What to buy

[new xbow hunter]

I have recently started hunting with a xbow and love it. I traded my old Mathews DXT for an Excalibur Exomax. I plan to buy a new xbow in the near future and have ran across a pretty good deal on a new Matrix Mega 405. Do you guys think it would be a good idea to jump on the good deal before it is gone or get the Bulldog 400? I am looking at the faster xbows because I plan to shoot heavy bolts and don't want to give up too much speed. Thanks

[nchunterkw]

Any Excal you buy will be awesome. But maybe keep in mind that the Bulldog and 405 are the top of the line speed bows. Not as forgiving as some of the others if you make a mistake. FWIW I killed the buffalo in my avatar with a 500 grain arrow from my Micro 335, (30 yd complete pass thru) so you really don't have to worry about being able to kill stuff with a slower model. I love the Micro line, personally. But as I said any Excal is awesome.

[new xbow hunter]

Thanks for the reply. I have been wanting to buy the 405 for a while now. Just didn't want to spend that kind of money not knowing if I would like it not shooting a xbow before. Now that I'm hooked, I want to step up from the Exomax. I will probably keep the Exomax to let friends try out if they want to start hunting with xbows.

[BillNBuddy]

I would recommend shooting the 405 , 400 & the Micro 355. I was set to buy the BullDog 400 but after I shot all of them it was clear that the Micro 355 was better in many ways , lighter only 5.2lbs , smaller 21" wide cocked ( narrow enough to walk between corn rows with the bow laying flat) shorter by almost 2" & better balanced , the 405 & 400 seemed a bit front heavy. Just my thoughts!

Bill & Buddy

[ralph 72]

I agree with billnbuddy, I also was looking to buy a bulldog ,but after shooting a micro 355 this was a no brainer for me. You will absolutely love the micro 355. I shot a doe with mine tipped with a grim reaper 125 grain broadhead at 25 yards, The arrow blew through both front shoulders and still stuck in the ground 4 inches.

[amythntr]

.....my 335 has consistently been my "go to" bow hands down!

Anthony

[new xbow hunter]

Finally decided to order the mega 405. Can't wait to get it. Should be here by the end of next week.

[Arrowflinger]

Nice choice; Go big or go home

[ROGER THAT]

Congrats on a buying a great bow
Happy Hunting

[Pinpoint]

Great looking bow!! You won't be disappointed!

[new xbow hunter]

Crossbow came in today. I will assemble it when I get off work in the morning. Called South shore archery and ordered some 20 inch zombie slayers with 110 grain inserts and an assortment of 125 grain fixed blade broadheads to try. I plan to get the scope dialed in with the 18 inch Diablo until the package arrives. Can't wait.

[new xbow hunter]

Finally got a day off and got my mega 405 sighted in with the diablo bolts. As my luck would have it, my bolts and broad heads I had ordered from South Shore was delivered just after dark. I will be in the stand with the diablos in the morning and get sighted in with my new setup when I return. So far, I have to say that I love my new crossbow. I also plan to keep the Exomax that got it all started.

[Wile-E]

Hi guys. I bought the Bulldog last summer believing the 405 was discontinued after a recall. It's my first ever crossbow..even the first I ever shot. I as yet still have no other experience so I don't know what I'm missing. But I know what I have. It didn't come with the right manual because it hadn't been printed yet. I ended up calling Excalibur for spec info regarding brace height. The very gracious tech told me it should be 1 3/4 -2". I drew lines with a permanent sharpie so I could instantly monitor my string location. After stacking two 18", 250 gr diablos with 100 gr tips at 40 yards, I took it out on opening day. Smoked my first buck at 55 yds after a 25 year hiatus from hunting. I have since gotten curious about actual speed as it is screamin fast. Made sure everything was well tuned. Set the chrono 2.5 feet in front of the cocking stirrup on a 65 degree November day at 950 feet above sea level. Barometer was 28.9. Wind >5 mph head on. 3 consecutive shots @ 386 fps. Pretty good but not close enough to 400 to make me smile. Still, the weapon is proven and I am pleased. It fits me well in my pop-up blind even though I am considerably larger in frame than the average Joe. If I ever get a chance to shoot a micro, I'll seize the opportunity. Until then, I'm very proud of my X.

[new xbow hunter]

If anyone still wants a new 405 American Archery Supply still has some on clearance. They also have them listed on ebay. Delivery was fast but I am only one state over from them.