Micro 335 vs Matrix 380 which to buy $$

[ds762]

I have a M380 .. wish I had the extra disposable income for a Micro. I'll have one but I'm waiting till spring to purchase.

[vixenmaster]

Lets say e'max vs phoenix there is yer diff

[vixenmaster]

This one of those ?'s that only the buyer can really decide as its his/her comfort & the handlin involved. Now if the choice was only one Excal allowed. My choice would be the 355 Matrix n never give it a 2nd thought. My reason is i can rope cock the 355 fer lots of practice year around. My 405 is a C2 only model fer me

[SEW]

I own fully tricked out 380 and 405. Love both but hunt mostly with 405. Also, have handled and shot 335 quite a bit. The 335 is cute! Reasonably accurate, but I didn't get the 40-60 yd accuracy with the 335 that I get with the 2 Matrix crossbows. The weights of the 3 xbow's are about equal. Size is somewhat different. I'm almost 68, 5'10" , 180# and can rope cock the 405 w/o trouble and find the 335 not far behind in difficulty. The 380 seems easier. The 380 and 405 are long range capable, while the 335 is medium range , IMO.
I think the 335 gets the nod for blind hunting and likely 50, maybe 60 yd, Max hunting . The 380 & 405 will reach way out with authority. Remember, weight of the 3 is about the same. Even though I have 2 relatively equivalent xbows, I'd trade neither for the 335; but I long range hunt.

[coli]

I recently purchased a Matrix 380 and I love it. I have only shot target with it but I am very impressed. I know that this badboy won't let me down. I like the idea of a micro and will likely get one but I am very happy getting my 380 as my first crossbow.

[vixenmaster]

Jus as sew posted n i have posted. Its all about comfort n handlin & what you need out of yer Excal model. Personally i feel i need the range n power & plan to go to Wy. on a Pronghorn hunt before i get to old or die off. My 405 ought to shine on that hunt, might get to go after a Mule deer also. Heck the Matrix models are a good bit smaller than the older Exo models we hunted up fer a decade or 2!

[lagarman]

SEW - I really appreciated your candid review of the 405/380/335. For the last 2 months, I've been doing as much research as possible on crossbows and have made my mind up to join the Excalibur family.

Last season I shot a nice 8 point with my 25 year old compound bow and after tracking tiny drops of blood for 1000 yards over 7 hours, the rain came in and washed away the rest of the blood trail. I think I hit him low in the brisket. I can't blame the bow, but my inaccurate judgement of distance. The thought of leaving an injured animal in the woods really bothers me. Hence why I'm looking for a flatter trajectory hunting crossbow.

I live in central PA and hunt wooded areas where I may have a 40-50 yard shot. I really really like the size/ design/ and weight of the 335 and for those reasons it is my first choice. However, while I don't doubt the 335 will reach out to 40-50 yards, I do have serious concerns about its ability to penetrate a deer 100%, especially if a rib or other bone is hit on the way through the deer's body. I know not even the 380 can guarantee that level of penetration, but after looking at the arrow fps/ ke charts, I'm feeling like I should just "man up" and get the "wider and more cumbersome" 380. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance for anyone who can give real life scenarios of deer kills which might help me make my mind up once and for all. I'd really like to pull the trigger on one of these impressive xbows before my wife makes me give back the money! (that will NEVER happen).

[robertyb]

I shot a doe a few weeks ago at 35 yards with my Matrix 330 using 18" BEEs and a G5 Montec. The arrow blew through and buried about 10 to 12 inches deep in the ground.
I think any Excalibur bow has enough KE to blow right through a deer at normal hunting distances and probably a lot farther than we should be shooting. My point is choose the bow you want. They are all capable of killing a deer cleanly.

[dutchhunter]

I still cannot make up my mind ,haha .tough life if this is the hardest choice one has to make ,I have shot a vortex for years and was very happy with it .I am still leaning toward the 380 .but the micro is calling ,I will have to work on hooking up with someone that has both or something .Dutch

[amythntr]

I still cannot make up my mind ,haha .tough life if this is the hardest choice one has to make ,I have shot a vortex for years and was very happy with it .I am still leaning toward the 380 .but the micro is calling ,I will have to work on hooking up with someone that has both or something .Dutch

...yes, you really should do that Dutch...without doing so and making a decision one way or another, you will always wonder if you made the right decision or not...

Anthony

[lagarman]

I shot a doe a few weeks ago at 35 yards with my Matrix 330 using 18" BEEs and a G5 Montec. The arrow blew through and buried about 10 to 12 inches deep in the ground.
I think any Excalibur bow has enough KE to blow right through a deer at normal hunting distances and probably a lot farther than we should be shooting. My point is choose the bow you want. They are all capable of killing a deer cleanly.

robertyb, thanks for the post, that's exactly the type of feedback I was looking for. That is pretty impressive.....I don't see me shooting much past 40 yards to ensure a humane kill.

What are your thoughts about the deer jumping the string on a 335, which could lead to a poorly placed shot? I'm not overly concerned about the noise difference between the 380 and 335, because I've seen enough videos that prove to me that, w/in 40 yards, the deer can't move quickly enough to outpace the 380 bolt, which would lead to a bad shot.

Has anyone experienced a deer jumping the string on a 335?

I got to shoot a 380 at BassPro, but the guy was trying to talk me into a Parker (just didn't appeal to me). I can't find anyone w/in 2 hours w/ a micro in stock, so I guess I just need to be patient until I can shoot one. (I don't think I'll need much convincing once I hold one, so "killing ability" of the little 335 is the final detail I'm trying to check off my list.

Thanks again everyone for sharing you hunting experiences w/ both your 335 and 380s.

[amythntr]

....haven't shot anything with the 335 yet...but I have not seen anything jumping out to 35yds with the deer looking at me shooting the 380!

Anthony

[lagarman]

....haven't shot anything with the 335 yet...but I have not seen anything jumping out to 35yds with the deer looking at me shooting the 380!

Anthony

Nice! No doubt, that 380 is an wicked piece of equipment. It was pretty cool that my 2 shots were in the bullseye and touching each other (2 peas in a pod!)

[robertyb]

I have only shot one deer that was on alert with a crossbow and it was only 20 yards away. It did not move as far as I could tell before the arrow arrived and this was with an Excal Vortex.
I would be hesitant to take a much longer shot on any deer that was on alert. Too easy for one to jump the string. Unless you have seen it happen in person it is hard to believe how fast they can move. I always just wait till they settle down or let them walk if they stay on alert at over 20 yards.
I have also not shot the Micro 335 but I would not hesitate to buy one. I know it will kill a deer. Get Black as it shoots a little faster than the camo for some reason.

[amythntr]

....would love to see actual slo-mo footage with the 380 and a deer at 35 yd on alert...that would prove the point....somewhat


Anthony