I have never been hunting, but the sport is growing on me, fast..
I have revitalized an old crossbow my brother-in-law has given me called a Astro Daco, apparently out of business for 20 years or so.
I can't get enough of firing it, and now I am ready for something bigger, faster and more accurite.
I have been eyeing the ExoMax and Exocet 200, and can not decide between the two. It has become apparent that the ExoMax is overkill for the deer I plan to pursue but would hate to look back wishing I had gone with the fastest.
So, my Questions:
Outside of sheer speed, is there any other reason to purchase the ExoMax? will those extra 20 FPS make that big of a difference?
Also, for those with knowledge on the Excalibur line is the scope that comes with it worth the money or should I look elsewhere for something different?
Is there a trajectory difference between the two? I mean, will one shoot dramatically farther without compensating for distance?
So, about me, 6' tall, 175lbs and healty.
Money is a concern but will not affect my purchace choice.
I plan to hunt rabbits, turkeys, deer and eventually bear. The bear will be rare if at all. Again, my biggest concern is not looking back wishing I had bought bigger and faster.
Thanks for any insight!
David

Hi Pydpiper,

If youre planning to hunt mainly deer, the exomax and the exocet are both great bows. The only thing is that the exomax will be harder to cock, but if thats not an issue for you then its doesnt matter which one you buy. Both will kill deer, turkey, rabbit (although they are overkill), and bear. You might have to switch to a heavier grain arrow when hunting bear, but then again thats personal preference.

Other than that both bows are essentially the same, other than a 25 fps difference. When hunting deer, people are often worried about speed because deer have the tendency to duck when they hear a bow/crossbow go off. But after you get past 280 fps and the deer is within 25-30 yards, i dont think it would be able to duck your arrow even if it tried.

For rabbits you will need to put some sort of stopper on your arrow so it doesnt blow right through the rabbit and leave a mess for you to clean up.

If you are going to be hunting bear alot, i would go with the exomax just to not take chances with the bears, but since you said it will be rare for you to hunt bear, i would go with the exocet just because of the easiness of cocking it compared to the exomax.

You should also look into the excalibur phoenix, which is one model down from the exocet 200. I have this bow and love it. It really gives you the best of both worlds w/ the excalibur lineup. You still get 305 fps, which will take down all of the animals you said you would be hunting. It is easy to cock, especially with the rope cocker, and you can cock and shoot it all day and not break a sweat. Its quieter than the exomax, and also smaller and easier to manuever through the bush.

Whatever your choice, if you go with the excalibur lineup you cant go wrong. They are very accurate, quick and simple. Good Luck in your decision!!!

Mike

I have the Emax and a Phoenix and hunt bear also. I take the Phoenix, lol. Impossible gave you good advice. Don't know anything about an Ecet, but the Max is hard on servings and will flat wear you out if you want to burn some arrows. Besides these two, I have Excals wheel bow, Paradox, made from 2001-2004. I have V-zones on all three. they do exactly as advertised, and can be had for $79.95 at www.bowhunterssuperstore.com

I use 431 gr arrows and the Excel string on my Phoenix, gives me somewhere around 280-290 fps and I don't miss what ever I lost from 305 one little bit. the combo of the string and heavier arrows is much nicer than the FFF string and lighter stock arrows and it's easier on the bow.

If you hunt Big Bears, Moose and Elk go fer the Exomax. If you after anything else Exocet 200 and Phoenix are the cats meow! I own a Phoenix great CB, the Exocet is abit faster and shoots abit flatter. Its also abit longer and heavier but no wider. So is it good yes very good, so the Phoenix the little brother.

Thanks Guys.. I have only read about them, in a few minutes I am heading to Bass Pro to try one on.. Get a feel for weight and size.
Thanks for the input, this is pretty exciting!

i have the exocet. don't think the exomag has anything on it.if i were to buy another xbow....would prob adjust down to phoenix rather than going up to an exomag. all very nice bows.....good luck.

Well there is a good group of Excal guys on here that I feel have good info on there bows. I do not think the ones that do have the Emax have said "I am glad I have it and I need that extra speed". I think the ones on here that do have the Emax also have the Exocet or phoenix and say that they prefer that over the Emax. They have all said it is hard to cock and other things that I can not remember but Ilike the Exocet and will be looking forward to getting it someday. The only thing a Emax will get you over the Exocetis deeper penetration in the GROUND after the arrow has passed through the deer. Both will give a clean pass through ondeer. Good luck! And yes, I have the V-zone on my Horton and it was worth every penny! That scope is top notchin my book!

If I had to do it over again and had to be reasonable I would have bought the Vixen. But seeing that I own and use a 10 gauge shot gun, 12 gauge 3 1/2' shot gun, two 44 mags, a 454 and two 300s I bought an Exocet 200. Soooooo get some thing with more punch than you need and get a Pheonix. The Vixen will take a moose so from what you intend to hunt I think the Phoenix will more than satisify you and give you some insurance to boot! Sorry if I am late with my opinion but I was hunting this weekend with my Exocet 200! LOL!

Again, thanks everyone! I am really surprised to hear so many people recommend a smaller Crossbow instead of the Ecomax. I did come here for advice and that is exactly what I got. I have determined that I will not need the ExoMax, however I am not willing to go to the Phoenix. So that leaves me with the Exocet.
I did go to Bass Pro today to handle as many as I could, it wasn't long until I found myself in the range with a fully dressed Ecocet. I learned two things in there, one is that I want the scope now, it really was a pleasure to look through, the other thing I learned is that I can not survive much longer without owning one of those Excalibur's.
I launched 3 arrows, all of which landed inside a 3" circle at 25 yards. That was my first time shooting like that, its been two hours since I left and my heart is still racing.

Happens to the best of us. Ya just gotta hope that it passes after you get one!