lovethebigguns
linear momentum is what drives your arrows through - the mass weight of an object means it will not shed its energy as quickly, design matters too because again, the loss in energy needed for penetration
to ansewr your question - your Rage will work fine on a perfect broadside shot, in fact any broadhead will, even a dull and rusty old Satellite will work fine because the thinner rib bones of deer coupled with the power of your compound will kill with about any setup you choose
but - and this is so very important - its the not so perfect shots that matter
you choose, as a bowhunter, to take the best shot you can
but you're super excited when a big buck comes in, he almost will never be 100% broadside and head down, a deer can always move at the sound of your shot, or even just as you release, there might always be an unseen branch, the distances often will be a few yards closer or farther away than you guess and then of course, you can always pull your shot a bit, punch instead of squeeze your release ...... there are a hell of a lot of factors involved, just go buy Real Tree 2011 dvd's and only about 1/2 of their shots are perfect and they do this for a living !
so, knowing that often shots aren't exactly where you want them to go, do you want a setup that is designed to give you maximum penetration, and will give you best chances when the shots don't go perfect, or are you happy using a setup that will only work on perfect shots ?
tradgang.com has all the Ashby reports - incredible knowledge there, and applicable in many ways to compound
now, I KNOW a single bevel, 2 blade tanto point head, heavy FOC arrow and small diameter shafts are the best penetrating combo for anybody. its fact, proven, undisputable
I'm not using that this year. Why? because in my current setup, a 64 pound compound, ICS 400 carbons with weight tubes - I have found a Slicj Trick RazorTrick to fly extremely well. I chose this head because its razor tipped, coi, heavy thick blades that are almost bomb proof in design. its a 4 blade head which WILL reduce my penetration - but I'm in the 550 gr total weight range, and I'm choosing this setup expecting to be in pretty good shape.
I'd never use a Rage or another mechanical head because the penetration qualities are just poor overall in design and functionalitiy. I've used them before, I've killed animals with them before, I've watched my buddy's lose deer to them to - I'm not unfamiliar with mechanicals or Rage heads at all - I'm just wiser than I use to be
did you watch the videos I posted? horrible penetration on pretty good shots -imagine if those shots were any worse ?
I want an entry and exit hole, a coi head that will break through bone if I hit and a total weight that will power my combination of arrow and head through the animals retaining as much energy on impact as it can.