Crossbows

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 1:48 pm

I grew up with a longbow in my hand, as one of my father's passions was the making of bows, though I was never any good with it. Later I hunted small game (legally vermin in the UK - pigeons, crows and rabbits; the only game I ever took was an illegal hare or six) with an air rifle and a close stalk, and later a 12 bore/12 gauge introducing me to the pleasure of hitting a fast-moving target. Later, I graduated to a muzzle-loading caplock side by side shotgun simply for the fun factor, and in homage to Richard Jefferies who was born about two miles from my birthplace (he wrote The Amateur Poacher and The Gamekeeper at Home, books that any gun nut should read, but I would urge those inclined to try Wood Magic, an excellent Victorian children's fantasy that has more knowledge of nature in it than a whole semester of biology classes). Ultimately, I bought a side by side Spanish sidelock 12G with a straight grip, 28" barrels and choked improved cylinder and modified cylinder (1/4 and 1/2 choke to you guys). Light and easy to throw up to the shoulder for that 40mph pigeon that suddenly came over a hedge. Then I moved to Canada and given the more trusting laws of Canada compared to the UK, I expanded my collection of firearms to include those forbidden in the UK even though unexciting to north American eyes - a Marlin .22 semi-auto, a Winchester 30-30, and even a restricted weapon here since the barrel is all of half an inch too short, a 30 carbine made by the Underwood Typewriter Co, which shows just what total war can do for you if it tries! Eventually, I returned to black powder, and a .50 Hawken rifle and lead slugs cast in a Lee mould.
Now, I haven't killed a beast for years, and have deer, raccoons, a skunk and even once a bear and once a fox, in the garden here. The lust for blood lessens with age it seems. But I find myself suddenly fascinated with crossbows, which seem to have matured in their incorporation of modern technology. Anyway, the means of providing protein under difficult circumstances is no bad thing. I have been comparing recurve and compound bows, and find myself persuaded by the reliability, simplicity, and accuracy arguments of the Ontario-made Excalibur bows. I daresay there are some wetshavers here who have experience of crossbows in the field and I'd be delighted to hear from you. Any experiences to share of the technical side, or hunting exploits with such tools?

Chris

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:16 pm

The closest I've come to observing crossbows is watching their use by Tia Carrere in 'Relic Hunter'.

jtpca · Post by **jtpca** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:54 pm

Squire wrote:The closest I've come to observing crossbows is watching their use by Tia Carrere in 'Relic Hunter'.

... and she did have an aptitude.

Kyle76 · Post by **Kyle76** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:09 pm

Some of my buddies have recently gotten into crossbows for deer hunting as they have become legal in North Carolina. What do you need to know, Chris? I'll be glad to inquire. Most bow hunters use compounds around here, but I have one friend who uses a recurve for the challenge.

jww · Post by **jww** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:47 pm

Not into crossbows myself. However, the Excaliber Pixel sure looks like a crossbow that has been given the LiveStrong treatment.

rsp1202 · Post by **rsp1202** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 9:22 pm

One of the publications I used to edit was Crossbow magazine. This brings back memories. Wish we could have featured you, Chris; I was getting tired of Ted Nugent.

JohnP · Post by **JohnP** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 9:25 pm

There are some really nice crossbows in local stores, some of which cost more than midst firearms....
Chris, I'm curious how long it typically took your father to make a bow, as I've a stave of yew and a couple cow horn tips, that have been in my possession a few years now whilst I build the nerve to eventually either make a bow or ruin the stave...
John P

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Fri Nov 11, 2011 3:26 am

Not, perhaps, as long as it should. He experimented with laminating various kinds of wood, adding fibreglass and steaming the wood to bend it. I don't remember much about the steaming but I think he built himself a steambox. This was in the mid-sixties.

Chris

Post by **ichabod** » Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:57 am

jww wrote:Not into crossbows myself. However, the Excaliber Pixel sure looks like a crossbow that has been given the LiveStrong treatment.

Surely the Axiom SMF is the one for the good doctor:
http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/catalo ... ossbow_kit

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Sat Nov 12, 2011 8:55 am

Already noted and ordered. Should I earn enough next month an Equinox might also be a good idea. I see my 26 year old NS Firearm Hunter Safety Certificate was replaced some years ago by a Wildlife Resources Card, and I must call a 1-900 number to get the replacement. Then an online course (which looks idiotically simple) to get a Crossbow Safety Course. Then wait 30 days and call the 1-900 number again to order a new card with the crossbow certification. Somehow I have the impression that all of this is nothing to do with regulation or safety, but simply a revenue stream for our inept provincial government.

Chris

ShadowsDad · Post by **ShadowsDad** » Sun Nov 13, 2011 1:03 pm

Pity I didn't see this sooner.

I have an Excaliber Magnum (edit: my mistake- Exomag- I see it's been replaced with ExoMax). Excellent crossbow. I love the thing but don't shoot it often enough. I live in rural Maine and have a handgun range and 100 yard rifle range on my property, and I'm an NRA instructor, so you can imagine the bow doesn't get used very often.

Some points re: the Excaliber:
>Excellent trigger (for a crossbow)
>arrow speed over 300 fps depending on the weight of the shaft of course
>Scary accuracy. Think Robin Hood type accuracy. You can destroy arrows at 40 yards if you don't deliberately open up the group.
>there's simply nothing to go wrong with the design, that's why I bought an Excaliber over one of the modern pulley wheel bows.
> it's not as difficult to cock as one would think, even easier with the pulley arrangement they sold at one time, they still might sell it, I don't know. I have yet to even replace a string on the bow. Tip: Keep it dressed.
> One negative that I know of: it's not very quiet, but one can have arrow speed or quiet but not both. My neighbor 100 yards away can hear the bow when I'm using it. A vertical bow is much quieter. That makes a difference for deer hunting. Deer have been known to jump at the sound of the release.

I don't know the limb strength on the one you bought, but if you ever use it in the forest, it's a major no-no to let the limb(s) strike a tree or sapling. It'll break a collarbone because the limbs are going to make something move when their energy is released. I know on mine (300# limbs if I'm not mistaken) it's a foregone conclusion; hit a limb on a tree and break my collarbone. I have never done it btw.

A fantasy of mine since childhood has been to hunt and kill a Russian boar with a crossbow and that's why I bought it. I still haven't gotten my boar and I can hunt them less than 100 miles away. Someday I'll find the time. But like you DM, my blood lust is lessening with age. But I understand Russian boar meat is quite excellent and there's only one way to get it.

When I first got the CB and after setting it up and sighting it in, I couldn't believe what I was getting for accuracy. I have a scope on it with 3 aiming points using the duplex reticle. The lowest aiming point (for highest trajectory) was sighted in for 40 yards. I took it over to a friends to show it off. We set the target butt at 40 yards and I loaded it for him. First one in the bullseye, 2nd and 3rd as well. He just shook his head in disbelief. Scary accurate.

Good luck with yours. They're huge fun!

Captain Pre-Capsize · Post by **Captain Pre-Capsize** » Sun Nov 13, 2011 6:46 pm

No experience myself but I do recall in shop class in ninth grade. We all had to have a woodworking project and several of the guys made wooden crossbows. Try that today!

ShadowsDad · Post by **ShadowsDad** » Sun Nov 13, 2011 11:23 pm

I just spent some time on the Excalibur website. WOW! lots of stuff they didn't have years ago. When I got my ExoMag I got a VHS tape and that was pretty much it. It had everything required and one hunt on it, but there is so much more today.

I no longer see the forum, but there are lots of videos.

In the past it was possible to contact Mr Troubridge (Jerry? It was years ago. I thought it was Bill.) personally, I no longer see any contact info. So the website is better in some respects and not as good in others. Contact with the founder was a neat thing. I was testing different shafts, weights and balances and it was nice to have his input. Times change and he has a great many XBs "out there" so things must get impersonal due to time constraints if nothing else.

They have lots of accessories as well. The stringer is pretty neat. The ExoMag is tough to string manually. I'll probably string it manually until I die now that I know how to do it, but it would have been nice to have an option back when I first got it. I like the limb silencer too (that's not what it's called) they didn't have that years ago. Gotta get that.

Thanks for this thread DM!

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 5:56 am

We had dinner with some friends a while back. One is an avid hunter, and he was explaining how he'd recently moved into the crossbow. I was impressed by the technology now available, didn't say I understood it, but I tried, and was impressed with what he was saying about it. Made me want to give it a try. Target, not hunting!