Different opinions on ExCal Bows

[Adrian J Hare]

Guys I have been pondering of maybe getting a Excal Crossbow and wondered about what would be best for me.

Excuse me for my Ignorance here, but I really am not updated on what name of bows are at what levels. If a person was looking for a Medium field bow something between the low end to the high end bows what would be best for the middle line of Excals ?

[vixenmaster]

all of excals hunting Bows are the same quality! the only diff is the draw weight/power stroke. vixen 150 lb, phoenix 175 lb. vortex/exocet 200 lb, equinox/exomax 225 lb. they have the same parts exactly.

so you just pick out the stock and poundage you like and its all good

[mikej]

well said smoke

i like the phoenix myself i like the traditional stock and the 175# is enough for me but its all a matter of personal preference

[DesertRat]

Adrian, here are my 2 cents for what they are worth. I have shot most of the Excalibur bows. I have an mag tipped Exocet, my father has an Exomag, my cousin has an Exomax, some friends have the Phoenix and I know people still hunting with the Vixen.

I am 5'8 and find that the Exocet that I have is just the right size. they don't make them (not a Exocet200) anymore but the closest thing to it is the new Phoenix. The draw length and weight are just right for me. I can cock the bow by hand and let it down by hand with no problems. That means I don't have to carry my rope cocker into the field with me. The other thing I like is I can cock that bow on the ground, in a fixed stand and in my climber. Not very often you get a second shot in archery but some circumstances do exist where a second shot may present itself (ie a second deer comes into range after your first kill. I have had it happen).

When I start getting into the Mag and MAX size bows, my short butt has a tougher time cocking the bow on the ground, let alone in a tree. That extra little bit of draw length is just a little more than I can pull on easily and have to work at getting that string into the cocked position whereas my Exocet is just about right. For my height, the draw weight/length is just right for me.

All the Excal bows are lazer accurate. Mine is in the 310fps range and I doubt that going 350 would help me much as I try to be under 30 yards for my shots.

Best thing is for you to try cocking and shooting them all on your own. I know if I were looking for a new one, I would be looking at the Phoenix. I do hwoever prefer a thumbhole grip so the Equinox would also be a bow of interest for me. Either way, you get great speed and lazer beam accuracy. I am always amazed at how well I can make that bow group when I do my part.

[Savagevervet]

Adrian -

You are in the same position right now that I was in a year ago. I had never owned a crossbow before. Heck, I had never even owned a rifle! But at the end of several months of diligent research and talking to people I concluded that Excalibur was the only way to go.

After a lot of back and forth I decided on the Phoenix package with the Varizone scope...and I couldn't be happier with it! First of all, you won't kill yourself cocking it over and over again, especially if you buy Excalibur's cocking aid.

Second, the Phoenix packs P-L-E-N-T-Y of punch! Last year I took my first ever whitetail, and it was with my Phoenix. It was a 15-yard shot through the vitals from a treestand, and the little 4-pointer dropped 50 yards from where I hit it. When I got down to retrieve my bolt I found that the broadhead had dug itself 3 inches into the dirt AFTER passing through the deer, and I'm talking tough hardpan that you can barely get a shovel through.

The thing I agonized over most was whether the Phoenix was powerful enough to drop an elk, should the opportunity ever present itself to go elk hunting. Everything I have read suggests that you can, in fact, take an elk with the Phoenix if you place your shot in the vitals. Well, you ought to try to do that with any shot you make at any big game animal. So absent someone with experience telling me otherwise, I'm going to say that the Phoenix is more than enough bow for any animal I'm likely to hunt.

I know that was long-winded, but maybe it will help you narrow your choices. I love my Phoenix. I can shoot it repeatedly without getting worn out, and it's more than adequate for the game animals I envision hunting.

Best of luck!

Savagevervet

[Fred]

Since I can't hand cock any of them I went for maximum power the Equinox I have to watch the serving other than that it always functions perfectly as all Excalibers I don't think they make a model that doesn't do the job as advertised I keep saying over and over the best hunting bow built and a garantee to match that is one you don't use

[GA.crossbowhunt]

thier all great bows. just pick the one that tickles your fancy. if money is the concern the go with the phoenix or the other bow that dont have a high pull on them. if its not then just get the exomax. but the main thing is pratice pratice and pratice.

[Pydpiper]

Pros and cons..

The 225# bow shoots the fastest, however it is more difficult to cock repeatedly when simply shooting for fun, that can suck the fun out of an afternoons target practice.
It is also very hard on servings, in comparison.
Faster is better because it also equates to flatter, you still have to be good at range estimation but the speed of the bow will help flatten that arrow out.

The slower of the bows.. They are easier to cock and those who have them say they can shoot all day with little effort. The reduced speed, although not terribly reduced, requires you to be better at range estimation, the arrow is lobbed a bit higher at the slower speed.

The 200# models, right up the middle with speed and energy, not terribly hard on servings and fast enough to give a tiny bit of room on range estimation. I find them to be about all I would want as a happy medium.

Pros and cons to everything I suppose, I chose the 200# Exocet and have never looked back. I shoot daily, year round and have no complaints.

[ninepointer]

All good info in these posts. I own an older Exocet, but if I was buying a new crossbow today it would be the Pheonix, even if my main quarry was moose. In my opinion, what you gain in speed/power with the bigger bows, you lose in performance (flight dynamics get trickier), noise, vibration & long-term durability (including limb damage).

I think its mainly consumer demand and market competition that resulted in Excal producing the bigger bows. Its hard to stake your business solely on a better quality product when all your competitors are "out performing" you on paper in terms of speed & power stats. To give Excal credit, I think they've shown great diligence in the design of their big bows.

[Excalibur Marketing Dude]

Hey Adrian, you should have listened to my pitch at the last show we were at then you would have had it all figured out by now!

Peter

[Savagevervet]

As long as we're on the topic, take a gander at the Horton reCon 175:


http://www.crossbow.com/recon175


Is it just me or does this thing look like some sort of ultra-complex suicide contraption? When I saw one hanging on the wall at Bass Pro my first thought was, "Great. Just what I need. Another way to shoot myself."

Savagevervet

[stubblejumper]

That thing looks like it was put together backwards!Did you check the specs? It weighs 9.7 lbs!!!!
I don't think you could make an Exomax weigh that much even with a scope and rangefinder mounted on it.

[Savagevervet]

That thing looks like it was put together backwards!

Exactly my point!

Savagevervet

[dutchhunter]

i think the middel of the road would be the exocet 200 or the vortex.i find the vortex a great bow for people who are a littel bit shorterwith the thumb hole stock it handels nice for somone smaller or even a lady ,the exocet is a littel longer in the stock great for the six footer or better i have owned both these bows and would recomeed them to anybody .this year i am moving to the exomax as i found the vortex a tad short in the stock bu still a great bow DUTCH

[wabi]

I think the answers point out the difference isn't quality, it's poundage with the exception of the Vixen (available in brown finish only).
I would have to suggest basing the purchase on your physical characteristics and the largest game you intend to hunt.
Personally, I'm not so tall (only 5'-6") so I find the shorter bows are much more comfortable to cock. The largest game I'll probably hunt is the whitetail, so power isn't a concern - any of the Excaliburs are more than enough. I chose the Phoenix because it is still compact enough to be easy to cock and I prefer a camo finish simply because it looks better to me, the deer could probably care less.
I started many years ago with a Vixen (the black finish) and it was all I really needed, but I let the talk of "faster is better" get to me and sold it and bought an Exocet (175#). The Exocet was too much for me to cock comfortably (the draw length, not the weight was the problem). When the Phoenix was introduced I grabbed one up ASAP! The weight of the Exocet and the power stroke of the Vixen (at that time) and I was in love!
I've owned the Phoenix for three seasons now, and have no desire, or intentions, of ever letting it go! If it were lost, stolen, or destroyed tomorrow I'd buy another Phoenix! Every deer I've shot with it was a complete pass-through, and every one was a good quick kill. My only failure was a complete miss on one opening day of this season because of a scope failure (TenPoint scope) but a Vari-Zone solved that problem and I'm 2 for 2 since!