Mini Crossbows

Got my order today. Thanks for the quick service wolverine! Will you be getting spare strings for sale? I'd like to pick up one or two and also more bolts.

Havent shot it yet but mini review for everyone. It's all plastic except for the bow. Solid build, nothing rattles around. Sights are ok nothing much to them really. Fully adjustable for windage and elevation. The rear stock is adjustable but still pretty short. Weight is super low 2.2 lbs. The aluminum bolts are WAY nicer then the plastic ones. Plastic bolts are solid not hollow so they should hold up ok but it's too early to say. It can easily be shot with one hand if anyone was curious.
 
I had a similar crossbow years ago. Not very accurate.

The aluminum bolts look the same as the ones I had then.

They look nicer than the plastic ones. But they fly apart on impact sometimes.

I preferred the less pretty plastic ones back then.

Also, for those a little wax rubbed on the rails and string will keep your string from breaking prematurely.
 
We received a couple of Bolt crossbows today - they sold immediately - no more will be coming in the near future. We have 20+ aluminum bolts for the Bolt. We still have a few Bear crossbows. Once these are gone so is the special pricing.
 
I think I bought enough bolts to last a life time!!

Hoping I get my package on time tomorrow from CP. or in the next few weeks? Tough times need some excitement.
 
I've had a Bolt Crossbow for a couple of years now. Mine is an older model but has the 80 pound draw weight. Super fun! Bolts are cheap and easy to find so I don't really worry about losing them. Especially the plastic ones. Pretty much disposable. Bolt makes a lot of pistol crossbows but these ones have a little shoulder stock and a foregrip so they're two-handers. Weighs about the same as my Buckmark pistol so you certainly wouldn't need to use two hands. But the mechanism is such that if you removed the shoulder stock you would destroy the crossbow. Cheers.
 
So I finally got to shoot my Shredder yesterday. Here's a quick review.

Out of the box, minor assembly is required. You have to mount the prod (the bow part) with a single allen bolt and string it. Stringing the crossbow is definitely the hard part. I have a recurve bow stringer, but it was no help. The instructions that come with the crossbow actually tell you to put one end of the prod on the ground and to step on it, flexing it enough to secure both ends of the string. It takes more effort than you might think. There is a foregrip yfor the 6 o'clock rail in the box too. Or you can use your own. It is a picatinny rail.

Time to shoot! I have an archery bag target and a foam block target. At 10m, the metal bolts disappeared into the targets. I had to fish them out with pliers. At 15m, the Shredder sticks the metal bolts so deep into each target that it is still hard to get the bolts out. On the bag target, only the last 1/8" of the bolt protrudes from the target. So I stuck to the foam target block. I can shoot 4" groups from 15 meters, but the crossbow will likely do better. Because the setup is so compact, the rear sight is too close to my eye. Its just a blur to me, even though I have the stock fully extended. I'll probably do better with a red dot sight installed. The rear sight just slides off, exposing the picatinny rail underneath. It is ripe for a mini red dot like a Vortex venom or even a Bushnell TRS 25. I think the fun of the crossbow makes the expense of a red dot worthwhile. I guess I could pop the one off my AR, since I wont be using it any time soon.

Cocking and loading is super easy and a back pocket full of bolts lasts quite a while. The trigger is surprisingly not bad too. It doesn't have a "nut" like a medieval crossbow. When you #### the string back, it sits down into a notch. The string is held at full draw by the notch and a manual safety. With the safety off, the trigger levers the string up out of the notch, letting it fly forward. Looking at it, I expected the trigger pull to be rough and heavy. When I shot it, I was pleasantly surprised. It feels a little like the double action only trigger on a striker fired pistol. (think Taurus 24/7 or Glock with a NY trigger, but lighter) I put lots of wax on my string. This probably improved my trigger pull substantially and certainly will keep my string from breaking prematurely.

The bolts are better quality than what I had years ago. They've survived multiple firings and impacts so far, including being buried completely inside my foam block a couple times. Nothing broke. I was surprised to discover that the metal bolts have removable heads. I am not aware of any replacement heads being available, but the possibility exists.

Another thing I didn't realize when I ordered is that the Shredder mini crossbow is capable of firing bolts with broadheads. It comes with three. The removable, o-ring equipped tips have a 7/8" wide, two blade design, gold shaft and red plastic fletching. The front sight on the shredder is wide enough to allow them to pass through. I didn't catch this difference between the Shredder and the Bear when I ordered it. I have not fired the broadheads yet. I expect they will penetrate further than the field points and I don't want to destroy my targets.

There is some tinkering potential with this crossbow, as hazardous and warranty voiding as that may be. The removable field points beg the question, "What other types of bolts can I make?". Maybe a fishing reel and bolt could be used to get the high apples without a ladder? Anything the same diameter would shoot. There is also about 1/4" of empty space in front of the prod, where it mounts into the crossbow. I could shim the prod forward some, increasing the draw length of the crossbow by the same amount. Maybe this will yield some minor gains in velocity. I will probably do this before mounting the red dot. There might even be enough space there to mount a second prod. How much more power can this mostly plastic crossbow withstand? I guess first I would have to find some way of stringing such a short, strong prod. My sense of it is that doubling the power would probably dangerous. You might be able to #### it, but firing might blow the front end right off the crossbow. Maybe Demolition Ranch or the Slingshot Channel will make a video so we can find out this important information. Destructive safety testing notwithstanding, there is certainly room to work with here. For safer pursuits of customization, one can find a 3d printed quiver for the 6 o'clock rail on etsy. There are a few different accessories available out there. Maybe WGT has a line on some thing from the manufacturer too. I cannot find them on the interwebs.

Overall, this the Shredder and the bolts are way better than those I had a decade ago. I'm having lots of fun. My daughter digs it too.

Thanks WGT!
 
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