Input needed: crossbows

[Displaced Texan 11,750]

I've been a rifleman all my life, and have recently had interest in shooting crossbows. I have zero archery experience.

A friend of mine back in Tx recommended a crossbow to me, a Horton Havoc 175. It is a reverse draw bow, and he says balances like a rifle. I took his recommendation and bought one on GB. Bow is inbound.

Distance precludes me from getting a lot of hands on training and help from my friend, so I thought I'd ask here.....where do I go from here? How steep is the learning curve and what do I need to know?

 

Primary purpose of this bow will be target shooting, varmint eradication, and maybe deer hunting, if I find I'm any good with it.

 

Any and all input is appreciated!

 

Thanks all!

Jeff

 

 

 

 

[MattH 0]

If you can shoot a rifle you can shoot a crossbow. Most come with scopes so sight it in like you would a rifle. I have a multi-reticle scope on my crossbow set from 20 yds out to 65 yds.

[Displaced Texan 11,750]

Thanks. This bow comes with a 4x32 scope that has a drop compensator built in. My buddy highly recommended this particular bow.

 

I figured the actual mechanics of shooting was similar or the same as a rifle. I'm looking forward to getting some trigger time with the crossbow.

Any specific tips or lessons learned you care to share?

 

Thanks!

[MattH 0]

Make sure your target is rated for crossbows. At $12/bolt you don't want them blowing through your target and getting lost or damaged.

 

Other than that, just be safe and have fun. You'll pick it up quick once you get the scope dialed in. I was breaking paintballs at 30yds in about 2 weeks time.

[bhunted 887]

Whatz the laws regarding crossbows in NJ...?

 

Make sure your target is rated for crossbows. At $12/bolt you don't want them blowing through your target and getting lost or damaged.

 

Other than that, just be safe and have fun. You'll pick it up quick once you get the scope dialed in. I was breaking paintballs at 30yds in about 2 weeks time.

 

 

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[MattH 0]

Same laws that apply to any bow. Only things different in regards to hunting with them are they must have a minimum draw weight of 75 pounds and a minimum stock length of 25 inches.

 

 

One thing I can't stress enough is NEVER dry fire a crossbow. It can result in some serious damage to both you and the crossbow.

[bhunted 887]

Guess I should have clarified... I don't know the rules of bows either. Shot one maybe 30 years ago....

 

 

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[bullpin 0]

What kind of xbow did you buy.? Brand? Compound or recurve?

[MattH 0]

NJ doesn't have any laws regarding purchasing/owning any type of bow and arrow. The only regulation I am aware of is for purchasing broadheads, you must be 18 years old since they are considered an edged weapon like a knife is. There are separate laws for hunting with them as opposed to hunting with a firearm.

[bhunted 887]

So for target, (. or zombies, lol), there is nothing fancy for crossbows?

 

 

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[Displaced Texan 11,750]

What kind of xbow did you buy.? Brand? Compound or recurve?

 

I bought a Horton Havoc 175. Compound, reverse draw bow.

[bullpin 0]

Im not familiar with that one. I do know what you mean by reverse tho. Have you shot it yet? Hows it shoot. As far as the laws go i think they might go by town. Im pretty sure in my town you are not allowed to shoot a bow . I think its consider a missle or projectile , something like that but i do anyway. Just make sure you have a good backstop incase of a mishap.i can get 25 yrds in my backyard and have the neighbors block as a backstop. But i dont MISS!! Lol. Good luck.

[wooly bugger 1]

Check out the Excalibur. I got one recently and love it. It's simple and rugged and you can change strings in the field, unlike a compound.

 

The customer service is the best. If you have a problem, you just call Danny Miller, and whatever is wrong, he will tell you how to make it right or will send you what you need to fix it, free.

[Displaced Texan 11,750]

This is it : http://www.hortonarchery.com/havoc.aspx

 

Haven't received it yet, should come by the weekend. I've got to get crossbow targets and bolts, and a few other items.

A local friend bought one as well, he has a backyard suitable for target practice.

[Underdog 1,593]

I was thinking about getting a crossbow as well.

[Displaced Texan 11,750]

I was thinking about getting a crossbow as well.

 

I'm really excited about expanding my shooting horizions.

[Displaced Texan 11,750]

Received the bow Friday night, and am going to shoot it today. My friends house backs up on 80 acres of woods and we are setting up a backstop/targets to shoot into.

He also bought a crossbow, a Barnett of some flavor or another. We are both new to archery so we will be learning together.

 

Range report later.

[bhunted 887]

Wow, some serious schtuff... Very nice...

[Displaced Texan 11,750]

I wrote this on my iphone, so sorry for the typos and that it 's somewhat scattered. I'll clean it up a bit once I get a chance to get on my desktop.

 

My friend and I shot our crossbows today. Both of us are completely new to archery. I'm a seasoned rifleman shooting over 40 years, and my friend has been long gun shooting for 5 years, and pistols for 15 years. We both usually buy high end firearms and equipment. Today was quite a learning experience on a few fronts.

 

Here is the AAR:

 

 

We set up a backstop in his backyard, which is backed by 80+ acres of forest.

We shot into a 2'x2' crossbow target backed by several hay bales, behind that, a large wood pile of downed trees. we were confident that this would be suitable to stop an arrow in case of a miss while sighting in.

Initial sight in distance was 10 yards.

 

My bow is the Horton Havoc (I paid $500 delivered), his is a Barnett RC-150 (he paid $250 delivered). There is a world of difference between these two crossbows.

The Barnett is clearly a lower end bow designed for a beginner, or backyard target shooting. My friends logic was to see if be enjoyed it first, and if so, he would buy better equipment. Mine was to buy better than I thought I would need, and assume I would like it. After all, it IS shooting!! What's not to like!

 

My friend's Barnett crossbow had a NCStar red dot sight that came with his bow package that was mounted backwards (DOH!!!). My friend's lack of experience with red dot sights , and the poor quality instructions included with the Barnett were the clear issues here.

After we fixed the assembly error, he cocked his bow and took a shot at the target at 10 yards.

His bolt grazed the top of the hay bales, which stood up over 2 feet above the bow target, glanced off the large wood like, and into the woods. That made me EXTREMELY uncomfortable....i realized there isnt a reliable way to 'bore sight' a crossbow, much like you would a rifle. I also didnt realize that an arrow could or would 'ricochet' like that.

After 10 mins of searching, we found the bolt in the woods. It was an aluminum arrow, and it was bent to hell, and no longer useable. FWIW this was one of the 5 bolts that came with my friends bow. We quickly realized that aluminum arrows aren't quite as nice as carbon fiber arrows.

After dialing down the sights quite a bit, we were able to hit the target consistently, but not able to zero the sights. It was all over the place and I was not comfortable shooting that bow again until the sights are replaced. The NC Star red dot is, quite frankly, a piece of crap, and would not hold a zero even on a crossbow.

 

The Horton, on the other hand, was outstanding. It came out of the box with 3 carbon fiber arrows with field points, a nicely made 4x32 scope with ballistic drop compensator built in. It also had an excellent quality instruction manual.

I was on target on the first shot at 10 yards, 1" low and 1" left. After adjusting the sights per the Horton manual, the second shot was dead on. The manual suggests that you them raise the scope 5 clicks up, the shoot the target at 20 yards. We did thusly, and bulls eyed the target over and over again. My friend and I shot the center out of the target with the Horton. Now we need to take it out to 30-40 yards and practice, practice, practice.

 

I found that I very much enjoyed shooting crossbows!! Great, just what I needed, a new addiction!

 

My friend and I also saw first hand the difference a few hundred dollars in equipment can make, both in ease of use, quality of equipment, and overall enjoyment.

We also learned that high quality carbon fiber arrows are a must. Just like a rifle, your accuracy is only as good as your ammunition.

 

Overall, it was a FUN afternoon learning a new aspect of shooting!

I'm hooked, and so is my buddy! He will be buying a better crossbow and bolts in the VERY near future!

[bhunted 887]

Nice report DT.... Now I gotta mull over whether I want a new edge on my hobby to tinker with. Bad part is my property is small.... Gotta sleep on this a week or so...

 

 

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[MattH 0]

Nice report DT.... Now I gotta mull over whether I want a new edge on my hobby to tinker with. Bad part is my property is small.... Gotta sleep on this a week or so...

 

 

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You don't need a ton of property to shoot. My property is 100x135 and I have a 20 yd range set up in my back yard.

[bhunted 887]

Yea, but longest I'd have is about 20ft or so.... Property is 40x100 with obstructions.

 

 

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[MattH 0]

Yeah, that is small. If it weren't such a ride, I'd invite over for some shooting.

[bhunted 887]

Appreciate the offer. Maybe when spring hits and I can wander down on the bike....

 

 

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[NJdiverTony 27]

Sounds like you guys had a good time with the new x-bows! They are a lot of fun. If you catch the archery bug, you should try compound bows and recurve bows! They are more fun than x-bows and more challenging as well.

[bobblackrifle 28]

Jeff,

Here is a link to the NJ Fish and Wildlife site. You can download the Hunting regs and it will tell you something about NJ laws. Also hunter safety course at SJSC coming up soon to get bow license to go hunting.

 

http://www.njfishand...com/hunting.htm

https://www1.nj.wildlifelicense.com/ALS/course/course_report.php

 

Bob

[Displaced Texan 11,750]

Jeff,

Here is a link to the NJ Fish and Wildlife site. You can download the Hunting regs and it will tell you something about NJ laws. Also hunter safety course at SJSC coming up soon to get bow license to go hunting.

 

http://www.njfishand...com/hunting.htm

https://www1.nj.wild...urse_report.php

 

Bob

 

Thanks Bob. Not sure if I will be hunting in NJ, most likely it will be back in TX. It is nice to have the information anyway in case I do decide to hunt here.

 

 

Thanks!

Jeff

[Displaced Texan 11,750]

A little update:

 

My friend and I broke out the bows again today.

He purchased some nice quality CF arrows, and this made a world of difference compared to the low end aluminum arrows he was using last week.

 

The trouble with the red dot sight was due to poor assembly from the factory. The rail that the sight mounts on was a bit loose, he found the screws weren't tightened properly. He used a little thread lock compound to ensure they wouldn't vibrate loose again.

The NCStar red dot, as primitive as it is, does offer a fine aiming point. Now that it is nice and solid on the mount, it seems to work nicely.

 

We were able to dial in his bow so that we could consistently pound the 9/10 ring from 30 yards. We shot 30-40 rounds through his to shake it down, and it seems to be sorted out now. Both Rob and I think that the rough trigger on the Barnett is the reason that we were t more consistent with this bow. Maybe more trigger time with the Barnett will get use used to it, or smooth it out a little.

 

I put 10-15 rounds downrange@30 yards using the Havoc just to practice. The drop compensating reticle on the Horton scope is dead on, and as long as I do my part, this bow will put 3 arrows on too of one another.

I LOVE shooting the Havoc, almost as much as I enjoy shooting my AR-15's!