decisions,decisions

[John M]

Have narrowed down my initial purchase of crossbow to either an excalibur 380 or a barnett ghost 410. Any recommended suggestions on arrows to use and broadheads? Also appreciate feedback on some of top crossbow scopes. Thanks
John M

[mrbb]

well as for what bolts to use, I would honestly use the maker of the X bow, as this way you know they are made for your x bow,
both the X bow makers you listed have bene known to shoot 22 -24 and 20 inch bolts
and all make x bows of all different draw weights
thus when they sell a X bow in a package, they have bolts made just for that bow,
NOT saying you cannot match up other makers bolts
but since costs are so close, why bother I say

as for scopes, same deal, many have the hash lines set to match there bows,, thus meaning being a little different from brand to brand name Spec's
I like the reticles that can be light up, and even change color
and still have the standard Black , so in case if a battery dies, your still good! in Low light the lighted reticles are sweet, BUT make sure there is adjustable brightness, or they can be over powering, defeating the benefits

[Big_Holla]

Looking at the two on-line it looks like two excellent choices. The Excalibur being a recurve style @ 380 fps and the Barnett with a little more hi-tech look @ a whopping 410 fps. My thinking is I believe the recurve style is somewhat quieter than the cam style. I may be wrong on that so if there is a chance you can shoot both then do it!! That's the first thing we always say to someone looking for a new bow, shoot them all and then make your decision. Something to also consider in a crossbow is weight, the E weighs 5.9 lbs while the B weighs in at 7.2 lbs. Toting one around for the kids over the last couple of years has opened my eyes to the fact that those things are heavy!! Something to consider when hunting as well. Let us know what you decide!!

As far as a scope goes, we have a red dot style on our crossbow and I don't believe it has any magnification. It can change from red to green, variable brightness settings and has either three vertical dots or three vertical hash marks to choose from. Way too many options for me but it works well enough that the kids can use it easily.

[mrbb]

well Outdoor life Magazine, just did a good write up on x bow tests
the Barnett 410 got there writers best pick of 7 good x bows they tested , gave it 5 stars, and here are some results the sound level on the 410 was 94.95, and 149.99 lbs of KE
the E 380, had 98.2 db's of sound( a little louder) and 109.27 lbs of KE, a little more
the E 380, they only gave it 3 & 1/2 stars rating
real world speeds they got out of them were on the B 410- 417.48 fps
and on the E 380- 357.11 fps, so a little off on the claimed speeds, but sure rom x bow to x bow out the door stored energy can be slightly up or down a little
all I read on the B-410, in a couple mags so far, however, is its Always been higher FPS than rated but a 2-3 fps
so seems like the B 410 is the better pick,
OH and for real world weights of them, the B-410 weighted in at 8.67 lbs
and the E -380 in at 8.07 lbs
so splitting hairs there too I think
so a LONG walk that extra almost lb will add up, but its not a major deal in my book
maybe HOW and where the weight is once shoulders is however
I find that is more important to me, where the weight is on a x bow rather than totoal weight(to a point of course)
plus I gather what excesories you add or don't can change weights a bunck too! so room to work on saving or adding there!

[Big_Holla]

Hmm, then both of their sites are wrong on the weights. Surprised about the sound factors too. Pretty informative mrbb!!

[mrbb]

yea outdoor life any more does some good testing with , well there real numbers?
I am not 100% how ecactly they get there weights, as if there in the package set up and then weighed, or just stripped down
and or, if they use all same scopes, and not just the OEM scopes/quiver etc
so that could change weights off MFG's web sites I guess
but the speeds and noise levels and KE are all good to real world hunting info I think
but I still wouldn't buy a what ever without shooting it myself, and seeing how it fits me/feels in hands and at the shot
One thing they didn't show results for, but wish they did was trigger pulls on the X bows, as that can for sure make a bow easier to group with, and pending how light(read some these days have less than 2.5 lb triggers) as too light can not always be so good for new shooters or for wearing gloves/hunting

[John M]

Thanks for tips. As far as weight goes, not a priority,handicapped cant walk. Just purchased a polaris ranger 500 efi to get my mobility back. Now a couple ground blinds are needed to replace tree stands. Crossbow manactures offer package deals. Which differs from the traditional manner of outfitting my compound bow. COST has to come into affect. A crossbow with the best scope
,best arrows and best broadheads in a package would be rather cost prohibitive for the manufacturer and result in limited sales due to cost.
However I have enough of my own limitations consequently trying to eliminate any limitations with crossbow and accessories.

[John M]

Sorry, duplicate

[John M]

Thanks for tips. As far as weight goes, not a priority,handicapped cant walk. Just purchased a polaris ranger 500 efi to get my mobility back. Now a couple ground blinds are needed to replace tree stands. Crossbow manactures offer package deals. Which differs from the traditional manner of outfitting my compound bow. COST has to come into affect. A crossbow with the best scope
,best arrows and best broadheads in a package would be rather cost prohibitive for the manufacturer and result in limited sales due to cost.
However I have enough of my own limitations consequently trying to eliminate any limitations with crossbow and accessories.

[John M]

IE: hawke scopes
Black eagle zombies, straightness .001

[John M]

IE: hawke scopes
Black eagle zombies, straightness .001

[John M]

IE: hawke scopes
Black eagle zombies, straightness .001

[mrbb]

well you say weight isn't really an issue
but I would beg to differ some
as what I mean by weight is when your shouldering the weapon, where the weight is at, can make or break how comfortable it is to hold
and like I said before
the reverse limb X bows, are the ONLY one's on the market that doesn't have so much weight far away from the shooter, meaning them balance the weight more towards your shoulder, keping a TON of less weight way out there
and even when you carry the x bow on a sling, they do not be top heavy
you might not be walking far, but you will still be firing it from the shoulder,
just something to consider
and as for hawk scopes
never really heard of them, and the Arrows,well, sure they are great, but odds are there not needed
to be accurate with an X bow
and sure Easton's bolts are petty straight as well
Factory packages are proven to hold up, thsu why they sell so many
NOT saying an aftermarket item cannot be of better quality
But I know for a fact on SCopes, , many makers use different hash lines/reticle's, so a Factory one is most likely to sight in the most accurate with the hash lines on "X" ranges"
and AN X bow might make more recoil/vibrations, than a rifle scope can handle
its like Air guns, they have to be build a special way, as a just a high end rifle scope on an air gun, the air gun can chew up a scope that would last for yrs on a magnum rifle
its different apples to apples on air gun to rifles recoil/vibrations
and possibly the same deal on X bow
thus another reason to maybe stick with a OEM scope?
just food for thought

[mrbb]

well you say weight isn't really an issue
but I would beg to differ some
as what I mean by weight is when your shouldering the weapon, where the weight is at, can make or break how comfortable it is to hold
and like I said before
the reverse limb X bows, are the ONLY one's on the market that doesn't have so much weight far away from the shooter, meaning them balance the weight more towards your shoulder, keping a TON of less weight way out there
and even when you carry the x bow on a sling, they do not be top heavy
you might not be walking far, but you will still be firing it from the shoulder,
just something to consider
and as for hawk scopes
never really heard of them, and the Arrows,well, sure they are great, but odds are there not needed
to be accurate with an X bow
and sure Easton's bolts are petty straight as well
Factory packages are proven to hold up, thsu why they sell so many
NOT saying an aftermarket item cannot be of better quality
But I know for a fact on SCopes, , many makers use different hash lines/reticle's, so a Factory one is most likely to sight in the most accurate with the hash lines on "X" ranges"
and AN X bow might make more recoil/vibrations, than a rifle scope can handle
its like Air guns, they have to be build a special way, as a just a high end rifle scope on an air gun, the air gun can chew up a scope that would last for yrs on a magnum rifle
its different apples to apples on air gun to rifles recoil/vibrations
and possibly the same deal on X bow
thus another reason to maybe stick with a OEM scope?
just food for thought

[Strother23]

Would go with the barnett myself. As for scopes I personally like Truglo scopes. Red or green light choice. Always worked perfect for me And holds 0 nice.

[John M]

Finally made decisione
Barnett ghost 410
Rage 2blade 100 grains
Black eagle zombje slayers with luminoks 428 total grains courtesy of JERRY south shores archery supply.

Really impressed with crossbow but the ross scope is a rifle scope. Will give it a try, but a hawke might be in the future.

[John M]

Now this new york state resident has to travel to Ohio or Penn. To legally hunt deer with one. THE POLITICS OF IT ALL IS SUCH GARBAGE.

[John M]

Black eagle zomie slayers spine indexed strightness factor ,001. Headhunter are composite with straightness factor of .003 cant wait to the groupings

[hortontoter]

I don't think using the rifle scope will be an issue. I've been using an old Bushnell 3-9 on my SuperMag for eight or nine years. Never an issue and holds zero just fine.

As another physically challenged hunter I'll give you a little encouragement. You will find pop up ground blinds work pretty well. But, it takes the deer a while to get used to them. I utilize them, but find I feel just as well using a natural ground blind. I'm most confident in permanant stands that I have made. My favorite stand is one I made from a Port A Jon. I've made others from lumber and one from a lumber frame covered with cloth taken from a pop up blind that had broken zippers.

I can walk a bit, but drive a lawn tractor part way to some of my stands. I've made my Horton as light as possible due to having use of only my one arm. A cocking device is a must for me. I find the cocking device helps in accuracy also.

Enjoy your new crossbow and good luck.

[mrbb]

Well congrats on the new x bow
BUt doesn't NY allow them for handi cap people?
I know most state do, even if not allowed in normal seasons
here in Pa, before they made them legal, all you had to do wasget some paperwork filled out by a DR and submit it, and the game dept would issue you a permit to use it
might want to look into that
as for scopes, well I been happy with the one that came with my x bow, sure there are bigger brighter, but to be honest, bigger gets hevier, and well legal shooting hrs are what they are.to date mine has allowed me to see fine till , eve past legal hrs
just saying, a high dollar scope really isn't needed for an x bow
and trust me, I own plenty of high end optic's, and I am saying this lol
if you want or need more power, Ok, but you do loose field of view, and light gathering ability with higher power, so its a toss up on low light then , or even a loss