What IS the best crossbow?
 

Saw a post on here earlier and it got me thinkin, what IS the best crossbow out there? I personally love my Horton Hunter (175#) and wouldnt shoot anything else. I had a Horton Explorer before and was pleased with it as well. I see a lot about Excalibur, I have never shot one so I would be ignorant to comment on it either way. Same with TenPoint. But I just wanted to get a little discussion on here discussing the ins and outs and pros and cons of all our bows!

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

IMO...the best crossbow is the one you are most comfortable with. Sounds non conclusive, but in reality once the bolt leaves the bow they all do about the same thing. Some faster, some a bit more accurately, but generaly they will all put something sharp into a 8" circle on a deer at 40yrds or less. If you are uncomfortable with a bow you will not be as accurate, or confident as you will be if it fits you right.

That being said...engineering wize, Bowtech has it as far as pushing the envelope. Quality, Tenpoint. Customer service, Excal. Simplicity, Excal. Reliabiltiy...that is a toss up between all of them. Accuracy....well, that is a double edged sword. If you compare an off the shelf bow and use the bolts that the manufacture supply, it would be between Excal, Tenpoint, and Stryker. However, you tune the bolts to the bow, and all of them are about the same...

Just my opinions :)
Wyvern

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

Mine is!:D

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

Picking a crossbow is similar to picking a spouse. Everyone has their own idea of perfect. ;)
I used a Horton Hunter for a few years and thought it was good, but when I shot an Excalibur the Horton was soon forgotten. I had a buddy that held on to his Horton Hunter for several years after I switched to Excalibur. He finally decided to take a few shots with my Excalibur Phoenix shortly after i got it. We were shooting at 25 yards and I always pull the arrow after i shoot to save on destroying arrows. He put three shots into the same hole in the target his first three shots. He owned an Excalibur Phoenix shortly after that range session and his Horton now hangs in his outdoor shed to serve as a "loaner".
In all fairness, the recurve design is not for everyone. TenPoint is very close to Excalibur on accuracy and good trigger pull. Horton is a good crossbow, but in my opinion if you shoot an Excalibur or TenPoint you mayget an urgeto switch brands. Not saying Horton won't get the job done, but I am saying the Excalibur & TenPoint get it done with ease!

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

my horton ultra slshoots in same hole shot after shot at 20yds and would i believe if i could hold still at 30 yds.

its all you would want BUT ,i dont like CABLES/WHEELS/STRING that you cant replace yourself.

i never shot another bow but if i was to get another one,most likely it would be EXCEL.

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

I shoot a comound (Terminator) and a recurve (Vortex). Both are great. Guess I'm a split personality, eh?

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

:D

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

If you are going to do a lot of shooting (year round) the excal recurves are in my opion are tried and proven, you change the string and shoot, shoot, shoot with very little maintaince.
But from a treestand or blind the compounds smaller limbs are better, I practice year round with my excal exomag (185 lbs.) mag tip and hunt with my Buckmaster Maxpoint (stock made by excalibur bow made by Bear).

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

i saw a compound bow at bowshop here the other day that i could not believe how small it was.
everyone was trying it out, i think it was MATTHEWS.

so, your right,bigger is not better in woods with anything.

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

Anyone know who Robin Allen is? Have you seen his custom xbows? Works of Art!

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

I have a old Horton Super Mag 150 and a newer Super Max 175 and both have been great bows. Last year I gave in to my Excal itch and love it! I only shot the Horton a few times this year, and the Excal Vortex went with me on all my hunts! The Ten Point guys seem to be just as happy if you have that kinda cash!

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

I love my Hortno Hunter, the only thing I cannot stand about Horton models is that stupid dial-a-range!!![:@] Also, if I could change anything about my Hunter, I would make it just a SHADE lighter. That's one thing I noticed about the Exaclibur models, I dont think one goes over 7 lbs.?

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

The weight issue was what pushed me over the edge. I had to take a friend to a store to get some stuff and it was over an hour away. Well they had a Excal Exocet and when I picked it up it was all down hill for me. The weight was so much lighter, a few pounds seems like a lot!

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

It really does. When I was comparing my Explorer to the Hunter, I think the Explorer weighed in at 7.4 poound and the Hunter at 7.9. So i thought. "Not a big difference, I probably wont be able to tell a difference." WRONG! It is noticeably heavier. But I'm 18 so I need not be complaining about things being to heavy!:(haha

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

What do you think about Parker crossbows

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

Have you seen pictures of the Parker Cyslone? 18" wide when drawn, 6.5 lbs. Can't wait to hold one.

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

I have shot the Parker Cyclone at the ATA show. Got them on order, but they will be a few months till they are available. It is fast, very stable, very comfortable, and is a bit quieter than the rest of their line. Uses the same trigger, so that is all good. They have a VERY cool quiver mount that attaches to the weaver rail underneath that I will put money on will work on the Stryker models (could not steal it to run over an check :) )

"The Ten Point guys seem to be just as happy if you have that kinda cash!"

Actually, Tenpointhasmodels that start at $399.00 and go up fromtheir. You only really hear about the Phantoms and such, but1/2 of their bows are in line with what you would spend to get an equivilent Horton or Parker or"fully outfitted" Excalibur (bow +scope Right stuff package). It is nice to be able to offer people a variety of brands and be able to work them into a good bow at pretty much any budget. :)

Wyvern

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

im getting me a excalibur vixen

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

"im getting me a excalibur vixen"

Ya know..that brings upsomething that happend today (again) A customer contemplating a crossbow was not interested in a great shooting bow simply because it did not break that "300fps barrier" as I call it. IMO the Vixen and Phoenix are great bows that not only shoot plenty fast enough to do the job, but are quieter an more stable than the higher poundageExcals. Since this thread is about the "BEST crossbow" thing, what is all your opinions as to how much that 300fps + thing has to do with your choices??? Very curious as to youropinions....

Wyvern

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

You won't regret it. All the others will be jealous of that deerhide brown.;)

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

most that just get bow to hunt only look at 1 thing,PRICE.

next group looks at PRICE/SPEED that hunt ONLY.

last group who hunt/shoot target look at PRICE/SPEED/WEIGHT/MAINTANCE.

1st one, i see all time.

other 2, i read on here.

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

Very interesting point Wyvern. Personally I want a bow that spits out the arrow/broadhead combination of my choice at around 275 ft/sec. I do not want 300 ft/sec simply because it can become a pain in the beehind. I've found that when I approach that speed everything seems less forgiving with broadheads. That goes for compounds as well. Everything seems to get too noisey for my liking as well. My Exocet 200 wears a 40 strand Xcel string with three sets of cat whiskers for that reason. I like the way it shoots in all respects!

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

I've found with the Excaliburs it's better to tune them down a bit rather than seek maximum velocity. I shoot an Excalibur Phoenix, andI've found with an arrow a bit over minimum (380 - 400 grains) anda DNK (Boo) string with catwhiskers I get a lot less noise & vibration and speed is still good. Haven't even bothered to verify velocity, as I don't really care -because it gets the job done on deer, but I'm guessingnear290fps. It shoots as smoothly and quietly as I can get it tuned to shoot and it has let me put every deer I've pulled the trigger on in the freezer so I'm leaving it as-is!

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

In defense of Horton again (my opinion is obviously biased) they really dont advertise speed as a sales pitch. I have the Hunter which is their best model and it shoots up to 320 fps. Horton does have a recurve ( cant remember the name) that shoots about 350 i think, but I dont believe Horton falls into the "need for speed" category.

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

those parker cyclones? what will those go for? i love the pistol grip

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

I have shot the Excals for 5-6 years now, so I guess it would be easy to figure out what my choice of XBows are...I love the ExoMax 225.

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

I rather have the Stryker than any other Crossbow so that makes it the best for me.


Sag.

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

I will always stay with my Excal ExoMax, I have never had a problem with it, but for yourself one that is comfortable and one that has had proven customer service in the past is also important. I have heard alot of good about the CS at Excal and Tenpoint. IMO probably the top 2 XBows.

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

To each his/her own. The need for speed is over rated my friends.[:o]Its true, all you need is good accuracy and know your CB and range. Miss Vixen will shoot an honest 269 fps with a 345 gr. total wt. carbon or alum. arrow, shot thru chrony. A CB must feel good in your hands and mounted up against shoulder. Its wt. and trigger must also feel good, comfort is everything! Mentally liking CB is very big plus! If you look at a CB and think its ugly[&o]then you have made up your mind before even shooting and trying the CB!

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

Notice the wt. and fps? those are target shooting arrows. I hunt with arrows 380 and heavier, they hit like the logs they are! Hard with deep penetration. I like my arrows to be able to break bones coming and going![:-]. Yup i am talking about shoulder blades and ribs behind them and out the other side!:D

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

Amen smokepolehall to each his own,I will say that a recurve has a few
good points to consider,as I said will never look back,but the enjoyment
that my Ten Point has brought me is beyond discription,thought I had
it all with my Parkers,but even an old dog can learn new tricks,take care!
;);););););););)

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

Mossy, I'm being quoted $650 for the package by my local dealer. Perhaps Wyvern as a dealer too can confirm/deny.

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

The Cyclone has a MSRP of $699.95.

Wyvern

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

i agree with you.

may i add,of all bucks i have harvested, not onedid arrow not come out the other side.that was with recurve at much slower speeds than the crossbow.

only advantage i see of speed is arrow shoots flatter but that would only be needed if you were shooting into a small opening in brush.

or shooting over 30 yds.

but with scope sighted in on crossbow anda hunterNOT shooting over 30 yds,i cant see to much need for fast bow.

i feel makingcrossbow quiet and light and easy to carry and hold is more important than speed.

i think selling point is SPEED and users thinking they can shoot out to 50 yds at deer.
a light arrow flying out that far is going to cause a wounded deer,no doubt .

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

yeah im (hopefully) getting the vixen this summer if i get a job for next season. i have never hunted in september so i hope i get the vixen

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

could the vixen shoot 40 yards accurately?

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

yes the Vixen can shoot accurately to 40, 50 even 75 yds. For targets! Hunting deer yes once you have spent many hrs. of practice it will reach out to 40 yds. You must understand that is a very long distance with a CB. At 40 with practice & a rest a baseball sized area is a within its accuracy.

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

The man knows of what he speaks! I've seen him shoot. He's a machine! LOL!
I would like to add that the max range for deer is really a maximum for only certain condtitions. They are rare but they do exist.

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

Wrong question, the real question is which one is best for a particular person. We have people here that are different sizes different strength and with many other types of problems, I have 3, a 10 point an excaliber and a barnet they are all used for different things, andare all excellant for what I use them for, and they all have years of good use with out any problems other than normal up keep. Lee

RE: What IS the best crossbow?
 

for me, best crossbow for DEER would be one that felt good holding it,not heavy,QUITE,can replace string in field.