crossbow recommendation $500.00 or under?

Kansas-andres

5 year old buck +
I know, I know, A crossbow is not a bow. Can anyone recommend a decent bolt that's $500.00 or under? Thanks
 
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My boy has a Parker youth crossbow. 150lb pull if I remember right. Actually short and light enough to be very maneuverable in a tree or a blind.
 
You get what you pay for that's opinion. I shot a lot of the xbows before I bought my ten point. I can't say what it like owning a cheap one, but you can tell the difference on shooting them.
 
Dip, what did you pay for your ten point?
 
Got the $1700 venom for $1400 outta Florida. That is top end. Not saying you gotta get that one, but they are pretty nice around $1000. I would personally save for it, but that's me.
 
I think you'll be hard pressed to get a GOOD one for under $500, unless your looking for a bare bones model. I looked a a lot before I dropped a buck, well 850 to be exact. I went with a TenPoint Titan Xtreme Crossbow Package from Gander. It was on speceial about a month ago. It came with a soft side case, 6 bolts, quiver and an upgraded scope.
 
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Do a little reading on forums like Crossbow Nation. I thought long and hard. I had to go to a crossbow due to shoulder issues. I ended up buying a Skorpyd but that is way over your $500. The issue I had with the lower priced units was a marked instance of problems down the road. I only wanted to buy one once.
 
I will agree in that you tend to get what you pay for. I went cheap because I was not sure how well I (I mean the kids) would lik it. I actually got it as my son wanted to start archery hunting, but I knew he would no put the practice and use into a true bow set up. I thought it would be a lower cost to have a multiple person archery weapon (since true bows are so personal in their set-up). I shot cheap ones and expensive ones. I just couldn't bring myself to fork out the cash for something that may not get alot of use. There is a BIG difference especially in triggers between the cheap and the expensive. I got a cheap barnett kit and it's ok - it was abo $500 at BP. It's heavy and awkward and has a heavy trigger and the scope was crap. However I did take a deer with it. They take some getting used to - my muscle memory kicks in and expects a "bang" when I pull a trigger. They are louder than I expected as well. Mine really doesn't have any more range (at least at my skill level with it) than my compound bow. I went back tomy compound - I simply have more confidence with it, and it's much quieter. The front heavy nature and the overall lack of balance of them is just somthing I have struggled with. I would strongly suggest hunting with a borrowed one if you can before you buy one. Mine simply wasn't as much of a game changer as I thought it may be. It's one thing if you have to, but I will stick with my compund for the most part.
 
Do a little reading on forums like Crossbow Nation. I thought long and hard. I had to go to a crossbow due to shoulder issues. I ended up buying a Skorpyd but that is way over your $500. The issue I had with the lower priced units was a marked instance of problems down the road. I only wanted to buy one once.

My Dad has the skorpyd. One of the finest built products I've ever seen. Made in Iowa if I remember correctly. Thanks for all the input guys.
 
I looked over a few crossbows. Almost decided on a wicked ridge model for about $700.....before succumbing to the model I bought. I felt I may need the Accudraw cocking aid (ratchet) in time to come and I liked the compact nature of the xbow I bought. I bought the new Ten Point Shadow XL....which is light and small in size ....and a new model this year. It delivers 330+ fps with my hunting bolts. Price was $1099. via the internet (no tax or shipping).

Hard to beat the TenPoint or Wicked Ridge for good features and value....IMO. But it always seems like another $100 or $200 will get you another widget you want. Hard to draw the line on the prices.
 
i took the plunge this year too. i bought the mission mxb400. my understanding is that mathews donates all earnings from the mission line to charities. w/ the cost of that thing i feel like i should be able to write it off on my taxes. amazing how expensive xbows are.
 
If you can wait I would wait at least one year and two would be better. I bet you will find a ton of hardly used quality Xbows on the market for cheap when guys figure out this isn't as easy as they thought.
 
If you can wait I would wait at least one year and two would be better. I bet you will find a ton of hardly used quality Xbows on the market for cheap when guys figure out this isn't as easy as they thought.
That has been my plan all along!
 
My best advice is to go a really good dealer. If you have a Cabelas near you, that was the first place I went when I decided to try a crossbow. The first thing I found was that I did not like the very heavy front end. I also found the noise to be overbearing. I also noticed the standard scopes are pretty much junk . The salesmen at Cabelas were great to deal with though. They let me shoot about every model they had. Luckily this confused me more than I had expected. I decided to wait. Then I found a Barnett Vengeance to shoot. It is a reverse draw xbow. I really liked it. It balanced well and was much quieter. That was the first xbow I bought. I loved it.

Fate stepped in again when my truck was broken into and the xbow was stolen. My insurance company paid for it and a lot of other items that were taken. I had spent some time, by then, on crossbownation and learned about the Skorpyds. I used the insurance money to buy a Ventilator 150, easy to cock, and put a high quality scope on it. The aura is back in balance and the world is good. :)

Find a good dealer and shoot as many different models as you can. Then make a decision. As stated above, they are not as easy to master as most people think and have their limitations. But they are a lot of fun.
 
That has been my plan all along!

Me too. If I can find a good one cheap enough I might dabble with it. Otherwise I am fine with and prefer my compound.
 
I got the Barnett Ghost410..Love love love it..Bought a Vortex scope for it.Wasn't real impressed with the one it came with. They wanted 1200.00 for it at the local shop. I got it on Amazon with the same 2 year warranty for 800.00 .
 
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