I recently returned to hunting after a long time. Last fall I hunted with a rifle only, but had thought about a crossbow to be able to hunt an extra season. After reading around here and elswhere, I decided because of reputation for quality, warranty response and price to buy an Excalibur Axiom SMF. So far I've only shot at a target in the backyard and I'm pleased with what the bow does. Very accurate! I also chose the Excalibur for the recurve so that I would not have to make a one way 85 mile trip for replacing strings, etc. I did have to get a quiver exchanged because of something in the sealed top rattling around, but the retailer took care of the issue very promptly. Good luck with your hunt!