Good deal on a crossbow?

[mfolch]

Massdrop has had this crossbow on sale a couple times now, and I'm thinking of ordering one. But I don't know anything about crossbows, except that using one would open up a lot of extra time during hunting season. Mostly I backpack into relatively remote public land in the North East, and spike hunt from there. Does this set up look like a good place to get started on crossbow hunting? And if not, does anyone have alternative suggestions?

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[JWP58]

Get a real bow?

They are heavy, awkward to carry, and well....a crossbow.

 

[Dobermann]

Barnett are not super-quality crossbows, and compound bows have a lot of extra parts that can fail. Excalibur make great recurve crossbows, with as many carry weight, draw weight, FPS/foot lb, and overall size combinations that will cover pretty much whatever you'd want to hunt for.

Don't let anyone tell you to get a 'real' bow. They're bows; just different. Been around for hundreds of years and will continue to: they have their own place and purpose, just as other types of bows and firearms.

 

[adamm88]

Barnetts are supposed to be ok, I would look into something like wicked ridge or tenpoint that has a good warranty if you need it. Excalibur are good too, very simple, little that can go wrong but are wide and are hard to cock. To each is there own, They are very fun to shoot and hunt with.

 

[Dobermann]

The Excalibur models of the last few years are not very wide at all, and they have recently come out with a new model that may be even more compact. Worth looking into for something that's robust, accurate, fairly quiet, and reliable.

Add a Hawke x-bow specific scope, Munch Mount for mounting the quiver, and a Leupold Vendetta II bow-mounted rangefinder, and you have a very slick system.

 

[freshta]

dont mean to hijack this thread, but Dobermann, what are their triggers like? I like a 2-3 lb trigger and I remember years ago shooting a friends and it the trigger was horrible. He didnt shoot excalibur though.

 

[Dobermann]

I haven't measured the trigger pull on mine, but the break is as clean as you'll get on a recurve crossbow ... certainly easier and crisper than my Barnett. But don't expect a crossbow trigger to feel like a rifle trigger: they're dealing with different forces, and so just feel different.

 

[texag10]

If your goal is to open up archery season to places that allow crossbows during archery (a terrible decision IMO) then go for it, they require less skill than a compound bow and you don't have to worry about getting to full draw on an animal.

If you want to be able to gain access to archery seasons in many states, a lot of them do not allow crossbows in archery season.

 

[swampokie]

I had a Barnett. Junk! I now have a Parker thunderhawk and I love it. I would prefer it over a vertical bow anyday! It's lite compact and accurate. Let me say this again the Barnett I had was JUNK

 

[doubledownranch]

I bought a Raven crossbow this year and it's incredible. Look them up, they are very compact and outperform most all of them

 

[2ski]

I don't know anything about crossbows. But I do know that Barnett is owned by Big Bill the poacher of Wildgame Inovations. So I would stay away from them for just that reason.

 

[mfolch]

Thanks, everyone. My state allows crossbows during archery season. My archery skills are 30 years outdated and the closest bow range is 1.5 hours away, so my hunting with compound bow would be unethical. Hence the question on crossbows. Thanks again


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[Rmauch20]

I picked up a Parker Ambush in 2016 and both my son (8) and I took deer last year. I have been happy with the Parker brand so far.

 

[Btaylor]

Thanks, everyone. My state allows crossbows during archery season. My archery skills are 30 years outdated and the closest bow range is 1.5 hours away, so my hunting with compound bow would be unethical. Hence the question on crossbows. Thanks again


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Doubt you meant it this way but that post reads that you want a crossbow because it doesn't require practice but it would be unethical to shoot a conventional bow without practice. Ant help with the crossbow question as I haven't shot any of them but good luck with your decision.

 

[JohnnyB]

In CA you can hunt archery season with a crossbow if you get a letter from your doctor stating you are too disabled to pull a bow. My father inlaw got an Excalibur this season along with a note (he is in his 70's). I am amazed at the accuracy. He was shooting sub 2 inch groups at 50 yards with that thing. I did notice it was loud and it took a long time for him to crank the string back, but it is the trade off for still being able to hunt during archery season.