Episode 67: Mechanical Versus Fixed Blade Broadheads & More w/ Tim Gillingham & Aron Snyder

On this episode of Gritty Bowmen, I am joined by Aron Snyder and Tim Gillingham. Tim is one of the most accomplished tournament archers in the world--with numerous wins at the national tournament level, he has won the IBO World Championship, ASA World Championship, NFAA 3-D championships and the NFAA Pro Shooter of the Year Award Reading from the Hamskea Archery website, it says: Ever the perfectionist with the attitude that there is always a "better way" to do things, Tim is a constant tinkerer and has come to be one of the foremost authorities in the archery world today. One of Tim’s greatest attributes is his honesty and he is the most accessible pro archer in the entire industry. Ask Tim his opinion about any archery related topic and you’d better be ready to handle the truth.
And so, as you can imagine--he and Aron Snyder are quite the combination. Don’t ask their opinions if you don’t want their answers. In this podcast, Tim tells it like it is. He drops some serious knoweldge--try to keep up.

[@crawfordsixtyfive453]

Dr. Ed Ashby has some outstanding research on fixed blade single bevel broad heads. I highly recommend checking his research out. It could change the way you look at broad head design and performance.

[@Roadbikerider79]

Gotta love Tim Gillingham. I have learnd so mutch about the technical aspect of archery by listening to people like him. Champion archers shearing their knowledge with ordinary people. Just dont understand why people would criticise him in shearing what ultimatly is his subjective opinion. Keep up the great work with the podcast, this is my favorite one so far.

[@josiahscott593]

Wow! Tim is awesome! I'm 53 and have been bowhunting since I was 12. Wish I could spend a few days under his tutorship it would change my whole Archery and Bowhunting experience. This awesome practical advice from a guy that's 100x's more analytical than I am and yet just like I am! He Hunts!!!

[@mattsmillie2131]

Great pod cast gentlemen. Tim is definitely one of the most knowledgeable, no BS guys in archery out there. If he ever puts him name on a rangefinder I'll by one. Many great topics in this cast, especially his opinions of game management in certain states. Keep up the great work!

[@xxbryan715xx]

tim is an awesome guest. I would love to have him as a regular guest.

[@drewolm]

Never heard an interview with this Gillingham guy before. GREAT interview! Refreshing to hear this guys honest no b.s. opinions.

[@marcialp93]

Man that was an awesome episode... You definitely need to have Tim on again!!! 👍👍

[@briargoatkilla]

Nice! Tim hit the nail on the head when he spoke of the advantage of mechanicals on marginal hits. I shoot NAP Shockwave's (1-1/4" cut). I've had many deer veer away from the arrow on long shots and get hit in the belly or hams and still fall dead within sight of me. Never happens like that with a fixed blade for me. I've seen it many times and it happened again this passed year when I put a hit on a doe that would not have made it out of the food plot had I been using my Shockwaves, but I was in a pop-up blind, shooting thru screen and had to use a fixed blade so I never found her. A field point will kill a deer just fine if the shot placement is perfect, but it rarely is perfect on the heavily pressured, string jumping whitetails that I hunt. I love your shows and I love Aron's "in your face with the truth" attitude. Thumbs up from the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina.

[@vidoseaver]

I also did that one arrow thing. Switching from field tips to broadheads a month before the season started destroyed my confidence. It would be awesome to see an episode of how to "properly" tune your broadheads.

[@ricklowery1510]

Tim is a savage. Loved it!

[@brockkeinonen8866]

Great show brian I realy love the information on the nock tuning cant wait to try it out on the new gold tips I just got. I live in oregon and hunt the coast range and was wondering what broadhead u shot!

[@johnjerez9782]

love this pod cast ...

[@bishoparchery]

Great footage!!!

[@tinovillaverde8190]

Outstanding.

[@gabrielregalado9499]

you guys are awesome love the show im a die hard hunter and I love a good challenge does not matter what I hunt with a rifle or a bow I will let the projectile or arrow fly but dont get me wrong I do the work and I know what my equipment will do.

[@Friends.19166]

Man i love this tech talk!!!! Needs to me more of it nitty GRITTY!!! ha pardon thr pun!! Haha

[@edgarchavarria]

Great comments! I am just getting into archery.

[@jackbuendgen2313]

Amazing podcast guys!

[@joskoperic]

great video,i subscire! greetings from croatia!!!

[@westaner]

Love the mechanical debate!

[@brandonguitierez3821]

I love his approach. Effective range does equal ability. I heard about all the bitching about this podcast. I don't see why. This is a guy who is most likely world's better than the people offended by him. I'd love to have his skill. There's nothing wrong with knowing your shit and being confident.

[@stanbailey5384]

love to see more info on arrow tuning.

[@fmt5327]

🤔 stupid question...What's wrong with the whisker biscuit? I've seen a bunch of reviews on them and seem to be just fine other than extreme cold. Another good video gents!

[@ryanherigstad4726]

Wow... Gillingham is a super humble guy huh?

[@junbu8958]

Shaving sharp fixed blade for me , I know whitetail hunters near me who use mechanical to much success, I feel better myself shooting fixed

[@JoseChung21]

Can Aron walk us through his system and what he uses? Tuning bows is insanely mind numbing - I just want to hunt Brian!

[@MrCharlieBelle]

I'm not against shooting long ranges with a bow, my concern would be movement of the animal during flight time.

[@williewilson9836]

gravediggers! fixed + mechanical

[@Wtz-jx3wh]

i missed a 400 pound black bear at 10 yards and the day before i dropped a buck at 35 yards, adrenaline factor. same type of arrow and same broadhead

[@alexlindekugel8727]

so for the non anialy retentive strong spine and arrow spiner will really help the avrage joe.

[@xxbryan715xx]

what is the name of the opening credits song

[@steveyd101]

Mechanicals are better for bad shots? Sometimes, yes. But not if that bad shot hits a bone. If you hit a bone, and only get one lung, a deer will still live. Ive gone to heavy fixed blade setups because midwest whitetails are super skittish and can pull some matrix moves on a shot. But where I hunt, the longest shot I can even take is 40 yards max. If I was hunting out west, I would probably still shoot a lighter mechanical setup.

[@mikeclark7568]

What killzone model I wonder?

[@takashi0352]

Tim Gillingham needs to watch John Dudley and Joe Rogan on arrow testing.

[@steveyd101]

I ran an archery shop and shot a compound with a huge mechanical broadhead for years. last year I picked up a recurve and shot a deer with a 650 grain arrow with 350 grain hand sharpened and stroped broadhead with a 1.1" cut. it broke the shoulder in half and I got the biggest blood trail I have ever seen. THAT BEING SAID, whitetail are not elk and everyone's situation is different. I think mechanical broadheads are great because accuracy trumps firepower.

[@crawfordsixtyfive453]

+steveyd101 I am not trying to start a fight here. But don't you think accuracy without penetration is pretty much useless?

[@steveyd101]

+Crawford Sixtyfive unless a bow is really out of tune and/or very poor arrow choice, a 350 grain arrow out of a 35lb recurve will zip right through a deer with perfect shot placement. If someone is patient and good enough to make perfect shots, that is awesome. I shoot a heavy arrow at close range, because with a traditional bow, you might not get a perfect shot.

[@crawfordsixtyfive453]

+steveyd101 That's the point I was trying to make. If you don't get good penetration then no matter how accurate the shot you wont get the tissue damage needed to quickly kill an animal. Example, single lung or double or an animal that's quartering away and takes a step as you release and now you have a hard quartering away shot that will now have to pass through the guts. I think we are on the same page. I also shoot traditional, I picked it back up after a 20+year hiatus. Elk and Mule deer are my primary targets. Have a great day:)

[@MrFishguy60]

For low Lb. and short draw people, we are stuck with fixed blade broadheads.

[@billgotskillb4308]

I believe Colorado is fixed blade broad heads also..

[@Chrissimek75]

TG seems to be extremely intelligent when it comes to all things archery, and his tournament track record reflects that. Humble he is not...

[@GuroJeromeTeague]

COS of Angle x Line of Sight Distance= Actual Horizontal Distance

[@agashamnon]

That compensates for the amount of perceived drop but doesn't compensate for the change in speed of the arrow due to shooting with or against gravity. For rifles, the high speed and low flight times generally make minor gravitational velocity changes negligible, but it can be significant for arrows which fly much slower over longer periods of time

[@agashamnon]

For example, if you shoot down hill at 30 degrees, your arrow will gain ~4ft/s for every second of travel. If you shoot down hill at 45 degrees, your arrow will gain close to 10ft/s for every second of travel. If your bow normally shoots at 300 ft/s on level ground but now acts like a 305 ft/s bow due to the slope, that makes a big difference at 100 yards.

[@GuroJeromeTeague]

@@agashamnon I shoot a single pin sight, so when I get my distance I just dial in on the roller. That takes care of the arrow drop as I lose fps over distance.

[@joshuapage9712]

I respect Tim alot I watch every episode of Gold Tip University (Tim G. show about arrow/Bow building & tuning). But he is a 100% wrong about Dr Ashby, He has spent more time,money,thought and experimented more with arrows f.o.c. , penetration, weight, & broadhead aerodynamics than anybody. DR Saxton Pope, Art Young, and Fred Bear are all my personal hereos and hall of famers but more than that they had the same overall belief's of arrow/broadhead lethality and effectiveness as Dr. Ashby. Plus everyone of them had the trophy rooms and videos to prove it. Most of Pope and Young's Big game hunts where done with NO BACK UP GUN only the one Bow and arrow for the hunt so killing fast with a arrow was the only thing that stood between life and death. Everyone should look up these names on KZbin. Plus the video of Dr. Ashby broadhead setup performing pass throughs on full size elephants and then say Tim's setup is better when he himself said " you can't get pass throughs on elk their just to big". Like I said I like Tim he's one of my favorite archers but on this he is wrong. Just look up and/or read about D.R. Ashby...D.R. Saxton Pope...Art Young...and of course everybody all ready knows about the great Fred Bear. Thanks for the great podcast!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE THE GRITTYBOWMEN

[@pastelambong]

I agree. That's why you are required to use 700-1000gr when shooting in africa

[@pe4015]

Joshua Page, I hear what your saying. I've been deep into "Dr. Ashby style" tuning my fixed blade/single bevel broadheads the past few months. It's been a really cool to see it all slowly come together. Insert weight up front, light as possible aft, go shoot, trim from the nock end, square it up, tweak the feathers/fletch. ...Lather, rinse, repeat till it dials in. Sorta' like reloading one's own ammo, it takes time and patience that's for sure. I agree on Tim Gillinghams videos on the Gold Tip website. His video on taking a half-dozen batch of "mid-grade" (what I refer to as "working man's") arrow shafts and tuning them to where they become "top-end" (regarding super close tolerance) is very enlightening. I think it's titled "Building More Accurate Arrows". Coming across this video was like getting a Christmas present 4 months early. His comment on Trad bow hunters was a jab to some folks I'm sure. I myself am a compound hunter but I do have a stick bow I've been working on becoming more comfortable and consistent at shooting. It's a work in progress but I'm not yet ready to hunt with it yet. With a shit ton of work, that day will come for me. This was my 2nd ever Gritty Bowman video. Keep Up The Good work gents! (on a final note, how can I win one of your Kifaru packs?) Thanks, - PE

[@davidholliday3286]

@@pastelambong it's situational. I would not shot a cape buffalo at 100 yards with any bow and arrow setup. But you are usually going to be close and I am no dummy. I would not, would not shot any animal that could come after me and kill with with any kind of mechanical broadhead. Tim has forgotten more than I know about archery and archery hunting and I am sure he would not be under gunned going after dangerous game with a bow. Failure rates on mechanicals can be pretty high. For guys that hunt public and have to take time off work to do so, I want an arrow system that will destroy what I hit not matter the shot angle and going through heavy bone. For the average guy, hunting time is precious and plan B arrows give you a better chance of success.

[@EntryLvloutdoors]

My least favorite thing about bow hunting is, everyone wants to be a bow hunter but nobody wants to put in the work and develop their shot

[@Compton929]

Aron Snyder is super quiet on this podcast lol

[@brockkeinonen8866]

au

[@TreasureByMeasure]

You show me some broadhead, and I'll show you yo mamma!

[@takashi0352]

Ashby research was not based on killing deer. Instead, it was written for hunters wanting to get large dangerous game in parts like Africa. Mechanicals do not have the ability to pass through a shoulder of a water buffalo in Africa or through a shoulder of a Moose. Grizzly Stik has 310 grain broadheads combined with custom tapered FOC arrows to make a high FOC 900 grain arrow to break bones. That is with momentum and a close well placed shot. Grizzy Stik has Ashby research posted and has demonstrated on KZbin. Sad to say, I got into archery only for a few months with a half setup bow and I know more than these people. Lets just say, I haven't killed anything yet. I doubt Tim can kill a moose at 80 yards with a mechanical broadhead using a 450 grain arrow. There is not enough momentum, nor bone breaking ability.

[@takashi0352]

By the way, Grizzy Stik sells a 1250 grain arrow set for hunting elephant. I want to see Tim take a Elephant with a mechnical.

[@letsgobrandon8375]

Your out of your mind if you think you know more than any of them lol.

[@SuperToehead]

this kind of shit blurs the lines between bow hunting and rifle hunting. remember most people are NOT HUNTERs. Technology is getting to the point that a 150 yard bow shot is attainable. THank GOD most people don't brag about that. and on the FOC subject, if you had high foc and a heavier arrow with a substantial broadhead, that blacktail you shot that only got one hole would have had 2.

[@GrittyGearAndPodcast]

Totally agree on FOC. That's why I'm shooting heavy arrows, heavy FOC and tough broad heads. But I don't worry about how other people choose to legally hunt. Rifle shooters are regularly shooting out to 1,000 yards today. And compound bow shooters are shooting out to 90+ yards. Technology is ever-changing. The only constant is change. Harvest rates will determine game seasons and hunting regulations. If archery success rates increase then tag allocations and seasons will adjust accordingly. In my opinion, how a person decides to fill their tag is up to them and I don't care how they do it as long as it's legal and ethical. Some hunters choose to hunt with a self-bow. Others choose to hunt with a high-tech compound and others with old-school muzzleloader. It's all hunting and a certain number of animals are harvested every year by each method. We can argue all day long about what is ethical. Who wounds more? Rifle? Recurve? Compound? It's less about the weapon and more about the person.

[@SuperToehead]

I agree that hunting is a personal choice. Ethics are a personal choice. We typically do our thing and let people do their thing. My concern and a lot of people's concerns are that the ever evolving technology is going to eventually effect the harvest rates so much that it will shorten or change archery seasons as we now know them. As you know archery seasons were set years ago in most states based on the primitively aspects of the weapon and the low success rates. The people that make the laws are probably not Bowhunters and most definitely don't "get it". That's my concern. Not how anyone individually fills their tag, but how the collective will affect "me" and "my" archery seasons in the future. When the equipment will allow the "average" Bowhunter to successfully take game out to and beyond 100 yards, than maybe it's time to take a new look at Bowhunting. My opinion. God bless you brotha. I love the podcasts and videos been addicted since I found them.

[@GrittyGearAndPodcast]

+Dustin Newer ~ I totally get you. You're exact concern has been the topic of discussion many times. The good news is that even with advanced equipment harvest rates haven't dramatically increased. That's good for thought! My only conclusion is that high-tech bows only helps I much; and in the end it's more about hunting skills than gear. Thanks for the conversation! Good stuff! Stay GRITTY!

[@brianjames9986]

Dustin Newer just because one guy can shoot 100+ yards doesn't mean everyone can.

[@joshuahartshorn3347]

First of all Tim for you to say that fixed broadheads are for old traditional archers is a slap in the face of archery to begin with. That would be like ppl who shot Benjamin air powered crossbow saying compound bows are for old timers. Second I would like to know how many animals you have killed with fixed blade broadheads. For most average hunters they seem to fly just fine at 20-30 yards where 98 percent of the most shots are taken, but I forgot we are talking about an archery god who gets his arrows and broadheads for free. It is also nothing but pure disrespect for you to roll your eyes at the average Hunter who doesn't have 8 hours a day to shoot there bow and bash there preference of setup, but I forgot you invented archery. So you just sit at home reliving you glory days when you beat Levi Morgan and us dumbass average Joe hunters will continue to kill deer with are poorly tune arrows and are junk fixed broadheads, which by the way when you make that mistake and hit the shoulder they seem to out preform your free broadheads.