I opted for the standard Mossy Oak version. Unpacking an assembly was uneventful. Then came the real test, what's it like to rope cock this thing? Well, its a stiff pull to say the least and about what I expected. I ended up firing about a dozen shots out of it just checking the speed and the trigger and I could physically feel it. Maybe that's why the Excalibur website only lists the draw weight assuming you'll be cocking it with a crank. A lot of people will want, if not need, a crank for the Micro 380. But if you're in decent shape feel manly enough, it is certainly rope cockable.
Speed? The first five shots averaged 375 fps, with the highest at 378. More importantly to me, with a 409gr arrow it clocked 352 fps.
As mentioned in another post, the center serving on the string runs almost the entire length of the string. There is 1.5" of string visible on each end between the center serving and the loop serving.
I think I'll like the new quiver if only for the weight and how easy it is to add/remove. But your mileage may vary depending on the type of broadheads that you use. Here is a picture of the inside of the hood.
Left to right that's a Slick Trick Crossbow, Truglo Titanium X 4-blade, Wasp Drone and a Slick Trick Grizztrick 2. As you can see, the two outside positions have plenty of real estate for a 1-1/4" 4-blade broadhead. But the two inside spots will be a little tight for wide cut heads. I was able to put the wide Grizztrick in, but I'm pretty sure I was cutting rubber to make that happen. The hood insert is soft black plastic so it is certainly cutable.
For those worried about clearance, it shouldn't be an issue unless you're shooting wide cut (1-1/4" or bigger) fixed 4-blade broadheads.
The other end of the quiver has a fairly strong rubber grip to hold the arrows. The two outside arrow positions are easiest to remove, but still more secure than any position of the prior quiver models. The two inside arrow position are like Fort Knox. It takes effort to remove them and I'm confident those arrows will not come out until you want them to. While there isn't something to secure the head end of the arrow, the tail end holds very well so arrows shouldn't slide out of position unless pulled.
In what little trigger time I had, I really liked the trigger. It's quite shiny and does not come forward into position until the bow is cocked. It starts well back of what I've seen on all prior models.
The rhino nocks really "snap" into place. If you have a deer under your stand, that snap could be audible. So taking a second deer just got a bit more challenging. That snap is unavoidable if you're using a rhino nock. It's probably a coincidence, but I noticed that the gap at the end of the arrow on a Lumenok hits right where the rhino nock click into place. I fired arrows with the rhino nocks and without and with the typical GTF Lumenoks all without issue. I wondered if the rhino nocks held onto the arrow hard enough to impact the speed. It doesn't seem like it to me.
Overall, I think the Micro 380 is going to be everything I've wanted from a Micro. It will surely be my #1 bow next season, and possibly from here onward. I'm thinking some herd thinning is in my future.
