Experiences with the rage broadhead

bighornboy

bighornboy

New member
I have been wanting to try the Rage for some time, but the Magnus Stinger has yet to fail me, so I have no real reason to switch. A buddy of mine recently got some 3 blade 100 gr. rages. He has shot 4 critters with them so far, I don't think I will be using them ever.
Critter #1 coyote, hit back of the ribs at 30 yards. Broadhead did not open up at all. We tracked the coyote over a half of a mile, never found it.
Critter #2 Javelina. Shot at 11 yards, slightly quartering away, went in right behind the shoulder, hit rib, 4 inches of penetration, took a follow up shot 30 minutes later to finish it off.
Critter #3 Whitetail doe, shot perfectly broadside at 20 yards, double lungs, she ran 20 yards and fell over.
Critter #4 Whitetail doe. Shot was again at 20 yards, this time quartering away. Arrow hit midway of the ribs, deflected and skimmed along the body up to the shoulders. He said it made a perfect straight line cut in the skin, but did not make it into the cavity.

What kind of experiences have others had with the Rage? I know it cuts a huge hole when it works. When it doesn't work, bad news for the critter.
 
I just got home from a deer camp where one of the guys had just killed a doe with the 2 blade rage. It made a heck of a hole. It caught the bottom of the spine and dropped it he said. He told me it was the second he has killed with the 2 blade rage and the first was devastating too. He said he had been using slick tricks before this, but he was quickly becoming a fan of the rage.

I know another guy who has had luck with the 2 blade rage. I guess it depends on who you talk too. I think all the ones I have talked to were using the 2 blade which has a 2 inch cut I think.
 
I also use to shoot slick tricks, that is until last year when I swithched to the Rage. I shoot the two blade and have harvested seven deer to date. Every deer the rage left a [beeep] of a hole. Their has been a few deer that I could stick my fist in the entry hole.
 
I've talked with several guys who are hardcore bowhunters who've used both the 2 and 3 blade Rage. To a man they said the two blade is great and won't use anything else. They also said the 3 blade is a POS.
 
i have used the 2 blade with sucess but they plane a little out of my bow past 30 yards
i think ill shoot them until they i run out then go back to my rocket sidewinders
 
I shot a six point bull and a mule deer buck with the 3 blade rage this year. I shot the bull right behind the shoulder at 10 yards. It went almost clean through him and made a nasty entrance hole. The buck I shot clean through right behind the shoulder at about forty yards. Same thing one nasty hole in and out. The only thing I didnt like about them is they were constantly coming open in my quiver while hiking. You had to make sure the blades were locked every time you nocked an arrow.Also the shot a little low and 50,60, and 70 yards compared to my field points. But that is understandable considering more wind drag.
Elkhuntr
Hard to beat the slick tricks!!!!!
 
I have yet to kill a deer with my 2 blade rage, but I did shoot 2 coyotes with them! Went to buy replacement blades, wow they are proud of them! I think I will use up what I have and then go back to my muzzys! To pricey for me!
 
JUNK!

Do you want to rely on a broadhead that works only PART of the time? WOuldn't shoot a coyote with them let alone anything that really mattered. For expandables try the grim reaper 100 have had great success with them.
 
I have seen several Deer killed with 2 and 3 blade rages and they leave a nasty hole, and they bleed like crazy. The only thing i don't like about them is that generaly you don't get pass throughs.
 
If you aren't experiencing problems with the Magnus...don't change. Some of the newer (read FAST) bows just won't shoot fixed blades all that well because of their speed and the planing (steering effect) the blades have on the arrow. Fixed blade broadheads, when shot out of a properly tuned bow at reasonable speeds are hard to beat. It's when you try to really push them fast that fixed blades cause problems with accuracy. Of course, your bow (and form) must be tuned perfectly for fixed blades to fly true.

The new mechanical broadheads can remedy the problem of super fast bows (and to some extent poor form). Mechanicals usually open up best at faster speeds, so it's a win-win. Problem is they sometimes aren't as "tough" as a fixed blade, and either the blades don't open properly, you don't get full penetration, or both. Mechanical broadheads actually "waste" (or should I say "use up some of the available") energy just opening the blades. So the faster you push them, the better.

I used to use the Muzzy 4 blade broadheads and had some problems with shots that should have penetrated. I never lost a deer to them, but just think they should be sharper. On the recommendation of a friend, I've switched to NAP Spitfire Pro mechanicals and holy crap do they work well. NAP has perhaps the sharpest blades in the industry.

The key is, put them into vitals, avoid major bone and steep/raking angles. Of course, these rules apply no matter what broadhead you use. Be patient and wait for your shot.
 
Last edited:
Ive shot a few deer with them and my bow is only 45# and it has destroyed them, but I will ONLY use them for deer for javilina I use muzzys or thunder heads
 
Quote:
If you aren't experiencing problems with the Magnus...don't change. Some of the newer (read FAST) bows just won't shoot fixed blades all that well because of their speed and the planing (steering effect) the blades have on the arrow. Fixed blade broadheads, when shot out of a properly tuned bow at reasonable speeds are hard to beat. It's when you try to really push them fast that fixed blades cause problems with accuracy. Of course, your bow (and form) must be tuned perfectly for fixed blades to fly true.

The new mechanical broadheads can remedy the problem of super fast bows (and to some extent poor form). Mechanicals usually open up best at faster speeds, so it's a win-win. Problem is they sometimes aren't as "tough" as a fixed blade, and either the blades don't open properly, you don't get full penetration, or both. Mechanical broadheads actually "waste" (or should I say "use up some of the available") energy just opening the blades. So the faster you push them, the better.

I used to use the Muzzy 4 blade broadheads and had some problems with shots that should have penetrated. I never lost a deer to them, but just think they should be sharper. On the recommendation of a friend, I've switched to NAP Spitfire Pro mechanicals and holy crap do they work well. NAP has perhaps the sharpest blades in the industry.

The key is, put them into vitals, avoid major bone and steep/raking angles. Of course, these rules apply no matter what broadhead you use. Be patient and wait for your shot.



I too use the spitfires and they are incredible broadheads! I refuse to use anything else, even at $40.00 a pack.
 
My buddies have been using them for the last two years. Large entry and exit holes. BOth 2 and 3 bladers. One deer dropped to a boiler room shot at impact. I've never heard of that before without hitting spine. Never saw any mechanical failure in there 4 or 5 deer. They seem to work well enough. I would recommend them from what I've seen SO FAR.

I use G5 Archerys 2 blade expandable. The TEKAN. I think the cutting head is .625" in diameter. The 2 blades give a 1.5" cutting diameter opposite the direction of the cutting head. Replacable blades are available with a 2" cutting diameter. I may buy these for my heads for next year. I am getting great entry and exit holes. Not quite the devastating hole that the rage makes though. Thats why I may go to the 2" blades next year. I like it better than the RAGE. Reason being that the cut on contact head is one chunk of stainless steel. As opposed to RAGES replacable blade. The Rage COC blade looks to me as if it could fold over if a shoulder bone is hit.

My uncle lives up in Alaska and shoots SLICK TRICKS. He swears by them. Uses them for everything from black bear to Caribou. I'm not sure if he has shot a moose yet with them though. He says they are the number one head up in Alaska.

I used to use 3 blade 100gr MUZZYS. Great heads. Although they do not fly like my field tips. I've had my muzzys enter through the shoulder blade of a doe. Take out her vitals then exit through the opposite upper front leg bone. From a 63# bow. That deer looked like it was hit with a 300Mag when skinned out. I still have the pictures. If the expandable craze hadn't started I'd still be shooting muzzys.

NEVER EVER shoot ABCs Sonic Heads on big game. Small cutting diameter. Blades don't hold up well. I lost a 8 pointer last year using them. 13 yard shot right through the boiler room. It rained like [beeep] after i shot him. that didn't help tracking. The blood that was on the ground hadn't washed out though. I was very displeased with the lack of blood trail. What little blood we found, we tracked for 150 yards before losing the trail. Tried to find him using a dog on the scent trail. No luck. Again. these heads don't create a large enough wound channel to quickly kill an animal or leave a good enough blood trail for tracking. Thats why I went to the TEKAN broadhead.

Long winded I know, but lots of useful info for anyone that may be looking for it.

Adam
 
I killed my first animal with a bow this year...doe antelope. While the shot was far from perfect. She did n ot go far and expired in about 20 minutes. So I have to say my Rage 3blade did it's job.
 
I have been a fixed blade shooter for years, and this year I decided to make the change to mechanicals. I was going to try the two blade rage but after alot of research I decided to go with the trophy ridge undertakers. They shoot exactly the same as my field points out to 60 yards. I shot my first deer with them and I am sold. Blew right through a 8 point buck at 30 yards. Nasty entry and exit hole. I know this is only one kill but so far so good.
 
My dad just killed a Pope and Young 10 point in ND using the two blade rage. He hit it good at 20 yards and the buck did not go any where. I am realy excited because he he has a paralized right arm and can barely walk due to a stroke he had in 1995. He pulls his bow with his teeth and He shoots 60 lbs! The guy that lets him hunt his land wil only allows people to shoot the 2 blade rage on his land. He says that they have had 100% recovery using the rage 2 blade even on poorly hit animals. I think that for stand hunting they are a good choice.

For still hunting and spot and stalk they have the not so small problem of opening up when you move with and arrow nocked. My best freind is hunting mule deer on the extended unit right now and has had tons of problems with them. He is changing back to thunder heads right now. He has had several stocks buggered up because the broad head rattles open as he moves. He also thinks that the rage opened up on the release of the arrow on two shots. He missed both and he thinks he could hear and see the arrow plain off course. They are also hard to put in your quiver with out opening. They need to improve the way the blades are held forward. If you spin the arrow in your hand with the blades forward you can make them pop open. The other thing I do not like about them is that the cut on contact tip is not at all sharp and the blades are not very sharp.
 
a guy on my baseball team uses the two blade rages. i got to see one that he shot this year with it, and the wound channel was crazy... but he hasn't had anything go too far, and even at that, they weren't hard to track
 
Back
Top