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Excalibur Crossbow (Maybe)

I've been kicking around the idea of getting a new crossbow. I'd like to get away from the compound design and go recurve. I'm looking hard at the Excalibur Matrix Grizzly. A few things concern me though. My current crossbows are all the same design, two Super Mags and one Yukon XL. All are the same to accommodate my cocking device. All three work great and have suited my needs thus far.

If I go to the Grizzly I will have to purchase a C2 cocking device also. The problem here is that the C2 is not ambidextrous and cranks only with the right hand. I can only crank with my left. I would have to turn the bow limbs towards me to crank the C2 and then I'm assuming I would crank it backwards, so to speak.

The second issue is length of limbs. My Hortons are about 25" and the Grizzly is 30". My Hortons just fit through my shooting window of my outhouse stand and I always have my limbs outside the shooting window to allow left to right pivot. When the Grizzly is cocked it is about 26 1/2" wide tip to tip. I know I would have to widen the shooting window in the outhouse to accommodate the Grizzly. I really would rather not do this, but it can be done very easily.

I'd gain about 45 FPS with the Grizzly, which in reality means nothing to me. My shots have always been 20 yards or less so arrow speed means very little in this choice. The Grizzly shoots 18" arrows vs the 20" arrows I use now, which I have plenty of.

I'll be 65 in November and question how much longer I'll be able to hunt sometimes. That enters in to my mind in this decision also.

What do you guys think?
 

xbowguy

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You will find guys on here that Love their Excaliburs. I myself owned the best one they make and sold it about 10 days later. Did not like the wide limbs!
 

hickslawns

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I bought the Matrix for my son. I am thoroughly impressed. It is relatively quiet. It is simplistic. It IS a bit wider. Get on the Excalibur forum. There is a ton of great info on there. Go in open minded. Realize these are all Excalibur fanboys. Sort thru their opinions. I do know Excalibur has some narrower models out there.
 
Good points thus far. Rick touched one one concern that I've thought about, availability of parts. Sooner or later the Hortons are going to fail me, a growing concern every time I use one of them.

And you are right Phil they do make the Micro models, but from what I have read they are much harder to cock than the Matrix models. Last thing I need to do is making cocking more difficult than I'm concerned it will be with the C2 device.

I'm usually in the camp if it ain't broke don't fix it, but I'm thinking there is a lot less to break on the recurve.

I'm surprised that you sold the Excalibur so quickly Rick. Were the limbs that big of an issue.
 

brock ratcliff

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I bought a low-end Excalibur several years ago for Mason. I use it, and I was a die-hard vertical bow hunter for over 30 years. They are awesome, very simple, and very effective. I was in a store between baseball games a few weekends ago and looked at some of the new models. They make some very compact versions now, which impressed me. If I were you, I'd give them a serious look. They never go out of time, they are unbelievably accurate, and I think you really could run them over with a truck with no damage. If I were left with one implement to hunt with, it would be the Excalibur. Anyone that knows me will tell you, I am far from a fan-boy of anything. I just feel they make a great product.
 

xbowguy

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The one I had was the widest and fastest they made. I didn't read the book (Imagine that trick) and shot an aluminum arrow out of it. Shoved the nock clear up in the shaft and split it! Shot like a scalded dog!
 
I bought a low-end Excalibur several years ago for Mason. I use it, and I was a die-hard vertical bow hunter for over 30 years. They are awesome, very simple, and very effective. I was in a store between baseball games a few weekends ago and looked at some of the new models. They make some very compact versions now, which impressed me. If I were you, I'd give them a serious look. They never go out of time, they are unbelievably accurate, and I think you really could run them over with a truck with no damage. If I were left with one implement to hunt with, it would be the Excalibur. Anyone that knows me will tell you, I am far from a fan-boy of anything. I just feel they make a great product.

Thanks for the reply, Brock. I was hoping a couple guys on here had some experience with the Excaliburs. If the C2 cocking device was ambidextrous I'd probably have pulled the trigger on the Grizzly already.

I take it the Excaliburs use carbon arrows, Rick. Reading is overrated anyways. I always learned fastest by making mistakes.
 

steveOh

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Have you looked at the smaller/narrower Excalibur Micro 315 or 335? I am in a similar situation (age, close shots, don't care about speed etc.) with having an older (1991) Horton Hunter. Might make an upgrade this year. Plan on checking them out soon
 
I have owned several Excalibur bows and I think they are great. However in your situation, I would not get one. The C2 Crank while functional is really a pain in the butt (I bought one just in case my wife needed it). I recently bought my daughter a Tenpoint Turbo GT with the Tenpoint crank and she loves it. It is a much better system.

As a sidenote the new Matrix and Micro models are way narrower than the old models. It is like night and day. I started out with one of the old style Vortex bows and yes they were wide.
 

brock ratcliff

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It is possible to cock Excalibur s one handed with the rope aid. I would think with the older models it would be very difficult to do due to stock length. However, the newer models are more compact with a much shorter power stroke. Check them out, Dick. The rope aid may work for you
Honestly the thing I'm most impressed with out of them is that I can hang that thing up in February and when I pick it up in September, it will still be zeroed. Also, I have shot aluminum and carbon shafts from ours. Carbon is far superior.
 

hickslawns

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We always hear "try as many as you can and shoot them before you buy them so it feels right in your hands". Many people shoot compounds at the dealer before buying one. Why wouldn't a dealer let you attempt to cock one, handle it, shoot it beforehand? Maybe see if there is a dealer close who might allow it. Could save you some money and troubles. Or it might make up your mind to buy one. Just a thought.
 
I think Phil has the best idea. I'll see if I can find a dealer nearby. If I could cock it with the rope aid that would be as good as it could get. I know the power stroke on the newer bows is quite short.

Many years ago I bought a Barnett (Wildcat, I think) crossbow. I had a guy at the shop I worked at make me a device from 1/4" metal rod material. It worked somewhat like a rope cocking aid does today, but no pulleys, just brute strength. I was able to put my foot in the stirrup while in the sitting position then grip the device and lean backwards to cock the Barnett, by using back strength instead of arm strength. I'm thinking maybe the same principal could work with the rope aid on an Excalibur. But the Barnett was only 80lb pull, not 150 or so.

I've even thought that maybe I could remove the crank from the C2 device and crank it with a hand 3/8 or 1/4" ratchet or even use a cordless drill for target practice.
 

xbowguy

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Tenpoint makes a GT Flex that is recurve. And you are right about the Accudraw. Bow would have to be turned around but it does crank fairly easy.
 

Boarhead

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Dick i have several buddies and family members that shoot excaliburs and love them.
They really like the simplicity of them as no wheels or cables to worry about blowing up.
Alot of the newer models are more streamlined than the older models also.
I had a Matrix 380 and as Brock said they flat out shoot and are just made solid i dont think you could break one.
I just sold it cause it just hung in the basement,never used it much,just not a crossbow guy and i only use my recurve bow now.
BUT if i ever had to go to a crossbow Excalibur would be the ONLY one i would buy.
Good luck in your decision.