Crossbows

[breid1970 327]

I'm looking for an affordable, rugged, and dependable crossbow. All for under two hundred. That being said, are crossbows , for that matter, easy to maintain and such? i think it would make a nice addition to my gear.

[LuPiN8oR 333]

From what ive seen and read and have shot, levels of abuse they take can be ascribed as such. Recurve or long bow: easy to maintain; if you bust a limb or string you can always fix it. compound: harder to maintain w all the pulleys n cams; modern crossbow: hardest of all to maintain or fix in an emergency situation. I would highly recommend a take down recurve bow. Neat thing about take down recurve is you can swap limbs for higher poundage. My wife shoots 45#, i can swap limbs n shoot at 65+. Hope this helps.

[Long Shot 1,287]

Don't think you're going to find much at that price point.

PSE makes a bad ass crossbow but last time I looked at them it was around $1500.00

 

Here you can only hunt varmints with a crossbow so kinda hard to justify that.

 

The cheap ones I've seen are more like a toy for 10 year old kid.

[breid1970 327]

Yeah 1500 is way too much. Barnett seems to make some good ones but to me and my budget they are expensive.

[LuPiN8oR 333]

Just sayin bro if its a bow you want thats dependable and rugged at that price point, you will take deer with a recurve. Nuff said.

[termite 463]

My wife gave me one a year or two ago, I think it's a "horton", something like that, we've been shooting it and no problems, get some grease for the string and keep it greased, or hell, it might be wax. Once I finally figured out how to sight in the red dot, this damn thing will put the bolts in a 1.5 to 2" circle at an easy 50 yards. People say they are quite, but not when you pull the trigger, that string makes a funny sounding TWANG, but at 50 yards, the neighbors critters don't stand a chance, and they have no clue what the sound on the string is, except that the noise came from up here at our place and days later, their critter doesn't come home, but dogs will yelp and scream, cats, well, they make all kind of weird ass noises while they are running around the yard. The bolts will go slap ass through critters, so use a good broad head to open them up as much as possible. We've got a big ass hog out in the woods that we've been wanting to get and a crossbow would be fun to plug him with, but tracking and retrieving could be a bitch due to the hills.

[Sim_Player 1,939]

My son got it into his mind that he wanted a bow (two days ago). He had me take him up to Cabelas. He got a "Martin"(?) recurve rated at 45#. Between the bow and practice arrows, he's into it for 200 bones.

 

We've been having fun shooting it in the back yard.

Edited August 31, 2013 by Sim_Player

[Dad2142Dad 6,559]

Got a Barnett Ghost 350 CRT crossbow last year, works very well. Drove a bolt six inches into a railroad tie. But 500 will blow your budget.

[siminov 164]

I bought a compound Barnett rhino sport around 7 years ago for about $400. I put a red dot scope on it for another $100. It's got a 150# draw and can send 20" bolts around 275 fps. I don't hunt with it but have used it on a few skunks over the years instead of firing a gun after dark. It's fun to shoot. I am overdue for a new string and you gotta use lube on the string (looks like Chapstick). They do make some noise but there are silencers available that mount to the limbs.

[sccritterkiller 473]

I like Excalibur brand they are non compound but they are wider than the compound ones...they are not a lot different than regular Bows you have to keep the string waxed and you can get silencers...limbsaver brand seem to hold up best over time. I use the rage bolt heads....nice blood trail

[breid1970 327]

Ok so realistic, i will have to bump up my budget and also maybe look at recurve bows as well. I was a Marksmenship instructor and I believe thats why the crossbow appeals to me. I have never contemplated using a bow and arrow, but maybe I can sign myself up for lessons and take it from there.

[MT Predator 2,294]

I like Excalibur brand they are non compound but they are wider than the compound ones...they are not a lot different than regular Bows you have to keep the string waxed and you can get silencers...limbsaver brand seem to hold up best over time. I use the rage bolt heads....nice blood trail

My Dad hunts with an Excaliber which was the fastest on the market at the time he got it. Rage broadheads for sure since my brother's buddy owns the company plus the fact it provides a nasty wound channel. I use a Barnett Ghost 400 which is faster than his. If you want quality, a couple hundred bucks isn't going to get you that.

[sccritterkiller 473]

I use rage 2 blades on my compond and cross bow... I wasn't a big fan of mechanicals when they came out but when I saw Chuck Adams using Rages I tried them and I have been using them for about 5 years now.. "Its like throwing an ax thru an animal"...best commercial ever...LOL

[SHOTGUN MESIAH 855]

A crossbow for under 200 ??? your joking right.

Thats about what the plastic kiddie bows at K-Mart cost.

If your not ready to spend at least a minimum of 800, don't even waste your time.

unless all you want to do is shoot squirrels and mice.

[IndyArms 10,186]

I have an older Jennings Devastator... its a crossbow... but not what you want... thats for sure.

 

 

[SHOTGUN MESIAH 855]

I'm patiently waiting for this one to hit the shelves, as is everyone else.

I have a feeling it will be well into next year before one is actually available locally.

Edited August 31, 2013 by SHOTGUN MESIAH

[breid1970 327]

So the Barnett crossbows in the 500 dollar range are crappy then?

I plan on using it to hunt small game. Target shoot and to conserve ammo. Not to hunt bear.

[SHOTGUN MESIAH 855]

I would say it's a good starting point, really depends what you want to do with it.

[SHOTGUN MESIAH 855]

I really like the reverse draw Vengeance. It is the most balanced crossbow I've ever held. The only thing is all the complaints of the loose stirrup.

I went to Cabelas the other day and inspected one in person and sure enough it had a wobble to the stirrup as well. If it wasn't for that I was gonna

buy it. I still may get it because it is a great design and the quietist crossbow on the market. I think the loose stirrup is

something that could be easily fixed so it's not a big deal.

Edited August 31, 2013 by SHOTGUN MESIAH

[jerry52 893]

Just Got Bass Pro's flyer Barnett Jackal with scope quiver and 4 arrows $349.99. I think that is a cheap as they come.

[Capt Nemo 882]

I'll take a recurve any day over a compound. I never have to worry about the cams getting wet, rusted or choked with weeds when I'm carp shootin.

 

Although, I believe that WI is starting to allow crossbows for general bow deer hunting and not just for the handicapped.

 

I use beeswax on my bow strings. (helps when you have a bee keeper in the family)

[RedChallenger 149]

I just got a compound bow (Diamond Core) and I am really enjoying it. Archery is pretty darn fun.

[Sim_Player 1,939]

I told my son I'd rather have a crossbow for the "cock-and-hold" feature but, the price difference reflects the advantage of the design over regular bows.

 

I'm thinking about building one instead. The design is pretty simple. I would think that the average person could make good one out of available materials. Laminate seems to be to key.

 

A slingshot firing 1" ball bearings (or loosely wrapped BBs) would make a good addition to any pack too. At least for birds and small game (a .22 would be better, of course).

Edited September 1, 2013 by Sim_Player

[MT Predator 2,294]

A slingshot firing 1" ball bearings (or loosely wrapped BBs) would make a good addition to any pack too. At least for birds and small game (a .22 would be better, of course).

Cheap bags of marbles from Wallyworld work wonders as well. I used to pack a couple bags of them and a wrist rocket when I deployed, worked great for feral dogs. My last deployment to Afghanistan, some little shit Taliban spawn was chucking stones from the top of his mud hut as I drove by. I hit the skids and engaged him with one marble to the sternum. I don't think he threw fucking rocks at passing U.S. vehicles after that! (I grew up being a crack shot with a sling shot).

[MT Predator 2,294]

So the Barnett crossbows in the 500 dollar range are crappy then? I plan on using it to hunt small game. Target shoot and to conserve ammo. Not to hunt bear.

Why stop at small game? Get something that has the velocity to take big stuff as well. All game can "jump" the string so the faster you can get the arrow or bolt off, the better chance on a kill shot versus one that will have you tracking a blood trail that suddenly dries up leaving you with jack shit.

[RockHoundTX 10]

Was out shooting mine today. Modern day crossbows are expensive (good ones start at about $800. Look at the TenPoints, etc.), REALLY powerful, and very high maintenance. End up having to re-string them every couple of hundred shots, have to wax the string every 3-5 shots to reduce friction and wear (if you have dust on the ramp you will literally see sparks as the string crosses over it), etc. However, extremely accurate and will go through a deer like it wasn't even there and will penetrate a large hog out to maybe 40 yards. Great for hunting inside of 35-40 yards. While still accurate (and more than powerful enough) out to 80+ yards, the deer will be long gone before the arrow reaches them.

[Dad2142Dad 6,559]

 

A slingshot firing 1" ball bearings (or loosely wrapped BBs) would make a good addition to any pack too. At least for birds and small game (a .22 would be better, of course).

Cheap bags of marbles from Wallyworld work wonders as well. I used to pack a couple bags of them and a wrist rocket when I deployed, worked great for feral dogs. My last deployment to Afghanistan, some little shit Taliban spawn was chucking stones from the top of his mud hut as I drove by. I hit the skids and engaged him with one marble to the sternum. I don't think he threw fucking rocks at passing U.S. vehicles after that! (I grew up being a crack shot with a sling shot).

 

That's awesome MT, love my wrist rocket