Having reviewed the Garmin Xero A1i rangefinding bow sight a couple years back and being very impressed, when Garmin reached out to see if I wanted to test out the new X1i crossbow scope, I couldn't say now.
The only problem is I didn't have a crossbow. Fortunately, the folks at Excalibur were kind enough to loan me the Assassin 400 TD for a little while.
Sighting In
This is the fourth different rangefinding sight I've tested...but the first on a crossbow. I'd say the Garmin Xero A1i was probably the trickiest of the sights I've set up, but the new Xero X1i crossbow scope was a completely different story. The entire process took maybe 20 minutes before I was up and running. That is no doubt helped by the fact that crossbow manufacturers are pretty honest about reported speeds.
Once I had my 20-yard mark set, I just punched in the reported speed rating of the crossbow. After that I was good to go out to about 55 or 60 yards. Pretty impressive. But if you like to shoot heavier bolts than the ones that come with your bow, you will have to determine how fast they are flying before setting up the scope. The good news is the Xero X1i can handle multiple arrow/bolt profiles. That means if you like to shoot a heavier bolt for elk and a lighter/faster one for deer, you can switch from one to the other with the press of a couple of buttons.
The Garmin Xero X1i is also loaded with technology I've not seen before. The cream of the crop, outside of the scope’s ability to range your target, is a feature called steady aim. If you have steady aim turned on, there will be a circle around your aiming dot. If you are calm and steady, the circle stays quite small. But if your crossbow is moving around, the circle starts to grow and lets you know that you should probably relax a bit before squeezing the trigger. I can imagine that this would a nice feature to have when that big buck walks in front of you, as it could get you to not take an unethical shot.
Using the scope on a shot-to-shot basis is dead simple. You just press the ranging button while holding over your target. Once the scope ranges the target, are given an aiming dot.
The scope also displays all sorts of information, including the angle of the shot, shot distance, and shot direction. The sight picture is more cluttered than in the Garmin Xero A1i vertical bow sight, but it’s not distracting.
Speaking of the information displayed in the scope, Garmin uses something called ambient light sensor control to automatically change the brightness. So if you are shooting in the middle of the day when it’s really bright outside, the LEDs will automatically brighten so you can see them. And if you are shooting at first light or when it’s a bit darker out, the brightness is lowered. It’s a system that works quite well.
If you happen to own a compatible Garmin device, you can also take advantage of the Laser Locate feature. This will estimate the bolt’s location at impact. This might not seem like a huge deal, but if you wait an hour or so after your shot before you start tracking and maybe don’t remember exactly where the point of impact was, it can help you find your bolt faster. The Xero A1i has the same feature.
All told, the Garmin Xero X1i can range animal targets out to 250 yards and reflective targets as far as 500 yards. Clearly, that’s well outside of shooting range, but you can use that to track the distance of an animal as it hopefully walks towards your blind or tree stand.
The Xero X1i is also built to withstand the elements and is IPX7 waterproof rated. That means it can be submerged in 39 inches of water for up to a minute. So there’s no need to worry about how the scope will perform if you are hunting in the rain or snow.
Points of Concern
Of course, not everything is perfect about the Garmin Xero X1i. First, it costs about $1400. That is a significant hurdle for most consumers, but if you want the latest technology that always comes at a cost.
Another issue is the weight. At nearly two pounds on my scale, that can be an issue if you are a western hunter that covers many miles in a day. I don’t think it’s a real problem for tree stand and ground blind hunters who have shorter walks, but that added weight is definitely worth considering.
There’s also the issue of what happens if your battery dies or some electronic issue creeps up. Without a permanent aiming dot in the scope, a hunt could be derailed in a hurry.
The battery issue is easily solvable – just make sure you have plenty of juice before you go hunt. In my experience with the Xero A1i, a battery will last for months worth of heavy shooting. I haven’t put that many miles on the X1i yet, but I assume the same goes for it. As for potential electronic issues, they are definitely possible, but realistically aren’t very likely. It’s up to you to decide if the risk is worth the reward.
The only problem is I didn't have a crossbow. Fortunately, the folks at Excalibur were kind enough to loan me the Assassin 400 TD for a little while.
Sighting In
This is the fourth different rangefinding sight I've tested...but the first on a crossbow. I'd say the Garmin Xero A1i was probably the trickiest of the sights I've set up, but the new Xero X1i crossbow scope was a completely different story. The entire process took maybe 20 minutes before I was up and running. That is no doubt helped by the fact that crossbow manufacturers are pretty honest about reported speeds.
Once I had my 20-yard mark set, I just punched in the reported speed rating of the crossbow. After that I was good to go out to about 55 or 60 yards. Pretty impressive. But if you like to shoot heavier bolts than the ones that come with your bow, you will have to determine how fast they are flying before setting up the scope. The good news is the Xero X1i can handle multiple arrow/bolt profiles. That means if you like to shoot a heavier bolt for elk and a lighter/faster one for deer, you can switch from one to the other with the press of a couple of buttons.
The Garmin Xero X1i is also loaded with technology I've not seen before. The cream of the crop, outside of the scope’s ability to range your target, is a feature called steady aim. If you have steady aim turned on, there will be a circle around your aiming dot. If you are calm and steady, the circle stays quite small. But if your crossbow is moving around, the circle starts to grow and lets you know that you should probably relax a bit before squeezing the trigger. I can imagine that this would a nice feature to have when that big buck walks in front of you, as it could get you to not take an unethical shot.
Using the scope on a shot-to-shot basis is dead simple. You just press the ranging button while holding over your target. Once the scope ranges the target, are given an aiming dot.
The scope also displays all sorts of information, including the angle of the shot, shot distance, and shot direction. The sight picture is more cluttered than in the Garmin Xero A1i vertical bow sight, but it’s not distracting.
Speaking of the information displayed in the scope, Garmin uses something called ambient light sensor control to automatically change the brightness. So if you are shooting in the middle of the day when it’s really bright outside, the LEDs will automatically brighten so you can see them. And if you are shooting at first light or when it’s a bit darker out, the brightness is lowered. It’s a system that works quite well.
If you happen to own a compatible Garmin device, you can also take advantage of the Laser Locate feature. This will estimate the bolt’s location at impact. This might not seem like a huge deal, but if you wait an hour or so after your shot before you start tracking and maybe don’t remember exactly where the point of impact was, it can help you find your bolt faster. The Xero A1i has the same feature.
All told, the Garmin Xero X1i can range animal targets out to 250 yards and reflective targets as far as 500 yards. Clearly, that’s well outside of shooting range, but you can use that to track the distance of an animal as it hopefully walks towards your blind or tree stand.
The Xero X1i is also built to withstand the elements and is IPX7 waterproof rated. That means it can be submerged in 39 inches of water for up to a minute. So there’s no need to worry about how the scope will perform if you are hunting in the rain or snow.
Points of Concern
Of course, not everything is perfect about the Garmin Xero X1i. First, it costs about $1400. That is a significant hurdle for most consumers, but if you want the latest technology that always comes at a cost.
Another issue is the weight. At nearly two pounds on my scale, that can be an issue if you are a western hunter that covers many miles in a day. I don’t think it’s a real problem for tree stand and ground blind hunters who have shorter walks, but that added weight is definitely worth considering.
There’s also the issue of what happens if your battery dies or some electronic issue creeps up. Without a permanent aiming dot in the scope, a hunt could be derailed in a hurry.
The battery issue is easily solvable – just make sure you have plenty of juice before you go hunt. In my experience with the Xero A1i, a battery will last for months worth of heavy shooting. I haven’t put that many miles on the X1i yet, but I assume the same goes for it. As for potential electronic issues, they are definitely possible, but realistically aren’t very likely. It’s up to you to decide if the risk is worth the reward.
