cross bow

[camoNick]

I was wondering how hard it realy is to **** a 160 pound crossbow with the foot thingy, I heard you can get really good acuaracy with a cross bow and can gaurantee to send a arow through the side of a deer. Has anyone tried the barnett 400 quad cross bow it looks realy good.

[Black Mamba]

I would personally recommend a horton, excaliber, or parker instead of the barnett. I have heard of too many quality control issues with the Barnetts. As for the cocking procedure, it is easy to do on land(depends on physical condition), but in a treestand it may be another story. Most recommend cocking the bow on ground and hoist it up (no bolt loaded). A cranking device is a lot more safe when using from a treestand.

[Yooper]

Yes, get a cocking device. They help a lot.

Now as to accuracy, they're no more accurate than anything else. In fact, I'd question anyone who said otherwise. And as to power, they're a bow and arrow. Plain and simple... A just about any adult-sized bow will get a pass-through on a deer. Why wouldn't a crossbow? In fact, I've been told time and time again, that a crossbow actually has a smaller effective range compared to a decent compound bow.

The only reason I've ever shot one and the only reason I'd ever consider buying one is that they are fun to shoot. But what isn't fun to shoot?

[pre6422hornet]

Yooper is correct. A crossbow bolt does not have as much kenetic energy than a "regular length" arrow due to decreased weight. The bolt slows down alot faster than an arrow. Think of throwing a wiffle ball as hard as you can and then a real baseball. The real baseball will go a lot farther. This causes the trajectory arc to increase. Wind will also effect the trajectory more with a bolt. Also from my experience with friends who shoot crossbow, they are very loud. In Ohio the minimum draw weight for a bow is 40lbs. A 40 lbs bow with a razor sharp broadhead will pass through a whitetail and make a clean harvest, I have seen it done by my friends son. If you are looking to get into bowhunting, I recommend not getting all caught up in the " you have to shoot the fastest, most expensive, brand new this year product". Get something well made that you can shoot accurately. And practise, practise, practise......

good luck
pat

[Yooper]

Yeah, when it comes to fast bows, my father-in-law, the most successful bowhunter I persoanlly know, feels that the faster the arrow is going, te further you have to pull it out of the dirt on the other side of the deer.

Fast bows are cool, but it is in no way the most important aspect to a bow. Regardless of what you may read.

[Black Mamba]

Th parker safari magnum shoots a 20 bolt with a 125 grain tip at 320 fps. A full length arrow from the fastest bow with IBO specs is around 350 fps. The IBO specs state a 30 inch, 70 pound draw, with 5 grains per inch, so the arrow should weigh 350 grains. The KE for for the cross bow is 126.24 foot pounds at initial velocity. The fastest bow would be 95.23. The fastest bow velocity does not have any string silencers or noking points to get that speed. A cross bow and regular bow have a range of less than 50 yards and for most treestand hunters 20 yards. Just because a bolt is shorter does not mean it carries less punch.

[OhioOutdoorsman]

I have a Horton that is 10 yrs old. Still shoots as well as the day I got it. Restrung it seveal times. Taken several deer. Its only a 150 lb pull. Shoots very flat out to 30 yds and I have a fixed 4x Horton scope that heps me with 40 yrd shots with its ballistic plex. I am deadly out to 40yds, but I've found it to be too incosistent further than that. Like with all bows, you need a good angle on the deer.

As far as cocking it in a tree stand, this is not a problem if you have a platform rest for your feet. In the ladder stands I hunt out of most of the time, I'm able to **** it without difficulty from a seated position. However, I usually **** it before I go out, mostly to avaoid the loud click it makes in the field.

Got this new with quiver and arrows for $150 back in the day.