Now that you have decided a cross bow is for you. Following up on the last segment. You have to determine which one is best for you. You have shot a few, and set a budget, the mind boggling thing is that so many have jumped onto the bandwagon. Some companies specialize in making just crossbows and others are spin offs from verticle bow manufacturers.
One example is Mission Archery has a complete line of crossbows. Mission, is a subsidiary of Mathews Archery and marketed to beginner and smaller framed shooters. Their crossbows are excellent quality and at a good price point for most introductory shooters. But tier quality is not equal to most introductory models. Others who make only crossbows and at the high end are TenPoint. Perhaps the best of the best crossbows are those made by TenPoint. These are the smoothest to load, balanced well and shoot exceptionally well. But these are in the five figure range for the low end ones. Most hunters new to the sport don’t want to drop fifteen hundred dollars for a basic crossbow without any accessories necessary.
Like many things in the archery business, buying the bow is the beginning. Now you need quality optics suited for the crossbow. Rifle optics are not setup for the speed of the crossbow and difficulty to sight in properly. Most companies offer optics for their brands but these are marginal at best. You will definitely want to replace these soon after you get them.
Zeiss Optics just introduced a scope designed specifically for the crossbow shooter. It is balanced and designed for the crossbow specifically. This is the first of the top end optics companies to offer a quality scope for the crossbow. Other companies are jumping on board and there should be more offerings in the coming seasons.
All major arrow manufacturers offer quality bolts built on their same patterns as their traditional arrows. Balancing out a bolt can be a bit of a challenge. Their short stature means you will have to use heavier broadheads to get the kinetic energy you are looking for to achieve the penetration needed. While most broadheads will work with added weight. Some broadhead companies have introduced heads designed for the shorter bolts and crossbow speed. G5 is one that has made adjustments to their popular heads, the Havoc and Montec both have editions for the crossbow market.
Some other companies have crossbow heads which is really the exact same broadhead as their vertical bow heads, packaged differently and marked up fifteen percent. So be careful, most of the broadheads you use for your compound bow will work on your crossbow provided it is heave enough. A 125 grains should be your minimum. If you do not have these, you can usually add some weight to the arrow to achieve the same balance.
When you decide on a crossbow just remember that you have to get the rest of the stuff that goes with it, including quivers, sights, and case to haul it in. It can easily set you back a grand and a half or more just to get started. For my money, look for a used one that someone bought and decided it wasn’t for them and are unloading it for half price. Just remember if you enjoy it, and it gets you into the woods. Then have at it and spend as much time as you can in the out of doors.
