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Educate me on crossbows.

TheAirMan

TheAirMan

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2001
Messages
12,003
Location
Moss, Tennessee
I'm in the market for a crossbow for my son. I don't think I have ever done more than pick one up once at a store. I have always used a compound. What do I need to look for/stay away from? I've looked at some online with prices ranging from a couple hundred dollars to thousands. I looking for something decent but am not going to drop a couple grand on one.
 
How old is your son? I bought a crossbow for my son and I this past spring. He struggled to hold it steady, unless it was on a rest or tripod. I personally don't care for it.
 
I have a Ten Point Stealth FX4 and my wife has a Barnett Lady Raptor FX, huge price difference in these two crossbows. I had to return my Ten Point right away for something rattling inside the stock. The bow - stock connector bolt came extremely rusted. Ten Point paid for the return and quickly made everything right. This crossbow has been wonderful.

My wife's Lady Raptor FX has held up very nicely. It shoots accurately, but maybe 60 fps slower than the Ten Point. The Lady Raptor FX is lighter and easier to carry while hunting. Even my son and daughter both prepare the Barnett over my Ten Point.

My best friend bought two new Barnett Crossbows from Eba_. He got a fantastic price. One of the Crossbows is a "tack driver" even at 60 yards. The other crossbow barely groups well at 40 yards.

The higher price crossbow may not be your best option. There are a lot of good crossbow manufacturers. Find a shop or dealer that will let you shoot before you buy. Yes, these folks are usually a few dollars more than online sellers. However, the extra price is worth the service of testing before you buy.
 
IMO, the recurve crossbows make the most sense.

Relatively no ongoing maintenance (can be a big & expensive issue with compounds),
less to go wrong, simple.
And often more accurate than compounds.

Most hunters with a compound crossbow would have to go home, take their bow to an archery shop, if they just accidently cut their string. With a recurve crossbow, you can put on a new string in about 2 minutes from your tree stand. Hard to put a monetary value on this difference, but it's a big difference.
 
It's your business, sir, but I'd try and steer the young man towards a compound bow.
 
Carlos said:
It's your business, sir, but I'd try and steer the young man towards a compound bow.
Click to expand...
Honestly, that would be my first choice and we have talked about it and will probably talk some more. However, I don't know if he would have/would put in the time to become proficient with one. He has a lot of irons in the fire already for an 11 year old.
 
Crossbows are great. I have a TenPoint. But the only reason is because I can no longer pull the compound bow. CBs are very accurate and at 30 to 40 yds require little, if any, practice. I learned shooting a recurve bow then switched to compound later. I would not buy a CB for an 11 year old. Learning to shoot a bow by putting in hours of practice gives a sense of satisfaction you can't get with a CB. It also prepares you for hunting by teaching you patience which should be an arrow in every hunter's quiver.
 
TheAirMan said:
I'm in the market for a crossbow for my son. I don't think I have ever done more than pick one up once at a store. I have always used a compound. What do I need to look for/stay away from? I've looked at some online with prices ranging from a couple hundred dollars to thousands. I looking for something decent but am not going to drop a couple grand on one.
Click to expand...
TheAirMan said:
I'm in the market for a crossbow for my son. I don't think I have ever done more than pick one up once at a store. I have always used a compound. What do I need to look for/stay away from? I've looked at some online with prices ranging from a couple hundred dollars to thousands. I looking for something decent but am not going to drop a couple grand on one.
Click to expand...
I've had both a ten point and and now have an assassin excalibur 400td.. The safety features of the 400td are great and the way it breaks down is sweet. Dont buy the off brands just because they are fast and cheap! A friend of mine works is a tech at Gander mountain and numerous cbows blow up because they r cheap ..... and thus are dangerous. Be sure to always inspect and have cables inspected or replaced every 2 to 3 years depending on use. The higher the speed....the more prone to failure...thus the reason i recommend going w the best.....excalibur or 10 pt.
 
You could look at a Wicked Ridge which are made by Tenpoint. They are quality crossbows with all the same guarantees has a Tenpoint. Attached are some screenshots from Tenpoints website. I took those two because of the price point and they come with the acudraw crank so he doesn't have to chocolate chip cookie it by hand. Not sure if I read what you wanted to spend or not. But those prices are a complete package.
 

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Make sure whatever you buy there is absolutely positively NO WAY he can manipulate his hand / wrist and get his thumb high enough to be in the path of the string.


Read all that again.

I assume they all have blocks in place now but a few years ago they didn't.
I will never shoot a crossbow again. :D
 
RUGER said:
Make sure whatever you buy there is absolutely positively NO WAY he can manipulate his hand / wrist and get his thumb high enough to be in the path of the string.


Read all that again.

I assume they all have blocks in place now but a few years ago they didn't.
I will never shoot a crossbow again. :D
Click to expand...
Very very true all good points. And I take it you learned the hard way?
 

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