Hi fellow bowhunters. I have been thinking of tryins those big simmons heads.I have been chasing hogs a good bit latley. Have had good sucess with the tiger sharks and also the big magnus 1. A good hit and they are down. I just want to see what the big boy can do.Any feed back or pics would be appreciated. I get plenty of pass through so not afraid to try a bigger head. :rolleyes:
Steve I have used the Tree Shark with alternate luck. I killed 11 Wild Boar and nobody made more than 40 yards but never had a pass through maybe because I look for a quartering away shots and the arrow usually stops on the far shoulder.
But I have lost 4-5 Big boys hitting bones in maybe too angled shots with very low penetration maybe just the broadhead or less. With no blood trail. Bows 57# @ 29" and 620 grains arrows.
There was a long thread here a while back, maybe a year or two. Tons of very impressive photos.
Should be able to find it in a search with a little patience.
A stone is my favorite method of sharpening and I'm not certain the concave design would lend itself to this. I'm sure with a sharp one you wont be disappointed.
thanks cacciatore. It does have and amazing width. I guess it may be more suitable for deer. I shoot 67lbs at 30" with 670 grain arrow.Unless i hit opposite leg bone they seem to not stop.
I have had good luck with recoveries but fewer exit holes. Opposite shoulder stops. Blood trails are usually good to great. I like Simmons steel it holds an edge well for me. Last year I started going back to Ace and Tusker with good results. I really like the safari's when I shoot Simmons. 57#@28" recurve.
Don't overlook Jim's, Centaur heads! He was a big fan of the Simmons heads!
When there was a lull in the offering, he started creating his!
I have the Big Game heads, double bevel, and they worked great on my groundhog, and buck last year! Easy to sharpen with file, and diamond rod.
I also have had great results using Tree Sharks. The only complaint is sharping them . I need to find a better way. There is a video on you tube I believe.
Maybe you don't need an exit hole with a head that big !!
I too love Simmons heads and have recently discovered Lansky makes curved stones for their sharpening systems. You can get them incredibly sharp.
FYI
Dan
Steve,
The best way for us to know is to go out there and try them! ;)
I may tune some of the tree sharks up and try them this week some time.
Simmons are great heads! For anyone though who is sharpening challenged they are some of the more difficult heads to sharpen due to the concave design. I use a chainsaw file and then a jewel stick to sharpen mine but if you really want to get them super sharp use the chainsaw file and then a polishing wheel to remove any burrs. Trust me you will cut yourself shaving with them then and not even know it!
Go to you tub and search sharpening Simmons with razors edge. You can get them scary sharp using this system. I have shot a bunch of deer over the years with Simmons
I have no problem sharpening simmons heads. I dont know how this thread went in that direction. For you guys that have tried them I think because of the size a pass through might be difficult. But if they make it across to the opposite rib the the massive cut should do the job. I dropped three hogs in sight this year. two were pass through. The one that did not died at my feet.But it sounds like they are deadly either way.
I bought a Simmons Sharpener when I bought my first pack of the heads.
When I took lessons from Rick Welch, he recommended Simmons and the sharpener.
Steve,
i think you'll be fine, brother. Majority of the threads on here are in reference to them being hard to sharpen, so that is why it probably went that way. With the heavy arrows you shoot, I don't think you'll have ANY problems.. other than hitting them! :bigsmyl: :bigsmyl: :laughing: :laughing:
Simmons heads are just plain wicked,if it goes thru vitals you don't need a exit cause they will bleed no matter..all the deer Ive shot with them you could stick 3 fingers in entrance wound and if exited you could get 4 fingers in sideways.. they make a big mess most of the time in a good way.
I have tried several different heads since 2005 and I consider myself to be above average when it comes to sharpening knives,broadheads ,chainsaws you name it. Ive got a lansky that I got for Christmas 28 years ago. Ive got the KME broadhead sharpener and a gaggle of other stones.i tried the curved stones from lansky, for ME the easiest way for me to sharpen sharks out of the pack is simple. Take a simple hardware store sharpener(Accu Sharp) run over each side decreasing pressure as you go and finally hit with a jewel stick. You will be surprised how easy it is!
I sharpen them like mec lineman sez. They cut wicked slices. A few years ago my hunting buddy Chris Spikes shot 5 or 6 deer with a 45lb @ 28 Bear takedown and 450 grain total arrow weight. He had pass thrus on all with two blade tree sharks. RC
I would just about guarantee that unless one hits a shoulder bone with a tree shark when hunting whitetails that just about any normal hunting weight bow and arrow combination should produce an exit wound.
I have always used land shark and tiger sharks, but I think this year I am going to try a tree shark. I have a buddy that has been using them the last few years and swears by them. I saw one of the deer he shot with them. It was a hatchet wound for sure.
Kind of a gruesome photo as is most simmons photos.
I shot this doe this evening with a 51 lb Big Jim Buffalo and a Treeshark . Broadhead came out the bottom. Blood trail was 4 feet wide. RC
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/004_zpsjct9vxsl.jpg) (http://s172.photobucket.com/user/rcswampbucket/media/004_zpsjct9vxsl.jpg.html)
I love them for deer out of a 50# or better bow.
cacciatore.. One thing to watch out for with any really wide head and angled shots. If the head hits with an edge first ( as in a pretty severe angle) it can ( and often will) throw the flight of the arrow off, just like deflecting on a stick and you will lose much, maybe most of its penetration energy. This is probably more likely on a tough skinned animal like a boar than on a much softer skinned animal. I believe this phenomena, to a lesser extent, is why we often see pix of critters laid open by a hit with a very wide head.
ChuckC
Safaris, air guide and jewel stik.
Lou
I was going to refer you to RC's photo that he had posted on another site but he beat me to it. I have the Interceptors. Shot a hog, actually a domestic hog, on a meat hunt on an island in the Susquehanna River in PA last April. Didn't get a pass through but Piggy didn't go far. This was a big animal, probably at least 250lbs. I'm not anticipating any trouble with a 100+ lb. whitetail. I was only shooting a 47# recurve.
Prefer to keep the traditional way simplified.
Accu Sharp
Jewel Stick,,,tri-side radius..
Glass rod...for personal fancy polish
Excellent heads....excellent flight..tuned dead-on out at 35 yards...creates gernerous clearance when shooting thru mesh.
No expert on hogs here..there was a posting some time back from a guide that had been in on more than a couple of hundred bowhunting hog harvests.
He stated that they encountered lost hogs whether shot from a traditional or conventional bow when taking quartering away shots. Sighting that shooting long ways thru the shield was of primary concern and advised his clients to take broadside shots.
Dear God! 67 pounds with a 30 inch draw I'm sure you could shoot about any head you want! I have used the tree sharks but was not able to get them to fly well, I missed two coyotes in one morning and gave them up after that
I have killed 4 deer with the Simmons Safari's, all pass through's using my Stalker Coyote #49 @ 26. Awesome blood trails! I bought the wheel sharpener when I ordered mine. It does a pretty good job but I always finish them off with a ceramic stick.
Steve Jr
I have always been a 4-blade fan. Mainly have shot zwicky delta's. Two years ago I tried a treeshark and haven't looked back. I shoot a 47#@27recurve. The only thing so far to stop them has been the ground. I have shot several deer and a Turkey couldn't ask for a better head.Imo
For easy and quick sharpening to an extreme edge try the $35 1" belt sander from harbor freight. I ordered a series belts with grits up to 800 and a leather belt strop.
Finish with some Flitz on the leather strop. You can go to any level of extremely sharp you want! You might find it takes a little finesse at first to maintain the exact factory bevel. I color the bevel with a maker between each grit. I don't have any hair left on my arm!
Now I mostly just use the leather belt even on new broad heads. The steel in the Tree Sharks seems to be really good at holding an edge. I am surprised how sharp they stay even after a dozen or so shots into a foam target.
QuoteOriginally posted by Tedd:
For easy and quick sharpening to an extreme edge try the $35 1" belt sander from harbor freight. I ordered a series belts with grits up to 800 and a leather belt strop.
.
Interesting...I have this setup (use it for knives it is excellent) but shied away from using on on my Centaur Battle Axes (similar to treeshark) because of the big sweeping curve. I will give it a shot.
Regarding the original question, I love my battle axes, I use them on deer, turkey, and bear. I don't use them for hogs or elk. I use Centaur big game heads which are similar but smaller for better penetration. I shoot 60# @28 . I just would not feel comfortable with that big a head with such tough hide animal.
But for deer I have opened some sick holes, and when I say sick, I don't mean it like "cool" I mean more like "what the heck did I just do to this animal". I have made some scary big holes and I have blasted through big deer bones too a time or two.
I am not proud of this shot, but just to back up my comment on hitting big bones...I shot a doe last year and missed my mark by a bit and shot right through both front legs and the bottom of the chest bone. I recovered the deer, heck I shot off its legs (again feel bad), but what scary devastation from a bhead.