Excalibur crossbows - do not buy

[MihajloSimsic]

I agree with huntmachine and MSimsic, Excalibur should just stick with what its been good at for so long, easy to operate and maintain and long lasting crossbows and not get into the speed game.

To tell you the truth we have to be careful what we wish for, these crossbows start getting 500 FPS or more and were going to get seperate seasons like a "controlled week" and will be excluded from bows only seasons..thats my fear and maybe I am wrong...besides many deer have fallen from 300 FPS crossbows like a Phoenix or Vortex, etc...

Yeah I get what you mean. It used to be: you want the fastest xbow? Go to scorpyd, you want ruggedness and lightweight? go to excal. You want affordability but still a fast reliable bow? Go to tenpoint. I hunt with the Scorpyd aculeus 460 but I even I think 500 and above is a bit much. Not to say fast crossbows haven't been lifesavers for people that live in areas where gun hunting just isn't an option, but crossbows should stay below 500fps. I'd rather not crossbow hunters get lumped in with firearms on legality issues. An xbow 300fps is more than enough to get you in the game, a faster xbow is preferable but my dad has taken well over 60 big game animals (and some coyotes) with his 320fps excal paradox in the last 20 years with zero issue.

[ninepointer]

The new Excal models certainly are a joy to carry (so narrow and compact!) and a joy to shoot (so fast and flat!), but when it came right down to it, I bought my son a used Phoenix. I just could not justify the new bow price tag or the potential limb issues.

This is of course coming from a guy who still puts arrows through both sides of a deer and sticks them into the ground with his 1994 Exocet

[MikePal]

This is of course coming from a guy who still puts arrows through both sides of a deer and sticks them into the ground with his 1994 Exocet

Exactly....Just how far do you need the arrow to go into the ground on the other side and how much are you willing to spend to accomplish that goal..HaHa..

[huntnmachine]

This is of course coming from a guy who still puts arrows through both sides of a deer and sticks them into the ground with his 1994 Exocet
Yes sir...wish I didn't sell mine years back

[Deer Wrastler]

Theres nothing wrong with more speed. The faster a bow goes the less drop it has and lessened chance of jumping the string resulting in less wounded or unrecoverable deer. The less drop an arrow has the easier it is to aim.

A faster rated bow can shoot a heavier arrow with more penetration and less drop with the same weight of arrow from a slower bow. More penetration potential is always a good thing [emoji6][emoji6]

[smitty55]

Theres nothing wrong with more speed. The faster a bow goes the less drop it has and lessened chance of jumping the string resulting in less wounded or unrecoverable deer. The less drop an arrow has the easier it is to aim.

A faster rated bow can shoot a heavier arrow with more penetration and less drop with the same weight of arrow from a slower bow. More penetration potential is always a good thing [emoji6][emoji6]

The main issue I believe with these super fast bows now is that it promotes the inclination of archers, specially the younger ones, to shoot at much further distances of lets say 50 to even 80 yards because they can hit the target at those ranges. By doing that you lose those benefits you speak of that are certainly there at shorter distances. Also I highly doubt with the stress on those limbs that they will even come close to the durability and longevity that we've all seen with those older Excals like the Exomax, Exomag, Exocet, Phoenix etc. Looks like the Mag 340 is the only model now with a lifetime warranty. Plus I can still actually load my Exocet by hand if need be, I have the string marked, not a chance with the crazy draw weights out there now. Saying that, it sure would be nice to have a nice micro series bow just for the size difference, but my Exocet still kills just fine and I know I'll never be tempted to try any shot at extended ranges.
Cheers

[bellerivercrossbowhunter]

I have the micro 335. When shooting from a blind or in a tight tree stand it shines big time.

[ninepointer]

New Excalibur model or old, it would take a lot to convince me to buy a crossbow from a different manufacturer. I've never seen a company that stands behind their products so much and provides the level of customer service that Excalibur does. That is true right up to this day.

EXCALIBUR CROSSBOWS - DEFINITELY DO BUY!!!

[Deer Wrastler]

The main issue I believe with these super fast bows now is that it promotes the inclination of archers, specially the younger ones, to shoot at much further distances of lets say 50 to even 80 yards because they can hit the target at those ranges. By doing that you lose those benefits you speak of that are certainly there at shorter distances. Also I highly doubt with the stress on those limbs that they will even come close to the durability and longevity that we've all seen with those older Excals like the Exomax, Exomag, Exocet, Phoenix etc. Looks like the Mag 340 is the only model now with a lifetime warranty. Plus I can still actually load my Exocet by hand if need be, I have the string marked, not a chance with the crazy draw weights out there now. Saying that, it sure would be nice to have a nice micro series bow just for the size difference, but my Exocet still kills just fine and I know I'll never be tempted to try any shot at extended ranges.
Cheers

I agree, thats the same argument for black powder muzzys or really any gun or bow . Shoot within your abilities is something everyone should stick to. I dont understand why people think speed is a bad thing, probably the same people who think you cant have too much gun, (which you cant) lol

With my excal 400 if the limbs break Ill get a new set for free, and I dont plan on them breaking but if they do Im covered. Any brand can malfunction, each style of xbow has its pros and cons, find one you like and use it to take animals. I personally like the quietness of a compound xbow but I dont believe noise reduction helps string jump when shooting 30 yards so I went with an excal.

[MihajloSimsic]

The main issue I believe with these super fast bows now is that it promotes the inclination of archers, specially the younger ones, to shoot at much further distances of lets say 50 to even 80 yards because they can hit the target at those ranges. By doing that you lose those benefits you speak of that are certainly there at shorter distances. Also I highly doubt with the stress on those limbs that they will even come close to the durability and longevity that we've all seen with those older Excals like the Exomax, Exomag, Exocet, Phoenix etc. Looks like the Mag 340 is the only model now with a lifetime warranty. Plus I can still actually load my Exocet by hand if need be, I have the string marked, not a chance with the crazy draw weights out there now. Saying that, it sure would be nice to have a nice micro series bow just for the size difference, but my Exocet still kills just fine and I know I'll never be tempted to try any shot at extended ranges.
Cheers

Less experienced hunters being tempted to make bad shots at further distances because of higher powered crossbows is a terrible arguement imo. It doesn't matter what the tool is, there will always be someone that will take risky shots regardless and It's irresponsible to hold hunters that do hunt responsibly to that standard. Fact of the matter is, if you don't know the limits of yourself and your weapon then don't hunt. If that person chooses to ignore that, then that's on them and ONLY them.
My xbow shoots 460fps, I can comfortably shoot 115 yards on a target with it and still have more than enough power to get a full passthrough on a deer with it at that range. I do not however shoot that far with deer. I've taken turkey at 65 yards and a buck at 70 yards.
This was seen as controversial despite:
1. Me having plenty of experience shooting at that range and further.
2. The fact that the buck was perfectly still and there was zero debris and wind between us.
3. The arrow landed exactly where I aimed, did a full passthrough, and the buck dropped dead within 30 yards.
4. The fact that a deer jumping the string at that distance just will not happen, you can pull up whatever chart you want I literally tested this, it's beyond discussion. On one sit I shot a doe 40 yards behind me that was accompanied by another doe, not only did that doe barely react when I shot her buddy. But the other THREE does in the same place I later shot this buck, didn't even so much as look my way. But none-the-less the knuckle-draggers persisted with their nonsense arguement. The range that deer most often jump the string at 30-45 yards, but once you pass that 50 yard mark the sound is so minimal that the deer react to it as if it was a twig breaking.

I have absolutely zero clue why it's perfectly acceptable for compound shooters to take elk and deer at 70-80 yards but when you do it with a crossbow that is MUCH more reliable/accurate and MUCH more powerful it's seen as heresy.