Crossbow hunting beginner

[Texan11285]

Good moroning. An old hunting buddy of mine has invited me to come up to Kentucky to go bowhunting. I bow hunted for years but a right shoulder injury put end to that. I put the compound down and just continued gun hunting. So I'm looking for thoughts on what brand, type crossbow would be good for a beginner. thanks

 

[TnTurk]

I would start with the Killer Instinct Vital X.

 

[mike243]

When they legalized xbows here I bought a Barnett, it shot great and I killed a bunch of deer with it, I stopped several years ago and only muzzle load or gun hunt these days, it was a $300 range with good speed, I used mechanical heads that made tuning a none issue. you will see folks bragging about shooting shoulders with regular bows and xbows but I wasn't taught to do that and still think it's a bad idea, sometimes it happens but they work when good shots are made. I prefer to wait on hunting and take a weapon I don't have to get so close to use. good luck have fun.

 

[CHRIS WILSON]

Good moroning. An old hunting buddy of mine has invited me to come up to Kentucky to go bowhunting. I bow hunted for years but a right shoulder injury put end to that. I put the compound down and just continued gun hunting. So I'm looking for thoughts on what brand, type crossbow would be good for a beginner. thanks

There are a lot of good crossbows on the market these days. You've got everything from a simple recurve style in the Excalibur line to advanced compound styles that'll shoot 500+ fps such as the Ravin 500 or Tenpoint 505 series. Cost wise goes from mild to potentially taking out a second mortgage. It all depends on what you're wanting. As far as simplicity and ease of maintenance, it's hard to beat an Excalibur, recurve style xbow. Not as compact as some of the compound models but solid, with a good warranty. I shoot their Micro Mag340 and have been really happy with it. In the compound world of xbows, I've heard good things about Wicked Ridge, Ravin, TenPoint and Mission.

 

[Cannonball1]

Your budget will help determine recommendations if you don't mind telling us what that is. I recently bought my Nephew a Barnett at Academy for $250. It shoots 380 FPS and he can't shoot at the same spot twice without coming close to hitting his other arrow. I use a TenPoint that cost ten times what the Barnett was and it shoots about 100 FPS faster. Both will kill a deer, the edge going to whoever made the better shot. My point is there is a wide price range on these bows and any decent brand will get the job done regardless of price. Excalibur, Ravin, Wicked Ridge, Mission and Killer Instinct were already mentioned. These are all good brands and I would consider any of them. If I only wanted to spend $250, I'm buying an entry model Barnett. If I want a premium bow and cost wasn't a factor it would be TenPoint or Excalibur. For the $500 range, Killer Instinct would be my choice.

 

[Texan11285]

Your budget will help determine recommendations if you don't mind telling us what that is. I recently bought my Nephew a Barnett at Academy for $250. It shoots 380 FPS and he can't shoot at the same spot twice without coming close to hitting his other arrow. I use a TenPoint that cost ten times what the Barnett was and it shoots about 100 FPS faster. Both will kill a deer, the edge going to whoever made the better shot. My point is there is a wide price range on these bows and any decent brand will get the job done regardless of price. Excalibur, Ravin, Wicked Ridge, Mission and Killer Instinct were already mentioned. These are all good brands and I would consider any of them. If I only wanted to spend $250, I'm buying an entry model Barnett. If I want a premium bow and cost wasn't a factor it would be TenPoint or Excalibur. For the $500 range, Killer Instinct would be my choice.

Thanks, in the $500 range. I have a brand new TC Compass .270 that I could use as trade also. But I'll be looking into the Killer Instinct.