Shed Hunter
Well-Known Member
What kind of crossbow do you use and what do you like about it-not like about it? I’m considering trading my compound in. For no reason other than I live in the middle of a big city and don’t have time to practice
Crossbow guys
- Thread starter Shed Hunter
- Start date
I bought a Wicked Ridge Invader X-4 in the fall of 2021. It was my first ever crossbow purchase. I had never even shot a crossbow until I got it. The deciding factor for me was it is American Made by American workers. Most of the competitors in that price range are made in Taiwan or somewhere else overseas. It is plenty fast and more accurate than I am. I don't have any complaints so far.
I have a cheap centerpoint. Put a takeoff Ravin scope on it. Does great.
Is it as good as a Ravin or other bourgie crossbow brand? Nope. But I’m not going to get $2k worth of use out of a crossbow for my 2-4 days of bow hunting each year, nor do I plan to use it to 100yd like Ravin advertises. It kills deer just as dead, but is more cumbersome and louder.
How much you going to use it and how much do you want to spend? Remember that crossbows like vertical bows lose their value quickly and do not keep it like firearms.
Is it as good as a Ravin or other bourgie crossbow brand? Nope. But I’m not going to get $2k worth of use out of a crossbow for my 2-4 days of bow hunting each year, nor do I plan to use it to 100yd like Ravin advertises. It kills deer just as dead, but is more cumbersome and louder.
How much you going to use it and how much do you want to spend? Remember that crossbows like vertical bows lose their value quickly and do not keep it like firearms.
Shed Hunter
Well-Known Member
I’ll look it up. Has anyone shot this one?
Attachments
Shed Hunter
Well-Known Member
Preferably looking to spend between 500-750 but up to $1000
Wrangler95
Well-Known Member
I have a Excalibur XB and it shoots great and it's a recurve,which makes it so easy to change a string yourself without taking it to a bowshop to install a new string!These are made in Canada!!
losthunter
Well-Known Member
Centerpoint sniper is what I have. Kills deer. It is just on the heavy side but I've never had an issue with it.
Huntaholic
Well-Known Member
Ravin R26.
Literally just got a mission sub 1 so don’t have a lot of experience with it just yet.. Shot 2 days worth but smooth and overall like it. Ravins are good but hear constantly about nonstop blow up from the strings etc. Didn’t want to risk it.
Just saw your budget.. for that budget I’d heavily consider the Wicked Ridge Raider decock
FYI, Centerpoint crossbows are made in Taiwan. That may or may not matter to you. Just sharing information.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Recurve.
Consider every aspect, current & ongoing.
For the initial money to purchase, you'll get higher quality with a Recurve, then spend essentially nothing thereafter.
So simple, less to go wrong, and you're not dependent on a bowshop for routine maintenance.
Consider every aspect, current & ongoing.
For the initial money to purchase, you'll get higher quality with a Recurve, then spend essentially nothing thereafter.
So simple, less to go wrong, and you're not dependent on a bowshop for routine maintenance.
Agree . The main reason compound bows were created was to allow for let off so that a person could more easily hold the string back at full draw. So they added complexity to the bow design for that purpose and it works great in that regard.
But when we talk about crossbows, let off is not an issue. So why add the complexity of cams to a bow where it is unnecessary?
- Joined
- May 31, 2005
- Messages
- 2,881
I purchased an Excalibur Mag 340 last year and have really enjoyed it. It's not quite as compact as some of the newer compound models on the market, but it's still pretty handy and not any more of a burden in a tree stand than a rifle or muzzleloader. The ease in maintenance and up keep were the main reasons I went the recurve route.
Pay once and cry once, excalibur all the way! Simple to use, simple to work on, outstanding customer support
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Agree. And at any given maximum poundage being pulled, a "traditional" compound bow can be "easier" to both hit & hold at that maximum poundage.
The "compound" bow design was a revolutionary advantage for bowhunters when it came out & became popular back in the early 1970's.
But with a crossbow, using a mechanical cocking device, ALL crossbows are very easy to "draw" whether the crossbow is of recurve or compound bow design. Pulling the trigger then becomes an identical process with either.
However, I would argue the recurve crossbow is inherently more accurate, simply because of less moving parts. On average now, recurve vs compound crossbow speeds are comparable, and my latest Excalibur casts an arrow at a higher velocity than most compound crossbows.
"Compound" crossbows, imo, are little more than a marketing gimmick for getting purchasers to not only spend more money, but be required to spend a lot more money AFTER the initial purchase, due to ongoing maintenance issues which most users cannot do themselves.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
The entire issue of crossbows being some big advantage over regular compound bows is largely false, at least assuming an experienced user of both. There are some relatively small advantages, but also some disadvantages more or less wiping out those advantages.
Extended range is one of those fallacies, since the range extension, again imo, is no more than 5 to 10 yds over a modern regular compound bow. The fastest crossbow remains of very slow velocity compared to even a mediocre rifle round. Deer are bad about simply moving before the arrow arrives, so maybe we move that practical (ethical) range distance from 35-40 yds to 45-50 yds with a crossbow, but more because of shooting accuracy consistency than anything else.
Heck, with most my bowhunting setups, I can't get a shot beyond 35 yds regardless of weapon, so even a rifle typically gives me little range advantage over a crossbow.
For me, the biggest crossbow advantage is the ease of using superior optical sights (like a low-power traditional rifle scope). THIS is from where most of that better accuracy comes (for me), allowing for that extra 5-10 yds. And yes, crossbows can be shot with more accuracy consistency with a lot less ongoing practice than can regular bows.
Of course, not having to draw a crossbow, shortly before sailing an arrow, is an advantage (more so for novices than experienced bowhunters).
Disadvantages of crossbows include their being more cumbersome to carry afield, and being much slower to "load" and/or get off a 2nd shot.
So overall, crossbows are an advantage over regular compound bows. But, imo, this advantage gain is not as much as the gain of going from a regular recurve bow to a regular compound bow, such as occurred with most bowhunters during the 1970's.
Extended range is one of those fallacies, since the range extension, again imo, is no more than 5 to 10 yds over a modern regular compound bow. The fastest crossbow remains of very slow velocity compared to even a mediocre rifle round. Deer are bad about simply moving before the arrow arrives, so maybe we move that practical (ethical) range distance from 35-40 yds to 45-50 yds with a crossbow, but more because of shooting accuracy consistency than anything else.
Heck, with most my bowhunting setups, I can't get a shot beyond 35 yds regardless of weapon, so even a rifle typically gives me little range advantage over a crossbow.
For me, the biggest crossbow advantage is the ease of using superior optical sights (like a low-power traditional rifle scope). THIS is from where most of that better accuracy comes (for me), allowing for that extra 5-10 yds. And yes, crossbows can be shot with more accuracy consistency with a lot less ongoing practice than can regular bows.
Of course, not having to draw a crossbow, shortly before sailing an arrow, is an advantage (more so for novices than experienced bowhunters).
Disadvantages of crossbows include their being more cumbersome to carry afield, and being much slower to "load" and/or get off a 2nd shot.
So overall, crossbows are an advantage over regular compound bows. But, imo, this advantage gain is not as much as the gain of going from a regular recurve bow to a regular compound bow, such as occurred with most bowhunters during the 1970's.
Last edited:
Compound crossbows are more compact than recurve crossbows of similar velocity ranges. If you want a truly compact recurve crossbow then you will give up velocity over a similar sized compound. That is up to the shooter/user to decide on.
Crossbows are more cumbersome to use than vertical bows, and take longer to reload. If you need to reload with deer in range then you will wish that you had the vertical bow. If a deer comes in right behind your tree then you will wish that you had a vertical bow. Crossbows are also generally more cumbersome to carry through the woods than vertical bows. The differences between compound and recurve crossbows in the woods is incremental, and may not be worth considering the difference to the shooter.
Crossbows are more cumbersome to use than vertical bows, and take longer to reload. If you need to reload with deer in range then you will wish that you had the vertical bow. If a deer comes in right behind your tree then you will wish that you had a vertical bow. Crossbows are also generally more cumbersome to carry through the woods than vertical bows. The differences between compound and recurve crossbows in the woods is incremental, and may not be worth considering the difference to the shooter.
Mission sub1 xr. It’s a tack driver. My only complaint is it’s not very comfortable when carrying on your shoulder with a sling.
I've owned PSE, carbon express and now hickory creek crossbows. If you hunt from a tree a significant amount of the time I'd seriously consider the hickory creek. it has vertical limbs that make maneuvering for shots in a tree much easier, it uses arrows instead of proprietary bolts, does not require an aid to **** and can be paper tuned like a compound bow if such things matter to you. the guy who makes them is super responsive and provides great customer service.
woodsarcheryrange.com
Hickory Creek In-Line Mini Vertical Crossbow with 4x32 Scope
Features: 150lb Draw Weight 13" Power Stroke 325 FPS Adjustable bow handle grip so one size fits all adults Shorter draw lengths available Safety blocks trigger Anti-dryfire lever String loop for precise nocking point Complete ready to hunt package (optional) Unique vertical design Shoots full...
woodsarcheryrange.com
