I bought my son (who is 9) a MISS VIXEN for christmas. The questions I have is about string and bow care. How often do you wax the string , lube the rail , how many shots till you twist the string , and any other important stuff I can't even think of ? Any and all info would be greatly appreciated since I want this crossbow to last a long time.
Thank you
PS. I shot it once to make sure it was sighted in and my son shot the second time and was within a 1/2 inch of splitting my arrow!!!
VERY IMPRESSED with the accuracy or my sons luck!!!
From what I have been reading Excaliburs are very accurate.
new crossbow owner questions?
It's a great bow!
You really cannot over wax a string so I think a good frequency to teach your son is to wax the serving every shooting session using the factory wax. The loops are the second most important place to wax so wax them and the rest of the string three or four times a year. When you wax the string clean up the rail and remove the old wax. Put lots on and give it a bit of a rub and leave it to allow it to be absorbed. The serving can be rubbed more but do not apply too much heat. What will happen is the string bundle will shrink in diameter and the serving will come loose.
The purpose of the wax other than the obvious lubrication between the serving and the rail and the string claws is to prevent water from entering the string material and to prevent the string fibers from cutting into themselves.
The only other thing to tell you is to keep the brace height high, at or just below the highest mar by twisting the string.
The string will last several hundred shots before needing reserving but keep an extra string around just in case (get a Flemish Dacron string)
Good luck, have fun and don't snitch your kids bow! LOL!
You really cannot over wax a string so I think a good frequency to teach your son is to wax the serving every shooting session using the factory wax. The loops are the second most important place to wax so wax them and the rest of the string three or four times a year. When you wax the string clean up the rail and remove the old wax. Put lots on and give it a bit of a rub and leave it to allow it to be absorbed. The serving can be rubbed more but do not apply too much heat. What will happen is the string bundle will shrink in diameter and the serving will come loose.
The purpose of the wax other than the obvious lubrication between the serving and the rail and the string claws is to prevent water from entering the string material and to prevent the string fibers from cutting into themselves.
The only other thing to tell you is to keep the brace height high, at or just below the highest mar by twisting the string.
The string will last several hundred shots before needing reserving but keep an extra string around just in case (get a Flemish Dacron string)
Good luck, have fun and don't snitch your kids bow! LOL!
Last edited by Boo on Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Some people just like stepping on rakes
Welcome to the forum!
You will probably get some different opinions on waxing & lubing, but I can tell you what I do.
I wax a new string (entire string) and rub the wax in well letting the friction of rubbing soften it so it penetrates the string. I seldom wax the entire string again unless it looks "dry".
To lube the rail I simply wax the center serving frequently. I don't let any "wax buildup" accumulate on the rail, but I wipe it down with a sheepskin gun oil applicator pad I keep for that purpose. The sheepskin pad was used for years (and still is) on my muzzleloaders, too. It is saturated with beeswax based lube and leaves a thin protective coating (lube), but not so thick it collects dirt.
As for twisting the string, it needs twisting only when the brace height drops from the string stretching. I usually set my brace height at the etched line furthest from the riser and add a twist or two when it falls a center serving thickness below the line.
Brace height -
Other important stuff:
- don't dry fire it
- dont shoot two arrows at the same target without removing the first one.
- ask questions as you or your son think of them
You will probably get some different opinions on waxing & lubing, but I can tell you what I do.
I wax a new string (entire string) and rub the wax in well letting the friction of rubbing soften it so it penetrates the string. I seldom wax the entire string again unless it looks "dry".
To lube the rail I simply wax the center serving frequently. I don't let any "wax buildup" accumulate on the rail, but I wipe it down with a sheepskin gun oil applicator pad I keep for that purpose. The sheepskin pad was used for years (and still is) on my muzzleloaders, too. It is saturated with beeswax based lube and leaves a thin protective coating (lube), but not so thick it collects dirt.
As for twisting the string, it needs twisting only when the brace height drops from the string stretching. I usually set my brace height at the etched line furthest from the riser and add a twist or two when it falls a center serving thickness below the line.
Brace height -
Other important stuff:
- don't dry fire it
- dont shoot two arrows at the same target without removing the first one.
- ask questions as you or your son think of them
wabi
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codsterboy
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 7:22 pm
Actually the pic was posted by Gary L., but yes - it is at 1 1/8" and on all my Excaliburs I find that to be a very good height. Any bow (I also shoot traditional recurves & longbows) has a "sweet spot" on brace height which is a compromise between speed-noise-vibration. A lower brace height will often give a little more speed, but is also louder & felt "shock" or vibration increases. Get it too high and again noise & vibration are evident and you loose speed.
I experimented extensively with my first Excalibur (a Vixen) and found 1 1/8" to be optimum. Every Excal since (Exocet & Phoenix) I've started at 1 1/8" and it was so good I left it there!
I experimented extensively with my first Excalibur (a Vixen) and found 1 1/8" to be optimum. Every Excal since (Exocet & Phoenix) I've started at 1 1/8" and it was so good I left it there!
wabi
Yes that seems to be the Norm around here!!!codsterboy wrote:It looks like your tape measure is about 1 1/8 . Is that the norm for a compromise in speed and sound?
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Huskemaw and Leupold crossbow optics.
Boo Strings
SWAT BH's and TOTA heads.
Teach Your Family How To Hunt So You Don't Have To Hunt For Your Family
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crazyfarmer
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it seems to be the sweet spot.. but give or take a 1/8th inch wont make a huge difference. I chornoed about 1-2fps difference ..codsterboy wrote:It looks like your tape measure is about 1 1/8 . Is that the norm for a compromise in speed and sound?
just keep it between those 2 lines and you will be fine
I tend to melt in my wax, either by rubbing the string with a piece of soft leather after applying wax liberally or using a heat gun (hair dryer) set on low. I don't use wax on the rail since it makes it sticky but found that Ballistol makes a perfect lube that preserves the string and lubes rail surface.
PS It's a gun care compound that was developed for the military. I get it from Midway USA. Mixed 50/50 with water it makes a great muzzleloader bore cleaner/lube too.
PS It's a gun care compound that was developed for the military. I get it from Midway USA. Mixed 50/50 with water it makes a great muzzleloader bore cleaner/lube too.
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codsterboy
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 7:22 pm
All the help is greatly appreciated. I measured the brace height and it is 1 inch exactly. I hate to change it because it seems to shoot so good where its at. Also don't know if it makes a difference but it has a custom string on it from a guy named: LOU (aka Comfy Bear). I know I have seen a Comfy Bear on this website/forum before but don't know if its the same person?