Choosing a Crossbow

[dave6x6]

My brother asked me to help him in researching some crossbows that he's wanting to buy. Not knowing alot about them, I set out to find out what i can. Looking to spend about $600-$800. Three bows caught his eye : 10 Point Titan Extreme ; Barnett Buck Commander or Predator ; Darton Serpent ltd . Any one have any insight on these Crossbow makers and if anyone knows anything about these particular bows, that would be great. Open to any other bows i might want to look at also.. Thanks

[fasteddie]

What ever one he gets , I would suggest one with a Hand Crank to make it easier to pull the string back . Other than the PSE Tac bows , I don't know which have the cranks .

Some of the Parker Crossbows have a "easy pull system"

http://www.parkerbows.com/crossbows.html

[WNYBuckHunter]

I have heard nothing but top notch reviews for the Ten Point bows. Ive also heard good things about the other two as well. Saw a guy shoot a Darton at the pro shop I go to, it was very nice.

If i were to buy a compound, it would be a Ten Point. If not, it would be an Excalibur.

[growalot]

I suggest he go to the DEC web site and make sure what ever he is looking at will meet their specific requirements in width...length...and poundage in pull

[BizCT]

Excalibur Recurve! Won't be disappointed.

[dave6x6]

Excalibur Recurve! Won't be disappointed.

I looked into them and my first impression ( given i'm a crossbow idiot) was that the recurves have a wider wingspan, so to speak. How much should the demensions of the bow come into play? Similarly to compounds, it seems as though the compact design would be much more functional if you are a still hunter or if your in a treestand..?? Maybe the size of the bow is pretty far down the priority list though. What features should be at the top of the list??

[BizCT]

I hunt from the ground....I got the Excalibur Vortex because its 200lb (which is NYS max). I have the lumizone scope which is awesome. I used it in PA & NY last year. I like the fact that if I bust a string, I can just put a new one on myself and not be looking for a bow shop to help me out.

I took this porcupine with it in PA last year.

[phade]

Ten Point is the best brand of the three by far...Barnett has lovers and haters...Darton seems to be in the middle.

Will he be using it that much to invest $800 into the xbow? Much like new bows, the low and mid range xbows are phenomenal. Wicked Ridge is made by Ten Point and you can find some deals on them right now.

IMO width comes into play more than most think. Narrow, compact xbows are more manuverable in treestands. I've been tinkering with one all summer now that is my FILs and I was a little taken aback at how you have to be careful to have room in the stand. Say for example, shooting in between a double tree or swinging a xbow around for the shot. The ground is no different, I found it annoying to carry the darn thing through trails as it snagged everything.

I supposed you get used to it. Excal is a good xbow brand as well and the point brought up about strings is valid...they're also much more durable in my opinion.

[TheFieldArcher]

When looking at the crossbows you mention, look at the physical weight, cocking weight and speeds.

After looking at the crossbows you mention, compare them to this:

http://www.wyverncre...products_id=390

The Stryker SZ350, is very light for a crossbow at 6.9 LBs, and 350 FPS with 135 pound limbs is awesome! Very quiet for a crossbow and very narrow. If you want more speed, go with the SZ380.

I love my 350, I have had Parkers(very loud, I call them Thunder Bombs) and Barnetts(Thunder Bomb II).

Edited August 10, 2012 by TheFieldArcher

[Paula]

that coyote looks pretty nasty

[BizCT]

Hope you didn't shoot those furbearers in NY with a crossbow. That would be illegal.

[WNYBuckHunter]

He hunts in NJ IIRC

[TheFieldArcher]

that coyote looks pretty nasty

That was a red fox, he had the mange bad.

WNYBuckHunter is correct, all of the game in the photos were taken in NJ.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Whats the limb tip to limb tip measurement on your SZs FieldArcher?

[TheFieldArcher]

Whats the limb tip to limb tip measurement on your SZs FieldArcher?

20 1/4" not cocked.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Nice. Well within the NY limits. I am going to have to look around for dealers, Id like to put my hands on one and shoot it a bit just to see how I like it.

[nyslowhand]

There's another crossbow review topic on this forum. The reference is to this Outdoor Life review.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2012/07/compound-bow-new-bows-bow-test-hunting-bows-2012

The biggest misconception with crossbows is you gain 20 or 30 yrds of range.

They are LOUD as others have mentioned.

The sighting optics run from crude to variable scopes from Leupold, Nikon, etc

Cocking with a rope is not as bad as some think. A lot of mechanical advantage incorporated.

Carrying one around can be pretty awkward.

Xbows do have a lot of positive benifits!

Hopefully they evolve some in the next few years, so when I can't draw my compound any more I'd probably try another Xbow.

[BizCT]

I cock my 200lb Xbow with the rope, they say it makes it 1/2 the weight, so 100lb. I cock it before I walk into the woods in the dark. Once I get to my spot, I sit down, and load an arrow (bolt).

I feel very comfortable shooting at a deer up to 40 yards. Don't think I would take a shot at one past that. I am sighted in dead-on at 25 yards. Anything under 25 yards I aim a little lower. At 40 yards I am only 4-5" low.

I know the NYS crossbow rules say you shouldn't walk with a bolt loaded, but that is meraly a suggestion. I still hunt for deer with my crossbow just like I do with my shotgun.

Edited August 14, 2012 by Biz-R-OWorld