This is what worked for me, a new crossbow owner/shooter as of this fall. At the recommendation of an employee at a local sportings goods store I tried the Grim Reaper crossbow heads. My CB is rated for 470 fps and the heads are supposed to be good for that speed, and are. He recommended using dental floss to tie the blades in place so they don't open in the target. That worked but had to be redone every shot. I had some VERY fine SS wire that works as well and lasts much better.

I found the accuracy to be equal to that of field points but they were 6" left at 50 yds. A minor scope adjustment fixed that. I had no problem keeping shots at 50 yds within a 1 1/2 inch circle.

A couple of weeks ago I had a 40 yd shot at a doe that hit right at my point of aim. The arrow went thru the ribs just behind the shoulders and exited, breaking one rib. The doe ran about 50 yds and died. Surprising to me, there was no blood on the arrow nor was there any to track, but plenty where she dropped.

One of the blades was bent but I was able to disassemble the broadhead, straighten the bent blade, and resharpen all 3 to hair shaving sharp. I have not used the broadhead again and prefer not to, but would if I needed to.

Grim Reaper sells replacement blades and springs so their mechanical broadheads can be rebuilt and that seems a reasonable option, although they are a bit dedious to disassemble and reassemble.

Find a "good" mechanical.

Grim Reaper. Watch ‘‘em Drop. Eric

Had similar issues with rage. It was when they first came out and I gave them a try. 17yds right behind the shoulder. Doe ran about 100yds straight away then angled back past my stand and collapsed. I thought that was a ways to run with a broadhead, but thought nothing more about it until I got to her. No blood, and no entry or exit to speak of. Went and got my arrow and it never really opened. No blood at the shot area and none I could find even though I’d watched her route. Upon skinning I’d hit the top of the heart basically with a field point. That was the only and last rage I ever shot.

Watched my son shoot three last year with G5 MegaMeat and one actually ran for about 50 yards before dropping and one walked all of 10 yards while the other walked 50 yards and he watched it fall. Saw two first hand and he even videoed the big buck that walked off. Blood trails were extremely easy to follow, lol.

Something is wrong with your bows set up if it won't shoot a small diameter fixed head well.
I wouldn't shoot a Rage head at a turkey.
Well, maybe a little one.

Best advice on this thread
Same thing goes for copounds, if they are tuned correctly they will shoot any head consistently.
I can shoot field points, fixed blades and mechanicals and they group consistently.
I have fixed, mechanicals and a varmint head in my quiver. All have same POI

Thanks guys! I've got some options to look into. May very well have to treat it like a rifle,looking for the right load. And make sure the bow is working correctly.

Me and my son have shot many deer with rage, probably for ten plus years taking. Both good bucks and doe, they are awesome! My best friend has shot blood runners and killed a pile of deer and probably 10 great bucks over the last 15 years. I just ordered 12 of them they are very affordable and have a good entrance that will kill even if they don’t pop open, give them a look.

Wouldn't it just be better to shoot a head that doesn't have "to open"

Rage

I got tired of messing with mechanicals because getting the blades back in position after a kill or somehow got out of the retainers is a pain.

Just shot me a buck tonight with a fixed blade, arrow hit rock after passing through:

One can never go wrong with a fixed head. I like the QAD Exodus.

I'm a "one set of blades per deer" bowhunter. Doesn't matter how sharp they seem to be after passing thru a deer...I use them once. I check the ferrule to make sure it's wobble-free, put new blades on...and back in quiver it goes.

I could care less if a broadhead is damaged by impact with bone, rocks, or the dirt during the kill shot as long as it performs its job on the deer.

I used Muzzy 90 gr 4 blade fixed for 3 decades...killed many deer and hogs with them...1" cut. Had several blood trails that were tough to follow.

I tried Wasp Jak-Hammers..1.75" cut mechanical...about 5 or 6 years ago. Goodness what a blood trail they leave....everytime. I'll never go back to a fixed blade.

1. Magnus Stinger.
2. Magnus Stinger Buzzcut.
3. Magnus Stinger Buzzcut Killer Bee.

All in 4 blade 125 grain.
They come from the factory very sharp, but I hone mine until they are sticky sharp.

Trophy Taker Shuttle T Lock looks small blows a big hole. Shots POI of field points in 2 crossbows and a compound.

I’ve had previous success with fixed blade Muzzys and Thunderheads. Went with Rage when it became the Rage… shot a lot of deer with amazing blood trails.
My son shot a nice 10 one year with a Rage- we backed out that night because we seconded guessed arrow placement- found the deer the next morning, perfectly placed arrow pass through and when we found the arrow, the broad head never deployed. My son said- hard to bring down a deer with a field tip!
We both went back to fixed blade and now shoot Stingers.

I shoot muzzy in my Excalibur.

I’ve messed with a lot of broadheads . Started with thunderhead, then slick trick, then rage and now swacker. My consensus is, they all kill deer if you hit your target. Shoot through the lungs , stay away from that shoulder blade. This will extend the life of your broadheads. The 3 blade fixed heads, I had to line up with my fletchings for best flight. Rage was good, but fragile and expensive. One or two deer and they were done. Swacker is what I’ve settled with. They are simple, solid, and can replace blades . I shoot the green 100 gr.

My brother likes grim reeper.

My dad was a fan of the old razorbak 5.

A broadhead topic can go on forever! Good luck. Hope you find one that shoots great for you. Gotta pick one and go get confidence with it.

John

Rage