Crossbow Recommendation?
- Thread starter bigbendmarine
- Start date
I have shot quite a few hogs with a Ravin. You cant shoot one out of a herd and the rest just stand around. They wont do that with a compound, either. I have shot a hog and then killed another one on the same trail five minutes later. Even though the ravin is pretty loud, it is nowhere near as loud as most supressed rifles.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
My boy bought a Parker youth model (Challenger) many yrs ago. It doesn't get shot much but it's the right size and its never given us a single problem.
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Mortenson
5 year old buck +
My dad and I shot our tenpoints on the range together. Mine the brand new one, his a ten year old model that was mid pack. We only went to 40 yards that day, but his was every bit as accurate, sub half inch. The only difference was mine is faster. On a large cube target, mine buried into the fletches. His wouldn't do that. I think mine (stealth nxt) boasts 144 foot lbs. Ravin boasts over 160.
bigbendmarine
5 year old buck +
Finally got one. After reading all relevant threads I could find online, I was leaning towards the Ravin and Ten Point stealth but once I actually put my hands on them to compare all the options in person I walked away with an Excalibur Assassin.
Being a recurve, definitely not quite the sleek profile or speed of the Ravin and Stealth but 1) does have the ability to de-cock without firing, 2) I like the quiet cranking (no clicking), and 3) having handled guns all my life I like the adjustable stock and adjustable cheek-piece. I bet I spent an hour going back and forth between the 3 comparing them but I kept going back the Excalibur as the one that fit / felt best shouldered.
For anyone who hasn't seen the Assassin, this video hypes it fairly well.
Shot it a good bit since buying it. Amazed at how precise crossbows are today! Fairly quickly splintered one bolt at 30 yards by hitting it with a follow-up shot. Moved to shooting at different spots on the target after that.
Being a recurve, definitely not quite the sleek profile or speed of the Ravin and Stealth but 1) does have the ability to de-cock without firing, 2) I like the quiet cranking (no clicking), and 3) having handled guns all my life I like the adjustable stock and adjustable cheek-piece. I bet I spent an hour going back and forth between the 3 comparing them but I kept going back the Excalibur as the one that fit / felt best shouldered.
For anyone who hasn't seen the Assassin, this video hypes it fairly well.
Shot it a good bit since buying it. Amazed at how precise crossbows are today! Fairly quickly splintered one bolt at 30 yards by hitting it with a follow-up shot. Moved to shooting at different spots on the target after that.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
I didn't see that coming! Sounds like a great choice, and some great options come with it. How was the price comparison?
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bigbendmarine
5 year old buck +
Catsratch, ever so slighly cheaper than the Ravin and Stealth price point... about $100 less.
How about the noise level? Saw that you stated that you had some concerns about it prior to purchasing this one, and I’m in a similar situation. You think it will allow you to shoot hogs on the stand without alerting other game as much, compared to a gun?
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bigbendmarine
5 year old buck +
Don't want to downplay the noise level of the crossbow but I find it to be a significantly quieter "thunk" sound than a sharp ringing bang. I'd FAR prefer shooting hogs with it than rifle during our deer season. My deer tend to clear out and put distance between themselves and any hogs that enter plots so spooking deer should be minimal if your deer do the same.
I shot the crossbow about 20 times this afternoon, and then sat at a stand only about 100 yards away a couple of hours later and saw 7 deer (4 does, 1 spike, 2 decent jr bucks I'm giving passes). None acted the least bit skittish.
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Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
I was kind of ushered into buying a X-bow this fall by a bad back. I bought a Horton Vortec RDX. It has reverse limbs and I compared it to a Ten Point for balance and noise when I shot both on a test range. The range was indoors, so I got a "full effect" of noise as it echoed off the walls.
I chose the Horton because it balanced better and wasn't so front-heavy as the Ten Point was. It was also a fair amount quieter than the Ten Point. Horton was bought out by Ten Point and Horton X-bows are made by Ten Point. The scope is 10 pt., the mount and safety are 10 Pt., quiver is 10 pt., and so is the Accu-Draw cocking device. I like the adjustable scope reticles for varying brightness in dim light. At 30 yds. outdoors I was shooting into the same holes with practice bolt / practice mech. broadhead. 30 yds. is my limit for any shot with a bow of any kind, and most of my shots will be 10 to 20 yds. because of my stand locations in thicker cover. $849 out of the box with all features mentioned.
I chose the Horton because it balanced better and wasn't so front-heavy as the Ten Point was. It was also a fair amount quieter than the Ten Point. Horton was bought out by Ten Point and Horton X-bows are made by Ten Point. The scope is 10 pt., the mount and safety are 10 Pt., quiver is 10 pt., and so is the Accu-Draw cocking device. I like the adjustable scope reticles for varying brightness in dim light. At 30 yds. outdoors I was shooting into the same holes with practice bolt / practice mech. broadhead. 30 yds. is my limit for any shot with a bow of any kind, and most of my shots will be 10 to 20 yds. because of my stand locations in thicker cover. $849 out of the box with all features mentioned.
