which crossbow?

1196 Views 7 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Dagwood, Dec 22, 2019

njxbow

Discussion Starter · Dec 21, 2019

I'm recently retired and I will be getting back into bowhunting now that I have alot of extra time. I am considering a Tenpoint Nitro XRT, a Ravin R29, or an Excalibur Assassin 420TD. Any recommendations on which one to buy would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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WickedRidge400

· #2 · Dec 21, 2019

njxbow said:
I'm recently retired and I will be getting back into bowhunting now that I have alot of extra time. I am considering a Tenpoint Nitro XRT, a Ravin R29, or an Excalibur Assassin 420TD. Any recommendations on which one to buy would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I just purchased a TenPoint WickedRidge RDX 400 and love this Xbow! IMHO, you get a superb quality bow for the money. Small, easy to shoot even in tight spaces, fast and relatively quiet compared to other bows.
Excellent package deal- xbow, lighted reticle scope, quiver, 3 aluminum XX75 2219 arrows( they're lousy!!! I replaced them immediately).
Good luck with your xbow search!

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bunnyrabbit

· #3 · Dec 21, 2019

My advice would be to go and handle them all, checking for weight, length etc. and if possible shoot them. Some shops will let you, while others will not. What suits one, may not suit another. Some crossbows, one is limited to the manufactures type of arrows (size, nock design etc.) which can be very costly. Some crossbows require a special press.

If you have a lot of use for a press, purchase a good quality one that one can tune vertical bows, set the vertical in a shooting position to shoot it remotely when tuning. Some of these presses can be closed down to 6 1/2" and may just require different fingers. The more use one gets out of a press, the cheaper it costs. Some presses have string adapters where one can build your own bowstring or reserve it.

Check to see how close a repair shop is unless you are cape able of doing your own work. Warranty may play an important roll, but remember warranty is not free as this is why some of these crossbows are so expensive. You are paying for that warranty in the cost of the crossbow whether you end up using it or not.

All the best.

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ko4nrbs

· #4 · Dec 22, 2019

The devil is in the details. Do your research. Some crossbows also require proprietary arrows, etc. Don't be mislead into thinking you need a blistering fast crossbow to kill deer because you don't. Personally I like Excalibur because of the ease of DIY maintenance. My crossbow is an older Excalibur an Exomax rated at 350fps. With my heavier arrow set up I am probably closer to 320 to 330. Have killed over a dozen deer with it and none complained about the speed.
Bill

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Moon

· #5 · Dec 22, 2019

I normally recommend an Excal recurve for those just getting into crossbow hunting and many never hunt with anything else. Recurves are the that good.

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TX_RDXguy

· #6 · Dec 22, 2019

njxbow said:
I'm recently retired and I will be getting back into bowhunting now that I have alot of extra time. I am considering a Tenpoint Nitro XRT, a Ravin R29, or an Excalibur Assassin 420TD. Any recommendations on which one to buy would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

You are 20 some days away from the unveiling of most of the new 2020 xbow products at the ATA show that TenPoint, Ravin and Excalibur have to showcase. I'd hold on buying anything at this point.

Of the three, the Excal is lowest maintenance, the XRT and R29 are the smallest and fastest but both have higher string and cable maintenance. Something that can be managed if you are a hands-on guy. If you are a casual shooter and hunter, placing 100-300 shots a year and take proper care of the strings and cables, they will last a season, maybe two for both of these xbows.

Decocking is a big feature for some xbow shooter and the Ravin is best at that. I'm not one of those and prefer the value of the RDX design so I'd vote Nitro.

Remember the ATA show is just around the corner. New product or improved products is always of interest and you may find the price of these 2019 xbows could drop.

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Gabowman

· #7 · Dec 22, 2019

Find dealers that carry those youre interested in and go shoot 'em. That will help you out way more than what people will recommend to you. Most people will recommend the one they own even if they haven't shot the others. After you shoot 'em and get them rated the way you want then come back and see if there's any negatives about each of the bows. I'm sure you will then have specific questions about each. As an example...One thing I'd be interested in is can the bows be let down after getting cocked without having to shoot them. Good luck with your search.

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Dagwood

· #8 · Dec 22, 2019

Moon said:
I normally recommend an Excal recurve for those just getting into crossbow hunting and many never hunt with anything else. Recurves are the that good.

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