Rage Issues with opening from 360fps Bows

I did not want to take away from mossyoaks awesome report on his Buck of a lifetime, so I will start a thread here.

The rages are rumored to be opening up on some of the new 360 fps + bows. The ones I have heard issues with are the Mathews Monster and one of the X Forces that shoot the 360 plus. The extreme energy and inertia that is created form these bows are opening up some of the Rage broad heads. I’m sure that Rage will review this issue and maybe come out with a fix for it. So again the issue seems to be happening with some of the new 360 fps + bows. Tehcnology out doing technology I guess.

Just a FYI on what I have heard

Maybe mossyoak can share his first hand experiences here!

Thanks Rob!

This topic is of concern to me. Though I don’t have a hyper fast speed demon bow, my Reezen 6.5 hums right along. I’m a big fan of the Rage 2-blade, esp. with the KE my combination is putting out.

I’m curious as to how paper tuning could test this? Is the thought that paper should not cause the heads to expand, and if you have large tear marks they’re opening mid-flight?

Would be an easy test, but a good one to do if that holds true.

Joel

Joel, from what I have been told, you will know if you shoot a Rage and it opens up. I have not heard any issues with the Mathews Reezen or any single cam bow for the matter.

Joel, I did that exact test myself with paper two weeks ago and didn’t have any problems with the Rage 3-blade opening in flight. My Rage 2-blades are on there way so I will probably do the same test with those but I don’t foresee any issues. FYI – I’m shooting a Mathew’s DXT

Thanks for the info Rob/Steve. I didn’t figure I’d have problems either, but it’s good to hear of your results. Though I think the Reezen is a tad faster than the DXT, I don’t pull 80lbs like you tough guys!

Should be fine, looking forward to putting an arrow through a deer soon! I’m getting closer.

Joel

Great info

I would like to add:

Keep in mind this also is reflected upon by the setup of each bow mentioned
Long draw lengths, High poundage, Use of light weight arrows all will be the right factors needed to increase the odds of opening caused by the massive amount of energy released when fired.

Any of these can be altered and useable, if you have a shorter draw length, or are using a lower poundage bow or a heavier arrow overall

I would still run a quick test for reassurance but draw length; poundage and arrow weights play a big factor in arrow speed which is the reaction to the given setup and power factors applied to the arrow itself and the Rage Head

I’m at 27.5 draw – 28.5″ arrows, pulling 65lbs. Arrows are 9.3gpi, with tracer nocks, and 100 gr. 2blade rages. Think I better test to make sure!

Joel

Hey all when I was shooting mine and they were opening up you really couldnt notice in flight.. If I wouldnt have shot mine through paper I am not sure I would have noticed..I didnt get a chance to shoot at rage at any further than 20 yards though to this is the reason that i switched because 1) I dont trust a open head in flight 2) their are some shot that you have to thread the needle not that it is a bad shot you shouldnt shoot but those are some pretty big heads at 2″ so a little off and you might not clear. I think the best way for any one to see if their heads are opening up is to shoot them throught paper.. I know I have had people say that the paper would open them up but when I shot them through it was a very lite paper almost like gift paper so their is no way that they require that little energy to open..If any of you are interested I still have 1 or 2 of these heads left I can go and shoot 1 at 40 and 1 at 60 and let everyone know what I find based on that…or I see that some are switching to them if you want PM and I will send you 1 so you can try it I only have 2 but we can pass them around in the name of field research, so if anyone is iterested just let me know hope this helped if I missed something let me know…One more thing I have seen where people put a second rubber band on these broadheads to help hold them shut..they were being placed right were the blades crossed when they are closed and it looked like one of those small rubber bands like they use for braces? Hope this helped like I said if someone wants to shoot one before they buy PM me I have 2 so I can help atleast 2 people out but I’d imagine we can just keep passing them around to who ever need them

Hunters helping Hunters

You are the man

JDX–

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Great info

I would like to add:

Keep in mind this also is reflected upon by the setup of each bow mentioned
Long draw lengths, High poundage, Use of light weight arrows all will be the right factors needed to increase the odds of opening caused by the massive amount of energy released when fired.

Any of these can be altered and useable, if you have a shorter draw length, or are using a lower poundage bow or a heavier arrow overall

I would still run a quick test for reassurance but draw length; poundage and arrow weights play a big factor in arrow speed which is the reaction to the given setup and power factors applied to the arrow itself and the Rage Head

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This is very true I did mention my basic setup but my arrow shafts are just a hair under 500 grains I shoot with a 28 inch draw with my bow at 77 lbs

great info mossyoak id heard the same thing and at 30 yards and farther they would plane like a knuckleball

So – should I be worried about shooting 70 lbs with a 29.5 inch draw on an outback with carbon arrows and 100 grain rage 2 blades?? Hate to dull 1 of the 3 blades practicing since they sell them for the price of gold.

Dave

I have a couple old ones I’ll send you one if you want to shoot it and see.. just PM me and let me know.. and if anyone else wants to try it you can give it to them I’ll send some O-rings to because I wont use them again Iam hooked on Grim Reapers now..Not that Rage arent good but they just dont work for me

I don’t have a super fast bow but I have had confidence issues with the rage 2 blade broadheads after they are not brand new. I would like to paper test all of mine but my problem is, the last time I shot an expandable into a shooting block, that said it was O.K., the expandable was trashed by the time I got it out. What can I shoot it into besides a whitetail without ruining it?

welcome to ido todders

wish i had an answer for you

I have a Reezen 7.0 shooting 309fps with a KE of 79 if I remember correctly (set my bow up for the lightest, fastest set-up plus 15 grains to reach the fastest speed along with the most KE I could get out of it per my bow tuning program)and have shot 30+ shots with the 3-blade and not had a problem yet. Killed a doe this weekend right in the ticker with know problem so I dont think the 300-310 fps is a problem.

That being said, the monster is a totally different animal and the change I noticed from 290fps to 309fps was an eye opener for me. I can only imagine what another 20fps would add to it.

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I don’t have a super fast bow but I have had confidence issues with the rage 2 blade broadheads after they are not brand new. I would like to paper test all of mine but my problem is, the last time I shot an expandable into a shooting block, that said it was O.K., the expandable was trashed by the time I got it out. What can I shoot it into besides a whitetail without ruining it?

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Welcome to IDO todders!

Few questions for you…

Why do you feel that your broadheads are opening up before contact?

What do you mean by having broadheads that are not brand new?

Are you pulling your rage broadhead back out of your shooting block causing it damage? If you are, you may want to push it through the entire block the same direction it entered.

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I don’t have a super fast bow but I have had confidence issues with the rage 2 blade broadheads after they are not brand new. I would like to paper test all of mine but my problem is, the last time I shot an expandable into a shooting block, that said it was O.K., the expandable was trashed by the time I got it out. What can I shoot it into besides a whitetail without ruining it?

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When I shot my rage broadhead through paper I was shooting into a large layered block style target straight on and my broadheads werent affected at all. so I would try a layered block..

Witte, I would say no you should not have to worry.

Todders, Welcome to iDoHunting.com!

Thanks Lip. Mossyoak – thanks for the offer, but no need to send the broadhead. If something goes wrong I’ll just blame Lip.

On a side note – if you shoot at a layered target at close range the head should go through so you can unscrew it and pull your arrow back out so you don’t tear up the target or your feathers/vanes.

Witte

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If something goes wrong I’ll just blame Lip

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One common mistake people do make with the Rages as I have said before is: They do not check them and just assume the blades are set. I check mine, everytime I knock an arrow and make sure they are properly seated in place. Sometimes there can be one that looks like it is “locked” into position and it really is not.

Not saying Mossy Oak or anyone above did this, just a common error amongst some Rage users that are not aware.

I don’t really know they are opening during flight but I am pretty much afraid to shoot them at anything besides game so I have only released a couple. It just seems that some of them unhinge and don’t tuck in as far or as tight as they did when they were fresh out of the box. They just don’t seem solid. I replaced all the o-rings this year which helped but I am still sxeptical. By not exactly new I mean I bought them last year and they have seen quite a bit of weather, in and out of the quiver many times and tiny spots of rust on some. The one I did shoot into a glendale did not penetrate far enough to push out the back. The block is warn much more now so my field tips are just poking out the back but I can’t picture the 2.5″ gash penetrating that far in that type of surface. Thanks for all the help and welcomes. 2 of my best fishing buddies urned me onto this sight and there is a lot of knowledge in here.

good info todder

all i can say is if your not 100% confident in your equipment you need to make a change so when you let that arrow loose there is no doubt in your mind that you equipment will get the job done thats just my opinion good luck

Todders:

Make no mistake, the performance of a rage (2 or 3 blade) is well-documented in terms of its ability to create a gaping wound and exceptional blood trail. The question for many people with any/all expandables is whether or not they’ll expand at the point of impact. Not before, or as with some expandables, not at all.

I would try cleaning the blades, and looking into the mechanism/slot where they pivot to make sure there isn’t any dust/dirt or target material in them. They should “lock” into place, and the only time they haven’t for me is when I’ve had junk in there.

In terms of penetration, I think the principle is that complete pass thrus aren’t as necessary when you’re creating that many total inches of wound. That being said, my experience on 5 different animals thus far have all been pass thrus except the turkey we got on video this spring. The head lodged in the vertebrae and prevented a complete pass thru. Whatever you decide to shoot, make sure you have confidence in it!

Joel

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Whatever you decide to shoot, make sure you have confidence in it!

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x3 Exaclty Joel and Gut!

I did the test yesterday I am shooting a 2009 Bowtech Captin @70# and 29″ with a 425g arrow @ 301fps produsing 85.56fp of kinetic energy and when I shot it threw paper I still got a bullet hole the rage 2 blade did not open i also shoot the rage out to 60 yards in 3″ groups in the same holes my field tips hit

As stated at the beginning of this thread the Rage broadheads are awesome and for the most part have had a great track record when it comes to success in the field.

But there are a few occasions when their performance may be in question

One would be if the blades are not correctly locked into place with the o-ring in the back – I have honestly seen a feller that thought the purpose of the o-ring was to cushion the blades from hitting the arrow shaft and never realized they needed to be snapped into place tight.

Old o-rings – dirt or foam in the heads – bent blades all can contribute to a blade failing during flight.

And as stated the kick in the pants the arrows receive from maxed out Monsters or X-Forces when they release all of their energy is controllable but massive and massive enough out of theses 350-360 fps bows that the force can possibly dislodge a blade from the o-ring. A 350-360 fps bow is a bunch different then a 300 – 320 fps bow – these are two different animals and both can fun to play with.

The majority of the equipment out there set using the Rage is going to work fine if you pay attention to the condition of the heads

I for one have no problems ever taking at least one broadhead from my pack and using it for tuning my setup and troubleshooting it and practicing I always practice with the real thing, because foam or a buck of a lifetime to just meat in the freezer – the arrow is going to hit the mark – and that’s the type of confidence that’s sits in the tree with me.

Good Luck this Fall

Jeff

I couldnt agree more confidence is a must in your archery gear..But as I had said earlier I dont want to take anything away from rage they are awesome heads they just dont work for me on my setup. In years past I have shot Probably 5-7 deer with rage 2 blades and they worked flawlessly never had to bend over to look for blood and i had complete pass throu shots on every single deer. I guess my whole thought process on this is I would hate to have some one not knowingly have a mishap in field..because I know this would have snuck up on me and this is because of the confidence I have in these blades thats why I think I never thought to shoot one throu paper.. Grim Repearers are working the best i have found for me so its best to just see what works for you, letting people know what you have found and your eperiences with your setup

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I couldnt agree more confidence is a must in your archery gear..But as I had said earlier I dont want to take anything away from rage they are awesome heads they just dont work for me on my setup. In years past I have shot Probably 5-7 deer with rage 2 blades and they worked flawlessly never had to bend over to look for blood and i had complete pass throu shots on every single deer. I guess my whole thought process on this is I would hate to have some one not knowingly have a mishap in field..because I know this would have snuck up on me and this is because of the confidence I have in these blades thats why I think I never thought to shoot one throu paper.. Grim Repearers are working the best i have found for me so its best to just see what works for you, letting people know what you have found and your eperiences with your setup

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Well said I agree 100% with you mossyoak

Jeff

Perhaps WaterFowler 99 could share his pictures from last years late season doe hunt and show the damage the Rage’s can do again on a good set up.