Crossbow Advice

[NorthernRaider]

In conversations I have had with fellow preppers on here most of the guys initially buy 150 pound draw bows but pretty soon get emselves 100 or 95 pound spare prods which are apparently far more useful for practice and every day use. FYI Daryl Dixons bow on THE WALKING DEAD is 125 pound draw.

I totally buggered myself with a newly bought 150 pound draw Petron recurve, looking back I think I should have gotten a 95 pound bow and got used to it first before buying more powerful limbs.

I now use a Compound archery bow rather than a crossbow which doesnt hurt my back.

[Lightspeed]

NR's advice is sound.

I'm a new crossbow owner and am completely satisfied with the Armex Jaguar I purchased as a result of recommendations on here.

I'm also glad that I took the advice to purchase a 95lb prod, spare strings, spare knocks and a cocking rope at the same time.

The cocking rope halves the effort required to cock these brutes and is a very worthwhile investment.

[bigpaul]

I purchased one of the Armex 80LB pistol crossbows which is quite powerful enough, I had quite a job stringing that prod..anything more powerful than that and I would probably not be able to string it!

[Mortblanc]

I am going to buck the trend here. I hunt with crossbows and regular bow legally here in the U.S. Our deer archery season lasts for 5 months and we have a special crossbow season. One can also hunt with a crossbow during regular gun season, which is a month split into two sessions. I have carried a crossbow in the field for many hours and killed enough deer with them to have stopped keeping score.

I own 150/100/80/50 pound draw crossbows

Anything below the 125 level is good only for using on hay bales, 3d targets or other placebo effects. One might pot a rabbit, squirrel or rat with one of the lightweight models but for any target over 25 pounds weight you need the full montie offered by the 125-150 range. There is also the problem that most of the light weight bows are presented and built as toys and have the quality to match. Poor QC, poor materials, poor design and miniature arrows.

The crossbow normally equals the power of a normal bow with 1/3 the draw weight, so an 80 pound crossbow has no more power than a 25+- pound normal bow, a device generally regarded as a toy. Yes I realize there are people here that think they can hunt with a 25 pound bow, they can do so, just not effectively.

If you find cocking the 150 pound bow difficult you might consider a mechanical device, there are many available or you can make one.

I have had three back surgeries and I use a simple device that allows me to cock the 150 pound bow with no difficulty.

[Barneyboy]

(28 June 2013, 15:20)bigpaul Wrote: I purchased one of the Armex 80LB pistol crossbows which is quite powerful enough, I had quite a job stringing that prod..anything more powerful than that and I would probably not be able to string it!

I got my MX80 cobra one today think it will do the job on a connie, nice and light easy to cock very happy

[bigpaul]

(28 June 2013, 18:07)Barneyboy Wrote:

(28 June 2013, 15:20)bigpaul Wrote: I purchased one of the Armex 80LB pistol crossbows which is quite powerful enough, I had quite a job stringing that prod..anything more powerful than that and I would probably not be able to string it!

I got my MX80 cobra one today think it will do the job on a connie, nice and light easy to cock very happy

i have been told its quite adequate for wood pigeons, pheasants, rabbits and squirrels which is mostly what i would be hunting post collapse.like you say it is so easy to cock, have fitted mine with a red dot sight.

[Barneyboy]

(28 June 2013, 18:02)Mortblanc Wrote: I am going to buck the trend here. I hunt with crossbows and regular bow legally here in the U.S. Our deer archery season lasts for 5 months and we have a special crossbow season. One can also hunt with a crossbow during regular gun season, which is a month split into two sessions. I have carried a crossbow in the field for many hours and killed enough deer with them to have stopped keeping score.

I own 150/100/80/50 pound draw crossbows

Anything below the 125 level is good only for using on hay bales, 3d targets or other placebo effects. One might pot a rabbit, squirrel or rat with one of the lightweight models but for any target over 25 pounds weight you need the full montie offered by the 125-150 range. There is also the problem that most of the light weight bows are presented and built as toys and have the quality to match. Poor QC, poor materials, poor design and miniature arrows.

The crossbow normally equals the power of a normal bow with 1/3 the draw weight, so an 80 pound crossbow has no more power than a 25+- pound normal bow, a device generally regarded as a toy. Yes I realize there are people here that think they can hunt with a 25 pound bow, they can do so, just not effectively.

If you find cocking the 150 pound bow difficult you might consider a mechanical device, there are many available or you can make one.

I have had three back surgeries and I use a simple device that allows me to cock the 150 pound bow with no difficulty.

I think that a 100 lb draw cross will do the job on the small deer here in the uk and the 80lb pistol xbows are only for connies and birds ,if you cant get close enough to a deer to get a good hit then you shouldn't be hunting .but yes I have got a 150 draw compound for the too legged hunting

[bigpaul]

have got a horse bow and a long bow for serious hunting, along with broadheads and bodkins they are sufficient for my needs.

[Barneyboy]

(28 June 2013, 18:16)bigpaul Wrote: have got a horse bow and a long bow for serious hunting, along with broadheads and bodkins they are sufficient for my needs.

yeah very nice ,got a long bow that I got from the bow king tar tar hoarde made some arrows with bodkins ,not being funny but would not want to get one in the chest mate

[bigpaul]

(28 June 2013, 18:22)Barneyboy Wrote:

(28 June 2013, 18:16)bigpaul Wrote: have got a horse bow and a long bow for serious hunting, along with broadheads and bodkins they are sufficient for my needs.

yeah very nice ,got a long bow that I got from the bow king tar tar hoarde made some arrows with bodkins ,not being funny but would not want to get one in the chest mate

no you wouldn't..or anywhere else for that matter!