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Hickory Creek Koolaid

So got home from work today and shot the mini for the first time love the size and how it performs don’t think I’m a huge fan of the scope. Going to hunt tomorrow night idk if I’ll take it or my halon


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I had not looked at this thread in awhile. But my current crossbow had issues this weekend and I plan to replace it. I've not shot a regular bow in 30 years, back in cub scouts. I went through this thread looking at popular options that people are hunting with this year. Honestly most options are not too far off of the Hickory Ridge price wise, once you get all of the gizmo's that go with it. It seems at best I'd save a 100-150 bucks. And then there would be a learning curve. It might be super easy, I don't know. But we are already in-season here with more public land opening soon.

So that leads me back to this thread and idea. I like the idea of being able to get this and take a dozen shots and being ready to hunt. Arrows, scope, everything ready and it's essentially a rifle.

However, since I last looked at this sweet kool aid thread, it's turned a bit sour it seems. And might have to do with older manufacturing being better, I don't know. New concerns in the thread:
1) Inferior scope (many users talking of replacing the one that it came with)
2) Change in arrows with inconsistent results (mainly one or two users with this issue?)
3) Loose build, requiring additional washers and bolts to make everything tight (3 or 4 users with this issue)

So now I am torn. Thoughts?
 
I think it's all up to personal preference. It's probably not the fastest but it still gets the job done and then some. I really like it because it seems to fit really well in cramped quarters shooting. The scope on mine took a pretty hard bump and it was off but I haven't had issues since re-zeroing it. The scope also doesn't seem to shine in low light conditions. There was some jiggling in the riser to rail connection point on mine that was remedied with some heat shrink as a shim and a plastic knob (I was told once drawn or cocked this is a non-issue and wouldn't affect accuracy) I just didn't like the jiggle. Other than the couple small issues, it carries well, shoulders well and is probably just as accurate as any.
 
I better bring a plastic bag to put over my scope when I hunt. Last time I got some water between the lenses in the rain.

The HC mini is smaller and lighter than most crossbows.
 
five said:
) Inferior scope (many users talking of replacing the one that it came with)
2) Change in arrows with inconsistent results (mainly one or two users with this issue?)
3) Loose build, requiring additional washers and bolts to make everything tight (3 or 4 users with this issue)
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1. Most if not all scopes that come with guns, crossbows, etc are "junk." Budget, Chinese optics put on so that it's a "package" for marketing purposes. It's kinda an industry standard. If you don't go along with the trend your sales suffer, and Jerry is obligated to offer something that keeps him from being disadvantaged while staying cost-effective. A LOT of people don't care if glass is junk, as long as they don't have to buy it. I learned that in retail. Most of the type guys that are on saddlehunter are (rightfully) more choosy. I've replaced the glass on every weapon I've ever purchased except the mini. I want to, but I killed several deer with it and just haven't been bothered.

2. I can't speak as to the arrow issue. Mine was bought used and came with arrows that have shot well and killed deer. I can say that 5 years of selling crossbows taught me that arrows/bolts are kinda like scopes. They're a sales package and usually not very high quality. It depends on your expectations.

3. The bolt issue has been an issue for me as well. A nylon nut is cheap and fixed the issue of POI shifting away from POA over a few shots or after taking the bow down and reassembling it.

My hickory creek is accurate. It is not THE most accurate crossbow I have shot. I can hypothesize several reasons for this, but it's not a concern to me because I just wanna hit deer out to 40 yards. More accurate bows have been heavier and harder to maneuver in the tree. To me the main advantage of the mini is packability and being able to easily take shots at angles and positions that would be impossible for other bows, bow compounds and crossbows. It's not in my mind a precision, target weapon. It's a killing device, and I can testify that it kills very well.
 
Nutterbuster said:
1. Most if not all scopes that come with guns, crossbows, etc are "junk." Budget, Chinese optics put on so that it's a "package" for marketing purposes. It's kinda an industry standard. If you don't go along with the trend your sales suffer, and Jerry is obligated to offer something that keeps him from being disadvantaged while staying cost-effective. A LOT of people don't care if glass is junk, as long as they don't have to buy it. I learned that in retail. Most of the type guys that are on saddlehunter are (rightfully) more choosy. I've replaced the glass on every weapon I've ever purchased except the mini. I want to, but I killed several deer with it and just haven't been bothered.

2. I can't speak as to the arrow issue. Mine was bought used and came with arrows that have shot well and killed deer. I can say that 5 years of selling crossbows taught me that arrows/bolts are kinda like scopes. They're a sales package and usually not very high quality. It depends on your expectations.

3. The bolt issue has been an issue for me as well. A nylon nut is cheap and fixed the issue of POI shifting away from POA over a few shots or after taking the bow down and reassembling it.

My hickory creek is accurate. It is not THE most accurate crossbow I have shot. I can hypothesize several reasons for this, but it's not a concern to me because I just wanna hit deer out to 40 yards. More accurate bows have been heavier and harder to maneuver in the tree. To me the main advantage of the mini is packability and being able to easily take shots at angles and positions that would be impossible for other bows, bow compounds and crossbows. It's not in my mind a precision, target weapon. It's a killing device, and I can testify that it kills very well.
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Nutter is spot on
1 -scope I ordered a new one last night I prefer my Excalibur scope so that’s what I ordered. This bow is shooting well at 20/30/40 using different marks that u have to remember. I prefer scopes that have yardage marked.

2. I bought 6 arrows with mine all have flown well out of the bow. I shot with practice tips and broad head practice tips and have same impact point.

3. I tightened my bolt as hard as I could by hand and it has yet to back off or jiggle. I will prolly do the mod as I don’t plan to have to take this thing down.

4. I shot this thing last night and some today and plan to take it on a hunt tonight the way it sits I shot it a lot at 40 today and then pulled out my compound I have not practiced with and shot it at 40. I am way more accurate with the mini..


I wanted a small compact bow that was light.. I looked at the ravin r26,r10, tenpoint viper s400, and wicked ridge m370. The r10 was second runner up r26 felt awkward. Wicked ridge felt cheap and was wider than I wanted and viper s400 was heavy. If there weren’t so many negative reviews on ravins stings and limbs I probably would have went with the r10... I’m happy with the mini I plan on whacking a doe tonight to get some points on the board for team 11. I’ll report back how it is in the tree tonight.


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Here's my input with my mini to date.

I got it over the summer. I'm planning on switching to the mini for late season hunts when it starts to get cold and my clothing starts to bulk up. I've fooled with it off and on but wasn't in a huge rush to get it set up. I had it shooting my full length arrows with field tips great out of the box. I cut down some arrows to 23" and was still shooting well. Then I put the rage hypodermic practice tip on and things went south. I went from less than 3 inch groups at 20 yards to having inconsistency with the arrows in about an 8 inch group. I fooled with a few things with arrow setup but nothing really fixed it. I was talking with @Vtbow and he suggested making sure that ALL the bolts are tightened down. I went around the bow and was surprised at how many bolts were not tight. After doing this I went out yesterday and I probably took 30 shots and was pounding the 3" circle. Next I will go back and put some locktight on all the bolts.

I do wish the bow had a stabilizer mount. I find it to be so light up front that it's pretty easy for me to pull one from time to time if I jerk the trigger. Other than that I think it's a fun little bow to shoot and can't wait to kill something with it.
 
redsquirrel said:
Here's my input with my mini to date.

I got it over the summer. I'm planning on switching to the mini for late season hunts when it starts to get cold and my clothing starts to bulk up. I've fooled with it off and on but wasn't in a huge rush to get it set up. I had it shooting my full length arrows with field tips great out of the box. I cut down some arrows to 23" and was still shooting well. Then I put the rage hypodermic practice tip on and things went south. I went from less than 3 inch groups at 20 yards to having inconsistency with the arrows in about an 8 inch group. I fooled with a few things with arrow setup but nothing really fixed it. I was talking with @Vtbow and he suggested making sure that ALL the bolts are tightened down. I went around the bow and was surprised at how many bolts were not tight. After doing this I went out yesterday and I probably took 30 shots and was pounding the 3" circle. Next I will go back and put some locktight on all the bolts.

I do wish the bow had a stabilizer mount. I find it to be so light up front that it's pretty easy for me to pull one from time to time if I jerk the trigger. Other than that I think it's a fun little bow to shoot and can't wait to kill something with it.
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I noticed the same thing. Just like Frank's Hot sauce - "I put that sh!t on everything"

My broadheads (muzzy hbx) still hit to the right of where my field points were hitting. That more than likely may have to do with the straight fletched vanes as previously discussed in this thread. I've used these broad heads with a few different xbows and they all had same POI as the field points (none of the bolts used had straight fletched vanes). Since season opens in a couple days, I adjusted scope to match the broad heads for now, but will try some right helical vanes after the season.
 
All of the above comments are spot on. I own a Mini, Mathews Halon 6, Ravin R26, and Excalibur Micro Suppresser. The Mini is the least accurate out of all of them. The Mini is not a tack driver, but I will agree it is accurate enough to kill game. The scope and arrows have been replaced from original. I resisted locking down the riser and stock. But that was a mistake. That is the first thing you should do if you are a new owner and want to shoot the most accurate groups possible. Loose nuts and bolts, for sure. Lock tight is beneficial. Certain nuts and bolts work loose after shooting.

I like the weight, size and function of the bow with the vertical limbs. It has been a journey to get my Mini shooting the groups that I expected. But, at no point have I regretted my purchase. Just realize there are more accurate bows on the market.

Lets talk broad heads. I personally like shooting fixed broad heads. But at this point in time, I will not shoot my favorites, Magnus Stinger Buzzcut, or G5 Montec out of the Mini. I will reserve for my Halon or R26. I have found that Rage Hypodermic are the best shooting for accuracy and grouping. You can get some crazy flyers with fixed broad heads and the Mini. I will be well served to stick with mechanical broad heads with the Mini. At the end of the day, I really don't want to use my tracking dog to find my game.
 
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Mine showed up the other day, fun to shoot. It's set at #125. I can't leave well enough alone. Anyone crank theirs up to #150? It mentions in the print out that adjusting the bolts will move the loop. Can I He-man the loop back to center or do I have to take it to a shop?
 
Swingin' Free said:
Mine showed up the other day, fun to shoot. It's set at #125. I can't leave well enough alone. Anyone crank theirs up to #150? It mentions in the print out that adjusting the bolts will move the loop. Can I He-man the loop back to center or do I have to take it to a shop?
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Just tighten it as much as you can. Check to see if the d ring is centered on the stock from the side. If not, loosen the opposite side limb bolt from the direction you want it to go slightly. That should get you there. I cranked mine all the was and the d loop was perfectly centered.
 
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