I've owned many crossbows over the years including a Excalibur Vortex. No doubt Excalibur makes a smooth accurate bow, but they are wide fat pigs. I'm currently shooting a Parker "Tornado" - way better bow IMO. 165# draw weight, faster bolt speed, narrower / lighter..... Feels like you could fit it in your pocket when compared to any Excalibur model.
Crossbows what to buy?
- Thread starter USP
- Start date
Wrong Way
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
IMO the "parker" is right up there with the "hortons" and "barnetts".....crossbows designed to hit a price point. Nothing wrong with them per se, but they can not compare to the higher end bows. If you want wheels, Ten Point is the way to go....but being a guy who has tested/hunted with pretty much every kind of bow on the market (professionally), I maintain that recurve is the way to go for a hunting rig. Sure, they are bigger.....but the first time you nick a string with a broadhead in the middle of your hunt and have to replace it, THAT'S where a non-compound shines (ie: you can actually replace your string yourself). Not to mention the accuracy and noise advantages with a recurve.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
actually, excaliburs FPS are spot on if you use the same setup as they do for speed tests with 350gr total weight arrows and fast flight strings. but, that also means you're using the lightest arrow for the bow and that means more noise and vibration. a lighter arrow wont penetrate as much either.
i have an exomax and it shoots 348fps with arrows that are about 30 grains heavier than the lightest arrow you can use.
This may be true, though, most of us have never had to use Customer Service from Excal!
i wish i could say the same. it seems like my bow is falling apart this year, but their customer service is top notch. one limb splintered a couple years back and i received free replacements.
about a month ago my string broke when i shot at a doe and later found out it was from the string catch being worn down and causing a sharp 90 degree edge. it was like a dry fire, so the stress caused the camo on one limb to crack and chip off in places which was strictly cosmetic. i received new limbs and a string because of that.
they discovered that their original stringing tool (rope with BLUE plastic pieces on each end) could break over time and mine did before i knew this...free replacement.
they also had a bad run of lumizone scopes and i guess i bought one from an excalibur forum member and it wasnt holding zero. thats right...free replacement.
they are constantly improving and welcome both positive and negative feedback about their stuff to make us all happy. their stuff may not be the best quality, but you cant beat the customer service...ANYWHERE.
as for accuracy...these things are awesome. my avatar pic was at 38 yards, offhand
one very important thing when using the multiplex scopes is the crosshairs MUST be perfectly level. if its off just a bit you'll be hitting left or right beyond 30 yards.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
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I have hunted with a horton for many years .then about 15 years ago i got my first excal and have been using them every year till now i love them .once broke a string at a 3 d shoot never even lost my spot in line as i was able to put a new string on my bow right at the fireing line in under 2 minutes . Great canadian bow . And 200 lbs is allmost guys will ever need dutch
- Location
- London, Ontario
Not really...might as buy an extra one or two when you buy it tho...have them on hand for when they are needed. using a little bit of string wax will help make them last longer too. A buddy just keeps the sting wax and a extra string or 2 as well as the STRINGING AID! in his side quiver.
