I am finally breaking down and buying my first crossbow this coming spring. $1000 limit. axle to axle length somewhat important. the more KE the better. optics and overall weight are important. pros and cons of reverse draw. any other info for a rookie would be helpful. ive been doing some research and I keep coming back to the Horton Vortec.
New to crossbows
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The Horton Vortec is a good bow to get started with ,Now i am going to let you in on a secret ,these things are addictive !!! the best thing to do is start with a bow you can learn with that wont break the bank .
Shoot it a bunch ,after that it will come to you what you want different ,as far as optics and arrows . I have went through 5 brands and have settled in with 3 Scorpyds ,lol. Like i said addictive .
You need to get your feet wet sort a speak . Welcome to the gang !!! there are a bunch off good guys here with a whelp of knowledge .
Shoot it a bunch ,after that it will come to you what you want different ,as far as optics and arrows . I have went through 5 brands and have settled in with 3 Scorpyds ,lol. Like i said addictive .
You need to get your feet wet sort a speak . Welcome to the gang !!! there are a bunch off good guys here with a whelp of knowledge .
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I have handled the Vortec several times, and that's one of the most likely crossbows to make me crack open my tightwad wallet for. I really like them. That said, I'm also interested in the new CamX. If they retain all the good features of the older model, especially the ability to uncock without shooting, and speed it up, quiet it down, and narrow it down, it should be a nice bow to own.
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14,839 Posts
my advice would be along with your budget, determine what you can really pull back.
The no1 reason so many bows hit the classifieds is folks like to try differnt bows. The 2nd reason is that they find the bow is too much to draw back.
There is a big difference in pulling the bow back a few times to go hunting and pulling it back for a some regular shooting sessions of 15 or 20 arrows at time.
Most folks can pull back heavy draw bows least a few times.
The Horton should be fine in this area i would think. Rdt bows can have a longer power stroke though.
The no1 reason so many bows hit the classifieds is folks like to try differnt bows. The 2nd reason is that they find the bow is too much to draw back.
There is a big difference in pulling the bow back a few times to go hunting and pulling it back for a some regular shooting sessions of 15 or 20 arrows at time.
Most folks can pull back heavy draw bows least a few times.
The Horton should be fine in this area i would think. Rdt bows can have a longer power stroke though.
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42,158 Posts
If it were me I'd most likely be giving a newer Scorpyd DeathStalker a good looking into. Light, fairly small and plenty fast enough. Life time warranty, no need for a press to tune or change out the strings, good trigger, and accurate for most folks hunting requirements.
You would have to come up with your own scope and rings if you purchase just the bow.
Good luck to you.
You would have to come up with your own scope and rings if you purchase just the bow.
Good luck to you.
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2,675 Posts
Try out several crossbows and shoot as many as you can. Holding the bow in a shooting position for a little
while to see how you like the weight, feel, length etc. Some crossbows can be set up with a crank cocking
device which is slower but more accurate. This helps if you have had an arm, back or shoulder problems.
It may help if you were to sell a bow with this option later. Scope, arrows can always be up graded. Depending
what your priority is : hunting or target shooting. Hunting in a blind or tree stand, a narrower crossbow is
better. Target shooting, one requires a faster crossbow because it shoots a flatter arrow trajectory.
A higher draw weight crossbow can: be harder on string and cables, harder to cock, louder and harder on targets.
Compound crossbows require more maintenance and have more parts that could fail or go out of adjustment. These
require a bow press or a trip to a qualified bow shop. In the field, a portable crossbow press is handy. The Ravin
crossbow requires its own press and unless the shop is a Ravin dealer, chances are they will not have that press.
If you plan to do a lot of shooting , target shooting in particular, you want your own high quality press to make
those little fine adjustments while shooting. Portable presses will work but they take too much time to install and
remove when fine tuning.
Recurve crossbows (Excalibur as an example) can have a string changed or adjusted in a matter of a few minutes
using a string changer. This is ideal in a hunting situation as repairs can be done in the field.
Some dealers will try to push the bows they sell which is normal. Check them out, then try others before making
your final decision. Visiting an archery range or archery club, one can see what others are shooting and find out
what they like or maybe what they would do different if purchasing another bow.
All the best in what ever you choose.
while to see how you like the weight, feel, length etc. Some crossbows can be set up with a crank cocking
device which is slower but more accurate. This helps if you have had an arm, back or shoulder problems.
It may help if you were to sell a bow with this option later. Scope, arrows can always be up graded. Depending
what your priority is : hunting or target shooting. Hunting in a blind or tree stand, a narrower crossbow is
better. Target shooting, one requires a faster crossbow because it shoots a flatter arrow trajectory.
A higher draw weight crossbow can: be harder on string and cables, harder to cock, louder and harder on targets.
Compound crossbows require more maintenance and have more parts that could fail or go out of adjustment. These
require a bow press or a trip to a qualified bow shop. In the field, a portable crossbow press is handy. The Ravin
crossbow requires its own press and unless the shop is a Ravin dealer, chances are they will not have that press.
If you plan to do a lot of shooting , target shooting in particular, you want your own high quality press to make
those little fine adjustments while shooting. Portable presses will work but they take too much time to install and
remove when fine tuning.
Recurve crossbows (Excalibur as an example) can have a string changed or adjusted in a matter of a few minutes
using a string changer. This is ideal in a hunting situation as repairs can be done in the field.
Some dealers will try to push the bows they sell which is normal. Check them out, then try others before making
your final decision. Visiting an archery range or archery club, one can see what others are shooting and find out
what they like or maybe what they would do different if purchasing another bow.
All the best in what ever you choose.
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6,434 Posts
$1000 is that jus fer the crossbow or fer yer whole outfit ?
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42,158 Posts
I think it might state the KE of the DS on the Scorpyd web site.
There really is no down side to a reverse draw crossbow. They are faster than most traditional limb crossbows due to the longer power stroke. Therefore they get greater speed out of lower poundage limbs. That can also help if one prefers to cock the bow with a hand cocker/sled. But it is not set in stone.
My SUB-1 has 200 lb limbs and is as easy to cock, and decock, as can be. That is due to the design of the cams, and somewhat shorter power stroke as well.
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1,466 Posts
Welcome to crossbow hunting. What part of Wis are you?
I live in Amherst.
All the other scorpyd crossbows had the KE except the deathstalker. I shot a sub1 on Saturday super awesome! a little out of my price range.
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4,348 Posts
Agree with that. Tenpoint Service is best there is.
im pretty sure going with reverse draw. vortec or deathstalker. those kind of speeds and KE with only 130# limbs is right up my ally. I believe the warranty is the same for both. price is the same. I like the package for the scorpyd a little more. better quiver and more arrows and a sling. but I have to get my hands on a bunch of bows first. im not buying until the spring so Ill be bugging you guys a lot. thanks for all the info keep it coming.
ive heard the same thing
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42,158 Posts
Regardless of what bow you settle on it would behoove you to keep this in mind.
Any bow can only shoot as good as the arrows allow. A crossbow needs higher quality arrows due to the faster speeds. Therefore it will behoove you to purchase some high quality spine indexed arrows. You will not be saving a thing with cheap arrows and they will most likely cost you more in the long run.
Any bow can only shoot as good as the arrows allow. A crossbow needs higher quality arrows due to the faster speeds. Therefore it will behoove you to purchase some high quality spine indexed arrows. You will not be saving a thing with cheap arrows and they will most likely cost you more in the long run.
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14,839 Posts
what the.........how come no one said call David at Wayvern creations
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3,991 Posts
Because you just did, lmao! But i fixed it for you. :wink:
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