Rage Hypodermic Fail

[pistolp71]

Whatever the reason is, bad batch, don't know. I can never use them again. Hopefully you guys that use them have continued success. I'm looking at it like, not only do I have to have confidence in it, which is completely gone now. I put countless hours scouting, stand time, etc, I do my part, and put the arrow where it needed to be, only to have it fail me. And they aren't cheap at around $40 for three. Me and my family would have been eating backstraps off that buck had I been using a fixed blade like I have been for the past 27 years. That I'm sure of.

[ncountry]

I have had great sucessfull with the rage hypodermics... In my experience it has not been uncommon to break blades . Hitting ribs just right or a shoulder, I have had a few  blades break. A couple did not pass through after shooting through the closest shoulder..

I hate to be that guy..  but......

Trying not to be overcritical...Seeing your hits, I think a little more tracking skill may be needed...Of course not knowing you or being on site, who knows....sometimes wierd stuff happens .

Like everyone says , shoot what you have confidence in.. That is more important..

After using rage for years I switched to slick tricks for 1 deer a few years ago..Everybody seemed to really like them.. it was the hardest tracking job for 80 yds through the bramble that I had in years.. I switched back to Rages for the rest of the season. .lol

 

[ny hunter]

I lost a deer when they first came out....Back to fixed for me also ...,

[ants]

so far so good for me……3 bucks in the past 5 years or so, They always worked.

[Hookhunter20]

I never shot the 2 inch hypos, a few of my buddies tried them and had poor penetration with them due to the blade angle I would guess. They all draw between 27-29 inches and 70 lbs. I did pick up a few of the hypo +P 1.5 cut in a trade last year and those work awesome. Much better blade angle and a strong head. I miss judged distance and sent one into the ground. After inspecting the head I spun the arrow, touched up the blade and killed with it the next day. 25 yards blew threw both shoulder blades on a 2 year old buck and dropped it within 30 yards. I'll be using them again

[ATbuckhunter]

Never shot the hypodermics, but had great luck with the regular rages, rage titaniums and now the NAP Killzones. They are a mechanical head so there is a chance it will not preform as anything mechanical can fail. 

[tommyc50]

im currently using the original rage and constantly have issues with them opening and not locking in the rubber ''o'' ring was thinking of switching im also looking to get the new rage with the shock collar i love the way the rage shoots but willing to try some thing else

[chrisw]

Shot 4-5 with the original rage, no issues, dead deer real quick. Shot a 2.5yr old buck this past year at 42yds, complete pass through, broadhead looked new. 72lbs and 440gr arrow. I'm not a huge fan of big cut mechanicals but boy do they work with proper shot placement. I've never had a failed mechanical of any sort that caused a lost deer.

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[NonTypical]

I've never used them, and have no plans to. I believe in the K.I.S.S. method. Keep it simple and one less thing to go wrong when the buck of a lifetime comes in. Even if there was a 1% failure rate, that would be unacceptable in my book. 

[stubborn1VT]

It is a toss up.  I think that big diameters can lead to poor penetration, and Rage blades seem pretty flimsy to me.  I'd love to shoot a fixed blade, such as a Muzzy or a Montec, but they won't tune/fly as well as a mechanical for me.  I'm glad people have success with Rage, but the science just doesn't add up in my mind.  I shoot a small diameter mechanical and have no complaints.  To each his/her own.  I do find it interesting that about half the guys I know swear by Rage, and the other half have stories like Pistol. I'm also not a fan of all the marketing.  I enjoy watching the Drury brothers, but wonder how many fails get edited out.

[pistolp71]

2 hours ago, NonTypical said:

I've never used them, and have no plans to. I believe in the K.I.S.S. method. Keep it simple and one less thing to go wrong when the buck of a lifetime comes in. Even if there was a 1% failure rate, that would be unacceptable in my book. 

Completely agree. A mistake I won't make again.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

1 hour ago, pistolp71 said:

Completely agree. A mistake I won't make again.

Never hear much complaining with cut on contacts. Stingers have been great for me, Bow or Crossbow most just jump a time or two after pass thru and have no clue they have been shot. Then the wobble and drop! Sweet!

[NFA-ADK]

For me the main reason I use Rage is due to shooting so often.  I want that field tip to match my broadhead with minimal if any tuning.  Simply put the rage does that for me.  I have never found a fixed blade that shoots the same as my field tips until I tried the Rage.  For me personally it give me the confidence I need to put that arrow on the hair I pick.

If I had problems with anything I use I would change it.  Release, broadhead, bow, string, bullets, clothes, scent etc.  That confidence is what we all need so get everything how YOU like it, not how others think you should do it!  For me the confidence is having a consistently shooting bow regardless if I am shooting field tips or broadheads.  Find it hard to retune every week to shoot field tips then reset for hunting even if you mark it.

[Five Seasons]

I've shot all my deer with Rage's for the last 10 years, but never used the hypos. I've used the originals and chisel tips. I sometimes feel like with the right shot a field tip should still kill. of course you want to maximize potential.

I also wonder sometimes if they become "loose" prior to shooting. I've looked at my knocked arrow on more than one occasion and seen one blade flopping freely.

[NFA-ADK]

You make a good point Belo, makes me wonder if the blades where open when shot, by the looks of the impact area (If that is the entrance.) they where open!  I like the shorter rage blades the longer ones seem a bit excessive for the job when the shorter ones work so well.  Was that picture of the recovered deer showing the entry, I think it was?  If so the blades where probably open as they usually have a much smaller impact area vs the exit which looks like the picture shown!

PS: The shock collars with the new blades work much better than just the O'ring.

Edited March 13, 2017 by NFA-ADK

[ATbuckhunter]

One of the things i love about the killzones is they don't have that problem. It was getting annoying yo have to constantly fix the blades after walking through heavy brush. 

[Elmo]

Happens to me all the time with the Rages.  That's why I use Montec G5's when hiking/stalking.  Once I get to my spot and comfortably settled in is when I switch over to the Rage.

[nyslowhand]

Nothing new with this issue, been around for about a decade. Rage user comments seem to be divided between Love' em or Hate 'em and not many uses in the Just okay middle ground. I've never considered using them due to all this controversy, (JMO) but if you have the slightest lack of confidence in what you send down range at a deer, use something else.

Can't speak to the Rage usage with compound bows, have always used fixed BHs. Did try mechanical BHs when I got my Xbow, with a lot of apprehension!!! First thing I do when I get settled in my stand is to grasp the blades and make sure they are snugly nested. Like another member mentioned, one & done. Every expandable I've ever shot once, whether a hit or miss goes into the practice BH pile. Might seem like a waste of $$ to not simply replace the blades, but it's merely a confidence issue for me.

[The_Real_TCIII]

I tune my bow with G5 Montecs and get them hitting with my field points, and then hunt with mechanicals. If you're not getting perfect flight you're KE isn't all it should be


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[LET EM GROW]

I switched to the Hypodermics from the original rage 2 years ago. I have nothing but great things to say about rage, especially the Hypos.  I love them.  Accidentally buried a hypodermic deep in the spine of a doe. removed the broadhead, still very sharp blades and good point at tip. 2 weeks later i sent it through a 3.5 yr old buck slightly quartering to me and out the other side, buried deep in the dirt. I have shot many broad heads(muzzy, G5, Thunderhead, Grim reaper, Rage and more..) and the only ones that i felt ever failed me were some junk things called "Hyper shock" or "After shock" or something.. mechanical garbage design.. total junk.. 

My backup broadhead is the G5 Montec

[Five Seasons]

10 hours ago, Elmo said:

Happens to me all the time with the Rages.  That's why I use Montec G5's when hiking/stalking.  Once I get to my spot and comfortably settled in is when I switch over to the Rage.

that's a good point too elmo. A mechanical is definitely not a good choice for stalking, and of course I hope all know it's also no good for the shoot through blinds.

In summary. Deer are tough to kill. It amazes me sometimes what they can survive.

[G-Man]

I really think your failure is due to helical fetching. Its not needed with mechanical heads it is needed for fixed.. The blades snap easily when hit from she side(torque) but are designed for straight impact.. The extra spin your arrows are getting at 71 lbs with helical spin would place a lot of torque on the deploying blades.. They would snap easily as the are deploying and spinning as they enter.. That is a Set up for Set failure.. 

[pistolp71]

The shock collar was on the correct way, and the blades were not out. These were used out of a treestand, no stalking. The pic is the entry wound, pretty typical from what I've seen. Might look a little worse from being in the water so long.

And I think the helical fletching may be the reason as well. Its the only logical explanation I can see. Other than somehow a bad batch of broadheads/steel. Live and learn, usually the hard way.

Edited March 14, 2017 by pistolp71

[Five Seasons]

just to be sure too, these are authentic rage heads? I know there are Chinese knockoffs out there.

[stubborn1VT]

I  guess I wouldn't have much faith in a design that would be so adversely affected by helical fletching.  There are plenty of other mechanical designs out there that I would pick over Rage.  The only blade I ever broke on a Wasp Jak-hammer was on a heart shot that broke the leg on the opposite side.  

Everyone should shoot what they are comfortable, but a more compact mechanical makes more sense to me.