smokepolehall

Listen to my words please. 1st shoot every CB your interested in buying before you buy it! 2nd make sure you can cock it, and the company has proper cocking tools that work! 3rd do you need a shop and press to change strings ? 4th can you take it the range or field and if the serving or string becomes unuseable change it out right then ? What happens out on a hunt maybe in another state ? all ofthis stuff happens, will it ruin your hunt, can you find a shop within few hundred miles ? Alot of (Bow) shops won't touch a CB![]

Wyvern Crossbow

I agree with pretty much everything you said, but the attitudes (finally!!) are starting to change as far as Xbows and service is concerned. I just had a customer come back from Africa and the place could servicehis compoundcrossbow if needed. Changing servings on a compound Xbow is a simple job of unbolting the bow from the stock and spinning on a serving. Though a press is nessicary for string changes on a compound, if you are that far away from a shop, or the local shop is an idiot, Iusually recomend that you get hooked up with alocal bow club, or start yourown and all of you chip in to by a good press or make your own (it is not that hard).It is surprizing how many compound bows get sold to areas with no shop access and those archersgeneraly are happy to chip in to get a tool to service their bows. Most string failures in the field are preventable with regular inspecition and maintainace. thoughsudden failuresdo happen,strings generaly will start to show wearprior to failure and pre and during season inspection will do more to prevent that from happening than anything else. The cocking issue I realize is directed at the Cyclone, and I hate to say it, but I agree...I have been talking to Parker myself and doing what I can to help design hooks that work the way they should. I have been pretty straight forward about the fact that their rope cocker is poor and what I personaly am doing is exchanging the Parker rope aid from every Cyclone I sell and throwing in an Excal one instead at no charge since it works better.
Wyvern

smokepolehall

Wyvern Crossbow, y'all i am not picking on the compound CB's. i want ppl to read, be aware of everything it takes to enjoy shooting CB's. there are some very nice compound CB's. we need to inform all of whats involved. i want them happy and enjoy their shooting/hunting. not get frustrated with things that can be avoided with planning and knowlege to repair their CB in the field.

Cossack

While I agree with both of you, with the possible exception of service not being available, it's no different for modern compound vertical bows. The market is changing so fast that more and more complex equipment is hitting the street. Some of it too soon for thorough testing. Unless you have tried tuning a bow (something that's not necessary with a CB) without knowing what you're doing, you don't know the meaning of frustration. LSS, if you're not handy, plan to have your bow serviced by someone who is....or get an EXCALIBUR. Even then you have to tighten the screws, change the string and remember to put the safety ON.

Arthur P

I don't know why they make archery gear that won't let you do simple field repairs and maintenance anyway. They started that garbage about 20 years ago and I've never figured out why archers let them get away with it. We used to be smarter than that. "Oh, well yeah. You do need a fully rigged professional grade archery shop just to change the string, and if the string breaks while I'm hunting I'm totally screwed. But it shoots so fast!"

Competition is one thing. I shot compounds because that's what my sponsors made. But competition is not hunting. If I can't keep it up and running with a spare string, Leatherman and a small set of allen wrenches, I'm not freakin' huntin' with it. That's a big reason you would always see me in the woods with a recurve or longbow in my hands instead of a compound. That attitude, as old fashioned or paranoid as it may be, I've brought along into the crossbow chapter of my archery life.

Mike Van Veghten

Arthur -

"I don't know why they make archery gear that won't let you do simple field repairs and maintenance anyway."


Because not everyone is interested in the same thing!

Mike

Arthur P

You got that right, Mike. Dealers are interested in having customers bring their stuff back every time they need simple maintenance so they can make some easy money and the manufacturers are interested in helping their dealers toward that goal and keeping them happy... or so it would seem to the untutored.

Speaking of which... You guys who are completely reliant on the pro shop to keep your gear working? It's time to get that stuff to the shop and fixed up. RIGHT NOW. If you wait another month, you might not have it back by opening day.

Wyvern Crossbow

Wyvern Crossbow, y'all i am not picking on the compound CB's."

Never said you were, (though there are some that do) and you did bring up some good points, but I do run into many situations where new people are recomended one specific bow that, though a great product with ease of service and such, is very impractical for this particular new persons hunting situation for whatever reasons and they are now so gun shy about buying anything else that seting them up with a bow that would better suit them becomes an issue. We all have our favorite bows, and all have both good and bad features. The problem becomes when you place the fear that "What happens out on a hunt maybe in another state ? all ofthis stuff happens, will it ruin your hunt". into the new archer. Yes, Stuff happens, but as I stated, proper maintainace goes along way to preventing these issues and though the points you brought up should be considered, they are not the only points... Rabid endorsement of ANY brand does a tremendous disservice to a new archer looking for advice. Listing the pros and cons on these forums is a great help, but I have seen the "Buy brand "X", that is the only one to own...period" comments and that does nobody anygood. State why that brand is your choice and list all the great features, but no one crossbow fits everyone...

Wyvern

Arthur P

The point I want to make is that it's just as easy to design a high performance compound bow with field service capability as it is to make one that requires a bow press. Practically speaking, all it would take is using limb bolts about one inch longer. I'd happily pay increase in total bow price to cover the cost for the longer bolts. When you're talking $500 to $2000, what's another 40 cents? Just 40 cents spent to keep me from having to buy a $400 press or pay an extra 20 bucks in labor every time I need to have a new string put on.

Guys that don't want to do their own maintenance and repairs, that's fine. I want the option of doing it myself and that's what I look at when considering a new purchase.

Moonkryket

You make your bed and sleep in it. It's all about the $$$. I would guess that TP, Bowtech and all the others would like for a shooter of their products to never put a wrench, screwdriver or any other tool on their bows but that's not going to happen in the real world. If a person has no experience working on vertical or compound bows he should buy the most simple bow he can find. One would think the dealer would do a little digging to determine what the customer is capable of. Those of us that take matters into our own hands, have no problems changing strings and cables on compound crossbows but we must realize that we are taking responsibility for our actions at that time. I can change strings and cables on any crossbow in my shop without using a large expensive table or floor mounted press andmy limb press issmall enough so thatI can take it on my hunts :-)