If I'm going to use my crossbow for just hunting and occasional target practice, doesn't it make more sense to sight in a scope at 30 yards and forget about the multiple aiming points on a scope like the Vari-Zone. A 1 power scope with a super wide field of view and just a normal duplex reticle seems to be a better choice. So what if I'm 2 inches high at 10 yards and a few inches low at 40. In a hunting situation there is no way that you are actually going to know the exact yardage a deer is from you anyway unless you have yardage markers all around your stand. Any opinions?
By the way I hunt in Kentucky and I am really excited about the new crossbow season. A season from September to the middle of January is alot of opportunities in the woods. Also, at first I would have never considered a recurve crossbow for my first crossbow purchase but after reading this forum and comparing the recurve to the compound I am definitely leaning towards getting an Excalibur.
Scope Question
Moderator: Excalibur Marketing Dude
Sevcrist....when I hunt I have range markers everywhere! I call them trees, and I range them using a laser rangefinder before I start hunting. I shoot at the range for top accuracy with my bows, that way I minimize my percentage of error. I love the vari-zone but we all have our likes and dislikes, so try anything.
Same as DOXNUT I have range markers every where around my stands, either a mark or a colored marker. However if you are that good at range estimation's then do it your way.DOXNUT wrote:Sevcrist....when I hunt I have range markers everywhere! I call them trees, and I range them using a laser rangefinder before I start hunting. I shoot at the range for top accuracy with my bows, that way I minimize my percentage of error. I love the vari-zone but we all have our likes and dislikes, so try anything.
However a high hit can mean lost game, a low hit can mean lost game, or at the lest a all night/day tracking job. Then of course a complete miss.
WELCOME to the forum, and ya can't go wrong with a EXCALIBUR crossbow...
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ExcalBeliever
Welcome and congratulations on Kentucky's first crossbow season!!
I, too, was initially skeptical about using a Var-Zone scope on my Vixen. I initially had a Burris Mini 4X.
About 2 weeks ago, I installed a Vari-zone and have not looked back. I like having the capability of multiple aiming points. I had shot previously with the fixed 4X Burris, but at 30 yards I was always "guessing" as to the exact aiming point. I am also going to shoot 3-D this summer and I thought this would be another good reason to have the Vari-Zone scope.
Shoot with whatever you're the most comfortable with....if it gives you confidence than you will do well!
I, too, was initially skeptical about using a Var-Zone scope on my Vixen. I initially had a Burris Mini 4X.
About 2 weeks ago, I installed a Vari-zone and have not looked back. I like having the capability of multiple aiming points. I had shot previously with the fixed 4X Burris, but at 30 yards I was always "guessing" as to the exact aiming point. I am also going to shoot 3-D this summer and I thought this would be another good reason to have the Vari-Zone scope.
Shoot with whatever you're the most comfortable with....if it gives you confidence than you will do well!
I guess I'll be the devil's advocate on this one 
I used a drop-zone on my Vixen, then a vari-zone on the Exocet and they are super-accurate at targets at known yardages!!! IF YOU USE THE RIGHT YARDAGE "PIN"!!!!!!!! There's been my problem In three years I've killed something like 8 deer with good hits, but I've also missed a couple because of using the wrong "pin". I decided to try a 2X red-dot sight next fall. I just got and mounted it, and so far it seems to be plenty accurate out to 30 yards which would be about max for a hunting shot. At 10 yards a little "hold-under" (it hits about 3" high sighted in at 25 yards), and from 20 to 30 yards a "dead-on" hold will easily be in the vitals. Even 40 yards isn't too hard on targets with a little "hold-over" applied.
I used a drop-zone on my Vixen, then a vari-zone on the Exocet and they are super-accurate at targets at known yardages!!! IF YOU USE THE RIGHT YARDAGE "PIN"!!!!!!!! There's been my problem
In three years I've killed something like 8 deer with good hits, but I've also missed a couple because of using the wrong "pin". I decided to try a 2X red-dot sight next fall. I just got and mounted it, and so far it seems to be plenty accurate out to 30 yards which would be about max for a hunting shot. At 10 yards a little "hold-under" (it hits about 3" high sighted in at 25 yards), and from 20 to 30 yards a "dead-on" hold will easily be in the vitals. Even 40 yards isn't too hard on targets with a little "hold-over" applied.wabi
Sevcrist,
I have been an advocate of single pin shooting for over 10 years now. I have missed deer when using the wrong pin on my compound.(Excitement numbs my brain) Just sight the single pin at the range that provides a kill zone shot and know the limit of your target.
However, I use the Varizone on my xmag and love it.....I like the magnfication and seeing the target better at dusk.
So, to each his own....but the single pin idea for hunting purposes makes a lot of sense to me.
Bill
I have been an advocate of single pin shooting for over 10 years now. I have missed deer when using the wrong pin on my compound.(Excitement numbs my brain) Just sight the single pin at the range that provides a kill zone shot and know the limit of your target.
However, I use the Varizone on my xmag and love it.....I like the magnfication and seeing the target better at dusk.
So, to each his own....but the single pin idea for hunting purposes makes a lot of sense to me.
Bill
Bob,No parallax with the red dot sights but then you are at the mercy of the battery. I'd being checking it often to make sure it didn't get bumped while afield walking and so forth. I wished they would use higher quality switches with fewer settings.
I agree! I have never really liked reddot sights because of the battery & despite claims I have noticed some parallax (depending on eye relief distance) with some of them. The reddot sight I bought this time is a Hammers brand ?????? (I never heard of it either
) with 2X magnification and a 4moa single dot. I picked it up on eBay for a low enough price and it seems to be fairly decent quality. The adjustments are fairly precise & repeatable (a good indication of quality), and the 2X magnification is great for my aging eyes I always carry a spare battery under the foam in my quiver, so that problem is covered. I bought it and mounted it just a week or two ago, and will shoot with it all summer to see if it's going to hold up and maintain accuracy. I also have a back-up ghost ring peep and the fiber optic front sight to keep in my fanny pack in case it does fail. In less than two minutes I can switch sighting systems and be ready to keep shooting despite the weather or sight failures!wabi
Right now, I'm leaning towards the Sightron SI 1x20 scope. A normal duplex reticle and a 111 foot field of view at 100 yards sounds like it would suit me better. I'm almost sure that the mulitple aiming points on a Vari-Zone would either bother me or cost me a nice buck because I chose or was confused about which aiming point to use.
Sure could happen, however that's what practice is about..Sevcrist wrote:Right now, I'm leaning towards the Sightron SI 1x20 scope. A normal duplex reticle and a 111 foot field of view at 100 yards sounds like it would suit me better. I'm almost sure that the mulitple aiming points on a Vari-Zone would either bother me or cost me a nice buck because I chose or was confused about which aiming point to use.
On the other hand when one gets excited ya just never know. That can sure happen. Always learning!!
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Bstout,
The parallax is set to 50 yards on that scope. Here is an excerpt from Horton's site.
Q. What does the term "Parallax" mean?
A. Parallax is a term that describes where a scope reticle is focused at a given distance. The industry standard is 150 yards for riflescopes. Crossbow hunting is much closer, so a typical crossbow scope should have a Parallax of approximately 50 yards.
Also, does anybody know what the field of view is on a Vari-Zone? All I have ever seen is that it is "ultra wide". My guess is that it can't be more than 50 feet at 100 yards.
The parallax is set to 50 yards on that scope. Here is an excerpt from Horton's site.
Q. What does the term "Parallax" mean?
A. Parallax is a term that describes where a scope reticle is focused at a given distance. The industry standard is 150 yards for riflescopes. Crossbow hunting is much closer, so a typical crossbow scope should have a Parallax of approximately 50 yards.
Also, does anybody know what the field of view is on a Vari-Zone? All I have ever seen is that it is "ultra wide". My guess is that it can't be more than 50 feet at 100 yards.
Just curious but what makes you think" My guess is that it can't be more than 50 feet at 100 yards" The Vari-zone scope is for crossbowsSevcrist wrote:Bstout,
The parallax is set to 50 yards on that scope. Here is an excerpt from Horton's site.
Q. What does the term "Parallax" mean?
A. Parallax is a term that describes where a scope reticle is focused at a given distance. The industry standard is 150 yards for riflescopes. Crossbow hunting is much closer, so a typical crossbow scope should have a Parallax of approximately 50 yards.
Also, does anybody know what the field of view is on a Vari-Zone? All I have ever seen is that it is "ultra wide". My guess is that it can't be more than 50 feet at 100 yards.
What are you after in a crossbow scope 
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Sevcrist,
I live about 1 hr west of Nashville just off I-40. I have a Vixen and a Varizone scope. The scope is not mounted right now but it wouldnt take long, or you could ease your mind by simply looking through it. I hope they will get more dealers here in TN. Right now I think there is 1 or 2 in Chattanooga, and 1 more far south west from me towards Memphis way. I guess they will get more dealers if they legalize crossbows for archery season this year. Let me know if you want to drive out this way sometime and Ill be more than glad to show you the scope. Send me a Private Message.
Good luck
I live about 1 hr west of Nashville just off I-40. I have a Vixen and a Varizone scope. The scope is not mounted right now but it wouldnt take long, or you could ease your mind by simply looking through it. I hope they will get more dealers here in TN. Right now I think there is 1 or 2 in Chattanooga, and 1 more far south west from me towards Memphis way. I guess they will get more dealers if they legalize crossbows for archery season this year. Let me know if you want to drive out this way sometime and Ill be more than glad to show you the scope. Send me a Private Message.
Good luck
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GaryL,
I'm just looking for what I consider the ideal crossbow scope for me. I would think that field of view would be very important because of how close in the game is likely to be. If you go up in power from say 1x to 2x the magnification increases but the field of view decreases. To me, field of view is probably more important, but I'm not a regular scope user. Again, I'm just comparing and looking for answers.
As far as the Vari-Zone is concerned I do think they should have the specifications for the scope listed. It seems to be some sort of secret. Excalibur doesn't have a problem giving out specs. for their bows so I don't see why it would be a problem for scopes.
Pineyriverbuck, I might take you up on that offer to look through the scope. I also wanted to see an Excalibur crossbow in person before I purchased one. Like you said, I don't see any dealers in this area.
I'm just looking for what I consider the ideal crossbow scope for me. I would think that field of view would be very important because of how close in the game is likely to be. If you go up in power from say 1x to 2x the magnification increases but the field of view decreases. To me, field of view is probably more important, but I'm not a regular scope user. Again, I'm just comparing and looking for answers.
As far as the Vari-Zone is concerned I do think they should have the specifications for the scope listed. It seems to be some sort of secret. Excalibur doesn't have a problem giving out specs. for their bows so I don't see why it would be a problem for scopes.
Pineyriverbuck, I might take you up on that offer to look through the scope. I also wanted to see an Excalibur crossbow in person before I purchased one. Like you said, I don't see any dealers in this area.