Welcome asttbe, ..........Apparently you are in the same boat as me. I can't decide between the Excal or Barnett either. It sounds like you don't have much of a choice about croosbow hunting, given your medical problem. I can tell you that it probably is more fun to harvest one with a compound versus a crossbow, but, its not enough to outweigh the damage its doing to your injury. Good Luck with whatever you choose!