Armex Tomcat MKII 80lb crossbow pistol review

[bigpaul]

there are some 6.5 bolts on ebay fairly cheap, are these any good or can i use wood?

[Tonka]

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but no, it wouldn't kill me very easily. It would just be possible to kill someone with a lucky shot. I do have the exact bow. At very close range at some points on the skull, it could be deadly, or if you happened to get an artery. With a body shot there would not be enough penetration to cause sufficient loss in blood pressure to stop any determined person you hit taking out their annoyance on you.
This does not mean it wouldn't be nasty to get shot with, and shouldn't be treated with respect, but it is not a good weapon to use against people. People are shot with those all the time as they are cheap enough to get in the hands of idiots, but people are not killed ... or even sustain lasting injuries. Because of this use by idiots there has been detailed police medical research done in to the lethality of 80lb pistol crossbows, as they were going to legislate against them. The results of the reports / tests showed that they didn't need to. Believe me if they had been deadly they would have been banned... this is the UK. It was an interesting report... if I can find it I'll share.
It's an OK deterrent, a good meal getter, but please don't think you can protect your family from raiders with it. If that's what you want, knock up a decent spear... primitive, but very very effective. A bit overkill for bunnies though.

BTW You can buy ally bolts with screw on heads for that very cheap.

[bigpaul]

how is it for shooting for the pot? the range seems a bit lame to me, i could get a load more wooden arrows for my longbow with that £30 + bolts.

[Barneyboy]

(15 April 2013, 18:40)Tonka Wrote: Sorry to be a wet blanket, but no, it wouldn't kill me very easily. It would just be possible to kill someone with a lucky shot. I do have the exact bow. At very close range at some points on the skull, it could be deadly, or if you happened to get an artery. With a body shot there would not be enough penetration to cause sufficient loss in blood pressure to stop any determined person you hit taking out their annoyance on you.
This does not mean it wouldn't be nasty to get shot with, and shouldn't be treated with respect, but it is not a good weapon to use against people. People are shot with those all the time as they are cheap enough to get in the hands of idiots, but people are not killed ... or even sustain lasting injuries. Because of this use by idiots there has been detailed police medical research done in to the lethality of 80lb pistol crossbows, as they were going to legislate against them. The results of the reports / tests showed that they didn't need to. Believe me if they had been deadly they would have been banned... this is the UK. It was an interesting report... if I can find it I'll share.
It's an OK deterrent, a good meal getter, but please don't think you can protect your family from raiders with it. If that's what you want, knock up a decent spear... primitive, but very very effective. A bit overkill for bunnies though.

BTW You can buy ally bolts with screw on heads for that very cheap.

antibiotics are going to be a real shit to get post TSHTF

[TheFalcon]

Ive been thinking about getting one of these,Is it worth it if i already own the 175lb jaguar crossbow(say as a back up)

[Highlander]

(15 April 2013, 14:55)bigpaul Wrote: to be honest, 10 yards is not a lot is it? my air rifle is zeroed in for 30 metres, at 10 yards i'd probably be better off with my slingbow and arrows, time i pay £30 + whatever it is for a decent stock of bolts, would i be better off spending that on more wooden arrows for my longbow?

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i'm not really interested in a "toy", i want something serious for post SHTF whether that is for hunting or "repelling invaders"!!

I can assure you they are not toys,.. we have two here, with both the metal bolts and the plastic,.. you wouldn't be disappointed with these either S13

BP... have you got your measurements right?,.. the British Air Shooters Association suggest that you zero in your air rifle at 10 meters,.. thats 30 feet,... 30 meters is 90 feet, surely you dont shoot an air rifle at that range

[Tonka]

(15 April 2013, 18:47)Barneyboy Wrote: antibiotics are going to be a real shit to get post TSHTF

Yeah, but something that kills a week after the incident doesn't help you put down the large man with the fire axe at the time. All that's going to do is make you feel slightly more smug as you look down to where your legs used to be. It really isn't a good personal defense choice, except for it's compactness and intimidation. Better than nothing but shouldn't be relied on. Same as an airgun... no good against a determined attacker. It would be OK to soften them up until they get close enough to switch to your machete though.
Still a good thing to have, just don't get too carried away with it's capabilities... impressive for it's size though they are.

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(15 April 2013, 19:03)TheFalcon Wrote: Ive been thinking about getting one of these,Is it worth it if i already own the 175lb jaguar crossbow(say as a back up)

Yes, I think it would. I own a 170lb recurve crossbow, but the low power of the pistol can actually be an advantage on some cases, like the flexibility of DIY ammunition it will tolerate, and it is less prone to shattering, bending or simply losing bolts.

But for defense against raiders, I think you would want to use the 175lb-er ... if you can cock it in time!

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(15 April 2013, 18:44)bigpaul Wrote: how is it for shooting for the pot? the range seems a bit lame to me, i could get a load more wooden arrows for my longbow with that £30 + bolts.

They are good for short range use on small game, for the reasons I listed (small broadheads needed really though). But if you are really good with a longbow then sticking with that may be the best thing. A big advantage to those little crossbows is that anyone can use one, not everyone can get a good hit with a longbow.
I have nowhere to practice my longbow. I used to be good... a loooong time ago, so at best I will be rusty. So I can't rely on that myself. I am looking for a new simple one-piece longbow though. There will be plenty of room to practice after the die off!

[Barneyboy]

(15 April 2013, 20:56)Highlander Wrote:

(15 April 2013, 14:55)bigpaul Wrote: to be honest, 10 yards is not a lot is it? my air rifle is zeroed in for 30 metres, at 10 yards i'd probably be better off with my slingbow and arrows, time i pay £30 + whatever it is for a decent stock of bolts, would i be better off spending that on more wooden arrows for my longbow?

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i'm not really interested in a "toy", i want something serious for post SHTF whether that is for hunting or "repelling invaders"!!

I can assure you they are not toys,.. we have two here, with both the metal bolts and the plastic,.. you wouldn't be disappointed with these either S13

BP... have you got your measurements right?,.. the British Air Shooters Association suggest that you zero in your air rifle at 10 meters,.. thats 30 feet,... 30 meters is 90 feet, surely you dont shoot an air rifle at that range

my too ten year old boys can and do hit two inch grouping at 35 yards with air rifles and yes i do head shoot rabbits all the time at 35 40 yards with air rifles

[bigpaul]

(15 April 2013, 20:56)Highlander Wrote: BP... have you got your measurements right?,.. the British Air Shooters Association suggest that you zero in your air rifle at 10 meters,.. thats 30 feet,... 30 meters is 90 feet, surely you dont shoot an air rifle at that range

yes, my air rifle is zeroed at 10metres, but at 30 metres its still dead on the button, as for not shooting an air rifle at that range-surely your joking? tell me your joking!

[Digger]

BP, we get approx. From .177s and .22s zero's at 10m we get an approx 1cm POI drop at 30m.

pellets used are:

.177 round nose 0.45g
.22 round nose 0.95g

30m is completely viable for taking bunnies with either calibre.

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Very good review on the armex TH.

Thank you for this. A good low tech long term solution.