Crossbow for beginner

[Vince1]

need something light that wont punch my wallet.

 

for the wife who may or may not stick with it but will prolly be passed down to my son in a few years

 

was looking at the Barnett recruit but not real sure

[Culvercreek hunt club]

personally I wouldn't purchase anything until I saw how the DEC implements it. It is likely that the regulations on what crossbow is legal to hunt with will be the same as before but I wouldn't want to drop a bunch of money on one and find out it doesn't meet their requirements.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Take a look at Wicked Ridge. Made by Ten Point, some of the best rated bows out there. Check Archerytalk and other forums for good deals on used ones.

[phade]

I would go with Excalibur even though the cost is higher. They are going to be more likely to last longer than the modern cam crossbows. You can get a base model for $400-500 or slightly less used.

 

I really wouldn't even want to think about getting a cheaper one because of the fact changing strings and working on them is likely something a shop will have to do rather than an Excal which is pretty easy to maintain.

[BizCT]

I would go with Excalibur even though the cost is higher. They are going to be more likely to last longer than the modern cam crossbows. You can get a base model for $400-500 or slightly less used.

I really wouldn't even want to think about getting a cheaper one because of the fact changing strings and working on them is likely something a shop will have to do rather than an Excal which is pretty easy to maintain.

+1. I have the vortex since 2011. It is 200lb which is NY max. My Dad has the 175lb Ibex. Excaliburs customer service is great and you can change strings yourself etc

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

+1. I have the vortex since 2011. It is 200lb which is NY max.

It was the NY max. We don't know yet

[phade]

One thing I was shocked at was how fast strings can wear out on xbows, especially the cammed ones. Some people swap out strings at 1k shots and re-serve at 500.

 

That's insane.

[Vince1]

Thought recurves were louder?

Looked at some excals and she thinkd they are to heavy. Got her a stand anx sticks that weigh under 20 ponds and she complainin. Toss on another ten and ima turn hef off. Mind u i will be luggin it in prolly.

Tryin to keep light and save cash. Her gun permit, shotgun and gear are settin me back a bit.

[phade]

You'll pay for it in the long run going cheap cam xbow.

 

Burn through strings and you'll need a shop to swap it out most likely.

 

I still think a base model excal is the smarter move short and long term.

[SteveB]

Anyone comment 1st hand on the noise difference between cam and recurve models?

[sits in trees]

Thought recurves were louder?

Looked at some excals and she thinkd they are to heavy. Got her a stand anx sticks that weigh under 20 ponds and she complainin. Toss on another ten and ima turn hef off. Mind u i will be luggin it in prolly.

Tryin to keep light and save cash. Her gun permit, shotgun and gear are settin me back a bit.

The Excals are about as loud as any other xbow. They are actually lighter than compound xbows. They make a couple of 175lb models, the Vixen being one model that is easy to draw and good for smaller framed people, women and younger hunters.

[sits in trees]

Anyone comment 1st hand on the noise difference between cam and recurve models?

Yea the recurves are a few decibels louder but all crossbows are loud and If you keep your shots within 25-30yds your good. Anything past that and you will be dealing with serious string jump issues.

[SteveB]

30 would be a long shot most places. Are they heavier arrows available?

That could help with the noise.

Trajectory wouldn't be an issue - still way flatter then my 185 fps recurve.

[sits in trees]

Generally most manufactures are very specific about length and weight of arrows used out of their crossbows. And of course they recommend using only their brand arrow with their bows.

You can play with arrow weight by purchasing your own shafts and making your own arrows or using another manufactures arrows in your crossbow, but only go heavier.

You see the thing about crossbows is they are so so damn loud that even adding 100grains of weight to your arrow wont buy you much in noise reduction and will only slow your arrow down. So the trade off of adding weight is really a waste.

Crossbows store so much energy in their short limbs and short draw that its almost impossible to quiet them down. Even things like Limbsavers and dampeners for crossbow are more for reducing vibration on release and do not do much for noise reduction.

It took me a lot of time to get over the noise thing myself and I really hated it when first shooting a crossbow but now I hardly even notice it and at 25yds a deer has little to no chance of jumping the string.

 

Edited April 2, 2014 by sits in trees

[BizCT]

It was the NY max. We don't know yet

It won't decrease

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[BizCT]

One thing I was shocked at was how fast strings can wear out on xbows, especially the cammed ones. Some people swap out strings at 1k shots and re-serve at 500.

That's insane.

That's a lot of shots. I change my string every 2 years just to play it safe. That's probably only 100 shots or so. A string is like $30 and free to change, so I don't mess around with one with frays

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[sits in trees]

I don't want to keep preaching on the Excals but you get very good string life out of them and its a snap to change a string on them..

[phade]

That's a lot of shots. I change my string every 2 years just to play it safe. That's probably only 100 shots or so. A string is like $30 and free to change, so I don't mess around with one with fraysSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thats my point. You burn through strings on xbows. I cant even fathom the number of shots on my bow strings and cables.

[LIAF]

I started looking at x-bows back in late 2007 and decided if I was going with a recurve x-bow it would be an Excalibur and if going with a compound x-bow it was going to be a ten point. I decided to keep it simple and went with the Excalibur. Here is the difference between the two recurve is lighter but wider is a bit louder but simple to work on.Compound xbow is heavier(front)but narrower(limbs)not as loud but still makes noise more difficult to work on as it need a bow press for even string changes.I have a phoenix which is the 175lb model and the vortex which is the 200lb model. The strings have to be reserved after app 300-350 shots on the phoenix and around 150-175 shots for my vortex.If you are not going to shoot a lot than the 200lb is the way to go and if you plan on shooting a lot than the 175lb model is the way to go. If you want a compound xbow than ten point or even wicked ridge is the way to go. Remember when you change the string on a compound you need a bow press so in most cases you need to go back to the shop for a simple string change. xcal has a new line of bows called matrix that are lighter and narrower than previous xcal models. As you can tell I love my xcal for its simplicity.

[BizCT]

Thats my point. You burn through strings on xbows. I cant even fathom the number of shots on my bow strings and cables.

$30 a pop for a string isn't bad though. Never need to visit a bowshop.

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[tughillmcd]

personally I wouldn't purchase anything until I saw how the DEC implements it. It is likely that the regulations on what crossbow is legal to hunt with will be the same as before but I wouldn't want to drop a bunch of money on one and find out it doesn't meet their requirements.

This is the language included in the budget. The DEC can set regulations up to these limits. I seriously doubt they would decrease from these parameters, but there is no guarantee. This is the same language as before. I attached the entire section of the budget that covers crossbows. Items struck through are removed from law and items underlined are additions.

 

with a crossbow unless such crossbow shall consist of a bow and

string, either compound or recurve, that launches a minimum fourteen

inch bolt, not including point, mounted upon a stock with a trigger that

holds the string and limbs under tension until released. The trigger

unit of such crossbow must have a working safety. The minimum limb width

of such crossbow shall be seventeen inches, have a minimum peak draw

weight of one hundred pounds and a maximum peak draw weight of two

hundred pounds. The minimum overall length of such crossbow from butts-

tock to front of limbs shall be twenty-four inches.

PART EE.pdf

[nyslowhand]

Figure out how you will be hunting. From the ground or in a blind, most any Xbow will do, recurve, compound or reverse draw. From a treestand, might possibly want a narrower axle-axle (A-A) cocked width compound. Next factor is your budget. And..Please do not get caught up in the hype & videos showing the PSE TEC. That's a non-typical 400fps, ~$1500 Xbow. Also, a couple of good crossbow only forums on the web. A Xbow is NOT the ultimate or miracle weapon some might promote it to be!

 

I compare hunting with a Xbow to that with a muzzleloader. Ideal situation, you'll get one shot and better make it good. Shooting noise, reloading time and movement required make subsequent shots..........quite unlikely.

 

Do NOT get caught up in the mfger's listed fps arrow speeds. Sale's hype is for the smaller/narrow diameter carbon arrows that naturally shoot faster. They also inherently have lower "knock down" Ke. Ballpark, you'll lose ~10% of advertised fps by going to heavier Alum arrows, naturally with higher Ke. Can only speak to compound type Xbows, but some of the 180#/350fps models will benifit from heavier arrows. They absorb more of the Xbow's expended energy when shot (and noise) than a lighter carbon arrow will. Not a mystery, much like arrow selection for traditional (vertical) compound bows. Just working with a 20" arrow. FYI - vane length and type (helical, strght, offset) are more important in the shorter arrows.

 

Xbows are loud, peroid!! Most I've seen listed with Dbs fall in the 90 Db range. Somewhere between lawnmowers or fireworks and normal conversational noises. Meaning, the myth is you can shoot a Xbow further than a traditional. Assuming due to ~180# draw weight of a Xbow, yeah, arrow might fly further. In the real world, when you shoot, hear the POP and watch the arrow arc thru the air at the 50yd target - You soon realize you're back in the traditional compound bow's effective range.

 

A lot of, if not all compound Xbows have strings AND cable systems. The string &/or cable life is relative to how much you shoot. As a very modest example, if you shoot a vertical compound bow 150/200X a year to retain form and consistency...That's more like 5+ years worth of shooting a Xbow. So, do the math with changing strings after 500 shots on a crossbow...!?! Those that brag about the string life, few years ago shot a new Barnett Predator 3X before the string broke with less than 12 arrows.

 

Look at the scopes, REALLY look at them and the reticles. Seen some that were...less than desireable! FYI - in the sub-$500 price range for Xbows, the scope's quality and limb construction are the 1st places mfgers cut back to meet the lower $$. Not unlike a scope on a long gun, a crappy scope on a decent Xbow can make or break its' effectiveness &/or your satisifaction. Seen those ~$350 rifle & scope packages? If it looks too good to be true, probably is..!

 

Do your due dilligence & research to be an informed consumer. Not just about Xbow mfgres/models/$$, but every aspect of using or hunting with them. Somewhere between the $350 entry level Xbows and the ~$1.5/2K carbon stock, high energy models lies one that's right for you.

 

Unfortunate thing about shopping for a Xbow is you probably will never get to shoot it before buying it. You rely on customer reviews, which like any other product reviews need to be taken with a "grain of salt".

 

Final suggestion, after handling a Xbow you'll soon find out a decent sling becomes a necessity & not an option.

 

BTW - If what the new legislation defines as minimum width is what the DEC defined previously, it's A-A cocked. Not overall width when limbs are in the freestate or uncocked state. Betting some of those really high energy compound or reverse draw Xbows are less than this min A-A...?

[nyslowhand]

My bad, 4AM is too early to be posting!!

Min width IS measured in uncocked/free state (A-A).

[Vince1]

thanks for all the info, gonna wait till regs hit, then make the buy. was lookin with the wife and she wants a pink Excal Vixen, guess that good cause there is no way in hell im huntin with a pink xbow.

 

told her she can forget about a shotgun and a license so we will see how this plays out.

 

 

[Vince1]

Went ahead and pulled the trigger (hehe) on the axiom.

I already drive a minivan when i hunt. No way in hell was i adding a pink crossbow to that picture