Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Any crossbow users?

Just got the word that the oldest boy and I were drawn for a local archery only hunt. And archery only to me means I've gotta buy a crossbow.

Any recommendations? I don't know what they run, but I don't mind paying for quality since this will be an ongoing hunt every year.

What to look out for / avoid?

I use a Parker and am very happy. Also have had good luck with Excalibur and 10 point as well. You do not need any super duper, super fast, etc.. as they are all similar. JMHO YMMV

I did a lot of research and settled on the Excaliber.

I chose it because it is so simple. It's basically just a 200+lb recurve. The trigger is decent. The scope adjusts for speed and the reticle provides aim points to fifty yards. The reticle makes hitting at different ranges duck soup. The first time I used it shooting variable ranges out to fifty yards I had one miss ( a few inches low, not a real miss)at 35 yards and all the rest were good, 2 inch group at fifty.

The down side is that like all crossbows, it's loud. It IS so fast that a normal 15-20 yard shot won't be a problem with Bambi jumping the string. You need to buy the string changer or just make one with cold shuts (PM for a pic). I am not sure the string/limb silencers make all that much difference to Bambi. It will not hold nearly as steady as a decently stocked rifle, so a sling for shooting helps a lot. You'l also need silicone oil and grease for the string, shooting rail and the arrows themselves (the arrows are a bitch to pull out of ethafoam targets without it).

Iv had a couple of them and have settled on the Excaliber, what Miles58 said but you can also change the string, with a rope stringer, something you can do in the field or on a hunt. one of the few that you can do that!

Excalibur is what I used when I lived in a province that allowed crossbows for archery. Couple reasons, one being that at least at that time it was the most accurate bow out there. Also like the others said, you can swap out strings yourself in minutes. Then there is the durability issue. Mine was dry fired on a couple of occasions, which of course is often catastrophic but the bow survived without harm. My friend dry fired his compound crossbow(Horton, I think) and blew it to pieces. Can't say that this would be the situation every time but less pieces makes sense to me.
They are extremely accurate, and maybe they have made them quieter since I had mine, can't say for sure. Oh,one more thing, keep your thumbs down!!!

Stryker 380 - very light, compact and fast. With 20" bolt and 100gr expandable it shoots 385-390fps thru my chronograph. They are not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either. Best of luck in exploring your choices. I went to my local shop and shot a few different ones. It was an obvious choice after the hands on.

When my state made crossbows legal for deer hunting I got one along with a styrofoam 'target' for the basement that will catch the 'bolts'.

It's a Barnet Recruit and has a little scope on it!

I also got a pulley system with it to draw the string back.



I went down into the basement to look at the crossbow afterwards and they are a neat deal.

I can shoot it in the basement or maybe the backyard. It adds to our hunting stuff!

Depends on how serious, how many shots, etc...

We have found that the reasonable Barnetts do just fine generally speaking.

If I was serious, Barnett would not be in my top picks from reading though, that said have taken quiet a few animals with Barnett my buddy has too.

They are, IMHO, 20 yard bows, due to noise, but thats to each shooter. You simply can't get a supersonic arrow and until then, you have to be careful of string jump

Couple of add on thoughts. I did have an Excalibur and it does have all the attributes the guys listed above and is an excellent choice. Here in Alabama though I do a lot of hunting from tree stands and it is substantially wider than a compound like my parker. It is also noisier but that is like saying a twin engine jet is not as loud as a 4 engine. They will both blow your ears out. As mentioned earlier, I limit myself to 25 yard shots as beyond that the deer reacts to the sound. Good luck in whatever you decide to try.

Every time I read a x-bow thread, I have to think about a movie I watched, set in Medieval England. The hero carried a longbow. He got in a cowboy-type quick draw shootout with a soldier carrying a x-bow. Both had to load and shoot. No contest, of course.

I think the guy with x-bow lost. Another thing to consider is type off hunting you will be doing. Blind, box blind, ladder stand etc. Some x-bows are quite heavy and some have a stirrup that your foot goes into for cocking etc. X-bows are like rifles and calibers everyone has their favorite and so on. It may be best to shoot a few different ones and see what features you like or dislike. Read reviews, go on some of the crossbow forums. Tom

The first shot is the 'fastest'!

What is the arrow vrs bolt velocity from each? The range?

Might check out the Ten Point Stealth FX as well.
The Acudraw (crank) allows simple, consistent cocking each time.

And it's super compact.

Excalibur all the way

I bought a Mission 320 last year and am quite pleased with it. I just about bought an Excalibur and would really like to try one in the future…happy with mine, though. Bruce

Excalibur = W I D E.

Thanks for the input guys. I'll check some of these out.

Probably 85% of the time it'll be used from a ground blind. If shots are limited to 20-25 yards, how important is a scope? It seems like a lot of Xbows are sold with them. Is there that much arrow arc from 15-25 yards? I can't see us being much closer than 15.

I have Mathews crossbow, lighter weight than most other crossbows along with being quieter. Very accurate crossbow but I don't care for the factory scope but have not replaced the scope with a spare Leopold 3X I have.

Doc

I bought my HuntMaster crossbow many years ago after an accident to my elbow and made it impossible to draw my recurve bow. The elbow never healed quite right. HuntMaster changed their name to Ten Point a few years later because of a lawsuit over use of the name. I've had the safety and the limbs upgraded at the factory for very reasonable cost. Accuracy is impressive; I can hit a Dixie cup at 20 yards!

Based upon my positive experiences with Ten Point, I recommend this brand to anyone. That being said, there are many more brands to choose from than when I purchased my crossbow. Wicked Ridge has a good reputation with my friends.

These are just a few of the deer I've toppled in northern Maryland with my HuntMaster.

Sherwood

Nice! I need to get me a x bow!