I have never used a cross bow before but want to get one to start hunting archery season here in Arkansas. Are there any brands that standout? Are there any brands to stay away from? Thanks for any input. Budget is limited, I would like to stay under $500 for the crossbow. Thanks

Easier to say which ones are okay. Excalibur, TenPoint (Wicked Ridge), Bowtech!

Call David at Wyvern Creations 603-659-0575 He'll give you straight answers and best advice you can get

recurve or compound... thats the ultimate question !!!
man, i could go on and on about both of them.
check out excalibur vixenII recurve... maintenance friendly, extremely accurate
and reliable.....excellent warranty

could you? please?

with your background here... you should be the one to explain
i have not been around long enough for anyone to trust my opinion.

i won't tell ya what to stay away from, but will say what i've experianced....

all i can say is.... if itsa starting class compound +bow.
the barnett jackal is amazing with its build and accuracy.

but, as my favorite... the recurve, excalibur makes a few entry level +bows that has easy maintenance, excellent accuracy and one of the best warranties in the business.

check out the vixenII, for your application.... you could not do better in my opinion and you, or yours will have plenty of room to grow.
good luck

na its cool..ya dont wanna get me to lying to everyone. i was thinkin bout gettin the 12 y/o a xbow, she cant quite pull 50 lbs yet. so i was just curious, as i know absolutly nuthin bout em.

Tenpoint!!!

Definitely stay away from Barnett. They have a long history of blowing up and self destructing Also horrible customer Service.

Wicked Ridge bows by Ten Point are fairly inexpensive. Made by TenPoint and backed by Ten Point's terriifc warranty.

Excal is the way to go if you want a recurve, Excleent quality and life time warranty

the barnett's that gave that trouble, was a few years back as far as i know....
my twin grandsons shoot jackals everyday since there birthday april 10...with over 300 shots on each one, no problems have been found. i taught them string and cable maintenance
from previous compound +bows they have handled.
i'm a excal believer and i just hadta have one of them jackals!!
they are very accurate and fast and so far, dependable.
mine has maybe 200 thru it, notta prollum yet

we did hava problem with a 10 point invader. cam timing never stayed still. did a warranty return.... 5 weeks later, still left and unstable off a strapped bench mount.

finally they replaced the complete +bow. not a problem since..
my out-law daughter (in-law) owns this now. and taken a sow hawg and a spike with it last year.

ifin ya really want to buy one , one time.... and not again !!!
check the excalibur vixenII out............

I can tell what to look fer in a good Bow! Comfort & one thats easy to handle. Can you do yer own maintenance ? Can you afford to pay a shop to do the maintenance ? How fer do you need to shoot yer game ? Usually yer huntin area lets you knowed right quick.