All Things Equal

[bayman1975]

Ok, knowing that individual vertical bows usually have a personality of their own, and what works on one, may not work on another. Are crossbows similar in the way they react to setup, or accessories? In particular, Excalibur crossbows? If you purchase a Excalibur Phoenix or Vortex, let's say, and the only change you make is to replace the original string with an Excalibur Flemish Dyna string. And, you shoot Excalibur Carbon Firebolts with the Boltcutter fixed broadheads. Can a person expect the arrows to fly where aimed, or is the bow going to have to be worked with to get the arrows to fly right, and the point of impact consistant? Thanks.

[vixenmaster]

Some of it all! If'en you used 2 shot in strings & same arrow set-up then each string would be almost identical. When you change the set-up then you have shoot til its right wid you. Now don't get me wrong i have a vixen thats not to choosy. I have shot arrows weighing with-in 25 gr of each other & mixed like 2216 alum. & GTII's with 5 diff BH's. I can take my vixen & hit a hardball with any of them out to 40 yds. The faster yer model Bows shoots the more it gets fussy!

[bayman1975]

Ok, your response brings about another question. Being a traditional archer for the past 30 years, I prefer heavy arrows. I would say, for hunting purposes, a 500 gr. minimum. I currently hunt with a 725 gr. arrow in my longbow. Do Excalibur crossbows become more efficent, forgiving, and quieter when shooting a heavy arrow?

[Big58cal]

Don't know about effecient or forgiving, but the heavy arrow will dampen the noise a bit. Will it be enough that you notice it? Don't know.

[vixenmaster]

Only speaking fer myself & me small Miss Vixen we have what i call logs we shoot. 630 gr including my RazorTricks, has penetrated both front shoulders. It does make them abit quieter. Forgiving thats fer the shooter to see, efficent yup i would say it does

[Dash]

I agree, a heavy arrow helps take the shock and noise out of the bow if thats your preference. Although to a vertical bow shooter this will still seem loud.
About your setup. After you've worked out what Bow/string combo and arrow weight/FOC your using, you should have no trouble with consistant shooting. Accessories and string changes etc do make differences in POI, so after a change you will need to reset the sights generally.

[vixenmaster]

Now i can tell you 1st hand i have used arrows as light as 328gr including BH & have pass-throughs on hogs over 200 lbs. wid me vixen, such a lovely Lass she is

[awshucks]

Speaking of heavier arrows, the former co-owner of Excal, Mr. Bill T. shot a 900 gr arrow thru an elephant in Africa w/ a stock Emax...........

[LongCarbine]

I shot V-bows for over 35 years and X-bows for less than 2 years . BUT ARCHERY IS ARCHERY The things that went right or wrong with the V-bow will probably do the same with your crossbow . I.M.O Hopes this helps.

[See4miles]

I spend a lot of time making and testing different arrow, vane, and broadhead combinations. Its a general rule of thumb that heavier arrows do help to quiet the crossbow.
Once your crossbow is sighted in, switching strings, changing brace height, and using different weight arrows will all change your POI, but only slightly. You can easliy make a couple small scope adjustments and be dialed right back in. It will be the broadhead that creates the most POI issues in almost every case.

In the past few weeks I've shot Gold Tip II, Easton Full Metal Jackets, Easton 2219 aluminums, and Excalibur Firebolts, some with brass inserts, some without. I have over a 100 grain difference between heaviest and lightest arrow, and my POI at 20 yds never varies more than an inch or two using field tips.

I shot all these combinations from two Excaliburs, an Exomax and an Exocet. I got pretty much the same results with both crossbows.