looking for a crossbow for my son...

[WTDoc]

Seems like my 12 year old is getting the itch to go hunting, which is great for me. Anyway, he hasn't hit his growth spurt, so he is small--under 5 ft and no more than 80 lbs. I am going to get him started with a compound, but he may not be ready by next season's start, so i want to get him a crossbow to start. Anyone have any good suggestions for one that is fairly light, accurate and reliable and no more than $500.

Mike

[lemoyne]

http://parkerbows.com/crossbows.html...detailsku=1110
Take a look at this one. I think just starting out that a dry fire device is good and 150 # that gives 285 FPS is good for a boy if he can handle it with a rope ****ing device.

[OneBear]

I might want to look at a Ten Point Pro Slider It is adjustable for draw weight so he can start out low and work his way up as he gets stronger and older That way you only have to buy one crossbow that will work for him for years

Call David at Wyvern Creations 603-659-2575 It will be the best phone call you could ever make He will help you make the right decision and answer all your questions with absolutely no pressure to buy anything

[jacob321]

Well about my son his crossbow here: thecrossbowstore.com they have youth crossbow for your son at really good prizes. My suggestion if you wanted to get a crossbow that is light and fordable I would go with a Barnett Wild Cat C5 or Barnnet Jackal both compound, you can find them both there below the $500 range. Well good luck finding your sons crossbow.

[coyote170]

Call Wyvern Creations 603 659 0575 Best prices,best deals,and a wealth of knowledge that very few have a call you wont be sorry you made!!

[wabi]

The Barnett RC-150 with the adjustable buttplate removed fits my son (11 yo & small statured) well.

[Buckhunter46755]

Originally Posted by wabi

The Barnett RC-150 with the adjustable buttplate removed fits my son (11 yo & small statured) well.

I'm not bashing Barnetts, but I would go with something a little more quality with better performance and warranty / customer service. I have an Excalibur Vortex which is a great bow. It has a 200lb draw weight. But they also make some with less of a draw weight. A rope ****er will reduce the required pull by 50%. Also being a recurve, maintenance is a breeze with no need for a bow press. I agree, call Dave at Wyverne(sp) creations. I have heard nothing but good things about him. Also Excalibur has excellent "no hassle" customer service & they stand behind their products 100%. I have also owned a Horton Team RealTree HD175 compound crossbow. It was also a quality, accurate CB. But some of them are made in China now I believe. I would stay away from any and all of the Chinese crap out there. Alot of those cheap crossbows are not safe due to shoddy construction, cheap materials, and poor quality control. The Horton was a little heavy and being a compound it required a bow press to work on the string, cables, etc. If you buy him an Excalibur Phoenix (175lb draw), or Vixen (150lb draw), he will be good to go for years to come with no real need tp upgrade later. Especially if hunting deer and smaller game. These crossbows have plenty of killing power for most hunting situations you are going to run into here in the U.S. This is just my opinion, but I honestly believe in Excalibur products. I just killed a 10pt buck a few days ago with my Vortex. TenPoint & Parker also make nice CB's. It is best to go out to the shops and shoot a few different makes and models. See what feels best to him. Like most things not all cb's are the same and you want the bow to feel comfortable while holding, carrying, & shouldering it. Hope this helps!

[oldsmellhound]

Originally Posted by wabi

The Barnett RC-150 with the adjustable buttplate removed fits my son (11 yo & small statured) well.

This is actually a pretty nice little crossbow. My hunting buddy got it for his son when he was about 10 years old, and he used it for at least 6 years. The last 3 years we've used it as a backup bow. I took a nice buck with it one year when the limbs cracked on my Horton.

You can bash the quality, but for light duty use it has performed very well. I like it that it is small, and it is also by far the quietest x-bow I've ever shot which helps with deer jumping the string.

The only 2 negatives:
1. In about 8 or 9 years of use, it is on its 3rd string (string wears out fast). And this is with a pretty limited number of shots per year. Not a huge cost to replace, but might be an issue if you shoot a lot.

2. The arrows are not standard size (20" or 22")- they are something like 17". For replacement arrows, we've had the guy at the archery shop custom cut the bolts. Also an extra expense and pain.

Between all of us, we've taken 6 or 7 deer and it has worked great at normal x-bow ranges (25 yards and under).