Rage two blade vs bear… opinions??

I’ve got a black bear hunt coming up. Trying to get packed and make some decisions before crunch time….

I was going to take/use the old standby – Muzzy’s… I used to shoot them very well, but I now use different arrows/vanes than I used to. I put on the Muzzy practice blades last night and tried them out… They shot horribly in my setup, unfortunately. I went from 1″ groups at 20 yards with field points to 4″ groups with the Muzzy’s. not good. I could watch them “plane” and veer off target.

1st question… Anything I can do to “tune” the muzzy’s to get them shooting better?

2nd question… Or — Should I just take my Rage 2 blades?

I have been using the Rage heads for 2 or 3 years with great results on deer. Shots on the upcoming trip should all be 15-20 yards, so energy loss at distance should not be an issue. I only had one Rage practice blade during my shooting session last night, but I took successive shots at 20 yards and put them basically all in the same hole (0.5″ group).

I shoot a Bowtech Patriot, 100g heads, CX300 arrows, blazers. Shoot roughly 280+ fps with about a 68lb draw weight.

I assume that I shouldn’t have a problem with the Rage, but I thought I’d get some opinions. Basically bear and deer really aren’t that different… Relatively thin skin, and the bear shouldn’t have massive fat layers due to this being as spring hunt. I definately wouldn’t want to hit the shoulder bones, but I wouldn’t want to do what with either head I guess.

opinions? Downside of the Rage is they are friggin expensive. Not that I can’t afford it, but it chaps me a little bit to pay $40 for 3 head when 6 Muzzy’s cost $35. Plus, practic blades run about the same price for a set of 3. Slightly crazy pricing, but I do think they are a good product…

Thanks!

I’m a huge mechanical fan, had to be shooting in the open prairie of SD. I’d have no problem shooting the Rage at a bear if mechanicals are legal. If you have confidence in them, shoot them.

As for price, I think it’s arguable, but when “cheap” heads are $30, I don’t mind spending $40. I’ve seen those titanium heads that are selling for $85 + so I guess it’s all perspective. It’s debatable, but in my opinion the broadhead is one of most important pieces of the puzzle. Don’t skimp, this is a trip of a lifetime!!

Good luck, can’t wait to see the pics and read your report.

Thanks – ya, I saw those Rage titanium blades as well. $80 for a 3 pack. Ouch! Anyone have any experience with those? They look NICE… they appear to maybe have a slightly wider cutting diameter even above and beyond the original 2 blade???

I figure I’d better take 6 heads (Hoping to only need two, but best to be prepared… Second bear kill tag is optional for a fee, but I’ll do it if I have the opportunity…) $160 for 5 titanium heads might be overkill, but $80 for 6 original two blades should work.

I think thier 3-packs come with a practice blade, correct? That would be nice not have to buy a pack of practice heads…

I know the three blade packs have a practice head.

Whittsend, the nice thing aobut the Rages is once that you confirm that they do fly as true as your practice heads, you never really need to wreck a real head practicing again! Thus saving you money in the long run and saves time not having to sharpen your fixed heads after you move your sights.

Also it allows you to shoot your practice heads as practice, not having to adjust from practice to hunting heads which gives me way more confidence.

Those that use the Rage heads…

Do you replace your used blades with new ones, or do you just buy new heads altogether?

I don’t think I’ve attempted yet to swap the blades out from my old heads… Difficult? Do they work just as well with replacement blades (vs new, out the package condition heads)? Does the replacement blade pack come with replacement O-rings?

Mike

I went on my spring bear hunt with Rage 2 blades on all my arrows. I have all the confidence in the world in them.

For every 3 pack of heads you buy, you get 1 practice head and I think 3 extra O rings. I have a pack of replacement blades but haven’t tried them yet. I know some of the earlier Rage heads do not work with the replacement packs they are selling now, so make sure and take a look at them before you make a purchase.
One other thing to check on. After you screw the head on your arrow, take a look at the cutting tip of the head and make sure it’s squared up on the tip. A lot of them come out of the package less then perfect, to put it nicely. They’ll fly even better once you do that.

Just go to a grim reaper and all the problems go away.
NO o rings, no adjusting, blades don’t open up all the time, and are sharp out of the package, and better penetration in what I have seen. Just my two cents. The reason for your Muzzy not flying good probably has something to do with the blazer vanes if you went to a regular vane it should fly good that’s what I did for my brother, four inch feather with a helical.

Remember just my opinion and yes the rage do kill, a lot of animals have meet their doom day with those heads.

I shoot 2 blade rages for deer, and i will shoot fix blades for bear again this year. The thing i like about fixed blades on a bear is that they have the chance on a bad shot,say on a shoulder, that they still might bounce off and jump around inside.

I would go with the Grim Reapers. Have you looked at NAP Blood Runners

If you must run a mechanical blade use the Rage. I have seen good results from them with several client’s bear and I despise mechanical heads.

Grim Reapers or Rage if you use mechanicals, both do some serious damage. I’ve seen less problems with the Reapers than the Rage though.