Rage broadheads... i've always heard the horror stories!

[skeeterboud]

i've shot many deer w/rage bh's. almost all have ran between 80-200yds, but had gaping wounds. the many animals i shoot w/muzzy fall w/in sight, but muzzy's don't fly true for me, while Rage mirror the flight of my field tips. sunday the 7th i shot a 5 1/2 yr old nine pointer w/6 kickers! 28 yards, center of body above the front legs. Looked like a great shot, it jumped, ran out to 50 yards and started looking around. i could see the blood, though minimal, and expected him to fall over. well, after 2 minutes the wagged his tail, looked left, right, left, and walked away. I snuck out an hour later and returned 9am the following day. found my 3 blade rage, arrow full of blood, 2 blades bent up, just a few feet from where i shot him. minute amounts of blood to the tree he stood at for 2 minutes. i have bled more from shaving with an old razor than from what was puddled where he stood for 2 minutes. i looked for him everyday for 4 days. no buzzards/crows/coyotes. well, i checked some other game cameras 3/4mi away, and he showed up on the 12th!! have 5 pictures of the exit side, center of the body, in the 'V', just an inch or two behind the shoulder. instead of a "Y" exit, there in a 'V', which means one blade did not open at all, the other two might not have opened until they hit the opposite side rib cage. i feel sick!! i know i'll go back to muzzy/fixed blade bh's, but don't like the deviation from fieldpoint zero. Wow, what an emotional roller coaster... if i get this guy i'll post all the pics. can't believe he's alive, he has lost ALOT of weight in those 5 days.

 

[Bowhunter57]

skeeterboud,
Are you shooting the MX series of Muzzy broadheads? The MX series has a shorter ferrule and that's what's needed for faster shooting bows. Short ferruled broadheads are more aerodynamic and offer less surface area for wind planing.

I've been shooting Fuse Banshee, Slick Trick's Razor Trick and MX3 Muzzy with excellent accuracy, out to 50 yards. Same POI as my field tips, out to the same 50 yards.

I can put on a Thunderhead 100, Satilite Titan 100, Wasp Hammer SST and they will all drop 4" to 6" low, at any yardage. The ferrules are longer and it adds to the FOC balance and changes the aerodynamics of the shaft's flight charactoristics.

Using mechanicals has solved a lot of people's problems, but it's created some too. I don't care for mechanical broadheads for large game. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good ones out there. However, the biggest mistake most bowhunters make is getting too large of a cutting diameter and ruining their chances of a pass through.

Unless the bow that's being used produces plenty of K.E., there's a good chance of NOT getting a pass through. Think about it this way... You're hunting from a treestand and taking a downward angle shot. Don't you want the bottom exit would to leak blood? A bow kills by way of hemorage. Are you going to have a blood trail? How many bowhunting shows have you watched and you see the shot with about half of the arrow sticking out of the animal?
I have to ask myself... Could I find that deer, shot this way? I'd rather not attempt it. I'd rather shoot a smaller diameter cutting width, make the shot and find the deer via a decent blood trail, made by a sharp well placed broadhead.

Bowhunter57

 

[cbat]

I tried to hunt elk with them but everytime I checked my quiver at least 1 or more blades were open. I went back to montecs after that.

 

[DZelenka]

I have used the Rage 2 blade on three deer in the last year. I am using a Bowtech Invasion set at 56 lbs. 340 gr arrow at 309 fps. All three were complete pass throughs with blood trails that could have been followed by Ray Charles. The one that made it the farthest (100 yards) was hit quite far back and went at a downward angle through guts, liver and lung. The one that went the shortest, dropped at the shot and died within seconds.

My rig certainly isn't a high penetration set-up with the fairly light arrow but it zips right through. Many of my hunting partners use Rage 2 blades with similar effect.

Dan

 

[Korhil78]

I have been using the slick trick magnums and I like them a lot. Had a complete pass through on an elk at 20 yds this year. Double lunged and he ran 30 to 40 yds and fell over. I could only imagine that they would knock the stuffing out of a white tail. They are about $26-$27 for a package of three and you can replace the blades. You should give them a try.

 

[skeeterboud]

picked up a couple packs of the mx-3's. the overwhelming majority of reviews(cabelas/basspro, etc) lean to good accuracy. Penetration and reliability are just about a given. some friends went from rage to strikers and are happy, and happy they won't ever have to worry about loose blades/failure/etc. seems like most people who shoot a 2 blade rage are satisfied, while the 3-blade users aren't. just an observation.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

My whole group uses them every year. Muzzys don't fly for me either. I have a similar hit to what you described 2 years ago on my first real shooter buck. My brother and I looked for 3 days tons of blood. Finally ran into a neighbor kid and he took me to it, antlers were gone he pointed to another neighbor It had gone about 800 yards with a double lung shot, they are amazing animals. Sorry you lost him but you may just get another shot, remember to picture where your arrow will come out not where is will go in this has helped me for years.

 

[bamadawg2009]

+1 I hate rage BHs I lost 2 deer in one year shooting rages, both shots were kill shots at less than 20 yds. I switched back to muzzy and found every deer I shot after that, this year Im going to try rocket meatseekers 2" 2 blade. If I dont like the meatseekers back to muzzy I go again they fly just like my field tips when I tune them right. I saw somebody say the other day Muzzys are the Remington 870 of broadheads not much to look at but works everytime.

My set up was a Mathews DXT at 70 lbs with a CE maxima 350 29" arows with 2blade 100 grain rage neither shot was a complete pass thru like Im used to with muzzy. The first arrow just kinda flipped out of the deer when she started to run and then the other one just stuck in one side went through the off side and had about 4 inches sticking out, I watched the deer run 70 yds and stumble about 3 times while she was running. I thought to myself she wont go far, she went about another 2 months and finally I put a .223 through her head. The shot was perfect right behind the shoulder about 4 inches under the spine and off side was plenty low enough to be in the lung. I didnt find a speck of blood on either shot and both arrows had minimal blood on them. Ill never shoot a deer with rage again.

 

[marinetowgunner]

I just started using g5 strikers and they fly just like my field points. Maybe worth a try.

 

[cal74]

Haven't used any Rages myself, don't care if 9 in 10 animals look like they've got an axe wound channel and drop in their tracks. It's stories like this that are way to common.

Been a faithful user of Slick Trick Magnums the last four years and have had nothing but great results.

 

[jakebrake]

I watch these guys on tv shooting the Rage.They all have one thing in common.To much arrow sticking out of the deer.NO pass throughs.I have shot the Spitfires for years and loved them.The only reason I stopped was its hard to replace the blades.My eye sight isnt as good as it use to be.I now shoot Muzzy out of my Bow Tec.

 

[barnesuser28]

i will be using the 100 grain rage this year (hopefully this week even) thrown out by my PSE Chaos on my ND doe, ill let you guys know how they perform.

 

[TXshooter]

Try the NAP killzone it's pretty much an improved rage. I've been loving them. They use the spitfire technology to hold close, so no stupid o ring or rubber band

 

[Scot E]

Try Slick Tricks. They fly well with every setup I have tried them on.

Scot E.