[Darrens6601]

I’ve been a vert guy for most of my bowhunting days . I’ve shot and even killed deer with a cross bow but never owned a quality crossbow. I had a snowmobile accident that has left me with a very sensitive elbow . I can’t really shoot the compound like I use to . I’m looking for a quality crossbow and with my budget I’ve narrowed the list down to a mission mxb 360 a Stryker Katana 360 or a Excalibur raid 335 . I’m leaning toward the Excalibur is there any reason not to buy one ? Hidden Problems anyone knows about. Should I stick with a bow with cams. I like the fact the raid is small and light and doesn’t feel front heavy and unbalanced. That said the other two are pretty good and plus they are a bit faster then the raid . I want something easy to manage in tight spots and small platform tree stands. Thought maybe some of you guys that have been in the game for a while might have some insight. Thanks


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[Dale_B1]

Excalibur is a nice bow but the speeds they advertise are totally bogus. I would personally stay away from Bowtech to manylimb failures.. Take a serious look at the Ten Point line(most reliable crossbows out there).
Of the three you mentioned Mission hands down.
My opinion as I work on and sell them all.

 

[JOE PA]

The Excal is the simplest, a bow you can service yourself. As you noted, it's not as fast/powerful as the others. You can also decock the Excal without shooting, which is a plus in my book. I've seen quite a few guys on here get the Katana 360 or 385. Few seem to have them very long. As a DIY guy, I don't like the fact that you need a bow press to work on the Katana, or that you have to pull the axles to change cables. The Mission can be serviced without a press by turning out the limb bolts. The longer arrows of the Mission may be a bit easier to tune with broadheads than the short arrows of the Micro. Of the 3, the Mission would be my choice, though I'd probably get the Charge instead of the now obsolete 360. My comments are from a guy who doesn't want to HAVE TO take a crossbow to a shop to get basic service or tuning done. Other guys have no problem with that.

 

[easterbunny]

You mentioned having had an elbow injury. A bow that will accept a crank cocking device
may be something to consider if you find cocking one with a rope too difficult.
The crank cocking device is slower than the rope but much more accurate and easier.
All the best with what ever you choose.

 

[rt2bowhunter]

I like the Mission bows The 400 is where iv'e settled. The 400 with there adjustable poundage will do anything any other bow will do. That shoots below 400fps just turn the poundage down then Easier to cock a little better trigger quieter. Or it will pound a heaver arrow. Like was said no press needed you can get a silent crank that can be left on or taken off. Very accurate like any other bow with good arrows .

Excalibur yes you can work on them yourself just like the mission bows. They can also be let down without shooting. There going to be louder,wider and harder to cock to see the same FPS.

Ten point I never had one but guys that do seem to like then. There a for sure shoot to uncock imo. Yes i know about the trick stick . They used to just have a 5 year warranty on there limbs not sure about that now. They need a press.

Best of luck hard to go wrong with any of them.

 

[cc122368]

Missions are nice bows and I do like how you can work on them yourself but the Excalibur has no cables to replace that to me is a big savings if you like to shoot a lot and don’t have extra cash to spend on a set of cables. With Mission you can change the strings and cables but say something happens in the field your hunt is still over as your not going to do all that in the field and even if you did you need to spend a little time tuning it and making sure POI at the Shot is the same on a Excal it’s marked on the rail where the string should be no cables to put on just whip out your string changer take off the old string put on the new may be add a few twist and your back hunting. And from my past ownership of compound crossbows every one of them was harder on the string and cables than a Excal is on just the string with a good quality made string for around $30 will last you a lot longer on a Excal than a string and cable set on a compound crossbow and when they go they will hit your wallet a lot harder to some that is not a concern to me it is.

 

[Regohio]

My 2 cents: Excalibur's are the simplest…easiest to work on etc… But, in some cases you do sacrifice speed. If you don't mind buying a crank the Excalibur Bullpup 380 would kill anything in North America! Missions are great…But as RT Said I would probably jump up to SUB 1 or MXB 400. I'm not a fan of the Strykers (Bowtech) as you hear a lot about limb failures.

If I could only choose from 3 you mentioned: Excalibur Raid 330 keep hunting shots under 40 yards.

 

[birddog1]

Take this for what it’s worth considering I just switched from a compound bow to crossbow due to a shoulder problem. I’m 53 and have been shooting a Mathews for years and switching was a tough pill to swallow. There are a lot of great crossbows out there and deals can be had. I started to overthink the process by researching everything, and doing it to the extreme. What helped was shooting the ones I looked at. I also got great advise from Regohio when I bought a Hawke scope from him. Tenpoint is local to me and there is a store called Hunters Outlet in the same building (I think they own it). Anyway, I was able to buy a demo Tenpoint Eclipse RCX package, minus the scope since I had one. I got the acudraw and I’m glad I did. Yes it takes longer and is noisier but also easy on the shoulder. This particular crossbow retails for $1199 but I was able to get it for $715 plus tax.

My point is find out what fits and feels right to you then see where you can get the best deal. Good luck in your search.

 

[wildcatter109]

Excalibur is a nice bow but the speeds they advertise are totally bogus. I would personally stay away from Bowtech to manylimb failures.. Take a serious look at the Ten Point line(most reliable crossbows out there).
Of the three you mentioned Mission hands down.
My opinion as I work on and sell them all.

You may work on and sell them, but you dam sure have little experience with Excalibur! I have yet to own a Exo series, Micro or a Matrix that did not get the advertised speed. Your first comment holds absolutely no water! Unless you put your own spin on their speed claims. Then Bowrech has had no limb problems since the first 380's were listed, may have to maintain them by keeping the shims in place on bows shot a lot, but that is not limb problems.

I work on em two, but spend more time shooten em, and all of em! Nothing is easier and less problem than the Excalibur, with a good flemish string, and and properly waxed (Dalton's) they drill arrows and will give the advertised speed shot after shot, with accuracy to a fault, but guys that work on em may not like this, as I don't know how many 1000's of shots it would take for one of them to ever get to work on it!

Tenpoint is a great bow or the ones I have had, and Mission seem to get a lot of kudos from all that own em, seldom do we here anything negative about either company.

 

[cc122368]

I agree in the end it’s all about what your looking for in a crossbow we can give you our reasons for why we each like what we like but in the end you have to find what your likes and wants are test a few your interested in weigh out the tips everyone gives you and then make your decision. And WC is right Dale tries to be helpful but he dose spew off at the mouth he knows a lot about vertical bows I can see no so much with crossbows as Wildcatter said my many Excal’s have made there advertised speeds also. And when it comes to Excal Wildcatter knows his stuff.

 

[Darrens6601]

Thank you all for taking time to comment . Everyone of you has given me something to think about . A lot of very good points . A few of you mentioned looking at ten point . I’m going to stop by a dealer today . I did look at one model of ten point about a month ago and it just seemed heavy in the front to me but I have to realize they have different models that offer different benefits. Like I said in my post i like something light and compact but also some speed. It’s been a tough pill for me to swallow this year not being able to shoot my compound without aggravating my elbow . I’ll let you guys know what I went with when I make up my mind. Thanks again ...


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[Regohio]

You have the right idea…in todays age of crossbows there aren't any bad picks. Just differences in models.

Thank you all for taking time to comment . Everyone of you has given me something to think about . A lot of very good points . A few of you mentioned looking at ten point . I’m going to stop by a dealer today . I did look at one model of ten point about a month ago and it just seemed heavy in the front to me but I have to realize they have different models that offer different benefits. Like I said in my post i like something light and compact but also some speed. It’s been a tough pill for me to swallow this year not being able to shoot my compound without aggravating my elbow . I’ll let you guys know what I went with when I make up my mind. Thanks again ...


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[smokepolehall]

Lots of good advice givin on this ? I shoot both Recurves n Compounds, wid yer elbow get a model/brand you can get a crank fer. Do you like to tinker wid yer crossbow/Bow Some don't need a press n i like that myself. Excals get their fps usin a 350 gr arrow n that is ok jus so you knowed. So i am not into the highest fps game, jus can't afford it. I do own several sure enuff tick toter Killers fer sure! I can't pick out yer crossbow but i can give you facts

 

[no1huntmaster]

of the bow you mentioned the mission is by far the best.

Best meaning....least likely to........ blow apart, or under designed or really bad resale value or just too slow for todays crossbows.

 

[Dale_B1]

You may work on and sell them, but you dam sure have little experience with Excalibur! I have yet to own a Exo series, Micro or a Matrix that did not get the advertised speed. Your first comment holds absolutely no water! Unless you put your own spin on their speed claims. Then Bowrech has had no limb problems since the first 380's were listed, may have to maintain them by keeping the shims in place on bows shot a lot, but that is not limb problems.

I work on em two, but spend more time shooten em, and all of em! Nothing is easier and less problem than the Excalibur, with a good flemish string, and and properly waxed (Dalton's) they drill arrows and will give the advertised speed shot after shot, with accuracy to a fault, but guys that work on em may not like this, as I don't know how many 1000's of shots it would take for one of them to ever get to work on it!

Tenpoint is a great bow or the ones I have had, and Mission seem to get a lot of kudos from all that own em, seldom do we here anything negative about either company.

Say what you will but I will stand by what I stated. That is by experience not say so.

 

[lzema]

Did the cams bother you when you shot a compound? Why would it bother you now? Yeah, I've seen the commercial where they drag a bow behind the back of a truck. LOL

 

[robertyb]

Say what you will but I will stand by what I stated. That is by experience not say so.

How many Excaliburs have you actually owned and shot? Not seen in a shop you work for but actually owned.

 

[Dale_B1]

How many Excaliburs have you actually owned and shot? Not seen in a shop you work for but actually owned.

I don't own a crossbow but I have shot, sold and set up all of them for customers. Thank you!

 

[Rat Trapper]

I like Tenpoint's bows with either the XLT or NXT limb set ups. I like bows that are narrow and Tenpoint is a great company to deal with. Remember you get what you pay for and cheap is cheap quality.

 

[Medeerman]

Everyone likes speed but i would say a fast miss is the same as a slow miss or if the opportunity will even presented it self. I say make a list pro's and con's on each, what's in the package for the price. Some manufacturers will gave a lower price but cut corners on scopes that you will want to upgrade so you want a solid package. If you want to save money check out ebay and the classifieds here a hell of alot of good guys to buy from. And shoot them all with no rush have fun.