Newbie and Brand New Owner of the Matrix 380 Blackout

[amythntr]

Hi Everyone:
Great to be aboard as a new member and Excalibur Owner----The Matrix 380 Blackout is just one beautiful, well crafted piece of equipment. Cant wait to get out and have some fun....

Now to my question(s)....

I have to admit I am just overwhelmed with all that is available in the multitude of combinations of bolts, sizes, broadheads, brands, strings, etc....

I took the plunge and purchased the Diablos 18" and the Boltcutters...i love mechanicals and am confused that the bolt cutters are 150 g and the Excal mechanicals are 100g.....I wont even get into the confusion with the discussion of 18" or 20" bolts....

So, with all of this swirling in my head my question is on the scope that comes with the Matrix 380 do I dial in 380' per/second before starting the sighting in process even though from what I read I will not get 380'/second with the 250g 18" Diablo/150g Boltcutter combo?....

Once last piece of information, I do not see myself shooting any further than the 60yds that the retical is set up for inside the scope.....

Thanks again for all of your anticipated assistance. Great to be aboard and part of the Excal family!

Anthony

[vixenmaster]

I will try to help but i don't own a Matrix 380. Sight yer xhair in at 20 yds. then the other stuff like chevrons or & speed ring is fer the longer yardages. Boltcutters be ok, but you can use other weight Bh's jus work out a combo that the 380 likes n go wid it

[gerald strine]

Congrats on the new bow you will love it and weclome to the forum.

[flightattendant100]

Congrats on the new bow you will love it and weclome to the forum.

X2, welcome

[mr meat]

Welcome and congrats on the bow!

[Hester0305]

Congrats and welcome to the forum

So, with all of this swirling in my head my question is on the scope that comes with the Matrix 380 do I dial in 380' per/second before starting the sighting in process even though from what I read I will not get 380'/second with the 250g 18" Diablo/150g Boltcutter combo?....

I would set my speed dial in the middle around 330 or so then you have plenty of room to move it either way you need to depending on the setup you use. You can use a good arrow setup with broadhead or fieldpoint from 100-150 grs your choice.

I shoot off a steady rest such as a rifle bench and I set mine up at 20 with my 20 yard Chevron then go back to 40 and see where my 40 yard Chevron hits. If it hits low I turn the speed dial down until it hits dead on then I go back to 20 and make sure I'm dead on from there.

Good luck and have fun shooting with your new toy.

[amythntr]

Thanks everyone..Hopefully will get out on Sunday to play around with the sighting in process!

[awshucks]

Check your trigger screws 1st. A dab of blue loctite is the answer. Next, stock screws, then stirrup screws, followed by the wheels on the scope rings but not the little screws on the rings themselves.

This should take about 15 minutes and will prevent you from scratching your head later.

Have fun and don't worry about the small stuff........

[amythntr]

Thanks everyone...I am looking forward to going out on Sunday to sight in the Matrix 380 with the Diablo 18" and the Boltcutters. I have found through weighing that this combination does come in around 400gn. With the Lumenocks installed it is around 410gn.

Has anyone computed what the FOC is on this combination....What I have read on the Gold Tip website is that this number (FOC) should be somewhere around 7 to 14. When I play around on their sight with trying to build an arrow I get somewhere between 21 and 22 ( depending on a 100 gr or 125 gr FT)....

I guess my final question is should I be concerned with FOC using the 18" and the 150 gn BC's?

[ranger]

Congrats and Welcome.

You will be just fine with the Diablos and Boltcutters, they shoot just fine and will work for yrs BUT after you get used to the 380 and understand weight and KE more it opens up a lot of doors for arrow set ups(that's what summers are for).
Like I said you'll be just fine with the setup you have now, set the speed ring at about 350 and sight in at 20 check 50 and go from there, should be good to go.

[amythntr]

Thanks Ranger...will report back after shooting!

[FNARSCOT]

Try 370 at 50 yds. with the diablos .

[amythntr]

OK....I am reporting back on my first day of shooting the Matrix 380.

Let me just say....."I am extremely impressed and sold on the xbow!"

All shots were take off of a Vanguard Shooting Rest.

1. Tact Zone scope was set to 380,

2. Had to first unstring the bow and put about 15 turns in the string so it would not touch the black string suppressors. Set it at 1/8" off of the suppressors,

3. Shot a total of about 20 shots with my 28 year old taking a few shots with similar results,

4. Shot the 18" Diablos with the 150gr field tips which were supplied with the arrows,

5. Bow was dead on out of the box shooting at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 yards. My two sons and me just could not believe how accurate it was. They both kept shaking their heads as each arrow found its mark,

6. Did not shoot any broadheads as the state range does not allow BH's,

7. Obviously I am ecstatic with the performance,

8. Can say that the 380 is loud....however, with as fast as these bolts travel I don't believe that a deer would ever have a chance to jump anything out to at about 40 yards.....but that is my opinion,

9. I have installed the tactical grip on the xbow but again all of my shots were off of the rest,

10. As far as the noise goes, from postings on this forum I will be installing felt to the bottom of the arrow holder. Some of the noise does appear to be coming from the arrow holder twanging as it slaps the rail as the arrow is released....

11. Had no problem cocking the arrow with the provided cocking rope which was well thought out. Lifting the string to engage the second hook was not a problem at all. Also had no problems removing the string with the separately purchased stringer. I am 5'4" with average upper body strength who by the way has shoulder issues.

12. Have to get used to setting the safety after cocking the arrow. BTW, also have to get used to not being able to cocking the bow unless the safety is in the firing position. The safety cannot be set to cock the bow. Only upon cocking it do you set the safety, and

13. The bow was extremely easy to set up, including changing over the cheek rest and setting up the quiver for a lefty shooter.



I do have one question however....when I install the Boltcutters to the arrows none of them seem to line up the same with the fletching. The BH's do not come with "O-rings". Is this a concern at all?

Oh, by the way I have only been shooting a xbow since early September so my above report comes from a new shooter...I had been shooting a Barnett Quad400 which my son bought me to get me back into hunting after a four year absence...Great bow also as I have harvested both a doe and a buck so far this season....

Great Job Excalibur for designing and building great equipment!