What brand/model crossbow should I get.
 

I need some advise here.

I'm wandering what crossbow all you guys have used from experience(not one you've only used a few times).

I'm looking for something thats very durable, long lasting, reliable(adult size).

Something like a Barnett, TenPoint, PSE, Horton, Excalibur, Parker...????????????

I'm posting this in the crossbow section too by the way.

Your duplicate post in the bow section was deleted (refer to HNI rules about duplicate posts). You also might consider posting what you need the crossbow for (i.e. hunting, just target practice, competition, etc.) in order to get more responses and more specific advice.

CalHunter
Moderator

Oops OK. I'll look that up. And I'm wanting it for Hunting...

I don't hunt with a crossbow but even listing what kind of game you plan to hunt, terrain, style (treestand, spot and stalk, etc.) might influence what recommendations you receive. Generally the more information you can provide, the more people can tailor their advice to your specific situation. Hopefully this is helpful and some members who hunt with crossbows chime in with advice.

Any advise? I hunt the back portion of this field. There's the blind(around where it is) and then behind it over to the left I'll probably put the tree stand. The field has a slop to it. I'll be hunting mainly deer and possibly turkey. Here is a pic.

I got a Barnett Recruit crossbow along with a styrofoam target for just over $200 with a rope cocking device

I just got a TenPoint Titan (600). I had a couple hundred dollars worth of gift cards at the time. I just got the bow alone so it didn't come with a cocking device, not a big deal (25 bucks for one). I got the pro elite bolts because the ones that come with it are garbage (50 bucks). I got the 4 blade Wac Em broadhead (30 bucks). The scope is great and was practically zero when sighting in. Knowing the warranty is lifetime is a plus. All the reviews I read and questions for people who have them, I just had to get one. Now that I have one, I would highly recommend one. If the Titan isn't in price range, I think Wicked Ridge is made by TenPoint but do not carry the lifetime warranty. I was able to harvest a 8pt opening day on my evening hunt last weekend.

I bought a Ten Point Shadow Ultralight last year. I tore my bicep tendon and had anticipated buying a new bow. Instead, I couldn't stand to sit on the couch all season. So, I did my research, looked at ballistic testing of various crossbows, and settled on the TP Shadow Ultra light. The main draw besides the speed of the xbow was the accudraw mechanism for cocking. I couldn't cock the xbow due to my injury. So, I had to go with a cocking device and this one functioned flawlessly/effortlessly. The xbow itself is pretty spot on out of the box. I sighted it in rather quickly to 50yds. Took a deer at 52yds with great penetration. I was really rather surprised. I'm glad to be back to a compound, but IL will let me hunt with the xbow after the gun seasons. If I still have tags left, it will come out. I plan on having my kids hunt with it once they get of age.

One last thing, I found the cheapest price on the internet and took it to my local bow shop. They beat it by $75 and set it up for me too. Support your local shop!


Chris

Best bet is to go to a store with a large selection and try as many as possible (at least shoulder them if you can't shoot them). One or more will feel "right" and you should concentrate on those. There are a bunch of nice bows out there, and only you can tell what fits you best.

For long life performance with minimal maintenence, you should look at recurves like the Excalibur line. Simple and easy to work on. JMO

Finally getting into bow hunting
 

I've had an Excalibur Exocet 175 recurve and a Reflex Grizzly (Hoyt) longbow that I bought years ago hanging around the house as dust-a-rounds and I decided I either had to either sell them off or get into bow hunting.

I'm told that they are older bows but will definitely do the job in regards to deer and moose hunting so I'm going to spend the winter getting to know the weapons and get my proficiency up to the hunting level of competence by next moose hunting season.

What made me decide to keep them was the much longer season allowed in my area for bow hunters.

Yes thats what I did-I went to my local store even though I could have gotten it cheaper at Walmart(if they even had it in stock) and got a Barnett Wildcat c6. I have started sighting it in.

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/cros...crossbows.html

Did you read this? I had a Barnett for about 10 minutes and took it back. Two of us bought them at the same time. His string exploded about the third shot before I even had mine out. Took it back did some research and ended up with a Wicked Ridge instead. Similar price range and a lot better quality. Good luck and hopefully you don't have any issues.

Call Wyvern Creations and talk to Dave. He is very knowledgable on both the Pros and Cons of crossbows. That is where I bought my Parker after talking to him twice, each time for about 20 minutes. Bought from him also for a good price.

the only con regarding excaliburs are they tend to be a lil heavy and awkward; but being recurve, the pro is less mechanically go wrong. they are made for hunters and pack a punch big time.

I love my Excalibur Matrix 355.....Had a Horton... No comparison...

I have a Horton legend 175. They no longer make me but you can still buy them new online. Iv had mine a good ten years an it's been nothing but great. Just as accurate as the day I bought it. With no wind it shoots about a 3 inch group at 50 yards. Iv shot a deer at 65. An can hit a paper plate at 100. I'm sure that there a lot more crossbows that will do that also My bow shop did tell me that Horton an ten points where more durable than the Barnetts. Says he has "fixed" a lot more barnetts. But that is only my opinionand his experience. Good luck.

Bad,Bad,Bad....:s4:

I agree with this advice, go to the store and handle each one. When I purchased my first bow I walked into a local archery store and stated I wanted the "best bow" on the shelf. The owner could have sold me the most expensive one in the shop but didn't, instead he had me handle several models and asked which I liked the best. I selected a PSE back in the late 80's. The owner stated if I liked the bow, the feel and the fit I would be more apt to shoot it better and practice more.

I have stood by this methodology of bow selection for some time and it works, good luck!

You didn't give enough detail are the deer your hunting north of the 36th parallel lol just kidding...

Dude there are a lot of crossbow options out there!!,

I'd say Parker... They make a pretty decent xbow for the money... If money was not a prob then I'd prob say ten point or the new Excalibur matrix line

"the only con regarding excaliburs are they tend to be a lil heavy and awkward"

The Excaliburs I've looked at are at least a pound lighter than a comparable compound. They are a tad wider, however.

Agree on the weight but more than a tad wider on the width. Only Excal that is somewhat narrow is the micro and it's still a good bit wider than the narrow compounds.

Their are things that enter into it that we do not know , like age and size stand hight and size can also make a difference.
I have had all the major brands in the last 25 years and will try and give a few pointers.
10 point -very good quality, accurate, if you want a crank system they have by far the best- cons tend to be the heaviest in physical weight.
Excalibur- simple, reliable, accurate, easy to maintain- cons- wider difficult to maneuver in very tight places- to get top speed with the straight bow system takes heavy poundage.
Parker- The top of the line are excellent quality, the cheaper ones are not as good they are light accurate and reliable.
cons - The are fast enough but not up with the fastest.
Barnet - Some people like them the ones I had were not of high quality.
Horton - They make some good bows like Parker you get what you pay for they have a wide variety and some of them are very good.
Bow Tech very very good but the price is staggering.

I have had a Horton and I currently have a Excalibur Matrix 355.. I love it.. I can't see me going back to a compound...

Micro 335/355 for deer hunting ...

I bought my 10 point hunter xbow in 1996 and sold it last year I had to replace the cables and string 4 times and the cables on the crank cocker twice. I sold it for about 1/2 of what I paid for it. While they are quite expensive if maintained properly they do last.
I had a Excoset Excalibur for 10 years but I am 80 years old and it was getting difficult for me to cock it so I traded it in on a Parker Tornado which I find easier to cock and can get a good crank cock for if I need to in the next few years..
I can comfortably recommend any of these it depends on your needs, the only one I bought that I considered a mistake was a Barnett which my then wife picked out for herself and it was on the low end of what was available so it does not surprise me that we had many problems with it after she died of cancer I gave it away.

Good advice

#1 crossbow on the market Ten Point from there I would look at Parker, X-Force(carbon express) Darton, Horton. For a recurve style Excalibur is the best. I would personally stay away from Barrnett hard company to work with and today considered a box store bow.

Anyone familiar with Daryl Dixon's (The walking dead) crossbow ??

One bit of advice, don't get stuck with a 7 or 8 pound trigger pull. Its best by far to shoot what you are interested in before making a final decision.

I'd stay away from Barnett. Ive bought 3 things from Barnett and 2 didn't work.

check out the centerpoint sniper 370...cheap and works great. Check out the reviews.