brotherjack
09-19-2005, 04:06 PM
So, after wearing out a string on my Horton SteelForce 150lb crossbow, and hunting my butt off with it this season (successfully), I have learned a few things about this bow the hard way. I thought I'd document them here, for anyone who might someday follow in my footsteps (after all, the Horton SteelForce is probably the king of the sub-$200 crossbows, and budget hunting is good for lots of reasons.). If you pay attention, I can save you some time, money, and hassle.
First. Arrows matter! A LOT! The 17 inch LS7 aluminum arrows that come with the SteelForce are garbage. They're useful for unloading your bow in the field if you're not strong enough to do the "grab the string with both hands and pull trigger with your thumb" let-down business. The LS7's are too short, too light, and the vanes are too small. The result is worse accuracy than I would wish on any critter I might shoot at with my bow - even with heavy heads on them. I don't know what Horton was thinking when they recommended these. You can save yourself a day or two of frustration by just not even bothering with these.
Which leads me to what you want for good accuracy. I started out with 20 inch Horton Carbon MX's with plastic vanes, and 125grain points - total arrow weight just a little under 500 grains. While extremely accurate, this combination is heavy enough that you're shooting a rainbow trajectory, even at fairly close ranges. It's more than 100 grains heavier than the LS7's Horton recommends. You can compensate for this with the dial-a-range, but you'll be dialing a notch for 5 yard incrments, which I think is a bit much for getting really accurate ranges in the field. For an 'ideal' shooting arrow, you'll want to loose some weight.
In testing with field points, I found that loosing 60 grains gave me trajectories that were relatively flat out to 25 yards (about 2 inches high up close, 2 inches low way out - plenty good to hunt with). The arrows 60 grains heavier are already falling hard by 15 yards.
Which brings me to my recommendation, and what I will be shooting next time I order some more arrows. I suggest Horton Carbon MX's with feathers instead of vanes. You'll cut back by about 15 grains (at the rear of the arrow) just by going with feathers, and they'll fly better anyway. The I suggest a head of no more than 100 grains. I think about a 75-90 grain head would be ideal. I like my Muzzy 4 blades, and will be switching from a 125grain to a 90 grain next time I order some.
Shooting tips: Like most crossbows, how level (or not) you hold the bow affects accuracy. Dip one limb a few inches lower than the other, and at anything more than super-close range, you'll pull the arrow off your aim point by a few inches in the direction of the lower limb. You don't need a level to get it good enough, but you do need to start teaching yourself to 'eyeball' how level the bow is before you pull the trigger. After a couple days practice at this, it'll happen automaticly.
Shoot with both eyes open. This applies to any weapon, but espeically to the crossbow. It also makes it easy to follow my tip above, about being careful of keeping the limbs relatively level. You will be more relaxed, you will have full range of visiion, and it's really a simple way to improve your shooting abilities.
Notes on the red dot sight. Be VERY VERY careful you don't whack this sight. The mount is plastic, and it doesn't take much of a whack to get it out of adjustment. During hunting season, I suggest you shoot a practice arrow or two EVERY time before you leave the house, just to verify it's still spot-on. I had to readjust mine twice during the 9 day hunting season for being more than 6 inches off at 25 yards (though I did accidentaly whack the scope both times).
Wear heavy leather work gloves when you practice. This will spare you the 'tingly fingers' after you've pulled the bow 30 or 40 times. Being spared the discomfort will encourage you to practice more. This is a good thing. :)
Order a spare string when you order the bow. The plastic rails will wear out the serving MUCH faster than you'd think. I've got probably less than 750 arrows fired, and my serving is totally wrecked. You can wrap it with fishing line to get a little more life out of it (which I have done), but the fishing line will wear through in an afternoon shooting and you'll have to re-do it all the time. The second will last you a LOT longer than the first, because once you get handy with the bow, you won't need to shoot it nearly as much to stay proficient with it.
When cocking the bow, place thumbs hard against either rail, grab string, and pull firmly and fast. Let your thumbs guide the string on the way up. This is adequate for accurate shooting. Once you've got a couple hundred shots done, there will be groves worn into the serving that will make the tracking of the string easier (see notes above about ordering a spare string). If you want, I'm sure a cocking device of some kind would be good, but it's not necessiary.
Also, please remember - a crossbow is a short, high poundage bow. Putting it on the end of a stick with a trigger on it, does NOT aleviate the problems inherent in any short, high poundage bow. It does not shoot like a rifle. You can, I think, become proficient with a crossbow easier and faster than you can with a compound or traditional blow - BUT, it is NOT A RIFLE, and you can't just pick it up and start shooting accurately with it. There is a 'feel' to it you need to get, and it will take you at least a couple afternoons of serious shooting before you've 'got it' (IMHO).
Questions or comments welcome.
First. Arrows matter! A LOT! The 17 inch LS7 aluminum arrows that come with the SteelForce are garbage. They're useful for unloading your bow in the field if you're not strong enough to do the "grab the string with both hands and pull trigger with your thumb" let-down business. The LS7's are too short, too light, and the vanes are too small. The result is worse accuracy than I would wish on any critter I might shoot at with my bow - even with heavy heads on them. I don't know what Horton was thinking when they recommended these. You can save yourself a day or two of frustration by just not even bothering with these.
Which leads me to what you want for good accuracy. I started out with 20 inch Horton Carbon MX's with plastic vanes, and 125grain points - total arrow weight just a little under 500 grains. While extremely accurate, this combination is heavy enough that you're shooting a rainbow trajectory, even at fairly close ranges. It's more than 100 grains heavier than the LS7's Horton recommends. You can compensate for this with the dial-a-range, but you'll be dialing a notch for 5 yard incrments, which I think is a bit much for getting really accurate ranges in the field. For an 'ideal' shooting arrow, you'll want to loose some weight.
In testing with field points, I found that loosing 60 grains gave me trajectories that were relatively flat out to 25 yards (about 2 inches high up close, 2 inches low way out - plenty good to hunt with). The arrows 60 grains heavier are already falling hard by 15 yards.
Which brings me to my recommendation, and what I will be shooting next time I order some more arrows. I suggest Horton Carbon MX's with feathers instead of vanes. You'll cut back by about 15 grains (at the rear of the arrow) just by going with feathers, and they'll fly better anyway. The I suggest a head of no more than 100 grains. I think about a 75-90 grain head would be ideal. I like my Muzzy 4 blades, and will be switching from a 125grain to a 90 grain next time I order some.
Shooting tips: Like most crossbows, how level (or not) you hold the bow affects accuracy. Dip one limb a few inches lower than the other, and at anything more than super-close range, you'll pull the arrow off your aim point by a few inches in the direction of the lower limb. You don't need a level to get it good enough, but you do need to start teaching yourself to 'eyeball' how level the bow is before you pull the trigger. After a couple days practice at this, it'll happen automaticly.
Shoot with both eyes open. This applies to any weapon, but espeically to the crossbow. It also makes it easy to follow my tip above, about being careful of keeping the limbs relatively level. You will be more relaxed, you will have full range of visiion, and it's really a simple way to improve your shooting abilities.
Notes on the red dot sight. Be VERY VERY careful you don't whack this sight. The mount is plastic, and it doesn't take much of a whack to get it out of adjustment. During hunting season, I suggest you shoot a practice arrow or two EVERY time before you leave the house, just to verify it's still spot-on. I had to readjust mine twice during the 9 day hunting season for being more than 6 inches off at 25 yards (though I did accidentaly whack the scope both times).
Wear heavy leather work gloves when you practice. This will spare you the 'tingly fingers' after you've pulled the bow 30 or 40 times. Being spared the discomfort will encourage you to practice more. This is a good thing. :)
Order a spare string when you order the bow. The plastic rails will wear out the serving MUCH faster than you'd think. I've got probably less than 750 arrows fired, and my serving is totally wrecked. You can wrap it with fishing line to get a little more life out of it (which I have done), but the fishing line will wear through in an afternoon shooting and you'll have to re-do it all the time. The second will last you a LOT longer than the first, because once you get handy with the bow, you won't need to shoot it nearly as much to stay proficient with it.
When cocking the bow, place thumbs hard against either rail, grab string, and pull firmly and fast. Let your thumbs guide the string on the way up. This is adequate for accurate shooting. Once you've got a couple hundred shots done, there will be groves worn into the serving that will make the tracking of the string easier (see notes above about ordering a spare string). If you want, I'm sure a cocking device of some kind would be good, but it's not necessiary.
Also, please remember - a crossbow is a short, high poundage bow. Putting it on the end of a stick with a trigger on it, does NOT aleviate the problems inherent in any short, high poundage bow. It does not shoot like a rifle. You can, I think, become proficient with a crossbow easier and faster than you can with a compound or traditional blow - BUT, it is NOT A RIFLE, and you can't just pick it up and start shooting accurately with it. There is a 'feel' to it you need to get, and it will take you at least a couple afternoons of serious shooting before you've 'got it' (IMHO).
Questions or comments welcome.