An x-bow observation

[Fantail]

I was at AJ's this weekend, needed to pick up more arrows, got a deal on a doz Radial X Weaves. Anyway they had a fancy X-bow there, it had a crank, sight, bi-pod, looked like quite the contraption. Another guy had one and they were demonstrationg them. 40 yards & an 80 yard 3-d target.

1st off, nobody could hit the 80 yard target. Maybe someone finally did but after a 1/2 hour I was bored. Now these things were scoped, I figgured they would smoke the 40 yard target. No sir, well they hit it but as far as groups go I could do just as good or better with my Bow. And I demonstrated that.

Also got to observe them loading these things; the crank loader - my Jeep makes less noise. One guy said you can get a quiet crank, sure buddy - and it comes with a loud crank beacuse? The other one had a pull-rope of some sort for loading. That didn't seem so bad but the release noise was terrible. Two guys mentioned long trigger travel. Well the guys that spent what 5-600 or more each on them probably don't like me but I don't care. I was not impressed with either one. It was like they were trying to tote the latest and greatest thing but I witnessed two of the loudest and bulky devices some think they can hunt with. I personally don't see what the big deal is and what people are so excited about.

[Larry]

I have never shot one I have seen them shot at a 3D shoot. I think they are loud, clumsy and hard to reload and didn’t shoot any better than a bow. They may be of use to someone who can’t draw a bow but maybe not. I am not going to spend the money on one.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Ah ha! So they arent some magical techno weapon that makes anyone with it able to shoot every deer in the woods at 100 yards? 

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

[SteveB]

They didn't show you how you could send it out to the woods by itself and it would bring back a deer skinned, quartered and ready to process? ;D

[Doc]

Yeah, I guess over half of the participants in the Ohio bow season probably are using them because they like all the extra handicaps of lugging a heavy, awkward, clumsy, noisy, piece of junk that can't even group at 40 yards. And all these people asking to use them in NY must be just plain idiots that don't even understand just how ineffective they are. That's too bad. It sounds like they are in for a surprise when they find out that they can't hit the broad side of a barn at 40 yards. I'm surprised that these x-bow companies can possibly stay in business, putting out useless trash like that. Are you guys sure they are even adequate for taking deer? 

Sorry guys ..... I had made up my mind not to comment on these x-bow threads, but it does seem as though after all these years of redundant repetition, somebody has finally come up with something new ....... an attack on the crossbow itself. That's a new and interesting twist to the discussion that I thought I would like to comment on. 

[sits in trees]

Yeah, I guess over half of the participants in the Ohio bow season probably are using them because they like all the extra handicaps of lugging a heavy, awkward, clumsy, noisy, piece of junk that can't even group at 40 yards. And all these people asking to use them in NY must be just plain idiots that don't even understand just how ineffective they are. That's too bad. It sounds like they are in for a surprise when they find out that they can't hit the broad side of a barn at 40 yards. I'm surprised that these x-bow companies can possibly stay in business, putting out useless trash like that. Are you guys sure they are even adequate for taking deer? 

Sorry guys ..... I had made up my mind not to comment on these x-bow threads, but it does seem as though after all these years of redundant repetition, somebody has finally come up with something new ....... an attack on the crossbow itself. That's a new and interesting twist to the discussion that I thought I would like to comment on. 

as usual alot of words and zero content. yer battin a 1000 Doctor.

[sits in trees]

I was at AJ's this weekend, needed to pick up more arrows, got a deal on a doz Radial X Weaves. Anyway they had a fancy X-bow there, it had a crank, sight, bi-pod, looked like quite the contraption. Another guy had one and they were demonstrationg them. 40 yards & an 80 yard 3-d target.

1st off, nobody could hit the 80 yard target. Maybe someone finally did but after a 1/2 hour I was bored. Now these things were scoped, I figgured they would smoke the 40 yard target. No sir, well they hit it but as far as groups go I could do just as good or better with my Bow. And I demonstrated that.

Also got to observe them loading these things; the crank loader - my Jeep makes less noise. One guy said you can get a quiet crank, sure buddy - and it comes with a loud crank beacuse? The other one had a pull-rope of some sort for loading. That didn't seem so bad but the release noise was terrible. Two guys mentioned long trigger travel. Well the guys that spent what 5-600 or more each on them probably don't like me but I don't care. I was not impressed with either one. It was like they were trying to tote the latest and greatest thing but I witnessed two of the loudest and bulky devices some think they can hunt with. I personally don't see what the big deal is and what people are so excited about.

this sure sounds like a good reason to OUTLAW them darn things!!!!!!

[fasteddie]

Yeah , they are so heavy , loud , cumbersome , etc that folks are going to jump on the bandwagon to hunt with them . If folks are going to say how crappy the crossbow is , why would they want to push their use ???  : .. : .. :

[erussell]

My uncle bought one and couldnt get it to shoot worth a darn. He let me shoot it to see if it was just him and it didn't group any better for me either. He ended up calling it his cuss bow and selling it to some sucker.   One thing I didn't like was the reseting of the string by hand, it was like doing dead lifts and not a speedy process, a crank would def make it easier but still not speedy. But in all fairness it was a rather cheap cross bow, I dont think he paid more than 300 for it and neither of us were familiar with crossbows. And I know a few women in Lousiana who use them and kill deer all the time.

[avg. joe]

Despite what some people say, you don't just pick them up, slap a bolt in them and shoot tight groups at any range you desire. Some crossbows are picky and you have to match the arrow to the crossbow. 40 yards may be fine for practice, but that is a bit more than I would attempt on a deer, usually 30 yards or less for me.

[Gthphtm]

I have never seen or heard one shoot,but if the release noise is that loud I would think there would be a lot of deer jumping the string.

[Doc]

as usual alot of words and zero content. yer battin a 1000 Doctor.

Hi sits ...... Good to hear from you again.  :

[WNYBuckHunter]

I have never seen or heard one shoot,but if the release noise is that loud I would think there would be a lot of deer jumping the string.

Right, which is why you need to keep your shots short. The reports of being able to hunt effectively at or close to 100 yards is nonsense used by the anti-crossbow crowd to try and liken them to guns.

[Fantail]

For certain clowns who can't seem to phantom what an observation about the x-bow is; The truth is I could care less if they become legal or not. My point is I'm quite sure I wouldn't waist money on such a device.

[jr.deerslayer]

My father owns an older Barnett, i belive a rhino, for many years it sat in the basement because he said the accurracy was horrible. I decided to get it out last year just to see how it shot. I had it perfectely sighted in, let my dad shoot and the bolt struck two feet to the left of the target. Now i was puzzeled, we sighted it in for him and i couldnt shoot it. Recently I purchased a cocking aid, (basically a rope with hooks) , and can and do take vanes off at 40 yards. evidently while cocking, my father and i pulled it back differently with the string being pulled slighty right or left of center. with the rope aid, its exact and we are both tack drivers with it. And yes its both bulky and loud.

[epanzella]

I hunt with a crossbow because I have arthritis in my shoulders and can't draw a conventional bow. They are fairly accurate when cocked properly and will achieve passthru's with just about any broadside shot that a compound bow can do. Are they the greatest? Not by a long shot. My Barnett is advertised at 300fps but only does 255-260 with the reccommended bolts and 100 gr Muzzies. While the trigger belongs on a cheap logsplitter, it groups (for me) about 3 inches offhand @ 20 yds and I limit my shots to 30. Both my sons have Mathews compounds and they are easier to carry while being more accurate @ 300fps. The xbow offers no advantage over a conventional bow but is a Godsend for people like myself who would be unable to bowhunt at all if they were outlawed. BTW, I bow hunt in Ct which requires a special Xbow permit in addition to a standard archery tag.  To be granted that special permit, I had to appear before a review board with a letter from a doctor stating my inability to draw a bow.