Excalibur Mag Air vs. Hickory Creek Mini

[Apex7]

I am a big fan of Excalibur and was thinking about buying one for years. I have a Parker Thunderhawk and a Barnett crossbow that I use . I have shot my friends Mini a few time and after a long time of weighing both Excalibur and the HC mini I've decided on the mini. You can adjust the poundage just like my compounds bows and for saddle hunting it will work well and you don't need a bow press to change the string and it's very accurate . So in two weeks I will buy one at the Great American outdoor show. I already talked to Jerry about it and told him I will see him at the show.

 

[Mike Burch]

I have both. Actually my son-in-law has the Excalibur 340 mag now. I like the weight of the mini. It maneuvers better in the woods for me than the Excalibur. The Excalibur is heavy and cumbersome but very accurate. I would say the Excalibur has less parts to come loose or move. It’s a sight in and go. Really depends on you...no tuning and very little maintenance and such on the Excalibur. It’s all done at the factory pretty much. The HC mini has the tuning of a compound. Not an issue, just depends if you want that.

The Excalibur is more accurate for me on a bench but free handed or braced on my knees, it’s a wash. The mini is a lot quieter. (They all sound loud to the shooter) I chose the mini because it feels better hunting, which is the sole purpose of a xbow for me. If I was just target shooting from a bench all the time, I’d kept the Excalibur.

 

[eld00d]

I have both. Actually my son-in-law has the Excalibur 340 mag now. I like the weight of the mini. It maneuvers better in the woods for me than the Excalibur. The Excalibur is heavy and cumbersome but very accurate. I would say the Excalibur has less parts to come loose or move. It’s a sight in and go. Really depends on you...no tuning and very little maintenance and such on the Excalibur. It’s all done at the factory pretty much. The HC mini has the tuning of a compound. Not an issue, just depends if you want that.

The Excalibur is more accurate for me on a bench but free handed or braced on my knees, it’s a wash. The mini is a lot quieter. (They all sound loud to the shooter) I chose the mini because it feels better hunting, which is the sole purpose of a xbow for me. If I was just target shooting from a bench all the time, I’d kept the Excalibur.

The tuning is a little intimidating to me just because I don’t have experience with compounds, and pretty limited experience with a recurve. However, it really seems like out in the woods I hunt (which are very thick) I’m going to prefer the handier option. Thanks for the input, especially having handled both before, I appreciate it.

 

[woodsdog2]

I owned the mini and it was a solid performer. Bagged a spring gobbler with it then sold it. The mods are quick and simple and it is a very nice system. The only thing I didn’t like about the mini is the rest. I feel like that is the weakest link of the mini system. Honestly it worked fine but I did need to secure down the Allen head screws for two of the three brushes and one would not tighten down completely so I put bowstring wax on it and threaded it in with no further issues. Me being slightly, OCD I needed up thread waxing all of the brush screws. I could shoot excellent groups out to 40 yards and it is a very light package. The vertical orientation is a great saddle hunting feature.

A thing to remember about the recurve systems is that they must hold their full draw weight in the trigger mechanisms. There is no letoff hence the limbs and the trigger systems are under considerably more draw weight than any compound style system. Further, if you take the next step and look for reverse cam compound crossbow systems then further the l reverse draw compounds, now you’re getting a system that provides increased speeds at less overall system poundage and a longer drawstoke with a compounding system so less overall stored energy on the strings, limbs, cables and trigger mechanisms. These systems place The riser to the middle or
Near the back of the bow which eliminates the front heavy feeling of typical standard draw crossbows. Typically however these newer designs command a higher overall price tag.

 

[eld00d]

I don’t have personal experience with either. But if I were looking at Excalibur I would probably jump on this deal.

Excalibur Micro MAG 340

The Excalibur Micro mag 340 Crossbow best in class performance, Value, Accuracy and a lifetime warranty at an unmatched price. Every hunt camp needs an Axe. Contact us: (603) 659-0575

wyverncreations.com

I have a Centerpoint Sniper 370 that I got for $250. Don’t have to spend a lot to get a decent crossbow these days.

How do you find the centerpoint in the saddle/getting through the woods when you go through thick stuff.

 

[BuffaloBill]

How do you find the centerpoint in the saddle/getting through the woods when you go through thick stuff.

It’s definitely not the most narrow crossbow so I am mindful going through thick cover. Also in the tree you have to give your limbs plenty of clearance. I’ve actually been considering a CP400 for that reason. They’re 40% off right now. It’s essentially Ravin limbs on a Centerpoint body.

CP400™

Crossbow With Silent Crank

www.centerpointarchery.com

 

[eld00d]

It’s definitely not the most narrow crossbow so I am mindful going through thick cover. Also in the tree you have to give your limbs plenty of clearance. I’ve actually been considering a CP400 for that reason. They’re 40% off right now. It’s essentially Ravin limbs on a Centerpoint body.

CP400™

Crossbow With Silent Crank

www.centerpointarchery.com

Oh wow that deal is really tempting! That’s a lot of bow for $480.