Crossbow hunters - red dot or scope?

[thequietman]

I've been going back and forth on whether I want to get a crossbow or a compound bow. I haven't totally decided yet, but am leaning a bit toward a crossbow. I'm not looking to get anything really high end, but want it to be decent. Right now, if I go the crossbow route I think I might get a Barnett Jackal.

I noticed that it can be had with either a red dot scope or a more traditional 4x32 scope. Any crossbow shooters have any thoughts one way or the other? If you recommend one over the other, why?

 

[Inigoes]

I am partial to a scope, because of the magnification and doesn't need batteries.

Edit: accessories that may need to be purchased - wax and lube, cocking rope, bolts, quiver, and/or sling

 

[Chevyman85]

I've got a Ten-Point Titan that comes with its own scope from them. It has a BDC type recticle that matches the bows performance perfectly. Zeroed at 20yd, 30yd and 40yd are on the money. No guessing needed.

 

[Kimber45]

This

I've got a Ten-Point Titan that comes with its own scope from them. It has a BDC type recticle that matches the bows performance perfectly. Zeroed at 20yd, 30yd and 40yd are on the money. No guessing needed.

 

[crowmd]

i got a ten point few years ago love it easy to use my wife loves it to has red dot and she can hit the dot on the block target at 30 yards every time cost more then some of the rest but i think it is worth every cent

 

[shrpshtrjoe]

I have a ten point pro slider with the multi cross hair scope ( 20-30-40 ) its a great set up...

 

[rotag]

I have the Barnett Buck Commander and my 15 y.o. son has the Jackal. We have taken deer with both. Mine has the scope with the backlit reticle and he has the 3 dot scope. Both work extremely well, but I am partial to the scope on mine. I have shot mine out to 50 yards at the range and put it in the vitals every time.

Ditto on the accessories, Pull rope, rail/serving wax, quiver (usually comes with Barnetts) and extra bolts. I also keep extra cr2032 batteries in my case (they fit both scopes)

Hope this helps.

 

[on_the_rox]

I have an Excalibur with bdc type reticle also. It works great over a wide range of distances and the magnification really helps.

 

[Squirrel Hunter]

I just scored a barnett ghost 350 off ebay, came with a illuminated scope, best of both worlds in my opinion. If the battery dies I still can use it. I've been stalking ebay for a few months, there are some good deals to be found.

 

[PGTMG]

I have an Excalibur with bdc type reticle also. It works great over a wide range of distances and the magnification really helps.

I have an Excaliber as well with the same scope and I could not imagine going to a red dot.

 

[vinjet700]

I've got a Ten-Point Titan that comes with its own scope from them. It has a BDC type recticle that matches the bows performance perfectly. Zeroed at 20yd, 30yd and 40yd are on the money. No guessing needed.

Ditto on this one....

 

[thequietman]

Thanks for all the replies. I personally was leaning toward the scope and you all pushed me over the edge (I believe it does have the three horizontal crosshairs for multiple distances). I have a new Jackal w/ 4x32 scope, 5 carbon bolts, rope cocking devise, and lube headed my way (under $300 shipped).

The next purchase will probably be a case and some broadheads.

 

[Inigoes]

The next purchase will probably be a case and some broadheads.

Throw in some extra bolts.

You will be shooting into your bolts when you practice

 

[Pale Ryder]

Get both if you can swing it, crossbow and compound. I first went with a crossbow about 3 years ago. I had bowhunted before back in the 90's but quit. I wanted to start again and thought I would lik a crossbow this time; in the past they were limited to those with disabilities. I bought a Horton 175 it came with a BDC reddot. No complaints with the reddot except I forgot once to turn it off. The crossbow, a different story. It weighs the same or more than some rifles, and carries 10x worse, if you hunt from the ground or have thick cover to manuever through. It quickly fell out of my favor. It does what it should, but there is no attachment to it for me.

The next year I bought a Mission bow from Jefferson Archery, been happy with it. I may drag the crossbow out a few times this year, but most of the time I'll have the bow. Good luck with your choices and the season.

 

[CZ Fanboy]

I think scope would be better as you're more likely gonna take longer range shots than closer range shots.

 

[Twanger]

Unmagnified red-dots are generally poor in low-light. I've owned a few.

A 2-7X 30mm scope will be far superior.
There are some decent scopes out there (Hawke) for the money (around $100) with lighted reticle that are just da' 'ting.

 

[thequietman]

Throw in some extra bolts.

You will be shooting into your bolts when you practice

Well, you were prophetic. Fourth shot this morning sounded a little different hitting the target. Not the full "Robin Hood" (split), but the nock is gone and I have one less bolt. At least I feel better about loosing one that way and not just losing it in the woods to a poor shot.

Mini review:

I'm happy with the Jackal. Its very accurate, and I got it with a 4x32 scope. The scope has a multi-crosshair reticle (5 crosshairs). I sighted the top crosshairs in at 20 yards, the remaining crosshairs seem to be at approximately 25, 35, 45, and 50. Its very accurate at 20 and 25 yards, and is also very quick. At 20 yards you can barely distinguish the sound of the target impact from the shot noise. When shooting I cannot see the bolt in flight. At 35 yards, it still seems more accurate than me (I can see my movement in the scope). When I do well, I can keep them in an area about the size of my fist. At this distance there is now a short delay before target impact, but not much. I still can't really see the bolt in flight. I would feel comfortable shooting at a deer at 35 yards without worrying to much about the deer jumping and causing a miss. At 50 yards, is is still nicely accurate, but the flight time is now noticeable. I can see the bolt in flight, and I don't think I would shoot a deer at 50 yards. Its accurate enough, but I would definitely worry about the deer moving.

I very quickly learned that I have to be careful what target to shoot at. The range I go to (APG) has a number of large straw filled targets at 20-35 yards. My bolts completely disappear into those bags (poking out the back 5-6 inches). That roughed up the fletching a bit. I decided to shoot at a 3D deer target made of some kind of denser foam. The bolts didn't go in completely, but were in pretty far and hard as heck to remove. The 35 yard target was different (tougher plastic/cloth outside and seems to be filled with some type of fabric - I should pay attention to the brand). This one stops the bolt without going in to deep, and is easy to remove. I pretty much just shoot at that one now.

I was with a friend at the range who had his compound bow, and the speed difference was very noticeable. At 20 yards the flight time for the compound was similar to the crossbow at 50 yards (I don't know the speed of his bow, but I'm sure there are faster ones out there). Noise was a completely different matter. The crossbow is MUCH louder than the bow. I might be able to quiet it a little, but it seems that most people say crossbow will never be a quiet as a good bow. I'm hoping at reasonable ranges the speed an accuracy will make up for the noise. It's also not light (7.7lbs) but its reasonable.

I bought some broadheads, and went with a traditional fixed (Muzzy 100, 3 blade), but haven't tried them yet. I also bought a case. I got a Plano Bow Max hard case. It wasn't to expensive and will do just fine. It is big (you should see the box it came in - I think I could fit my 3 girls in the box). It fits the Jackal with some room to spare. The quiver does have to be removed to fit, but the scope fits fine. The quiver does however fit nicely along the side of the stock (empty). Plano notes that a 3500 StowAway box fits along the side of the stock. I picked on up at Walmart for ~$3.50, and it does fit nicely. It works well to hold lube/wax, allen wrenches, spare parts, broadheads, etc. It would actually fit 4 such boxes if you wanted it to (with where I put the empty quiver on one side, I could only use two on the other side).

All in all, I am happy with everything, and am looking forward to deer hunting this year.

 

[Inigoes]

Happens to all the noobs who shoot a bunch of bolts together.

Yes, I am keeping my two bolts as a souvenir.