Have an Excalibur Matrix 380. Pros; Accurate out to 50 yards. Furthest kill shot was a calf moose at 60 yards. Normally I want to keep my shots within 40 yds or less. Bolts might go faster than a compound bow but I believe the bolt loses energy faster. Learning curve is relatively short. Pain to carry in the bush & pain to reload. Always hooking branches. I find that I can't use the bolt holder as it's in the way when carrying with a sling so I carry my bolts separately. Excalibur makes two new models. One where you can load two bolts at once and one where the crank handle is integrated in the bow. It is difficult if not impossible to reload mine by hand. I have the crank that I carry in backpack. Crank is heavy & cumbersome. I dearly wish I could justify buying the two bolt model. Having an extra shot available at a moments notice would be awesome. Missing half my left arm so qualifying isn't an issue for me.
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