Bowseason has ended and next year I will be investing in a crossbow. I have a compound bow now, but will be selling it. What are some good crossbows for a first one? I have been looking at the Barnett Ghost 400, Buck Commander, and the Predator CRT. Barnett is big in Jacksonville, Florida where everyone I know has them. My range is 6-800 dollars. Any suggestions or personal reviews?

ok, i don't know much about crossbows.....but i hear a lot about them. I think you would much prefer going with a recurve crossbow. Less moving parts, more reliability. Also, i've hear a ton of barnetts blowing up in peoples' faces. I hear excalibur makes a fantastic crossbow. If i were to get one it would be an excalibur or a ten point.


PS- there is a crossbow forum right below this one

I have extensive knowledge about crossbows as I have repaired or replaced limbs on many of them. Barnett and Horton to be specific. Save your money or should I say save a little more and buy either an Excalibur or Ten Point. Ten point has a couple models out under the Wicked Ridge banner that would be well within your price range. These just don't have all the bells and whistles.

I have the Ten Point Titan TL-7 and I really like it. I chose the 3 dot scope option ( they offer an Aimpoint style scope with 1 dot ) but did not get the Acu-Draw. However, if you decide to get the system the stock comes pre cut so you just have to buy the pulley system. I payed just over $700.00 w/tax, in 2008 at Gander Mountain in Ohio so I'm sure they can be found cheaper now. Over-all I really like this bow and hunt/shoot it often.

great post
i like it
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Stay far away from Barnett. They are plagued with horrible limbs, and even worse customer service. Horton is better but not by much.

If I were buying a crossbow today (I will be next year for my wife) for the money I would be getting a Stryker strike zone 380 or 350. The 380 is $700 fully equipped and comes with everything you need (sling, 5 arrows, quiver, field tips, scope, and rope ****er) except broadheads. Every one we have set up has exceeded the 380 fps factory rating with a 400 grain arrow and with only a 160 pound draw weight. For a crossbow they are also damn quiet. They have about the lightest trigger on a crossbow I have ever shot and there are redundant safeties to keep the bow from being dry fired. And to top it off it weighs less than 7 pounds and is very compact.

For my wife I will be getting her a strikezone 350 due to it only having a 135 pound draw weight and still hitting 350 fps.

A very very close second would be the Parker tornado. Another damn fine crossbow. Great trigger that can not be dry fired, very compact and light weight, not as quiet as the strikezone but still very quiet for a crossbow, 160 pound draw weight getting 330 fps with a 400 grain arrow and usually surpasses this speed in our chrono.