APEX TARGET BOW

Crossbow Hunting

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Jim C
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Post by Jim C »

Highlander wrote:But since it isn't happening yet.....how do you practice Jim? What's real important to stepping it up to the next level?
the last 6 months I have only been shooting a recurve bow since I am trying to learn the BEST system developed by our new olympic coach Kisek Lee. When I was seriously practicing with a crossbow I would do the following

1) shoot at least 200 shots a week-on both the NFAA and the FITA targets. I would practice at three different ranges to get used to different lighting conditions-I would play around with different apertures to see what worked the best.

2) I concentrated alot on breathing control. With the AUSBOW crossbows there are two acceptable ways of triggering the bow (The President of the Australian Xbow company and the head of the WCSA wrote a good book on target crossbow archery and he describes this). There is the classic deliberate squeeze with the surprise break which works best for the heavier trigger on the Point Blanc and for other excaliburs used for 3D and then there is the quick command snap some use on the lighter trigger match bows (and I know some air rifle field shooter shooters as well)-that being when your sight picture is perfect you touch off the trigger.

3) Outdoors I shot alot of 65M or 70M working on aiming off. In the FITA I shot last year, the conditions were miserable-gusting wind on an unproteted field with lots of rain. (I learned how to change out a trigger unit fast too-some of the AUSBOW triggers, when soaked allow the string to slip-not fun) I beat my student because at 50M the wind was brutal and I had to hold on the blue and that was the difference.

4) last winter-I planned on shooting NFAA indoors with my recurve bow but my rehab from september 05 shoulder surgery was not complete so I shot my xbow. I Ispent alot of time at the rifle range with a Kimber target rifle shooting the NFAA 5 spot at 20 yards for aiming practice

5) I don't shoot much 3D any more but when I did that with an xbow I spent far more time judging distance than actually shooting
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Highlander
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Post by Highlander »

Thanks Jim.

Interesting and helpful. I use a Vixen with factory peep sights. How accurate can I get with these before it starts to become a losing battle?. The front blade is kind of big and even at twenty yards begins to covers the targets I use -- small circular pieces of cardboard, 4 inches in diameter. Most times I guess on the exact point and do surprisingly well, but....is there a better way?
Jim C
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Post by Jim C »

Highlander wrote:Thanks Jim.

Interesting and helpful. I use a Vixen with factory peep sights. How accurate can I get with these before it starts to become a losing battle?. The front blade is kind of big and even at twenty yards begins to covers the targets I use -- small circular pieces of cardboard, 4 inches in diameter. Most times I guess on the exact point and do surprisingly well, but....is there a better way?
The rear peep sight is too large a hole and the front sight is too big. THe Point blanc came with peep sight rear that was much smaller. The front sight was a basic Martin recurve sight (the last one was a worm gear that was pretty good-the original ones were a basic slider type sight you would see on a JOAD recurve. Those point blancs had an extended rail past the riser to which the stirrup was attached and on that rail was a bracket where the martin sight was attached, I replaced the cheap martin sight bar with a sureloc and used the mount. Later, when I added dissapator bars I used a mount danny miller had made with screwed into where the front factory sight would go and would take a chek it sight extension

with the vixen-if you have one in which the front sight was bolted to the riser the best thing to do is to get a L shaped piece of metal and drill the base so your two bolts will fit it and the drill the vertical part so that you can put whatever archery sight you want mount on it and bolt it into place

If you have the dovetail job a good machinist could make the L bracket or you can take the basic front sight-remove the aperture and attack a mount of your choice to it. I haven't looked at the front factor peep sight L bracket lately and I don't know if its sturdy enough to do this but I believe its big enough to bolt a sureloc or CJ or Shibuya or check it on to it

the next thing is apertures. Lancaster had an aperture that can be used with a red pin inside the circle or with several different sized circular inserts. (sadly I cannot find it in the current catalog) A level can be attached to this is well (I prefer a level on the sight versus the one excalibur used to sell that fit in the opposite side of the riser peep sight holes).

some like the pin-other like just looking through two holes. The latter is easier mentally while the former is much better if you have to shoot in the wind
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widowman
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Post by widowman »

Although currently, crossbows are only allowed for deer hunting in my state , does anyone use a point blanc or apex for small game hunting? Goundhogs, squirells, fox, coyote, rabbits?
Jim C
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Post by Jim C »

widowman wrote:Although currently, crossbows are only allowed for deer hunting in my state , does anyone use a point blanc or apex for small game hunting? Goundhogs, squirells, fox, coyote, rabbits?
It is legal to actually hunt deer with one in Ohio. It would be a fun bow for small game but I have never been so thick with coons or squirrels that I figured I would wear myself out cocking my vixen or the vixen lite we have
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GaryL
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Post by GaryL »

I have and still do take Groundhogs, squirrels and this year a 8pt Buck, with my souped up Point Blanc .... :D
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widowman
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Post by widowman »

They meet the requirement for deer in MD, at more than 70# draw weight.

Can you shoot a regular 20" bolt. I like being able to shoot the same bolts from all of my xbows.

What type of numbers could I expect from a 20" lazer II with brass inserts and 100-125 grain heads?
Jim C
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Post by Jim C »

widowman wrote:They meet the requirement for deer in MD, at more than 70# draw weight.

Can you shoot a regular 20" bolt. I like being able to shoot the same bolts from all of my xbows.

What type of numbers could I expect from a 20" lazer II with brass inserts and 100-125 grain heads?
about the same as a good modern longbow-185 or so I suspect, maybe less
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widowman
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Post by widowman »

that sounds like it would be perfect for smaller game.

enough to kill the game but not the bolts.

Is there "overhang" with a 20" bolt?

It seems like the rail/stirrup extends about the same length as other excal's.

Is this correct or are the target models much shorter?
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Post by Digger »

widowman wrote:that sounds like it would be perfect for smaller game.

enough to kill the game but not the bolts.

Is there "overhang" with a 20" bolt?

It seems like the rail/stirrup extends about the same length as other excal's.

Is this correct or are the target models much shorter?
The apex and Point Blanc come with lite carved limbs. these can be replaced with regular limbs to become 115 pound xbow and shoots about 250 fps. great for plinking small gameand even heavy & fast enought for deer.
20" bolts can be used but I like 18" bolts with judo heads for bushy tailed varmits.

You can also put lite limbs on a Vixen for the same power & fps.
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Swede
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Post by Swede »

Is anyone of you going to the World Championships (WCSA) in NJ this summer? Some of my fellow shooters here i Sweden are thinking about it. We are hosting 3D world championship (WCSA) here in Sweden this september if anyone wants to come.

I still think the Apex looks too light. The Point Blanc I have needed much work before I could use it seriously. I dont know why any big changes wasnt made. I think the Apex atleast need more weight, palm rest, a better sight and a butt-hook. Otherwise its a good economical start to get into field target shooting.
I shoot 1916 arrows with my PB. Works great.
Is it ok to use fastflight with the Apex?
GaryL
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Post by GaryL »

Is it ok to use fastflight with the Apex?

Swede I would say NO as it looks like carved tip limbs.
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Swede
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Post by Swede »

GaryL....I guess you are right. But that is a thing that made me disapointed. :( When they come with a new update, why not equip it with limbs that can handle fastflight. Maybe next update :wink:
Jim C
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Post by Jim C »

Just got an APEX-the boys from Excalibur met up with Danny on their way to Atlanta and they met at my house located right next to I 75. It is light and it will be a bit harder to put a real front sight on it. It is a better bow for recreational target shooting though. The lack of a forward rail past the riser and the dovetailed front sight attachment (rather than the older bolt mounted job) will be a challenge-probably epoxy a sureloc mount to that front peep pin bracket or have a machinist make something to that effect

beautiful anodization though

BTW the instructions say dacron only.
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Digger
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Post by Digger »

Jim C wrote:Just got an APEX-the boys from Excalibur met up with Danny on their way to Atlanta and they met at my house located right next to I 75. It is light and it will be a bit harder to put a real front sight on it. It is a better bow for recreational target shooting though. The lack of a forward rail past the riser and the dovetailed front sight attachment (rather than the older bolt mounted job) will be a challenge-probably epoxy a sureloc mount to that front peep pin bracket or have a machinist make something to that effect

beautiful anodization though

BTW the instructions say dacron only.
Then it still has the lite carved limbs the PB had I take it.
Digger
2008 Y25 Relayer #593 Boo string, lumizone
2-1984 Relayer,
2-1992 Wolverine
Excal Phoenix, acudraw, VARizone
T.P. Titan TL4, acudraw 50, Varizone
Vixen, Steddy Eddy, Varizone
Martin Rage
Martin Jaguar
PSE Infinity
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