Thoughts on limbs

5803 Views 38 Replies 21 Participants Last post by blizzy, Jan 4, 2020

dow

Discussion Starter · Dec 20, 2019

It seems like the lion's share of posts I see on here have to do with Excal limbs cracking or splintering, and I see that the issue seems to be worse with the micros than the matrixes (matrices?

). Anyway, as I read these comments and statements like,"bad limbs destroyed my deer season" and other things, it occurred to me that on this forum I'm seeing an extremely small percentage of the total Excal crossbow shooting community. I wonder if what we're seeing on here is a real, widespread problem, or if we're only seeing comments from that small percentage of bows with issues. I suspect the latter, and that the vast majority of crossbows that Excal sells never have any problems at all. Otherwise they'd be all over the news.

Thoughts?

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robertyb

· #2 · Dec 20, 2019

Let's just say that very few of us bother posting about not having any limb problems with our Excaliburs but everyone wants to scream bloody murder even with a small limb splinter that does not affect shooting the bow at all. I get a good laugh at some of the posts that are made when I see the pictures.

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blizzy

· #3 · Dec 20, 2019

It's probably the ten you here about out of 10 thousand trouble free. Enough to bring on paranoia. I've tried them all but in the end I stick with excalibur. Just so simple a string two limbs.. They replace limbs.. You can buy spare sets. I've had very good luck with them nock wood. To me the only compounds I wish I had not sold off are the scorpyd 110 and mission charge. But the keep it simple theory has me hooked on excalibur recurves

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dow

Discussion Starter · #4 · Dec 20, 2019

Sounds like what I was thinking. It seems to me that if the number of complaints here was an actual representation of the actual real-world failure rate of their products, then they'd be hard pressed to stay in business.

JNG

· #5 · Dec 20, 2019

I've NEVER had any sort of a problem out of my Excal EVER. Then again mine is from the Troubridge era. I believe things were done differently back then. More emphasis on rugged reliability and not super compact and speed. Mine has been dropped 20' out of a tree (not by me). I screwed up once and the limb hit tree apon release of bolt. Once I fell down a ravine and the Excal went flying. And just years of general hunting abuse. Has never lost zero ( has peep sights not scope), still shoots 294 fps just like when new, no limb splinters, no nuthin' but darn fine deer killing performance. Good ole Excal Phoenix. They don't build em like that anymore.

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dropzone

· #6 · Dec 21, 2019

I have said this before. I own 2 Excalibur's a Micro 355 and early model Axiom. I'm yet to have a problem with either. I have complete confidence in either one to pack on a hunt. I literally ran over my Micro with my truck and other then the quiver, quiver mount and three Spynal Tapp's being broken it wasn't hurt. I have had to replace two Tact Zone Scopes that wouldn't hold zero but Excalibur took care of them with out question. I 'm not the fan boy type but I am a Excalibur guy for life.

Gabowman

· #7 · Dec 21, 2019

My Vortex has probably been dry fired close to half a doz times and the limbs are still in great shape. I think I'm lucky but still.....I'm just saying...……..

JOE PA

· #8 · Dec 21, 2019

My thoughts on limbs are "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." As others have said, it's pretty rare for someone to start a thread saying their limbs still have no problems. I can fully understand that someone who has issues with the limbs, particularly the ones that snap off cleanly (a very small #), are going to be upset. Others saying they've had no problems (me included) certainly aren't going to make that person any happier. There's too much hyperbole on the subject. Some would have you believe Excal limbs are breaking left and right. Those people may or may not have done something to cause the problems, but of course, rarely admit that. Others want you to believe the problems were just during an extremely brief period of time, and have been completely eliminated. The truth lies somewhere in between these ideas. Still, as most have said, minor splinters are not, IME, something to overreact to. Some break them off and sand. I glue mine down, with the idea that the glue may possibly inhibit the splinter from growing. I have a spair pair of Matrix limbs for my recurve, and a spair pair for my RDX frankenbow. If something happens during the hunting season, in a few minutes, we are good to go.

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Dagwood

· #9 · Dec 21, 2019

I love the 2 Excals I have, and loved the Ibex I sold (needed to thin it down). I have had no problems with them.

MR.556 HK

· #10 · Dec 21, 2019

I had a micro suppressor for a year shot it enough to wear the string out and I am sure it sat cocked even more then shot, I never had one issue with the bow. I just wanted more speed went to a wheel bow for a year and with the new Assassin 400 TD and it’s simpler design found the bow that is perfect for me and I am sure it will be trouble free minis the extra maintenance on the internal crank but kept up with should be trouble free. I just like the simplicity and compactness of the Excalibur micro. I’ll report on the new Assassin in I shoot it a ton and I am sure it will be mostly positive review.

Boo

· #11 · Dec 22, 2019

I have a black set of limbs for my Micros and one set of black limbs for my Matrix bows because I don't feel like waiting. My 440 has a splinter on one limb but I'm not going to waste the 1\2 hr to replace them because there will be no benefit to me.
There would be much less hysteria if guys would smarten up and completely disassemble their bows, inspect, reassemble and shoot their bows a month or 2 before the opener. Why wouldn't everyone spend an hour and a half of their time to prevent almost all possible issues that could interrupt their precious hunt? But then maybe some guys like to squawk like on FB.

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Lever Action

· #12 · Dec 22, 2019

Bowtech had limb issues in the early 2000's and since then. The limb (Gordon glass) is still making the same bad limbs. At least thats what I hear and by what I saw back then and what I am seeing today, it seems likely that what I have heard is right. Bowtech and Gordon glass are two things that couldn't bring improvements to Excalibur. They have pretty much been noted as the Blowtech duo. The Micro (IMO) just over stresses an already poor limb build. If Barnsdale were building these limbs, this thread would have never had been written/discussed.

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Boo

· #13 · Dec 23, 2019

Lever Action said:
Bowtech had limb issues in the early 2000's and the same manufacture (Gordon)is still making the same bad limbs. At least thats what I hear and by what I saw back then and what I am seeing today, it seems likely that what I have heard is right. Bowtech and Gordon are two manufacturers who couldn't bring improvements to Excalibur. They have pretty much been noted as the Blowtech duo. The Micro (IMO) just over stresses an already poor limb build. If Barnsdale were building these limbs, this thread would have never had been written/discussed.

Excalibur makes their limbs in house and always have. Bowtech had a miserable track record but that became history with the Solution. Bowtech's track record with their Solution, Offspring and Katana limbs are stellar. Bowtech and Excalibur limbs are very different in their manufacturing process. The limbs are completely different in contruction so Bowtech could never help Excalibur because they didn't know any thing about Excalibur's limbs.

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CBRon

· #14 · Dec 23, 2019

We buy a new bow , And we should DISSASSEMBLE INSPECT and REASSEMBLE A new bow ????????????????
Shouldnt it be right from from the factory............

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Boo

· #15 · Dec 23, 2019

No, not a new bow, but just prior to a hunting season if you've been shooting a whole lot I would. Some guys will clock on several hundred shots during a summer. If you're only shooting to sight in and some more to get familiar, I wouldnt bother. I certainly didn't do anything other than polish my latches on my 360TD.
Keep in mind we are all different and I am a tad paranoid of equipment. Being a mechanic all my life, I have very little trust for mechanical things.

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Boo

· #16 · Dec 23, 2019

CBRon said:
We buy a new bow , And we should DISSASSEMBLE INSPECT and REASSEMBLE A new bow ????????????????
Shouldnt it be right from from the factory............

BTW, every new bow I buy, I do a complete nut and bolt check. I get that from being a mechanic. I did plenty of PDIs. Rarely did I find anything wrong on the BMWs but when I did find something inwss happy to know I prevented a problem. On new bows I sometimes find fasteners not tight to my standards. Better to be safe than sorry. On the other hand maybe I'm really picky

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dow

Discussion Starter · #17 · Dec 23, 2019

CBRon said:
We buy a new bow , And we should DISSASSEMBLE INSPECT and REASSEMBLE A new bow ????????????????
Shouldnt it be right from from the factory............

While you're right that it should be right from the factory, it's on me as the owner to learn all the ins and outs of whatever it is that I chose to shoot and to make sure that everything's as it should be. I've been shooting all manner of guns for most of my life, and I've NEVER shot a new gun without stripping it and giving it a complete going over first. Why would a crossbow be any different? If I didn't have that level of familiarity with the weapon, I wouldn't trust either it or myself on the range or in the woods.

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Hester

· #18 · Dec 24, 2019

I'm one of the one's that hasn't had any problems over the last 9 years with my limbs on my Excaliburs. I dry fired my 1st Excalibur twice which was a Vortex with no problems and then switched to the Matrix series and never had an issue then later I bought 2 Micros a 335 and a 355 and didn't have any issues with them either. I've not owned any of the latest and greatest from Excalibur the last couple of years but for me they're the most trouble free crossbows still today after 30 + years.

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Boo

· #19 · Dec 24, 2019

Hester said:
I'm one of the one's that hasn't had any problems over the last 9 years with my limbs on my Excaliburs. I dry fired my 1st Excalibur twice which was a Vortex with no problems and then switched to the Matrix series and never had an issue then later I bought 2 Micros a 335 and a 355 and didn't have any issues with them either. I've not owned any of the latest and greatest from Excalibur the last couple of years but for me they're the most trouble free crossbows still today after 30 + years.

Eric, yours is not an uncommon story.

clatu

· #20 · Dec 24, 2019

why do some people get upset when someone relates ,their experiance of a problem with their bow,such as a cracked limb,etc.......they are just saying this happened to me,they are giving a heads up that even the manufacturer might not be a ware of....and even if you compleatly disasembled your bow you probably couldn't detect a void or bad bond in the limb.....if there's one thing that should be bulletproof on a bow its the limbs in my book.

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