440 or 420 TD.

[Silentdiver]

I’m stuck in a slight dilemma. What’s people’s opinion on both the 440 and the 420? I do like the assassin with the same exact draw each and every time, however how important is the same exact draw each time? I’ve used my Matrix 405 with just the normal cocking rope and splitting bolts at 30 & 40 yrds.

[paulaboutform]

I'm confident both these bows will be equally accurate...as they all are. I believe it's just a matter of a little more or less power. No wrong choice. I say if you're going to go big, go really big!

Paul

[Silentdiver]

So you’d more than likely to go with the 440?

[amythntr]

....I would go with the A420TD....you don’t realize how important the build in crank really is...I was able to shoot approx 50 arras on Friday in an effort to sight in my 420...I doubt most people would be able to cock the 440 that many times with a cocking rope...yes you can buy the cranker...for another 239 $....is the theoretical 20 additional FPS worth the advantages of the A420TD?....I say NOT....JMHO....

Anthony

[Boo]

The 440 will be harder on servings but lighter to carry. Although the cocking system in the 420 is only slightly complex, the bow will give you more trouble down the road. The 440 is only 20 faster than the 420 but the 420 is only 20 faster than your 405. So if you're looking for something real slick at the cost of carrying weight, get the 420. If you want all out flat speed, the 440 will be very entertaining at a cost of learning how to reserve a string which isn't a big deal and it's a good thing.
I have a 440 but I likely will not hunt with it. I bought it for whacking targets out to 100 yards...........if I ever find the time.

[amythntr]

The 440 will be harder on servings but lighter to carry. Although the cocking system in the 420 is only slightly complex, the bow will give you more trouble down the road. The 440 is only 20 faster than the 420 but the 420 is only 20 faster than your 405. So if you're looking for something real slick at the cost of carrying weight, get the 420. If you want all out flat speed, the 440 will be very entertaining at a cost of learning how to reserve a string which isn't a big deal and it's a good thing.
I have a 440 but I likely will not hunt with it. I bought it for whacking targets out to 100 yards...........if I ever find the time.

....Don....I am curious, if the 20fps of the 440 allows you to shoot out to 100yds....are you saying that the A420TD will not allow you to do so?....also, the A420 as is it's little brother the A360 is so well balanced that, to me, "heavier" does not really do it justice, you really do not feel the extra weight....as far as the "internal crank" giving you more problems down the road...I cannot dispute that...the changing of the cocking rope in the mechanism requires you to send the bow back to Excalibur to be changed thereby changing the paradigm that the Excalibur CB's are 100% self serviceablethey really need to address this issue by giving us a kit or whatever to make the change ourselves ....again IMHO!

Anthony

[Boo]

Anthony, if someone offered you a 300 ft/sec and a 440 ft/sec bow to shoot targets at 100 yards, which would you pick and why? Ofcourse the 420 can spit and arrow out to 100 yards but with all that repetitive shooting that increases the maintenance, I went with the more simple bow.

[amythntr]

..... this dialogue seems to hing more on the wear and tear of the rope in the cranking mechanism than anything related to speed differential... as I said, one cannot dispute that... I just Hope that Excalibur figures out a way to again make the entire fleet 100% self serviceable!

Anthony

[janesy]

....I would go with the A420TD....you don’t realize how important the build in crank really is...I was able to shoot approx 50 arras on Friday in an effort to sight in my 420...I doubt most people would be able to cock the 440 that many times with a cocking rope...yes you can buy the cranker...for another 239 $....is the theoretical 20 additional FPS worth the advantages of the A420TD?....I say NOT....JMHO....

Anthony

It's worth noting that the 440 comes with the charger crank as a standard.

Personally. I find the 440 to be better balanced and quieter than the A420. So that would be my pick. 440

That's not to say that the A420 is not an awesome bow, but as mentioned, I find it to be loud. Probably has to do with the moving parts all over. But regardless it is still a great, well engineered bow. And genuinely hits like a 10 pound sledge

[OhioXBowhunter]

I was in the same situation a couple of months ago ended up going with the 440 this is a very nice crossbow I also liked the 420 TD but chose the 440 a couple of reasons.
2 lbs lighter
Less moving parts on the bow
20 more FPS
Quieter
And about 500.00 cheaper Cabelas had the 440 on sale back in September.
The new charger crank is a masterpiece I just bought the brackets to add to the 405 so I can use the charger on it now.
I’ve got about 200 shots on it now and it shoots great.
I’m going to be able to get it into the woods next week so we’ll see how it does out there.
If your looking at a TD check out the 360 TD I almost bought one of them too and probably will end up getting one in the spring I really like that to.
My suggestion shoot them both and go from there. The 440’s hard to beat though.

[racking up points]

If I was going to buy another Excalibur, it would be the 440. I don’t like the idea of a built-in crank for 2 reasons - the added bulk, (2 lbs is a lot), and long term it will break down.

That being said, I don’t see myself buying another Excalibur any time soon. My custom Matrix 410 is a proven long-range tack driver and it’s been basically maintenance free for 4 seasons. Plus, it’s purdier than anything off the shelf.

[Boo]

That being said, I don’t see myself buying another Excalibur any time soon. My custom Matrix 410 is a proven long-range tack driver and it’s been basically maintenance free for 4 seasons. Plus, it’s purdier than anything off the shelf.

You can't beat that! I've had to fiddle a bunch to make me happy with the 440 and I think I'm there. But I sure do like my 405 because it is basically trouble free!

[amythntr]

....I have to defer to the Congregation that claims the 440 over the A420TD...

....I still beg to differ on the weight because it is back heavy and not noticeable once shouldered....

....The price differential is definitely a factor....I only bought it because I got a good deal on eBay....otherwise I would have sat tight!

....The 20FPS differential is NOT an issue as far as I see.

....Yes, the crank is definitely both a positive and a negative....a positive because it makes cocking so easy....a negative because of the maintenance required, in that when it needs to be changed it must go back to Excalibur....this is a very bad feature!

....I presently own both the A360 and the A420TD....so if one goes down I have the other....

....Hopefully Excal will wake up and realize that most people view this more as a con than a positive and figure something out so that the operator will be able to change the rope themselves.

Anthony

[janesy]

....I have to defer to the Congregation that claims the 440 over the A420TD...

....I still beg to differ on the weight because it is back heavy and not noticeable once shouldered....

....The price differential is definitely a factor....I only bought it because I got a good deal on eBay....otherwise I would have sat tight!

....The 20FPS differential is NOT an issue as far as I see.

....Yes, the crank is definitely both a positive and a negative....a positive because it makes cocking so easy....a negative because of the maintenance required, in that when it needs to be changed it must go back to Excalibur....this is a very bad feature!

....I presently own both the A360 and the A420TD....so if one goes down I have the other....

....Hopefully Excal will wake up and realize that most people view this more as a con than a positive and figure something out so that the operator will be able to change the rope themselves.

Anthony

I agree whole heartedly on the maintenance issue Anthony. But on the other side of the coin, from my experience dealing with the general public for my entire adult life, I can assure you replacing the string is outside of the scope of repair for the average person.
Not to be disrespectful at all to anyone, but the vast, vast majority of users would choose not to do the work themselves either for lack of ability or desire to attempt to do so.
At which point, Excalibur would be called in to now do a repair, let alone a maintenance issue. And provide all the lost fasteners from the attempted repair. All of which would make it onto Facebook as somehow Excal's fault

Just do a search on how many users have stripped out the screws on their cheek piece. I'd bet hard dollars that it's less than 5% of Excal owners that have ever even thought that the limbs and risers are removable, let alone removed them themselves. And that's how it should stay

[Boo]

The bottom line is that there is no wrong choice, just a personal preference.