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Rage Deflection

cybball

cybball

Well-Known Member
I shot a big doe Saturday evening. She was pretty much broadside with a slight quarter to me. Barely. She was at 20 yards and I was 18 feet up. I hit her behind the shoulder, but high. Shot angle was good and I was absolutely sure that I took both lungs. Was using a rage 2 blade head with a Matthews Outback at around 66lbs. She ran through a cut cornfield and over a hill. I waited for about 15 and headed to my truck (she was over the hill and I was sure she was done). I trailed her from where I last saw her (after about 45 min total). She crossed a fence, over a gravel road, through 2 ravines, and into a CRP field. By that point it was dark and I was having a tough time with the blood. I left. Went back with my brother the next morning. After about 800 yards, we found her. My shot was high, like I said, but the hole on the other side of her was higher and forward. Just missed the spine and didn't hit the offside lung. The arrow was hanging half out of her when she ran off, which I thought was weird as I always get pass through shots. That rage must have hit a rib and changed directions, missing the lung. Lucky to have found her. Anyone else have that happen? First for me in years of using Rage heads.
 
KE has a factor as well, no broad head is perfect and I've never had a problem with a rage. Doesn't mean it can't happen.....
 
That is the major problem with Rage. Deflection. Happened to me on a doe years ago. That was the only year I used them. There are all sorts of test results online that document the problem.
 
I would understand deflection on a hard quartering shot, but I was pretty much broadside. I've had great luck with Rage. Don't think I'll stop using them until I see a pattern. Just weird that it happened.
 
Is it a Rage thing or mechanicals in general? Had a very similar experience back in 2008 with a scorpion XP, went back to fixed and never looked back.
 
Happened to me once with fixed three blade Muzzys. The deer was every so slightly quartering to me. I think it's just bad luck. Nothing to get too discouraged about, unless as mentioned, you find it happened more often.
 
KnuckleDragr said:
Happened to me once with fixed three blade Muzzys. The deer was every so slightly quartering to me. I think it's just bad luck. Nothing to get too discouraged about, unless as mentioned, you find it happened more often.
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Another possible contributing factor...is arrow flight. Not all arrows fly perfectly, some kind of slide their way to the target off perfect plane.

If something like that happened AND the shot angle was less than 90 degrees, you would have two factors potentially that could cause a deflection...regardless of broadhead style.

Have you paper tuned your bow with broadheads on the arrows? Just a though to consider.
 
It's probably not the broadhead's fault. What ever happened likely would have done the same no matter what broadhead was on the end. Just keep in mind that there is a twenty some inch skinny little stick launching off a string and 300FPS which is pretty slow compared to a bullet. Lot's of things can and do happen to make that little stick not fly straight. If I have a setup that I use and trust I will not bail out on it because of one incident. Many good fixed and mechanical broadhead's out there. Rage is one of them.
 
I like the idea of paper tuning. May do that this week. Just to see. Not throwing out the Rage heads. Just curious about other experiences. I've had great luck with them and they hit where I aim.
 
Rage about cost my buddy a 200 incher a few years ago. Quartering away shot. He hit him damn near perfect but the arrow deflected and luckily sliced the brachial artery right under the armpit. Arrow never penetrated the chest cavity. He was very lucky.
 
Rage about cost my buddy a 200 incher a few years ago. Quartering away shot. He hit him damn near perfect but the arrow deflected and luckily sliced the brachial artery right under the armpit. Arrow never penetrated the chest cavity. He was very lucky.
 
Any head can deflect. It's most evident with over the top expendables as the leading blade catches first and kicks the arrow.
A rage or any offset deployment head should be a good bet as the first contact actually deploys the offside blade.
Stuff happens.... it's as simple as that. You have to have confidence in what your shooting or this "stuff" tends to happen more.
 
arrow deflection... not with my arrow set-up

i guess if you shot a solid piece of steel or aluminum at a 170 degree angle it might deflect. 675gr arrow with 180gr 1.7/8" German Kinetic broadhead. This thing damn near guts'em, quarters and packages them for you. But they always, always, always pass through whatever angle, whatever bone or bones you may hit. And cut giant wounds, absolutely devastating!
 
bpul2113 said:
i guess if you shot a solid piece of steel or aluminum at a 170 degree angle it might deflect. 675gr arrow with 180gr 1.7/8" German Kinetic broadhead. This thing damn near guts'em, quarters and packages them for you. But they always, always, always pass through whatever angle, whatever bone or bones you may hit. And cut giant wounds, absolutely devastating!
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Not get off subject, but what kind of arrow shaft so you use?
 
I've had this happen a couple times while using Rage. so I switched to the Grim Reapers and I've literally watched them fall over every time.
 
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