. I've never shot a deer with one before because 1-they seem a little small in cutting diameter
You have to understand the "law of diminishing returns" when it comes to broadheads. When you go to far on one aspect, you detract from another important aspect of BH performance. There is a craze for "size" it seems, the Rage 2" cut was all the rage (still is) and NAP, GR, Rocket, Swhacker, etc - all compete for that market space. In order to shoot something accurately (for most high speed compound users), this size cut diameter has to be made with "hinges" and generally much flimsier blades than you find on quality fixed blades. So right away, you gain larger cut, but sacrifice things I feel are far more important, such as penetration and how well the head holds up through the animal. I found rages to be "one and done" they always bent so the pack of replacement blades I purchased never got used because couldn't even get the old ones out. Along with loss of penetration, there is always the potential for "deflection", which actually can also happen with fixed blades but far more prevalent on mechanicals.
That being said, there is nothing "small" about a 1 1/8" cut diameter, it's a very effective size and VPA, Muzzy, Trophy Taker, Magnus, Slick Trick, Thunderhead, etc - still mass-produce those sizes and for good reason. It's the perfect combination of accuracy and penetration with plenty of cutting to kill very effectively. I think I have 10 for 10 kills since switching to VPAs, all died within sight, except for one that went into a thicket just over a hill but still didn't go far. How much deader would I want than that?
It amazes me how the world's most experienced bow hunters that take massive size game like Buffalo (all species), Grizzly, Elephant, etc - will scale down to a 1 1/8" 2-blade for even better penetration and bone splitting power, and a single-bevel blade at that. (VPA makes those too). So a head that is used to take down a animal weighing over ton, is not big enough for whitetails?
I realize why most shoot mechanicals - because it doesn't require the effort to tune your bow to your broadheads (generally speaking) and they feel those massive cut diameters make it better. I was a rage fan (although found them very expensive and disposable) until I watched one literally bounce off a P&Y 8pt's ribs and fall to the ground.
That moment - is when I made the commitment to learn more about broadhead tuning and realizing that paper tune and well flying field points are only part of the equation - there is usually more tuning to do in order to get your field points and BH's hitting same point of impact.
At the end of the day, nothing beats "shot placement" - put any quality BH in the perfect spot regardless of size, you will succeed.
Good luck - thanks for reminding me why I stopped using mechanicals.
