Sells themselves!!

[ko4nrbs]

My 52 year old brother has been looking for his first crossbow. I am biased but did show off my Exomax and explain the advantages of a recurve. He was sold on being able to uncock or change the string in the field. I've spent so much time looking at the new Excalibur crossbows I have neglected my Exomax. Now I want one to!!

I suggested he start out with a 355 but he wants a Bulldog. Is that too much crossbow for a beginner?

Bill

[robertyb]

Nope. Not at all.
A crossbow is a crossbow. Some are just faster than others. Or more complicated than others.

[galamb]

If he (and you) figure he is going to stick with it/actively hunt etc then going for the "leading edge" is never a bad idea.

If he (or you) figure this could be a passing fad then he could end up with a good bit of money tied up in a "garage decoration".

I paid about 150 bucks for my first crossbow "back when". Didn't want to tie up a lot of money in something that I didn't know if I would take to/use (I was a vertical recurve shooter).

A year and a half later I had to upgrade and ended up about 200 bucks "poorer" than had I have simply "got what I ultimately would have wanted" in the first place, because now I had two bows - one, plus it's accessories, that was hangin' in the garage (which wasn't worth selling because I would have took a hit on a relatively new bow - and there wasn't online forums/buy sell sites back then).

The way things are progressing the 400 Bulldog is going to be a "starter bow" in a couple of years anyhow (remember when 350 fps was the "leading edge" way back when, a couple years ago )

[BrotherRon]

I went the opposite direction and bought the smallest Matrix first = 310
I am very glad I did because I became addicted to shooting and am able to shoot for hours without my back or arms getting wore out
If I had bought a bigger one I would have been limited to sighting in and hunting without being able to shoot as much as I enjoy. But then I am almost 60, have had back and hernia surgeries, am 5'5" and weigh 150 dripping wet.

[ko4nrbs]

Thanks guys!! He is a deer hunter and plans on deer hunting with the crossbow. He is determined and it won't be laying around gathering dust. Looks like he will be ordering a Bulldog based on what I know now. He wants the Bulldog for future Elk hunts.

Now I have to have one!! Can't let him be one up on me.
Bill

[acreek]

If he's in relatively good shape he can easily cock and shoot 20+ times a session. My compound bow wears me out a lot quicker than the Bulldog does. I've done 40-50 shot sessions with no issues.

Have him shoulder and shoot a few different models at a store if possible. Maybe he'd prefer the compactness of a micro. Maybe he doesn't like the 14" draw of the Bulldog. Never know until you try them out.

[janesy]

[quote="acreek"]If he's in relatively good shape he can easily cock and shoot 20+ times a session. My compound bow wears me out a lot quicker than the Bulldog does. I've done 40-50 shot sessions with no issues.

Have him shoulder and shoot a few different models at a store if possible. Maybe he'd prefer the compactness of a micro. Maybe he doesn't like the 14" draw of the Bulldog. Never know until you try them out.[/quote]


This ^^^...

I am a firm believer that the matrix 355 is the best combination of bows so far. Budget friendly, Fast ,compact, reliable and easy to cock all day. It's worth a look

[ko4nrbs]

I'll take him to a few places so he can shoot a 355, 400, etc.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Bill

[acreek]

If he does like the Bulldog, give the seller this sales pitch. Say you've read about these bows on forums and they aren't making their advertised speeds. They're essentially a 380. And in fact, Excalibur is coming out with the Bulldog 380 in a couple of months and the list price (MAP actually) of that bow is $999. So offer to buy the bow at the 380 price (Matrix or Bulldog) or even lower. Retailers, especially smaller ones, want to clear out old stock before January's ATA show where they can order most products at a discount. So there's a good chance your buddy will walk out with a new bow. Good luck and let us know what he chooses. He'll have fun shooting any of the models, I'm sure.