Rage Blood Trails VS Other Broad Heads Blood Trails

[Rage_A_Holic]

Here's something I never quite understood.

Assume 2 different mechanical broad heads, hit two identical animals, in the identical position, at the identical angle, each shot with identical kinetic energy. Assume both broad heads open on contact, and follow identical routes through the body. Assume both were complete pass-throughs, and neither broad head suffered a broken blade within the animal.

Assuming they both had the same cutting diameter, wouldn't the blood trails be equal? or at least very close to equal? Along the same lines; if one of the broad heads had a significantly large cutting diameter, wouldn't that blood trail be denser?

How come every post I read about the Rage products raves about excessive blood trails, when there are clearly other broad heads out there that should perform similarly, but boast a larger cutting diameter.

Long question short; do the Rage broad heads actually boast a denser blood trail than other similar sized broad heads? if so... why?

[Grizzly Adam]

Massive blood trails have more to do with whether arteries are severed and the angle of the entry/exit holes than they do with which broadhead was used.

For instance ... nothing bleeds like a top-of-the-heart shot with a low exit hole (as in shot from a elevated stand).

Most of the hype about a certain broadhead causing incredible blood-trails is just that ... hype. A big hole helps, but not nearly so much as they let on.

There is so much bull out there about broadheads ... it's incredible to witness. The only segment of hunting that I know of that features more pure, undiluted bull than archery broadhead propaganda is so-called "magnum" muzzleloading mythology.

When I was a younger man, there was a blade called the Kolpin "Twister" ... a broadhead oddity in which the blades were offset at an angle, and the head spun freely around the ferrule. They were supposed to "bore" their way through game animals!

I shot my first deer with one ... not because I believed the bull ... they happened to be the only broadhead on sale at the country store where I geared up!

Twisting their way through deer or not, they didn't cause any more blood to drop than the Muzzys I came to use and love in years to come ... nor has anything else. One thing the Kolpin Twisters did do was cause arrows to plane badly on entry into animals ... a horrible disadvantage that I documented personally.

Currently, I'm using the Wasps that came in the Right Stuff package, and I will until they wear out, because I have learned that for the most part, a broadhead is a broadhead. If it's sharp, and you can shoot it with good arrow flight to the point you want it to go, then it just doesn't make much difference.

Two-blade, three-blade, four-blade ... skinny, average and extra-wide ... my results have been much the same. Good blood trails, good kills.

I haven't used the Rage heads ... but I can't imagine why they'd bleed a deer any better than any other similarly wide, similarly sharp broadhead.

I can imagine a lot of propaganda about them though ... that's what makes companies money ... and boy, do archers swallow it ... hook, line, and sinker.

Keep on thinking and asking, Rage. That's a good habit!

[Tar Heel]

Rage, the big cutting diameter of the rage or any mechanical head will cut more veins and arteries therefore bleeding the animal out faster, but if the entrance and exit holes are one half or higher up on the rib cage there will be little blood on the ground. I shot a doe a few weeks ago with a 3 blade Rage from a elevated stand the rage did a excellent job cutting several ribs going in a few inches below the spine and coming out cutting more ribs about half way up on the other side both holes were golf ball size. There was very little blood on the ground and I did not find her till
the next day and the yotes had got her. SHOT PLACEMENT is more important
than the size of the head I'll take a low heart shot with a slick trick over a mid rib cage shot with a rage any time.
My 2 cents worth, a big mechanical head like the Rage is not worth a squat if shot placement is not right and the amount of blood on the ground
is determined more by where you hit the deer than the size of the head.

Tar Heel





Tar Heel

[vixenmaster]

I have never used a Rage B'Head nor do i intend to. I am using Rocket Steelheads, they do the job fer me. I do have some 4 blade Muzzys that i may try. I reckon its all where you hit the deer in the chest, low or high.

[Rage_A_Holic]

Thanks a ton guys. Your posts have confirmed my previous understandings. I'm still new to archery, and all this hype was starting to sway me in ways I didn't like.

Grizz- I would imagine those spinning Broad Heads would dissipate speed in flight too. Regardless of speed dissipation, wouldn't the head stop spinning as soon as it hit flesh, stopping all boring momentum?

Tar Heel- shame to hear about the yotes getting your deer. How did you find grouping between the STs and the R3s?

SPH- How do you like the Rockets? Do yours have the Pathfinder tip? seems like a quality tip. I bought some Rocket Stricknines that I seem fond of. We'll see how they perform next month, when I can get away from mid terms, and get out into the forest!

[vixenmaster]

I am impressed with their accuracy, yes they were right with the field pts. but i used one to practice with & made sure. They do their job on game, deer or in other. I had a dz. steelhead 100 grs. used one to practice with. I used second one on a 4 pt. last weds. morning and lost the arrow but harvested the deer. Started bleeding within 10' of shot, no problem following him.

[DuckHunt]

Rage,

I bagged a 6pt yesterday with a Rage head. There was very little blood trail at all. This had very little to do with the head. I made a poor shot well back of the vitals. The blades deployed as advertised and the entry and exit holes were what you would expect. Fortunately I got lucky and clipped a good artery or vein as the deer only went about 75 yards and I heard it fall.

I like the Rage broadhead better than the spitfire only because of the rear deploying blades. Neither of them are as durable as most fixed blades.

That being said, if I had a fixed blade broadhead that I could hit with as well as field points I would shoot it over any mechanical to include the Rage.

DuckHunt

[Hi5]

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Grizz- I would imagine those spinning Broad Heads would dissipate speed in flight too. Regardless of speed dissipation, wouldn't the head stop spinning as soon as it hit flesh, stopping all boring momentum?

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I suppose that the ideal would be to have the identical offset with the vanes and the broadhead blades. The way it's set up on most bolts, the vane off set works against the broad head, which has none. That would make the bolt noisier as it approached the target and also slow it down faster than it should.

It's amazing, isn't it, how the darned things work so well even when the theory part has problems?

I have no idea how many RPM's a bolt would spin with a normal vane off set enroute to the target. It would almost certainly have to vary depending on whether it was a target point or a broad head. As I said, the broadhead would resist spinning. I think you are correct that almost as soon as the broadhead blades encounter the target the spinning would be stopped.

[deerman]

It al boils down to the two P's ; Practice and Placement! It doesn't matter what broadhead you use if you can't hit the boiler room. As long as they are razor sharp and you hit the spot, you will have a deer down. NAP has always had very sharp blades.

[Grizzly Adam]

Kolpin Twisters were by far the worst broadheads I ever used.

At the time, I was a very accomplished target archer, and had my bow tuned for perfect arrow flight ... as the paper consistently proved ... but every time I punched a deer with a Twister, the arrow exited at a sharp upward angle ... even when shot from a low elevated stand. There was no porpoising going on, either. I attribute the poor penetration performance to the funky broadhead design.

And you're right ... there was no "boring" effect period.

[TNXBow]

My experience has taken me back to the Wasp fixed broadheads. It's clearly a personal choice. I had success with Nap Spitfires. I tried the Rage, but felt more comfortable with the Wasp. If you make a accurate shot in the boiler room, the deer won't last very long. I place the most emphasis on shot placement and decided to keep things simple.