Switching back to Rockets! good bye Rage

[bghunter777]

I jumped off the bandwagon this season and decided to go back to a broadhead I have absolute confidence in. I as with many jumped on the Rage bandwagon a few years ago and the entrance holes with these heads was impressive. I preached to many how amazing these heads where without ever really evaluating them I first started with the 3 blade heads I took one nice buck with them but then the following season hit a buck I thought was a solid hit just a little high and back on the deer I got very little penetration and watched my buck just walk off after running 50 yards or so. I wrote this off as I must have made a poor shot and a learning expierience but continued to blindly believe in these heads. last season I had a 20 yard shot on a doe and did not allow my pin to settle fully pusing the arrow forward into the shoulder the arrow penetrated roughly 4 inches then fell out of the doe after maybe 20 yards.

I have been an archery hunter for 12 years and shot have shot Rockets for 10 of those 12 years. Since the inception of the Sidewinder I have hit 12 deer and all 12 have been recovered. The shots range from Liver to a buck looking rite at me and all points in between. The one particular buck the arrow entered in the brisket and came out in front of the back leg needless to say he didnt go far.

A few of the reason I believe Rocket penetrates so well is the blade design and the rotation of the head will actually snake around bone and continue to penetrate. I have seen demonstrations that explain it scientifically much better than I do. The blades will also bend when they come in contact with hard bone some will say this is a flaw I view this as an asset. Yes they are one shot and done but take a Rage or and thick bloaded broadhead it take quite a bit of force to push a blade through a bone as oppose to bending slightly or twisting and continueing to penetrate.

I am not here to bash Rage I believe they are great heads but coincidence or not I am 12 for 12 with sidewinders and 2 for 4 with Rage. I shoot a 74 lb Mathews Legacy I should be getting more than 6 and 4 inches of penetration when contacting bone. You can draw your own conclusions but since making the switch back to Rockets it is like a weight has been lifted I have 0 question as to what my broadhead will do. Not to mention Rage IMO fly slightly different than field points where as Rockets fly absolutely identical to a field point.

[jcot2773]

Ok. So if i may ask why go away.from a broadhead that you had 100% confidence in?

[jbeck]

confidence is everything, I am not a big believer in all they hype that goes with this head is the best. to put it bluntly I've been doing this for 31 years and I've never had a deer complain about the broad head I used to put him on the ground, with the bow you get what you cut, period. Good luck but I have a rage that I'm going to give a try on a slick head early season.

[hoosierhunter]

The more moving parts you have the more that can go wrong with a broadhead unfortunately. All mechanicals will fail more than a fixed blade.

[DropTine49]

I love the rockets, right now I'm shooting some 10-15 year old Rocket Hammerhead 4 blades that my dad bought when he started bow hunting several years ago. They do the job just fine.

[bghunter777]

I gave Rage a shot simply because I as stated before jumped on the band wagon. It was foolish I agree to go away from something that I had complete confidence in. The rage behind Rage broadheads was to much for me to not give them a shot.

[Randyman]

I am going to try the Rage 2 blade for the first time this year. Like most anything, I can find someone who hates them for every one that loves them. Personally, I think the broadhead gets too much of the blame for poor penetration even on shots where the angle or placement are questionable. Ironically, I am switching from Rocket Ultimate Steel heads that I never had a problem with. Time will tell if I live to regret it. :oops:

Edited September 30, 2011 by Randyman

[fly]

Have had awesome results with (non-cut on contact) fixed and mechanical when the shot is on. My shoulder bone placed shots have had poor results with both types. I now use a cut on contact thick metal fixed heads. So far I have not hit the shoulder, so we'll see.

[redkneck]

Hunted with Rage a couple of years ago, wasn't overly impressed. Last buck I shot didn't get good expansion, but still made a quick recovery.

[jcot2773]

I don't know i just cat justify switching to Rage. My muzzy heads do what I want them to do without fail. If I were to try an expandable I would probably try Grim Reapers.

[Stinger-Hunter]

Product loyalty sometimes means trying a different brand once in a while. It is normal in marketing. Often people that are loyal to a brand will occasionally try something else, but then return to their preferred brand.

Trying another brand usually means that you'll go back to the original and be even MORE loyal to it, just as you've described.

Glad you are back with your preferred choice. Confidence is 100% of the game when bowhunting. I have witnessed this in my own hunting. Whenever I felt confident - good things came to me easily - lack of confidence is the thing that will put your arrow just off enough to make the difference in losing a buck as opposed to retrieving it.