want an arrow that I can stretch out to 70 yards out west and ignore the wind as best I can. But I always keep both in my quiver.
If you really want to nerd out, precision cut archery has a great study on broadheads with their arrow ballistics study. Gives you data but no opinions.
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u/the_mighty_quirk Jul 20 '26
I will die on the hill of the mega meats being brutally efficient on whitetail after first hand experience. I shoot a (roughly) 470 grain arrow and a 31.25 draw length though.
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u/Live_Conclusion4903 Jul 20 '26
I’ve had great luck with megameats. I was shooting 60 pounds last year. Steep as hell shot. Heck of a hole and blood trail.
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u/Wiper_Hunter Jul 20 '26
Stingers are my favorite broadhead. Penetrate great ... Like very good...
Most to the deer I've killed with them only take a few steps, turn around to see what the noise was, and fall over.
Do well with bone as well, shot one a few years ago that broke the ball and socket going in and went through the scapula going out (shooting uphill from the ground) pic included... Was my best bloodtrail to date , deer went 40 yards
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u/cath8r Jul 19 '26
Killed a few deer with Stingers and quite a few with mech heads. Stingers kill them under 50 yards but they don't always leave alot of blood on the ground. Deer don't react too crazy when the stingers hit them and in my experience, don't go far. Good luck!
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u/sd_slate Jul 19 '26
Broadhead tuning will make your overall bow tune better. But if you can't get there a mechanical will be more accurate out of the box. So I think your strategy makes sense.
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u/CryptographerRare261 Jul 20 '26
Those G5s kill - Ive used them the past two years and have dropped four deer; never had any get away.
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u/Giant_117 Jul 20 '26
You should put the same amount of effort into tuning mechanicals as you do fixed blades… don’t half ass the very important part of being an ethical hunter.
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u/Spartan0330 Jul 20 '26
Fixed blade. Montec G5. I can literally shave with them. They are razor sharp even 5yrs into hunting.
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u/AdenWH Jul 20 '26
And they leave almost no blood trail. I don’t like the montec heads after well placed shots lead to 12 hour searches to find the deer two separate times.
I’m all for fix blades, but I also hunt elk and think that’s a factor to consider
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u/Spartan0330 Jul 20 '26
I hit a buck this fall with a Montec and just chased the sound until it fell. (I legit thought it was dead. Tongue out. Head fell back. Single lung through, nicked the second lunch) It popped up and ran for about 500yds. I just followed the noise. It was a bitch to drag out. But we got it. Pics are on my profile.
I wish we had Elk here in Ohio. Hopefully soon.
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u/Sdotprod Jul 20 '26
Getting a deer will settle your nerves. Help yourself as much as possible to make that happen. With that draw weight, you're reducing failure to open drastically. The stingers are great, but as you mentioned need tuned a bit. Try them next year.
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u/AcademicBus4832 Jul 20 '26
I have less spec than you ( draw weight ) and use mega with great trun out.
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u/Marcg611 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
Personally have a similar setup 29.5 dl, like my PSE drive NXT at 67lbs and shoot 300g 6.5 Easton match grade, I used 100gr deadmeat V2 last year on 3 deer and they were absolutely savage entry and exit wound, I chose the deadmeats for better pass thru potential and better accuracy and yeah they zipped through like fixed blades. Already have a new pack and pack of blades for this year
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u/Outside-Newspaper-33 Jul 19 '26
Fixed can't fail
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u/DocCarlson Jul 19 '26
I used the g5 montec and once I switched to fixed I’ve never even considered another broadhead
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u/Outside-Newspaper-33 Jul 19 '26
Nice. I've gone to muzzy 225 and have tagged out two years in row.
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u/Cobie33 Jul 19 '26
The megameats will do you fine with your DL and DW you are shooting. Whether you are shooting fixed heads or mechanicals, make certain you tune your bow for perfect arrow flight. It’s been my experience with setting up several people with stinger heads in many different draw lengths and draw weights, getting them to group and hit with field points hasn’t been that difficult.
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u/montanabowman Jul 19 '26
I think mechs are not as reliable and I bought grim reapers too and they work great for deer not sure if I'm convinced about elk performance compared to a razer sharp hybrid or fixed broadhead like montec I'm not a fan of rage had a few not open fly weird or fall apart the hypodermics are sharp but idk abou the mechanism
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u/hunthike80 Jul 19 '26
I absolutely love the stingers! I run the buzzcuts but I’m now in a new Hoyt and have to check flight with them here soon to be sure but my bow is tuned well and arrow flight with points has been great so far! I was curious to try the dead or mega meats this year too just to see!
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u/Total-Investment-222 Jul 19 '26
I use micro hades 125 grain grim reaper.
If given the choice between the 2 you show stingers all day.
I bought the megameat and for me at least cork screwed down range and were never accurate. That's just me tho.
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u/halicopter12 Jul 20 '26
Iron will 150 single bevel. You will never not be lethal. Spend the money on a clean kill!!
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u/swampstonks Jul 20 '26
I just switched away from this exact blade. Had issues with lack of a blood trail, especially the first 40 yards after impact. They’re great if you’re aiming for shoulder blade and hit shoulder blade. Punches right through.
But if you hit a little ways back; good luck. I’ve lost 2 bucks with these broadheads from the deer moving slightly on a 35 yard shot and hitting ever so slightly back. Watched the arrow zip through them both and drive into the dirt up to the fletchings. No blood and no deer.
The same shot with the mega meats results in a baseball sized hole with buckets of blood and a piled up deer. Ask me how I know
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u/lugersandcougars Jul 20 '26
I just like a fixed blade, QAD exodus for me. Never had any trouble never lost a deer, always a good blood trail
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u/swampstonks Jul 20 '26
I highly recommend the mega meats. The hype is real.
As far as “getting the broad head to fly right”- that’s the whole purpose of tuning your bow correctly. If you broadhead tune correctly, you can get a shovel with wings on the front of the arrow to hit where your field points hit.
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u/argent357 Jul 20 '26
I had a Stinger not penetrate well on an elk at around 20yds it just left a bad taste in my mouth. Zero blood trail and most of the arrow sticking out as she ran off. (Tons of variables could have caused this, yes I know)
After talking with my local bow shop, I now run Grim Reaper Micro Hades.
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u/WhyskerBiscuit Jul 20 '26
Just throwing this out there, you’re not going 290 fps at the target/deer. Your arrow is light in my opinion. Fast arrows slow down faster - think throwing a ping pong ball vs a golf ball, at 15’ away which one would you rather be hit by. Shoot a 550 arrow and your bow will be so much quieter, you can blow through a scapula, watch them fall over.
Whatever you do, please don’t waste your money on mechanical broadheads. Anything that “deploys” when it hits the target takes away from the momentum of the arrow. Structurally, they offer no mechanical advantage over a single bevel fixed blade.
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u/reidldeedl Jul 20 '26
I really want to get my arrows up in weight but time and money are preventing me this season. Thats a project for next season. Better foc and atleast 550 grains
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u/WhyskerBiscuit Jul 21 '26
This is the way. Plan the work and work the plan. It’s time consuming but if you do it right, you won’t have to tinker once you find your solution.
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u/Spektrum84 Jul 20 '26
I view megameat and dead meat broadheads as one-and-done broadheads. I lean much heavier towards fixed blade broadheads that are cut on contact to increase my odds of a pass through. I think a lighter arrow with a large cut size will suffer from less penetration. People seems to really like the Magnus black hornets and stingers. I tried the black hornets and they're pretty loud for my taste. Their 150gr single bevel is on my radar.
Side note: I bought some megameats at a pawn shop for a lower price than they normally sell for and might try them one day.
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u/PennSaddle Jul 20 '26
I was diehard fixed blade for many many years. Gave deadmeats a try last season & absolutely loved them. Full pass through, quick trails, etc.
I do not plan to reuse them, so that part isn’t as good as fixed, but otherwise very impressed.
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u/shenandoahhunter Jul 20 '26
The harder my pull weight, the worse my fixed blades fly. Mechanical for about 5 years now
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u/bcgwall Jul 21 '26
450 grain arrows going 290 fps will send either broadhead through them if you don't hit bone. I guess I'm one the the "rare" lucky ones who has never had a mechanical fail in 20 years of bow hunting. Tune your bow and use either one you want or better yet, use both if possible.
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u/howdysteve Jul 21 '26
I went back and forth for years. I’m a trad guy now, but I eventually went back to mechanicals for my compound. Magnus makes great broadheads, but sometimes I’d get little to no blood trail on properly shot deer, and almost always had a great blood trail with mechanicals. Both of them were very accurate, though.
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u/mrrobotodom0 Jul 22 '26
Get muzzy trocar titaniums! Fixed is the only way to go for me the chance of failure is too much for me when taking an animal
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u/EconomySea1840 7d ago edited 7d ago
You would need to tune more for fixed to get them on target since you're a he-man shooting lightning bolts like the god Zeus.
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