Beginner's crossbow?

[Grenadier]

Evening to all of the fellow MT'ers...

I've been looking to add more goodies to my collection, and was thinking about getting into the use of the crossbow.

Is there a particular brand and model that's going to be newbie-friendly, easy to operate, and reliable? Also looking for it to be inexpensive, so that I can learn the basics on it, and then buy a nicer one later. Rest assured, it's going to be quite a long while before I'd even consider a 4-digit cost crossbow.

 

[Takai]

I realize that this has been sitting here awhile but, did you find something? If so, how did it work out?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Do not buy anything cheap. Totally a waste of time. If you start buying in the $250 range and up you can get some thing good.

 

[Blade~]

This would also interest me, been thinking about getting one myself for many years, just couldn't make my mind up on it. I would love to gain some experience with one.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

You definitely want to buy a quality hunting crossbow. No pistol crossbows, nothing cheap. More than likely you will not find anything less than $250 that is worth anything good.
If you look at the following page at Dick's Sporting Goods you will see one craptastic pistol crossbow and quite a few high quality crossbow's: Crossbows - Barnett & Horton Crossbow | DICK'S Sporting Goods

I have personal experience with both Barnett and TenPoint. TenPoint is a big step up and fantastic but with a price tag to match. My favorite crossbow is a fairly entry level Barnett! When I bought it over ten years ago I got it for around $350.

 

[Blade~]

Thanks Brian, now you got me going. Never had one before but had been drawn to them for years and years. Thanks for the link, definitely just something entry level first - probably going to shot myself in the foot anyway - and just target practice with it. What do you do with yours? Do you also use it for hunting or just for sports? What other things you recommend with it?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I used to hunt with one a long, long time ago. Now everything is target practice. They like all bows are incredibly fun to shoot. However, with a crossbow make sure someone shows you exactly what to do as there are some big consequences to your fingers if you place them in the wrong spot while pulling the trigger. So get some training, shoot some targets and have fun!

 

[Blade~]

Thanks again!

 

[PhotonGuy]

Do not buy anything cheap. Totally a waste of time. If you start buying in the $250 range and up you can get some thing good.

I was thinking of buying a hand crossbow but now that you mention this, I probably won't buy one of those cheap ones that you can get at Walmart. I figured a good hand crossbow could accompany the compound bow I plan to get.