It's 2017 already and I'm wondering if you noticed ?

[L. E. Carroll]

I have just realized that a whole year has passed since Excalibur found the reason, as well as the "FiX", for all of the limb issues some members were forced to endure on some of the 2015 and possibly (?) earlier models. This was usually confined to bows drawing above 240# and where added stress to the limbs was a result.

It used to be we could come here almost daily and in many cases see posts concerning Micro 335's, Matrix 405's, and occasionally a Matrix 380 with a splintered, cracked, or broken limb.

I have seen very few posts about similar issue's during 2016, and even now as we start into 2017. I would like to thank everyone at Excalibur for comming up with the new riser designs, ( and possibly modifications ) , as well as the newly designed and produced limb strap hardware , and the the new " In House" limbs which have appeared to put reliability and limb issues finally to rest.

In the case of the 405 Matrix, a complete new bow was designed and is being produced by the Excalibur crew to continue to provide us with a replacement "Heavy Hitter".

I FOR ONE would like to Thank and Highly Congratulate them for producing my new bows, or in a couple cases, providing modifications to existing bows I own to insure their reliability and give me the complete confidence I now feel in them.

Gene Carroll

[Doe Master]

Thank you Gene
We do try to make the best we can .
Will stuff fail in life . Yes by all means . But we do our best to minimize failures .

[SEW]

Gene, after 29 years of using xbows, I bought my first Excalibur 4 years ago. M380. Danny Miller wisely told me that as poundage went up, the rate of problems would increase. As of that time, very few problems had been reported. However, Danny's prediction was correct. I've wondered what would have been the course of events if the over heated limb situation had never existed. Would the M405 still be produced? Would the new limb mounting ever have occured? Bulldog series produced, at least yet? Etc?
Maybe my M380 & M405 preceded the overheating problem or had limbs painted at Excalibur (if any are painted at Excalibur) during that time. Whatever, now, with >2,000 shots and hundreds of hours being cocked, both xbows remain trouble free.
Was this a blessing in disguise? Do the new offerings offer the legendary reliability even though they have significantly higher performance than vintage Excalibur xbows? Was the limb fiasco, in the long run, a blessing in disguise for Excalibur ? Did we all benefit from this nightmare for Excalibur?

[L. E. Carroll]

Schott,

I may agree, as I too have a 350 SE in shipment coming to my place as I write this.

Gene

[learn2flyfish]

What exactly happened and what bows were affected?

I've held back from buying any of the "newer" used bows on the boards because I remembered there were some issues, but I didn't stay in touch around here enough to get the gist of what was happening.

I've noticed this, that when I"m on this page the bows listed on the left are the Matrix 405, 380, 330, 380 Xtra, Blackout, 355, Equinox, Exomax, etc.

But when I look at the front screen it's the Micro Suppressor, Bulldog, GRZ2, a bunch of Micro Bows and then some Matrix bows (but I think they are different).

So what's safe and what's not? Or is everything ok.

I guess what I'm asking is what was discontinued and why, what was it replaced with and are the issues fixed? Also, what was available for sale now.

More information is better. Thanks for this thread, I was wondering how to ask this.

Paul

[robertyb]

They are all great bows Paul. Never figured out yet why they list the bows the way they do on the pages. The discontinued bows are mostly the older Exo bows with the 36" limbs and the Matrix 405 which was replaced by the Bulldog. It looks like the limb problems are all pretty much a thing of the past now. You will see a splintered one here and there but this happens with ALL crossbows. Shoot a few and pick the one that shoots and feels the the best for you.

[learn2flyfish]

They are all great bows Paul. Never figured out yet why they list the bows the way they do on the pages. The discontinued bows are mostly the older Exo bows with the 36" limbs and the Matrix 405 which was replaced by the Bulldog. It looks like the limb problems are all pretty much a thing of the past now. You will see a splintered one here and there but this happens with ALL crossbows. Shoot a few and pick the one that shoots and feels the the best for you.

Thanks Robert. So in places they list bows they no longer sell??

I hear good things about the 350LE. But I can't find it in any of the lists/tables on the site.

What was the cause of the problems and what was the fix?

[bloodtrail]

They are all great bows Paul. Never figured out yet why they list the bows the way they do on the pages. The discontinued bows are mostly the older Exo bows with the 36" limbs and the Matrix 405 which was replaced by the Bulldog. It looks like the limb problems are all pretty much a thing of the past now. You will see a splintered one here and there but this happens with ALL crossbows. Shoot a few and pick the one that shoots and feels the the best for you.

Thanks Robert. So in places they list bows they no longer sell??

I hear good things about the 350LE. But I can't find it in any of the lists/tables on the site.

What was the cause of the problems and what was the fix?

Paul,
I talked with Mr. Danny Miller one day and he explained the limb issue like this. Excalibur for a period of time had the camo applied to Matrix limbs by an outside company. This company tried to produce more by basically turning up the heat to shorten the production time. This resulted in the limbs being overcooked. This has been corrected and is an in house procedure now.
I'm trying to recall this from memory so maybe the other members can help if I'm a little off.
Mr. Miller took care of my issue and my bow shoots awesome.

[Pinpoint]

Very well said Gene! It has been nice that it seems the number of broken limbs posts has dropped dramatically!! I don't think I've heard of a single failure with the 350's and I hope it stays that way!!