Need help choosing a crossbow. "I BOUGHT AN IBEX TODAY

[Cat power]

Hi there, I'm new to forum and crossbows and need some advise from members.

I am looking to purchase a crossbow within the next 2 weeks and am really torn between a recurve and a compound bow.

My biggest concern with the Excal is the width, and noise. I hunt from pop up blinds and ladder stands mostly. My biggest concern with the Parker Tornado is quality, longevity and complexity.

I have visted over 10 bow shops in SE Michigan including Cabelas and Gander Mountain. They are all selling the Tornado far and away over the Excal (Some shops had not even sold an Excal yet). I'm not sure if that means anything, because most of the shops aren't really familar with the products yet.

I really want an Excal, that why I came to this forum. Please help me with some personal experiences with maintenance etc.
thanks Mark

[Doe Master]

First of all . Welcome to the forum
I can say that hunting out of my Doghouse has not been a problem anymore than using my shotgun with a 28 inch barrel . Each has their difficulties in the blind . As for out of a ladder stand definitely no problem .Unless you have one of those @#$%%# bars across infront of you . That is one of the first things I take off of my stands .
The width issue has never bit me but I practice enough that I look before shooting .
As preceived noise I haven`t had any deer be that adversely affected .
I pretty sure one of the sales guys will be doing another show or two in Michigan .

[dick195252]

Welcome to the Forum. I bought my Excalibur over 2 years ago I wen't through the same process as you, I spent days on the computer and in bow shops investigateing and reading reviews. I got on the Forum and started reading the posts and talking to the Great people on here and that made up my mind. It has been a GREAT decision I love my Exomax have never had a problem, If you do Excalibur will be right there to solve it, and the people on this forum will answer all your questions that might arise. The final reason i choose Excalibur was the simplicity of it. What do you do if you go out on a hunting trip and a pulley,or cable breaks on one of the other bows what do you do? Hope this helps in your decision. This Forum sure helped me and glad of my decision [img][img]http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii13 ... 008-13.jpg[/img][/img]

[wabi]

Years ago I switched from a compound model (Horton) to Excalibur. Never really thought about the little bit of extra width when I made the switch, and never noticed it when hunting.
I shoot from a ground blind frequently, and have never had any problems. My #1 stand is a ladder stand, and again, no problems.

A couple years ago my buddy who uses a compound crossbow damaged a string a few days before deer season. The local pro shop did a "rush job" getting it fixed so he could hunt - he missed the first two weeks of season!


Excalibur easily wins when it comes to accuracy & reliability, and that little bit of extra width isn't an issue unless you are just plain careless when it comes to being sure of clearances before you shoot. (like not trimming limbs near your stand that could be a problem)

[hawg hunter]

well here we go again. first off there's only 2 choices. best recurve Excal,simple ,reliable ,extemely accurat, and the best customer service bar none. next is Ten Point best compound out there,Expensive, very accurate,fast,hard to wrk on,heavy on the frontbut a good bow. Horton makes good bows but they are in financial trouble, may behard to get parts.

[Shotnbeer]

I'm far from being an expert. But the "Keep it simple" will save you alot of headaches. I looked around for awhile and if you talk to enough people and look at enough bows I think you'll have to agree the Excalibur line is an excellent product. Never had to use their services but if you look at this forum you'll never find a bad word about them.

[SPITFIRE]

Welcome aboard. Buy the excalibur and you can't go wrong. Check out the different models and get the one that "YOU" like best. Compounds are all right but you need a bow press to change the string. " expensive" no need for the excal. Also string can be changed in the field if need be. Can't do that with a compound. Exclibur is very user friendly, very accurate and the "BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE" you could ask for bar none... Go with the best you will not be disappointed. I have the vortex and love it.

[Gimpaw]

Like you, I went to the pro shops and shot several crossbows. I watched 3 guys who were getting the hard sell on a Ten Point with a crank. The sales man was telling me what a great bow it was. I told him that I wanted to look at the Excaliburs. He asked "why?" and he began telling me about all the good stuff that the Ten Poingt had. I told him that I liked the simplicity of the excaliburs, and that I had heard that you could drop one out of a tree without damaging it. I told him that I liked the fact that I could re-string the Excalibur by myself.
He started cranking the Ten Point up and telling me that these things were tough as nails... and then the crank rope snapped. parts were flying everywhere. After that, the 3 guys wanted to know all about Excalibur.
The Ten point flying apart was probably a fluke, but if this had happened duringthe season, hunting would be over until you could get someone in the shop to fix it.
Decide what you want in a crossbow. Shoot several of them. They all have their pros and cons, but for me the Excalibur was the best of the bunch...
and the folks on this site are great.

[Cat power]

Gimpaw,

Where is Wayland,MI?

[Leonard Hawkins]

No decision to be made, buy EXcal. I bought a new horton 175# 3 years ago, put it together, lifted it to my shoulder and called my nephew next door to come see my new bow. He said nice He would like to have one, sold to him and bought a vixen, then an exocet. Best decision I ever made as far as hunting equiptment goes. His has been in the shop twice. EXcal all the way for me. HAWK :

[awshucks]

The Excals beat the rest hands down. The little bit of extra width is a cheap price to pay for their reliablility[sp].

Also, your warranty dept is a guy named Danny Miller, no secretary, no bs, no return auth number, yada yada, just solves your problem fast and free. There's almost nothing that goes wrong w/ the bows themselves, the most common of uncommon problems is a splintered limb from a dry fire and only then if you are using the speed freak FFF string. I can say that cause I used it for a long time.

Just call him up and talk to him at [740] 483-2312, world's nicest guy. He can also put a custom package together for you, makes a top over the bow quiver mount and a pair of arrow pulling pliers that are the bomb for tough pulls like 3-D or buried to the fletchers.

Pics of all if needed, and welcome to the best forum on the 'Net!!

[Gimpaw]

Gimpaw,

Where is Wayland,MI?

That's like asking where New York city is. We're the hub of society here. Got lectric lights and indoor plumbin'

Wayland is about half way between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo... about 30 miles east of Lake MI (Holland).

Welcome!

[mikej]

welcome to the forum

[bkisel]

Welcome!

This link might also help...

http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/phpBB2 ... hlight=buy

and this one...

http://www.crossbows-bolts.com/recurve-crossbows.php

and this one...

http://ausbow.com.au/comprec.html

Just GOOGLE something like "recurve crossbow vs compound" and you'll get plenty of info both pro and con.

I've a biased opinion; just hope you make a decision that is right for you.

Good luck...

[Woody Williams]

My best advice is to go to a shop that carries lots of different makes and model and shoot every one that the dealer will let you shoot. Then let the crossbow pick you.

Even if you have to drive a good distance it will be worth it to choose the right crossbow for you.

Good luck..