interested in crossbow
Moderator: Excalibur Marketing Dude
interested in crossbow
I have been bow hunting for about 20 years, with a compound bow. I'm having trouble with my shoulder and can't draw my bow now. I'm going to invest in a crossbow can anyone give me any suggestions on what to buy. I mostly deer hunt, but my use it for moose, bear, and turkey. thanks
-
sumner4991
- Posts: 6989
- Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 12:16 pm
I just got out of that boat. Same thing . . .shoulder issues hinder me from shooting my compound bow. After a ton of debate, I chose the EXOMAX. Been shooting it almost daily for a month now and simply love it. I have never been able to shoot anything more accurate. I started to go with a cheaper crossbow, but, figured this bow would probably be the only one I buy. It should last forever. Biggest factor for me was how lite it felt. Other crossbows may claim to be the same weight, but apparently the weight is front ended(especially on the compound crossbows). The others felt a lot heavier when held in a shooting position. Changing a string is easy . . .everything is easy, except being able to get out of Metro Atlanta and into the woods!!
Taking my first hunt with the EXOMAX 11/01 on some family land in VA. Can't wait . . .seems like a year away. I'm confident I'll be posting pictures when I get back on 11/06.
Taking my first hunt with the EXOMAX 11/01 on some family land in VA. Can't wait . . .seems like a year away. I'm confident I'll be posting pictures when I get back on 11/06.
Welcome to the forum buzz,
We're a bit prejudice her toward the Excaliburs, obviously. Guys here also shoot other brands. As far as an Excal, anyone of them will kill everything up to a moose. The Vixen or Pheonix is a bit shorter and suitable for smaller framed people or those who have trouble cocking a higher poundage bow.
If you can get to a dealer, shoulder a few and try cocking and shooting them to see which one you are most comfortable with. Like I said any of the Excal bows will do the trick. The faster bows will shoot a bit flatter but bury your bolts deeper in the ground on a pass through
.
The rope cocking aids are great for ensuring perfect string allignment when cocking and it's cuts the weight in half when you cock it. I can cock mine by hand, but I prefer the rope aid to make sure it is right on the money.
We're a bit prejudice her toward the Excaliburs, obviously. Guys here also shoot other brands. As far as an Excal, anyone of them will kill everything up to a moose. The Vixen or Pheonix is a bit shorter and suitable for smaller framed people or those who have trouble cocking a higher poundage bow.
If you can get to a dealer, shoulder a few and try cocking and shooting them to see which one you are most comfortable with. Like I said any of the Excal bows will do the trick. The faster bows will shoot a bit flatter but bury your bolts deeper in the ground on a pass through
.The rope cocking aids are great for ensuring perfect string allignment when cocking and it's cuts the weight in half when you cock it. I can cock mine by hand, but I prefer the rope aid to make sure it is right on the money.
I hunt for memories, the meat's a bonus!
Welcome to the forum buzz.
Your choice really comes down to personal preferences. Any of the Excaliburs will do the job, but to get more velocity you have to move up in draw weight. I like the phoenix because of the camo finish and lighter draw weight and shorter power stroke. Makes practicing easier on my old - short framed body, but still has plenty of power.
Your choice really comes down to personal preferences. Any of the Excaliburs will do the job, but to get more velocity you have to move up in draw weight. I like the phoenix because of the camo finish and lighter draw weight and shorter power stroke. Makes practicing easier on my old - short framed body, but still has plenty of power.
wabi
Bob. I can help you keep your Xbow licence if you come up here and sign a waver. I wouldn't do this for just anyone.bstout wrote:According to the doctor I may be able to shoot a vert bow in another year or so. Again the law will take away my permit just the same as they gave it to me. I'll be back to shooting vert bows again if all goes well.
I'm very thankful that my rotator cuff blew out
Jokes aside. Speak nicely to your doctor and he may let you keep your permit.
[img]http://photobucket.com/albums/b38/allan_w_/th_tinybuck3hj1.gif[/img]
Exocet your options and exCalibur8 your sights.
Exocet your options and exCalibur8 your sights.
buzz welcome to the site. As others have said, the crossbow is mostly what you would like.
Remember that although the higher poundage bows give faster speeds, it also means that you need to load more energy into the limbs when you load the bow. As has been stated before, the higher the poundage, the more difficult it is to load. Also some locations limit the poundage of the bows. Most that do have an upper limit of 200lbs which will excclude the Exomax.
For deer, moose, & turkeys I would recomend a crossbow in the 175 - 200lb range. Even the 150lb crossbows with proper arrows will give you enough energy to hunt moose. With deer you will get a pass through unless you hit major bone, and even the larger poundage bows will be stopped with major bone. For turkeys, I recomend some sort of arrow arrester to stop the arrow in the bird to limit the ability of the bird from flying or running. I know from experiance that my 150lb bow will push the bird aproximate 2-3 yards when the arrow strikes at 10 - 15 yards. I imagine that the KE from the Exomax would be much greater.
As for loading the Excalibur bows, there is not much of a problem if you learn the proper technique. My dad is 75 and has just started to use the rope cocker to load his exomag (185lb.) Up until last year, he always loaded it strictly by hand. The best advice I can give you is to find a dealer that handles them and go and try them to see what fits you best. Ballance for shooting, as well as the ease of ability of loading in my mind would be the most important part in choosing between quality bows. All excaliburs are very accurate, so if you choose one of them, just find one that is comfortable for you.
Good luck and do not be afraid of asking questions.
Remember that although the higher poundage bows give faster speeds, it also means that you need to load more energy into the limbs when you load the bow. As has been stated before, the higher the poundage, the more difficult it is to load. Also some locations limit the poundage of the bows. Most that do have an upper limit of 200lbs which will excclude the Exomax.
For deer, moose, & turkeys I would recomend a crossbow in the 175 - 200lb range. Even the 150lb crossbows with proper arrows will give you enough energy to hunt moose. With deer you will get a pass through unless you hit major bone, and even the larger poundage bows will be stopped with major bone. For turkeys, I recomend some sort of arrow arrester to stop the arrow in the bird to limit the ability of the bird from flying or running. I know from experiance that my 150lb bow will push the bird aproximate 2-3 yards when the arrow strikes at 10 - 15 yards. I imagine that the KE from the Exomax would be much greater.
As for loading the Excalibur bows, there is not much of a problem if you learn the proper technique. My dad is 75 and has just started to use the rope cocker to load his exomag (185lb.) Up until last year, he always loaded it strictly by hand. The best advice I can give you is to find a dealer that handles them and go and try them to see what fits you best. Ballance for shooting, as well as the ease of ability of loading in my mind would be the most important part in choosing between quality bows. All excaliburs are very accurate, so if you choose one of them, just find one that is comfortable for you.
Good luck and do not be afraid of asking questions.
Tom
[img]http://hometown.aol.com/wingbonecall/images/turkey.gif[/img]
[img]http://hometown.aol.com/wingbonecall/images/turkey.gif[/img]
-
crazyfarmer
- Posts: 5250
- Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 10:21 pm
- Location: Virginia
- Contact:
to me the exocet 200 is the best of all worlds.. its not to hard on the limbs like the exomax, but its a little faster than the phoenix. Any excal will be a great bow though. Just just remember this, since most seem to assume this. Its still a bow and like you compound its really only made for 0-35yard shots. It will shoot 35-50 dead on, but you risk the animal jumping the string, since its loud. Ive been using my compound for 12 years... Ive had great luck with it and they finally passed the xbow las here in Va so thats why I got one to try. Excal is second to none, espically in customer service!
if you plan on moose or bear, you may want to try to the exocet 200 or the exomax. Uless you state had a fps law and the exomax isnt legal?
also, 200-225pounds seems like alot, but the rope cocking aid makes that 200-225 seem like 70-100 pounds, if that;)
if you plan on moose or bear, you may want to try to the exocet 200 or the exomax. Uless you state had a fps law and the exomax isnt legal?
also, 200-225pounds seems like alot, but the rope cocking aid makes that 200-225 seem like 70-100 pounds, if that;)
