[OCDFogh44]

When I first took up archery, I wasn't a kid anymore and was on that steep learning curve.

The guy I trusted at the bow shop suggested I give the Rocky Mtn. Sniper a try. As a mech, a bit more forgiving in flight if your bow not precisely tuned or shooting form a bit ragged.

The "slip cam" design (which is now the Rage design) I liked, less chances of just one blade deploying and getting a non-penetrating hit.

Shot my first wall hanger with one, went 25 yards. I've watched two others take a few steps, wobble, and topple.

Now when the first Rages came out, clearly the Snypers were built better. Much better. But the more recent vintages of Rage seem to be improved over the 1st gen version.

I shoot a Mathews Z7 set at 60#, and Carbon Express arrows. My shots are going to be 30 yards or less. A Snyper or Rage has never been an issue, so I figure why change what has worked?

I got enough other areas of my archery world that need my attention first! 😁

When I first took up archery, I wasn't a kid anymore and was on that steep learning curve.

The guy I trusted at the bow shop suggested I give the Rocky Mtn. Sniper a try. As a mech, a bit more forgiving in flight if your bow not precisely tuned or shooting form a bit ragged.

The "slip cam" design (which is now the Rage design) I liked, less chances of just one blade deploying and getting a non-penetrating hit.

Shot my first wall hanger with one, went 25 yards. I've watched two others take a few steps, wobble, and topple.

Now when the first Rages came out, clearly the Snypers were built better. Much better. But the more recent vintages of Rage seem to be improved over the 1st gen version.

I shoot a Mathews Z7 set at 60#, and Carbon Express arrows. My shots are going to be 30 yards or less. A Snyper or Rage has never been an issue, so I figure why change what has worked?

I got enough other areas of my archery world that need my attention first! 😁

Thanks for sharing your experience! It’s always interesting to hear how certain broadheads perform in real-world hunting scenarios. I’ve been curious about the ‘slip cam’ design myself and how it compares to the newer Rage heads.

Sounds like you’ve found a reliable setup with the Snypers and your Mathews Z7, sometimes sticking with what consistently works is better than chasing every new release. 😄

Out of curiosity, have you noticed any differences in flight or accuracy between the earlier Snypers and the newer Rages at the 25–30 yard range, or do they all feel pretty much the same to you?”

 

[OCDFogh44]

I stand with both. I struggle between both so I carry both fixed and expandables in my quiver. I love the reliability of a fixed head with a well tuned bow and shooters form which both need to be spot on to shoot a fixed head. Mechanicals are very forgiving with an out of tune bow and out of form shooter so I feel that this is what got the train rolling for expandable when they first came out years ago. I “think” the first expandable was a puckets blood trailer?

In my opinion it’s tough to beat a well designed fixed head for penetration and over all toughness when compared to most expandables. Blades tend to be thinner on expandables and they need moving parts which moving parts fail from time to time. With that said years ago about 15 of us got together to test each of our preferred broadheads on a strength test on cabinet grade 3/4” plywood. I was shooting G5 T3 expandables. I was the only one to shoot the same broadhead 3 times thru the plywood before a blade snapped off/bent. Second place was a slick truck when a blade snapped on the second shot.
All broadheads have come a long way over the years and it’s still an internet battle between the 2 but in the end each of us shoot what we feel confident in and in the event we lose one we can say @we should have been shooting the other “. lol.

I love how you laid out the pros and cons of both fixed and expandable heads. It really comes down to confidence and knowing your setup inside and out. That plywood test sounds like a blast, definitely shows how tough a well-made fixed head can be, but also that some expandables hold up surprisingly well.

I think you hit the nail on the head: it really just comes down to what you trust in the field. At the end of the day, the best broadhead is the one you can consistently place accurately and shoot with confidence. 😄

Out of curiosity, in your own hunts, have you leaned more toward one type over the other, or do you still carry both depending on the situation?

 

[OCDFogh44]

1. 70's to 90's used 4 blade 148 grain Razor backs with compounds bows, Bear and various High Country bows 89-72 Lbs. 2219 aluminum arrows.
2. 2090 to 2015 used New Archery Products 125 grain Thunderheads from Mathews Switchback 72-54 Lbs 2314 aluminum arrows.
3. 2017+- to present 100gr. Rage or 125 Thunderheads with Barnett and then Ravin R 10 crossbows (100 gr. Rage.)

To this day no issues with performance......Hoping for a couple of more good years to continue the testing...

It’s impressive to see how you’ve adapted with changing technology, from 4-blade Razorbacks to modern Rages and Thunderheads. Sounds like you’ve got a great system dialed in that’s been reliable through multiple setups.

I love that you’re still testing and refining after all these years, there’s always something new to learn in archery. Do you notice any big differences in penetration or flight between the old aluminum arrows and the modern carbon setups, or has consistency been pretty steady for you?

 

[OCDFogh44]

All the set ups I mentioned above provided double lung full penetration. The only difference with the lighter aluminum and carbon arrows as compared to the heavy aluminum arrows they are easer to pull out of the ground after the pass through. One full penetration was on a 250 lb. black bear with a 2413 aluminum arrow, 125 gr. Thunderhead, Mathews Switchback set at 54 lbs. bear went 35 yards and fell.......Took at least 3 bucks with the same 2413 aluminum arrow and Thunderhead broadhead......with little damage to the blades which were easily replaced....I did spin all my arrows go assure no point wobble and I sharpened the broadheads. Oh and they also pass through groundhogs, squirrels and coyotes.....

Sounds like you’ve had some incredible success with that setup double lung pass throughs on everything from whitetails to a 250 lb. bear is proof enough that it works! 💪 The fact that you were able to reuse the same 2413 arrow and just swap blades says a lot about the durability of the Thunderheads too.

I like that you mentioned spinning arrows and sharpening heads those little details really make a huge difference in performance. Do you still stick mostly with aluminum shafts these days, or have you transitioned to carbon for your current hunts?