RE: What IS the best crossbow?
If you are going to do a lot of shooting (year round) the excal recurves are in my opion are tried and proven, you change the string and shoot, shoot, shoot with very little maintaince.
But from a treestand or blind the compounds smaller limbs are better, I practice year round with my excal exomag (185 lbs.) mag tip and hunt with my Buckmaster Maxpoint (stock made by excalibur bow made by Bear).