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Hi everyone!

2K views 18 replies 13 participants last post by  Gabowman 
#1 ·
I'm new to this forum and crossbows—sort of—and I have a question, but I am not sure if I should ask it here or somewhere else (on this forum).

I bought an Excalibur Axiom almost a decade ago. I really wanted to take up deer hunting at the time and using a crossbow appealed to me since we were limited to shotguns in Ohio at the time. My first [and only] day on the range was very exciting especially after witnessing how accurate it was right out of the box, but then something happened. Life got in the way, in a big way, and in a way that changed the trajectory of my life forever. I don't know how a decade came and went so quickly, but after all these years I finally have the time to pick up where I left off, so I pulled my old "new" crossbow out of storage recently.

First and foremost, do you think it's safe? It has been strung and thus under tension the hole time (literally a decade), and though it looks like the day I bought it, I just read in the manual that "If your crossbow is not used for an extended period of time you may choose to unstring it. Unstringing your crossbow will relax the limbs and increase their life expectancy."

If it's safe, do I need to change the string and do anything other than make sure all the fasteners are tight and the bow is in working order? I've inspected the fasteners which are tight, and the bow generally, and the only rust I could find was on one of the field points still attached to a bolt. I buffed the rust out, coated it will some gun oil, and now I'm wondering what to do next.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
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#7 ·
I'm new to this forum and crossbows—sort of—and I have a question, but I am not sure if I should ask it here or somewhere else (on this forum).

I bought an Excalibur Axiom almost a decade ago. I really wanted to take up deer hunting at the time and using a crossbow appealed to me since we were limited to shotguns in Ohio at the time. My first [and only] day on the range was very exciting especially after witnessing how accurate it was right out of the box, but then something happened. Life got in the way, in a big way, and in a way that changed the trajectory of my life forever. I don't know how a decade came and went so quickly, but after all these years I finally have the time to pick up where I left off, so I pulled my old "new" crossbow out of storage recently.

First and foremost, do you think it's safe? It has been strung and thus under tension the hole time (literally a decade), and though it looks like the day I bought it, I just read in the manual that "If your crossbow is not used for an extended period of time you may choose to unstring it. Unstringing your crossbow will relax the limbs and increase their life expectancy."

If it's safe, do I need to change the string and do anything other than make sure all the fasteners are tight and the bow is in working order? I've inspected the fasteners which are tight, and the bow generally, and the only rust I could find was on one of the field points still attached to a bolt. I buffed the rust out, coated it will some gun oil, and now I'm wondering what to do next.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
OOPS, Tickhound
 
#9 ·
Welcome to the Nation Brimmer. I'm new too and also have an Excalibur Axiom. I just bought mine a couple weeks ago and haven't even shot it yet. I know what you mean about life getting in the way. I retired a year ago and I still don't have time to do everything I want to. And BTW, I'm in Pennsylvania and I'm just across the Ohio line up by Lake Erie. Since you said you were " limited to shotguns in Ohio at the time" does that mean you can now use rifles in Ohio?
This site is amazing, I've been absorbing information like a sponge. You sure picked a great place to ask questions. A lot of folks on other forums don't have time for rookies, but not these folks. They are fantastic.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Welcome to the Nation Brimmer. I'm new too and also have an Excalibur Axiom. I just bought mine a couple weeks ago and haven't even shot it yet. I know what you mean about life getting in the way. I retired a year ago and I still don't have time to do everything I want to. And BTW, I'm in Pennsylvania and I'm just across the Ohio line up by Lake Erie. Since you said you were " limited to shotguns in Ohio at the time" does that mean you can now use rifles in Ohio?
This site is amazing, I've been absorbing information like a sponge. You sure picked a great place to ask questions. A lot of folks on other forums don't have time for rookies, but not these folks. They are fantastic.

I appreciate you and everyone else taking the time to answer, say hello and offer suggestions. Regarding rifles, yes, in Ohio we can hunt with straight walled cartridges .357 and up. As such, our gun stores are selling a lot of .350 Legends.

After sighting in all those years ago (I assume, but I don't remember actually sighting it in), this was my first four shots at 40 yards. I just threw on a Leupold rimfire scope with a fine duplex and headed down to our state public range. As soon as I saw this I realized I shouldn't be shooting four bolts into the same area of a target. Luckily I didn't break any of them, but I was surprised how accurate this "lower end" Excalibur crossbow is. I don't think "Low end" and "Excalibur" belong in the same sentence. That will do just fine for deer. By the way, my Axiom is of the SMF variety (polymer). In retrospect I wish I had paid extra for aluminum, but I can't argue with the accuracy. Considering I didn't get much use out of it for almost a decade, I guess I'm glad I didn't spend the extra money.

199546
 
#11 ·
I heard back from a "Customer Service/Warranty Technician | Excalibur" this morning. I had emailed my question to them as well if anyone is interested.


"Good morning Brian,
Thanks for your email, I will answer each question in order
I would expect your limbs to be good as long as they were not stored near any kind of heat source, direct sunlight through a window or a even a light bulb in close proximity.
The best way to check is to check the tiller. Measure from the back of the limb where it comes out of the riser back to the string. If the two measurements are within an 1/8"
then the limbs are probably fine and ok to cock and shoot. Shooting is really the only way to find out 100%. Make sure the brace height is OK. Brace height is the distance
from where the riser and the rail meet back to the string. With that model your looking at a brace height of 1" to 1-1/4". It might be a good idea to replace the string.
If it has dried out or stretched excessively its time for a new one. Shoot the bow and if it is grouping and consistent then all is good!!
Sound suppression for that model, I would recommend the S-5 Reds and a string silencer, these will help and are both available to purchase directly from our website.
A cheek piece is available for you bow, it's part number 1953 and is also available on the website. ( for traditional bows )
I hope this answers all our questions, feel free to reach out if you have any further questions.
Thanks and have a great day !!"

Luckily, the bow was never in direct sunlight or by a heater. This is the results of my inspection after listening to everyone's suggestions:

  • Both measurements from the back of the limb were exactly 1/8".
  • The brace height was exactly 1" (measuring to the bottom of the string).
  • I reintroduced all the fasciners and trigger group to WD-40 (no external rust was a good sign. Hopefully the trigger group is in tact. I never exposed it to moisture or temperature changes so I'm sure it's fine).
  • Inspecting the limbs, I detect nothing abnormal, everything is smooth, so hopefully it's good to go, but I guess I won't know until I shoot it next week.
  • I ordered some silicon-based oil and serving wax (the stuff I had from a decade ago is probably no good unless it is supposed to be as hard as granite).
  • I found the original and unopened stringer (so I have that covered when I have to replace the string).
  • I can't tell if the Flemish DynaFLIGHT string is dried out, but it doesn't look frayed or worn in any way and the brace height doesn't show that it has stretched, so I'll probably shoot it first and see what happens before immediately replacing the string. I want to check the accuracy compared to the last and only time I shot it all those years ago before I change the string. I wonder if it has held up after being strung and unused all this time. I have all the original bolts, field tips (and 150 grain Excalibur broadheads), but I do have to get a new scope (I sold the other one). I'm leaning towards a Vortex Crossfire II.

Anyway, I'm pretty happy that I'll have my old Axiom up and running along with some much needed practice before hunting season. Thanks again to everyone for their help!
 
#16 ·
Brian, welcome to the forum. Seems like your Axiom is fine, and the string is too, for now. I would contact Danny Miller of Horizontal Archery in Sardis, Ohio, and order a couple of new strings plus a string changing tool, if you don’t have one. Not much else you need. Oh, if it were me, I’d stop shooting groups, and shoot one each at multiple spots. Saves money in the long run. Good luck!
 
#19 ·
Welcome to the boards.
 
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