[Slingbowsavy357]

Hello guys my names John. I have never owned a crossbow other than hand toy crossbows and I have a few questions regarding my first purchase. The purpose of this bow would be for fun, hunting white tail and smaller game, prepping senario tool and budget option to get into the sport. I would need it to be fast enough to shoot a deer at 50 yards and under without the deer being able to duck the shot and get wounded. I would like it to be a recurve for de cocking ability and ability to fix in the field and restring without crazy tools. It must be accurate enough for ethical kills. I saw a jaguar for 70 bucks and 215 fps. I liked the simplicity and light compact style but wasn't sure how fast i need to avoid deer ducking the shot. I can pay up to 500 bucks but I like getting what i need without paying for what I dont. Thanks guys.

 

[Moon]

I think a used Excal is your best bet.

 

[Iron Duke]

I think a used Excal is your best bet.

Agreed … Excalibur is the lead dog of recurves. Bulletproof and well proven. World class customer service too. I'd stay away from the highest speed Excaliburs though. They're gorillas to deal with, and not really suited for a beginner. Personally, I'd look for something in the 300fps-350fps range. There are plenty of lower priced, good quality compounds, but the Prepper criteria rules them out.

 

[Moon]

What Duke said;-)

 

[Huntersthompson]

Honestly,beginner cheap reliable xbow. Enough speed and power to kill a deer or larger, barnett jackal. Simple but it works well. Have my sons shooting 330 fps. You can buy one for $160.00 if you look. If you fall in love with xbows sell it or give it to a friend and upgrade.

 

[Gabowman]

CenterPoint Sniper is a good bow for the [email protected] $200 new. Like said, look for a used Excalibur in the 300+ fps range. It will do it all for ya and will last a lifetime.

Welcome to the boards.

 

[SEW]

Look on the trading posts of this forum and CT. A KI Ripper 415 is a good bow at a low price also. I don’t think deer duck bow noise at 50 yards, possibly a noisy arrow.

 

[Huntersthompson]

Look on the trading posts of this forum and CT. A KI Ripper 415 is a good bow at a low price also. I don’t think deer duck bow noise at 50 yards, possibly a noisy arrow.

Love my ripper but 200lb. Draw might not be for everyone.

 

[SEW]

Love my ripper but 200lb. Draw might not be for everyone.

A crank is available. Correct?

 

[Huntersthompson]

A crank is available. Correct?

I do not think their dead silent crank will work on the ripper because of how the stock is built. Do you use a crank on your swats?

 

[SEW]

I do not think their dead silent crank will work on the ripper because of how the stock is built. Do you use a crank on your swats?

Not at all. They are easy, imo . I do think they have a crank for the Ripper.

 

[Huntersthompson]

Not at all. They are easy, imo . I do think they have a crank for the Ripper.

Found a video for one,not the dead silent. A very basic one. Unacceptably loud. I have heard garage door openers that are quieter. They called it the ki series crank.

 

[SEW]

Sorry.

 

[TX_RDXguy]

Hello guys my names John. I have never owned a crossbow other than hand toy crossbows and I have a few questions regarding my first purchase. The purpose of this bow would be for fun, hunting white tail and smaller game, prepping senario tool and budget option to get into the sport. I would need it to be fast enough to shoot a deer at 50 yards and under without the deer being able to duck the shot and get wounded. I would like it to be a recurve for de cocking ability and ability to fix in the field and restring without crazy tools. It must be accurate enough for ethical kills. I saw a jaguar for 70 bucks and 215 fps. I liked the simplicity and light compact style but wasn't sure how fast i need to avoid deer ducking the shot. I can pay up to 500 bucks but I like getting what i need without paying for what I dont. Thanks guys.

Keeping in line with the recurve idea, the Excalibur bows are solid buys and the right one in good used condition may be out there. Watch the classifieds here and on AT.

Also take a look at the Primal 330 from Centerpoint. That's a decent recurve package that's fast and setup pretty well. You can buy that $599 MSRP package new for just under $300 on eBay. The scope and arrows are the weak point but for $80 (on eBay as well) you can have a NIB $300 Ravin R10 scope that would be great on this xbow. Get some BEE arrows from Jerry at Tapp-Nation and you still are well under your $500 budget.

 

[Huntersthompson]

Sorry.

Sorry.

No worries, I have no problem pulling it, but I am not small. My buddy tried it and he struggled.

 

[Slingbowsavy357]

Yeah I was just wondering if i could get away with the 215 to 250 fps cheap 60 to 70 dollar bow but from my research and what you guys are saying id feel more comfortable with it 290 to 315 with a recurve. I usually hunt with my muzzleloader or a rifle because where i you have to jump deer out of thier beds in yhe brush and frankly I dont have the skill set for bow or crossbow... Yet. Anyway could any of you guys tell me how often xbows need maintenance that would require a shop if i did my part maintaining it? Just wondering if I should go compound after all. I just saw a youtube video with the KI ripper xbow mentioned by some of you and im not gonna lie i want that hanging on my wall. Also I didn't know u could get 415 fps under $1000. That blows my mind

 

[kjco]

. I liked the simplicity and light compact style but wasn't sure how fast i need to avoid deer ducking the shot.

If you want to avoid the deer ducking the shot, you need to be in the 1100 to 1200 fps range. The speed of sound is 1125 fps. Check this link
http://www.whitetailparadiseproperties.com/?p=6022

 

[Huntersthompson]

Go to northwoods outlet online. You can get the ripper for S349.00 with arrows ,scope and case. I use to live in Pacifica .Ca. Blacktail are harder to hunt than whitetail but a ground blind will still work.

 

[Iron Duke]

Yeah I was just wondering if i could get away with the 215 to 250 fps cheap 60 to 70 dollar bow but from my research and what you guys are saying id feel more comfortable with it 290 to 315 with a recurve. I usually hunt with my muzzleloader or a rifle because where i you have to jump deer out of thier beds in yhe brush and frankly I dont have the skill set for bow or crossbow... Yet. Anyway could any of you guys tell me how often xbows need maintenance that would require a shop if i did my part maintaining it? Just wondering if I should go compound after all. I just saw a youtube video with the KI ripper xbow mentioned by some of you and im not gonna lie i want that hanging on my wall. Also I didn't know u could get 415 fps under $1000. That blows my mind

Honestly?... You're going to get a lot of "woe is me" statements about compound vs recurve reliability, but the reality is that compounds are extremely reliable. Wyvern Creations, the premier crossbow outfit probably in the nation once said that he saw no difference in the warrantee work between the recurve and compound bows he sold. If you're deeply concerned about prepping and a possible apocalypse, recurve is still probably a tad more apropos, if only for the perception of better suited and your peace of mind. Personally, I've killed a boatload of deer with my compounds and over the last decade, never had a failure or issue; and I do next to zero maintenance on them. A little string wax or rail lube when I think of it and the wax is in front of me. Compressed air & WD40 the trigger box and bolts after they get caught out in the rain. That's it. If I was in your shoes, trying to stay near your quoted budget?... I'd probably go with Killer Instinct or maybe one of the Ten Point Wicked Ridge models.

 

[SEW]

String technology , limb composition, triggers, size, design etc have all progressed significantly since I first started using crossbows 37 years ago.
Years ago, the simple Excalibur crossbows held a significant advantage for those who want to be totally independent of a deal/pro shop. All dealings with Excalibur/Danny Miller can be done by mail and or phone. This still is an advantage. But, not to the magnitude it once was since compounds require less maintenance than in the past. The lifetime warranty (of the crossbow, not just original owner) of the Excalibur is a significant plus.
I think the KI Ripper , or as Duke suggested also, a Wicked Ridge (a lower cost Ten Point) would be excellent choices for you.