Excalibur limbs

[Hester0305]

I know I'm the first to ask this question But... Why hasn't Excalibur came out with an xbow where the limbs aren't as wide? This seems to be the biggest complaint from people who don't like the wide limb design and go to a compound xbow.

The majority of the xbows other than recurve xbows are trying to go with narrower limb designs.

If I was an engineer I would probably know the answer to this question but since I'm not I need to ask.

Will making the limbs narrower not make it as efficient?

I have read about a lot of compound xbows having some type of issues or another but they all seem to shoot great from what I've seen so far from other people than own them. I know they're a hugh difference between the compound and recurve xbow and the Excal is bullet proof but can it be as bullet proof being not as wide.

Please feel free to educate me.

Thanks,
Eric

[vixenmaster]

I ain't no Eng. nor nutten but the more you shorten a limb length the stouter it becomes. If'en you wer to take 2" off each side. Reckon the poundage would bump up 75-90 lbs. That would make a vixen stouter than the E'max or Equinox. Think how strong they would be tryin to cock wid a rope cocker

[Hester0305]

You could probably also use some different material to make the limbs flex more with shorter limbs. I'm sure with shorter limbs will come more speed and vibration though. Trying to tame the vibration would be the real issue. Take a look at my Vertical bow for example my (Hoyt Vector 32) technology has came a long way in the last 10 years with size and speed with these bows. I've been shooting vertical bows for over 30 years and the've learned to tame the vibration of the shorter bows while gaining speed all at the same time.

Maybe we will find out one day if Excal decides to go this route to stay with todays market.

[Warhammer1]

I ain't no Eng. nor nutten but the more you shorten a limb length the stouter it becomes. If'en you wer to take 2" off each side. Reckon the poundage would bump up 75-90 lbs. That would make a vixen stouter than the E'max or Equinox. Think how strong they would be tryin to cock wid a rope cocker

Heres what a Vixen owner said about that. I do imagine shorter limbs would change the angle of pull, but the same width limbs are easier to pull with the shorter stroke than the longer stroke. Especially if you are not tall to begin with. This was posted on cbn site.

"Thanks to XXXXXXX I may have the worlds fastest Excalibur Vixen......
It is now my favoret of my 3 bows , light , short 35.5 '' , 13.5 power stroke,,, AND FAST...
I havn't took time to weight it yet but feels like little more than 200 pounds , But it is so easy to pull back with rope because of the short power stroke...
I used a 490 gr. 2219 .... 140 grs. heavy than 350 gr. ,,, I estemate this bow to shoot 316 to 320 fps. with a 350 gr. arrow....
All bows shot with same arrow , brace ht. . and Excalibur Dyna Flite Flemish string ......
Vortex - 298 - 298 - 297
Phoenix - 275 - 274 - 274
Vixen - 257 - 258 - 257
Vixen with Middleton limbs - 290 - 290 - 290 --------- so much easier to handle than the longer and heavier Vortex ...........

This fellow was happy with the lighter 200-210 drawweight, but another 15lbs would not make that much difference in pull difficulty. Im a short fellow and the longer stroke heavy pull bows are simply too much for me. 13.5 draw is perfect for my height - just want a little juice than 150lbs provides is all.

[awshucks]

just want a little juice than 150lbs provides is all.

That's why Excal sells Phoenix's...............

[Normous]

Vixen with Middleton limbs - 290 - 290 - 290 ---------

I don't want those limbs with a questionable quality on my Excalibur.

[lookout]

Sorry what are you guys talking abort are there new limbs coming out for Excalibur I have two bows and I could use a little more speed
I have to come here more often or start reading more
L

[Hester0305]

Vixen with Middleton limbs - 290 - 290 - 290 ---------

I don't want those limbs with a questionable quality on my Excalibur.

X2 Ecal all the way not a hybred

[Warhammer1]

98% of all Excal owners feel the same way you do Hester.

For the other 2% who are wanting something more from their bow, the limbs and new performance do help put a big smile on their faces. Not a big deal to most. Someone had an aftermarket trigger on here a while back as well I believe. Some were interested, most were not. Excal makes a good product, and not many are willing to fool with something that works fine as it is.

Vixen with Middleton limbs - 290 - 290 - 290 ---------

I don't want those limbs with a questionable quality on my Excalibur.

X2 Ecal all the way not a hybred

[wabi]

I'm sure it would be possible to make a shorter limb, but I'm also guessing that Excalibur has settled on their limb length as a reasonable compromise for performance.
With longbows and recurves (and an Excalibur crossbow is really just a recurve bow mounted on a stock) there are plenty of variations available. Over the years I've owned traditional bows ranging from 48" AMO length to 68" AMO length (perhaps longer, can't really remember). I finally decided something in the range of 60-62" fit ME best. With a trad bow several factors come into the overall picture, and those short bows (48-52") sure made meaning of the term "finger pinch" plain to understand.
Of course with a crossbow "finger pinch" isn't an issue, but serving separation/wear and limb failure is, and I'd bet it would increase as the limbs get shorter (and/or draw weight increases). Look at the posts on the forum concerning serving problems and limb failure. It's pretty obvious as the draw weight increases those problems increase. If you shortened the limbs I think they would go up even further.
If you made a thinner, lighter, shorter limb set for a Vixen the added stress might be tolerable, but for an Exomax it might mean carrying two or three extra strings and a spare set of limbs on every hunt. (And even using them! )
Also the added cost of tooling, inventory, etc. to produce a different limb for each model would ultimately be passed on the the consumer, and I'm happy with the idea of keeping a quality crossbow affordable.

[Hester0305]

Thanks everyone, Education is a great process.

[awshucks]

Sorry what are you guys talking abort are there new limbs coming out for Excalibur I have two bows and I could use a little more speed
I have to come here more often or start reading more
L

You can bet the theoretical new limbs would not interchange w/ existing models.

[Warhammer1]

I've heard rumor of either a new more powerful bow, or limb set to come from Excal. IF its true, it only makes sense they would not fit any existing Excals.

Market trend is for lighter, more compact and faster bows. Even Poe Lang is getting with program and offer 225lbs limbs on a 13.5" draw getting 330fps. Im not suggesting they are in the same league as Excal, but they are catching on to what American market is looking for and willing to purchase at a reasonable cost.

[Ont_Excal]

I've heard rumor of either a new more powerful bow, or limb set to come from Excal. IF its true, it only makes sense they would not fit any existing Excals.

Market trend is for lighter, more compact and faster bows. Even Poe Lang is getting with program and offer 225lbs limbs on a 13.5" draw getting 330fps. Im not suggesting they are in the same league as Excal, but they are catching on to what American market is looking for and willing to purchase at a reasonable cost.

FWIW:
When Excalibur comes out with a new bow if it's not a radical departure from the current design then limbs will likely fit the older bows just like at the present time. This would be dependent on the design limits of the current riser and rail assembly.

There are a lot of heavy bows out there and hard to beat the recurve design for a lightweight bow. The problem comes from the added weight we install on the basic platform.

[Hester0305]

Great info so far keep it coming