cross bows

[normanvin]

does any one here have and shoot a cross bow? i have been thinking about getting one for a while. i don't need it just want one. another toy to play with.

[JIMMYC308]

Since It's been legal to use one to hunt with I've owned one. It's a Tenpoint Titan TL-4. I love it and could never see myself going back to a compund again. Very accurate and has great speed. BTW where I hunt we are allowed to use them during archery season.

[T Durdin]

Hi,

I had a Barnett commando for years until I sold it to manny1. I never used it for hunting, but I could have. It was a serious weapon and not a toy, like those pistol ones I've seen at gun shows. It was a lot of fun from time to time shooting at various stuff in places where we weren't able to shoot guns.

I think it had 150 lb draw, I bet it could send a bolt nearly through someone at close range.

I lost my share of bolts along the way.

[PA Rifleman]

Originally Posted by T Durdin

Hi,

I had a Barnett commando for years ...It was a serious weapon and not a toy, ...It was a lot of fun from time to time shooting at various stuff in places where we weren't able to shoot guns.

I think it had 150 lb draw, I bet it could send a bolt nearly through someone at close range.

I lost my share of bolts along the way.

Barnett UK ad for the Commando here.

It was advertised as 175 lb draw. With a broadhead I suspect it would easily pass through a person or two. It put a bolt (arrow, in crossbow parlance) with a field point almost through an American Tourister briefcase, another bolt picked up a hat off the floor & flew with it (don't ask - sore point with the boss).

Very nice where discreet & quiet were the order of the day. Also very useful for launching things long distance.

I have a Commando, I'm pondering selling it to fund my flintlock passion right now. It should move on ebay, as it's complete with extra strings, arrows & such.

[aubie515]

If you want the top two crossbows on the market.

Compound = Tenpoint

Recurve = Excalibur

Excalibur has a forum where you can get tons of information on crossbow hunting. Archery Talk also has a crossbow section.

http://www.archerytalk.com

You are not able to hunt with a crossbow throughout PA, so learn the laws. Where I live, you are able to use a crossbow in the archery season. I had an Excalibur Phoenix and it was a very good crossbow.

The biggest difference between the Tenpoint and the Excal is that the Tenpoint is smaller, while the Excal was wider because of it being a recurve. The Excal IMO, is the better crossbow because you can change the strings yourself without needing a bowpress. You can change out the strings out in the field. If you string was to break on the Tenpoint, that would end your hunting for the day. The Tenpoint is also louder because of it being a compound.

IMO, the biggest disadvantage of the crossbows is that it's a PITA to walk through the woods. I regular compound bow is a lot easier to walk around in the woods.. The crossbow will get tangled on every branch in the woods...so it seems.

[BearTitan]

Crossbows are great fun to shoot and hunt with. I killed a doe and a buck this past archery season with my Horton Hunter 150lb. I shot the buck right in the shoulder blade, which would have been a bad shot with a compound. The bolt passed right through 1/2" of bone. It did not exit the other side, but still destroyed the upper aorta on the buck.

I couldn't believe the hole in the shoulder blade. When I butchered the deer, I could really see the damage. Impressive, and that is only 150 pounds of pull!

Recurves (Excaliber) are faster, quieter, and more powerful, but are VERY hard to pull back. Don't get one for target shooting. For hunting, OK.

[aubie515]

[quote=Recurves (Excaliber) are faster, quieter, and more powerful, but are VERY hard to pull back. Don't get one for target shooting. For hunting, OK.[/QUOTE]

What are you talking about???? There is a cocking aid for the Excal and if you want to spend more, there is a crank for the Excals. It is so simple to cock the Excals with the cocking aid.

Go to Excals website and you will see that the owner of Excal actually took an Elephant with his crossbow. Now that is impressive.

[BearTitan]

Didn't say impossible. Just much harder. With my 150 pound compound, I just put the butt in my chest and pull back to cock it. I can shoot about 10 shots per minute at the range.

I don't think that kind of reloading speed is possible with a cocking aid, crank, or any other kind of device.

My point was that if he is going to just target shoot, there is little reason to shoot a recurve. They are no more accurate. Just faster and quieter. Those attributes are great for hunting, but unnecessary for target shooting.

[aubie515]

The to OP, if you want to get the true facts go to this forum. A lot of the guys from Canada have been using crossbows for years, so they are the experts when it comes to crossbows. We, Americans have only begun to start using crossbows for hunting not too long ago. The members use other crossbows as well. Doing your research prior to making any purchase will save you money and frustration in the end. Buy quality once...cry once....buy junk and you will end up paying more in the end.

http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/php...wforum.php?f=1

Here is the link for the video about the Elephant hunt.

http://excaliburcrossbow.com/demo/m/...p?content_id=1

I guess because you bought a cheap Horton, you want to try to downplay how good the Excals and Ten Points are compared to the other crossbows.

[BearTitan]

Thanks for the giggle. I really couldn't care less how much my crossbow cost. If you saw all of my hunting gear you would know what I mean. I buy what I like and sometimes that means I shell out $500 just for an outfit. I bought the crossbow I liked the best and, after more than 1,000 bolts through it, it still works like the day I bought it. Excaliber makes a good bow. So does Horton, Ten Point, and Barnett. Those are the only brands that I have experience with.

I don't think brand is important. Buy the bow you like that will fit the kind of shooting that you will do. I will agree that if you like a particular bow, but think it is out of your price range, that you should wait, save your nickels, and get the one you want.

The deer don't know how much I spent on my crossbow. In my mind, that is all that matters. Rifle, bow, crossbow, spear, whatever. I am in the woods to take game, and I do quite often.

Michaelangelo and the brush, my man.