I wasn't sure just how they worked until I actually put my hands (very carefully) on one. I created the image above to show you how they work. Once you've seen all of the photos in this article, I hope you'll have a good idea how Rage broadheads operate.
The closed position is up at the top. The two stainless steel blades are secured to the aluminum body only by a cross pin, which goes through the longer of two slots in each blade. The blades have small steps which engage with an o-ring towards the rear of the aluminum body, and that is all that keeps the blades in position until they open.
This tenuous form of hold-open is no doubt why some hunters complain of Rage heads opening at inopportune times, as happened to a friend the first time he hunted with Rage. He had an arrow on the string of his compound bow, and deer nearby.
As he turned in the tree stand, the Rage head touched the tree and one of the blades popped loose from its o-ring, making a slight noise. It was enough to alert the deer and render the arrow unshootable until the blade was re-set, and may have meant the difference between success and failure.
The view at the left shows the blades in roughly the position they would be in at the moment of opening.
Rage in the fully-opened position can be seen on the right side of the photo. Nothing holds the blades open except the material through which they cut.
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