Jump to content

New Crossbow


DanD
 Share

Recommended Posts

Starting to look at entering the field of crossbow hunting. I've done a little research, but I figured I would ask the masses for their opinion. I was looking at something middle of the road and a recurve for easy of maintenance. Crossbow will be primarily used out of a treestand as well. The Excalibur Grizzly has been on my radar. Anyone have any thoughts on this bow or something similar? Not looking to break the bank, and I'm not set on the recurve just seemed like an easy entry point for someone like myself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There seem to be so many more options out there with compound crossbows than recurve.  I personally like recurves because there is few parts to worry about.  The Grizzly is an excellent choice from what I can see, I personally have no experience with them however.  When I first got into crossbow hunting I purchased a very inexpensive Barnett Recruit Recurve and it has served me well for the most part.  Lower speed so shot distance and placement are very crucial.  But I believe that has made me a better hunter.  I am looking to upgrade after this season so if you go with the Grizzly please let me know what you think.  Good luck and sorry I wasn't much help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought one from a guy at work who got it and never took it out of the box and needed money. I didn't give much money for it and just wanted it as a spare and something my brother could use.

It's slow, if that matters to you I don't know. I only got about 275fps out of it with factory bolts.

It's been finicky to tune.

Everything on it needed to be taken apart and reapplied with lock tight, I'm assuming this is from the vibration.

The scope is terrible.

I only gave 300$ for it and the tinkering that needed to be done didn't bother me at all. It's a bottom end crossbow so I think it's to be expected. I shoot a crossbow that cost more than twice the msrp of the Griz and I don't think mine is twice the crossbow, it's about 100fps faster and is about half as loud with a way better scope and trigger but I absolutely don't think you need to spend 1200$ on one to kill a deer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I were in the market today, I would take a good look at the Centerpoint Sniper 370.   I see Amazon has them for $300, and I have not read any bad reviews on them.   They are a compound, but that seems like a great price for a 370 fps crossbow package which includes a decent scope, quiver and 3 bolts.    If NY state gives us "full inclusion" prior to next season, I will be buying one.  Otherwise I am sticking with my $250, 300 fps Barnett recruit for at least one more year.   I was able to kill the only deer I shot at with it, at a range of 59 yards (heart shot), with that but penetration was marginal at only 8".    That extra 70 fps should provide plenty of energy for a pass thru at 60 yards.  I will not be taking any shots with my current crossbow over 50 yards, and I bought a laser range-finder to help be sure of that.         

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had to ship my Barnett Jackal back to them and replace the trigger mechanism. A few weeks ago I brought it out to do some target practice and after cocking it the darn thing wouldn't come off safety. So I took it into the bow shop and it took the shop owner and his son to safely get uncocked. They had bad dealing with Barnett crossbows and don't even sell them any more. They said they are so many problems with them and Barnett has several lawsuits pending against them. They had no good things to say about Barnett. I'm waiting for my crossbow to be fixed and returned by Nov 5, and will probably take the archery shop owners advice and look for a different bow next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is exactly why I splurged on a more expensive Xbow. Made in Ohio and it seemed like if I needed it serviced, shipping it from NY to OH would be relatively easy & painless. Also one of the benefits of buying things from Cabelas, a great return policy. Which BTW I used on the 1st Xbow I bought several years ago for an OH hunt, a Barnett Predator. String broke after only 8-10 shots, launching a bolt to who knows where.

Not to sound like a broken record, but low end $$ Xbows inherently have crappy scopes to keep the MSRP cost down. Which IMHO, can make you an unhappy camper from the beginning. Like Buckmaster7600 eluded to, if a $300 & &1000 Xbow had the same scope on them, it'd be a no-brainer! One of my pet-peeves is the lack of service available after the sale of most Xbows in NYS since we're still in our Xbow infancy stage.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I own 2 Excalibur crossbows phoenix(175lbs) and a vortex(200lbs). They are not the newer matrix series which I believe was introduced 3-4 yrs ago but are from the series that Excalibur produced from around 2001 thru 2012 ish. The basic difference is the matrix line has an automatic safety and the limb width is app 30 inches wide whereas mine is a manual safety and 36 inch limb width. I bought these NIB in 2006- 2007 for 325 phoenix and 350 for the vortex, bare bow shipped to my door. When I bought the phoenix I also bought the "right stuff package" which gave me a vari-zone scope, scope mount ,rings, string changer, arrow holder, 4 arrows, wax and a rope cocker for around 175 off ebay. So for 500 I was ready to go. Over the years I bought custom strings, different arrow holders and expensive Zeiss Z-Point red dots(300-400). I have probably put over 1000 shots through each bow and they needed nothing more than a new string. If you know how to re-serve a string then you only need to re-serve the string as that is the part that wears out. You could basically drive a truck over my xbows and they will still keep on shooting. When I went looking for a xbow I first had to decide if I wanted a recurve or a compound. I realized that if I wanted a recurve excalibur was the only bow for me and if I wanted a compound then I was going for a ten point. Remember this was 9-10 yrs ago but I still feel strongly that if you want a recurve than get an Excalibur as they have been in the recurve business since the early 80's. Nowadays you probably have some additional choices when it comes to reasonable priced/quality compound xbows but if I wanted one I would probably get a wicked ridge as they are from the ten point family. Whatever you do DO NOT get a Barnett they were and still are a POS. My friend has the super fast one (Ghost?) which he got at cost(500.) thru his nephew who worked at Dicks. First year he had it the safety started screwing up and he couldn't shoot the bow and went back to his Mathews compound. These are the differences between the xbows- recurve, simple to work on, lighter in weight(all xbows are front heavy) can unload the arrow w/o shooting bow. Most compound xbow have to go back to dealer for a simple string change, heavier than recurves and you must shoot the arrow after a day of hunting to unload the bow. Now a compound is faster pound for pound, is narrower app 20 inches in limb width and I believe makes less noise when shooting although all xbows ae loud compared to vertical bows. If you go with the xcal get the optional SDS(string suppression device) and their base scope vari-zone or drop zone is fine. if you decide on an Excalibur go to their forums as they have members selling used xbows and you can pick up great deals after hunting season. I wouldn't hesitate in buying a used Excalibur as they are virtually indestructible. I rarely post but when I do I have a very strong opinion on the subject. If you take anything away from this post be it. DO NOT buy a BARNETT!!!!!!!!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, 92onCaliHollow said:

Since you aren't opposed to compound x-bows, take a very good look at the PSE Fang. Excellent product, even better company and u definitely can't go wrong with it when you're on a budget

I have the Barnett Raptor and I'd say it's, OK. Shoots a bit over 300fps and I really haven't had many problems, except the bolt retaining spring breaking a couple times. But my buddy bought the PSE Fang this year, and I like that better! Just seems like it is better made and fits better for more comfortable shooting. Both are VERY accurate!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, grampy said:

I have the Barnett Raptor and I'd say it's, OK. Shoots a bit over 300fps and I really haven't had many problems, except the bolt retaining spring breaking a couple times. But my buddy bought the PSE Fang this year, and I like that better! Just seems like it is better made and fits better for more comfortable shooting. Both are VERY accurate!

My wife bought me a PSE Fang for Christmas last year when I mentioned it in a sale flyer. Then I saw the Barnett GameCrusher in another flyer and mentioned that one so my wife went out and purchased that one. (what a great wife) I didn't want to have a lot of $$ invested in a crossbow for a two week season which for me will equate to two days in the woods. I messed with both of them and decided I likeed the GameCrusher better (even though it was cheaper) and returned the Fang. I thought about returning both of them and buying a better crossbow but I couldn't justify the money. I will be hunting with the game crusher for the first time this season. I kept the Game Crusher because it felt a lot more natural to shoulder and because while the scope isn't great...it is 10x better than the one that came on the Fang. The Fang was faster by 20FPS. The scope that came on the Fang seemed like it belonged on a childs toy. I have read a lot of poor reviews on Barnett Crossbows. I hope this one serves me well a couple of times a year. If NY goes full inclusion I am sure I will want an upgrade...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Excal is a great bow. I have 2 of the Matrix series. Have had them since xbow opened in ny.

You can change a string in 5 minutrs and be back hunting. 

There is a lifetime limb warranty (I never had a break yet)

And Dawn will always help you if you call Excal with a question.

Does the grizzly have a plastic rail tho? Might be worth it to find one with the aluminum rail. More durable.

The matrix 310 is still affordable. Not made anymore, but you can still find them online.

That said, you still can't go wrong if you decide on the grizzly.

Also, I can't stress enough the importance of the ADF. Anti dry-fire system.

If not included with your bow, it is worth the extra $.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Similar Content

    • By suburbanfarmer
      Any one seen the new crossbow by Excalibur called Twinstrike. 
      Thoughts on the design? I for one feel it definitely takes this out of the bow category. Will be launched today.
       

    • By nyslowhand
      Hate to be the pessimist here, but any 2020 Xbow legislation appears to be going the exact same route as previous 5 years. Last year's legislative bills had different verbiage &/or provisions, kudos to NYCC! Bills still died in both the House & Senate's Enviro Conser sub-committees. As of early January 2020 the same bills were refereed to those dreaded, slow death sub-committees ... again. Am I waking up to a new day (year) with new hopes that will eventually end as the previous day (year) did?
      Love to get some input on this thread from NYCC about how I might expect this year to be different than previous 5yrs. Just difficult to be encouraged when  Xbow hunters seem to be in a reoccurring Groundhog's Day (legislative) cycle.
      Clearly we do NOT need to beat this dead horse again with strong opinions from Pro vs Con members. Looking for suggestions about how to break this cycle.
    • By nyslowhand
      Strictly an FYI for those wondering whatz going on this year. Not meant as an open invitation to express your pro/con opinion, yet again! We all know where everyone stands, many times over!
      Got this notice from NYCC when cking my eMail late Wed evening. Most interesting provision, if I'm reading correctly, is to allow the DEC to implement Xbow useage, seasons, a legal implement, etc. The bad news is these bills were refereed to each house's Enviro Cons sub-committee. With only ~13 working days left before summer recess, it'd be some unheard of "swift actions" by our NYS legislators to get these bills thru the approval process & on Czar Andy's desk. I'm still unclear about the reference to a "special archery season", WTH is it!?! Anyways, here's the cut/paste body of the announcement, with membership & leg contact pleas omitted...
      New Crossbow Bills Introduced   Last week Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner and Senator Jen Metzger introduced crossbow bills. These bills are not full inclusion but they offer significant movement toward it.    A7627 (Woerner)/S5818 (Metzger)  What do these bills do? Changes crossbow to the bowhunting privilege from the muzzleloader privilege Replaces the special longbow season with a special archery season and adds crossbow Allows 12 - 15 year olds to hunt with a crossbow (removes the prior prohibition on 12 and 13 year old's) Authorizes those 55 years old or older to use a crossbow in a special archery season Authorizes those physical unable to draw a longbow as determined by a physician to use a crossbow in a special archery season Allows youth to hunt wild small game and wild upland birds with a crossbow Changes the term bolt to arrow Removes the 200 lb maximum draw weight and the minimum 17" width restriction Repeals the prohibition on the use of mechanical devise with a bow and authorization (permit) for disabled hunters to use crossbows which may be discharged only using one's breath Authorizes DEC to adopt regulations authorizing the taking of wildlife using a crossbow and to include a summary of such regulations in the hunting syllabus Reduces the setback to discharge a crossbow to 150 feet consistent with a long bow   
    • By jimmyfromjersey
      I am selling a Ten Point Crossbow Blazer HP package.  Excellent bow, ready to shoot.  Comes with 3X scope, sling, ACUdraw, 4 bolts and 3 broadheads.    I live in NJ but hunt in the Catskills.   I will be traveling to Margaretville Friday morning and can bring the bow up the NYS Thruway thru Kingston and Route 28 West to Arkville if anyone is interested.   
      Priced to sell at 500.00     
      Text for pictures or feel free to call me and speak with me the old fashion way.   732-330-2004    Jimmy  
    • By tonyc26
      Going upstate (from nyc) for Spring Gobbler this weekend
      I've never hunted for spring gobbler, nor in NY, we usually go to PA during deer season
      Just got all my tags and permits, and were going to be heading up to Dutchess County on Friday
      As of now we intended on going to the Taconic-Herford Multiple use area, also considering the Baxtertown Woods WMA and Taconic State park
       
      Are these good spots to hunt? 
      Does anyone know of any Public land out in / around Dutchess County with a healthy gobbler population ( not asking for your hotspot, just a vague location or park to go to that allows crossbow / bow hunting)
       
      Also any advice? I have a mouth call that I've actually (I think) gotten pretty good with (been practicing).. Wondering things like
      how far should we walk in from the road? 
      how long do you sit before moving on to a new spot?
      Do you walk around and call and then post up, or post then call.. I've heard of both not sure which is better!
      It's not too late in the season right?.. I hear New York Gobblers move up until late june
      Also what time is the best to go.. We intended on going at sundown. 
       
       
      Sorry if i sound un-experienced, I am, just got into hunting last year.
       
      Any Advice is Greatly appreciated.. Mostly need a good location to hunt, but any advice will be more then helpful!!
      Thanks in advance
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...