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crossbows?

3K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  jacob321 
#1 ·
i'm new to the archery game and was wanting to get a crossbow since they are legal here in TN and my arm is hurt. anybody got some good suggestions or pros and cons of the different brands? thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
I'm not a crossbow fan myself unless it's for someone with a messed up arm or handicapped. That being said, in my opinion Ten Point, Excalibur, and Stryker are the top of the line. Of those I have personally shot Ten Points and Strykers. Strykers are darn fast, but loud and expensive. You can buy a Titan TL-7 for 599 at Gander. Personally if you want to spend a little less an Eastman X-Force is a great choice. The 300 is 399 and the 500 is 499. This is by far the quietest crossbow I have shot and I haven't had problems out of them.

If you want a brand to stay away from it's Parker. I've had nothing but trouble from them. I have one come back about every week that I have to send in for warentee work. The biggest problem I've seen with them is the bow not firing when you pull the trigger. You hear a click and the string doesn't release and you have to recock it and usually it will fire. Every bow dealer has a bad apple every now and then (I've had at least one of every make of bow come in broken) but Parker is BY FAR the worst.
 
#3 ·
thanks for the insight preach. i have a stress fracture in my right elbow which is my shooting elbow and drawing back a bow all the time couldnt be good for it. i am looking hard at the ten points and the barnetts. i think i'm gonna ask for money to go towards one for my birthday in january. just tryin to figure out which one i want.
 
#4 ·
I have a newer horton legend and another older horton that is probably 20 years old or so. The older one was what I started off hunting with and it somehow has a deer seaking component in it. I think I could walk outside, shoot it in the air and it would fall down through a bucks heart :eek:
Seriously though, I have ZERO experience with any other bows besides hortons but they have been great for our family. I believe they are pretty affordable but I also don't know much about their new bows or their customer service. Our resident Gander Mtn tech preach might be able to tell you more.
 
#6 ·
if you plan on buying a new crossbow, don't forget about one with a built in crank. if i were to buy a new one i would't even think about buying a crossbow without a built in crank. i was given my fathers horton legend the year he couldn't bow hunt anymore and he passed on soon after. with the horton came a cranking device which i have to mount every time i wish to shoot it. thats not that bad though, but carrying it in my back pack along with my climber and all the other goodies is a bit much ( i am not 21 anymore 56 :hi: ) plus if you loose the handle you're s.o.l.. i would wait and see what happens with prices as more and more states are moving towards full inclusion. as of march 5th 09 michigan has made a move towards full inclusion, almost there, well about half way anyhow. i think there are 11 states which have full inclusion now and many more are looking at it. within the next 5-10 years pretty much all of the lower 48 will have some type of legal crossbow hunting and with this prices will drop dramatically. thats when i a going shopping for a new crossbow.
whatever you choose make sure you do your homework on warranty and service those are two of the most important features any crossbow can kill a deer with good arrow placement :beer:
 
#7 ·
I'm not a fan of the crank at all myself. It takes forever to get the string back and involves a lot of movement. I don't shoot one except when one comes in the shop with a problem and I hate the cranks, they get old. With the ropes you slip them on and pull. Then you're done.
 
#8 ·
those ropes don't give an even pull and will cause one limb to be pulled back at a different distance than the other causing the arrow to fly eratic (cant one way or the other). IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPARE A ROPE COCKER PERFORMANCE TO THAT OF A CRANK. if you don't mind crippling or missing your game be my guest use a rope cocker( although some people have become very good at it by paying extreme attention to a mark they put on the string). the constant different anchoring point of the string also will put limbs at a higher fatigue rate than a crank cocker. i just had to replace my dads horton legend limbs due to this issue, they had cracks in them. horton only has a 3 year warranty on their limbs and these where 3.5 years old. the same holds true for those who shoot arrows of less weight than specified by the manufacurer, broken limbs and warranty is void.
 
#9 ·
dmznimrod said:
those ropes don't give an even pull and will cause one limb to be pulled back at a different distance than the other causing the arrow to fly eratic (cant one way or the other). IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPARE A ROPE COCKER PERFORMANCE TO THAT OF A CRANK. if you don't mind crippling or missing your game be my guest use a rope cocker( although some people have become very good at it by paying extreme attention to a mark they put on the string). the constant different anchoring point of the string also will put limbs at a higher fatigue rate than a crank cocker. i just had to replace my dads horton legend limbs due to this issue, they had cracks in them. horton only has a 3 year warranty on their limbs and these where 3.5 years old. the same holds true for those who shoot arrows of less weight than specified by the manufacurer, broken limbs and warranty is void.
I hope you're joking. The ropes do give equal pull on each limb, each and every time. That's the reason they put washers on the hooks, so if one arm is pulling stronger than the other the rope will move through. I have to shoot these things all the time and the rope cockers give the same performance as the cranks, and they sure won't make you wound or cripple game, or break your limbs. The only thing that will get your string crooked is cocking it straight up with your hands.
 
#11 ·
I have never shot one but I have picked up quite a few. Honestly I find them quite clumsy. I have on and off shoulder problems and qualify for a crossbow in my state but I choose to stick with my compound even though on some days I'm not even sure I will be able to get it back when the time for a shot comes. I mostly still hunt and the crossbow just doesn't seem to fit such an application. They are fine for stand hunters but would be a big nuisance trying to get through some of the brushy areas I hunt.
 
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