Most helpful customer reviews
120 of 122 people found the following review helpful.
A few tips
By Hank G.
I have the plastic (Zytel nylon/resin) version of this 80 lb crossbow pistol. Here are a few tips that may interest new buyers of this gun:
1. The wrappings that reinforce the bow string ends and middle will begin to fray and/or separate as you shoot a lot of bolts. The pressure from the cocking rods, pulling back on the middle of the string, causes the wrappings to separate. You can push this spiral wrapping back together with your fingers by pushing from either end of the wrappings and then secure the wrapping by dripping some Superglue along its length. You don’t need a lot, but apply it evenly. You can do the same to the wrappings at both ends of the bowstring — apply a couple drops of Superglue to keep it from fraying/unraveling.
2. The aluminum bolts are junk. The black plastic fin section WILL break off. Don’t order more of these. Order the plastic bolts that are available from Amazon and many other sites. They will last much longer.
3. There is a main screw that holds the prod (bow) on the gun. This screw will loosen on its own due to the vibration of shooting. It will loosen to the point that the holding plate and plastic vibration dampening chip will fall out. To avoid this, remove the main screw (the one that you have to tighten with an allen wrench) and apply a couple of drops of BLUE Locktite (not RED!). Read the bottle regarding application directions/drying time.Then reinsert and tighten this screw — do not overtighten; just firm. This will solve this problem.
4. Gently check and tighten all screws on the gun periodically.
5. Out of the box, the sights are not really set and will shoot bolts quite high over your bullseye at close ranges (50′ or less). To bring the bolts down closer to the bullseye, screw the top wheel/screw down quite a bit.
6. Be sure to tighten the small Phillips head screw at the base of the sight mechanism because it may be loose and this will allow the entire sight system to shift left or right. Once it’s tight you can adjust left/right bolt strikes using the side adjustment wheel.
7. The trigger is quite hard to pull and this can throw off your aim/shot. I find that I get a smoother shot if I extend my normal trigger finger a little further than normal through the trigger hole and use the index finger on my opposite hand to assist in pulling the trigger. I’m resting the “extra” index finger on my regular trigger finger and pulling with both, adding to the pulling power and resulting in a smoother release.
8. This will be difficult to describe here, but the way that I was able to compress the bow (aka “prod”)in order to get the bowstring on was to: a. install the fiberglass bow on gun body as shown in photos on the box, b. use a piece of substantial rope and tied it near one end of the bow and then ran the rope back behind the pistol handle and around to the other end of the bow. Here’s where it gets a little tricky. I used a trucker’s hitch/knot (you can find pics of this online)to gradually pull the bow tighter and tighter until I could get the string on. The trucker’s hitch uses two knotted loops to multiply your pulling power. A strong friend is also helpful.
9. This is a powerful weapon and should NOT be used by children alone! However, it is fun to let kids shoot it under close adult supervision. For target shooting, I found that several layers of old or remnant deep pile carpet stacked or folded will easily stop these bolts and leave them fairly easy to remove.
Enjoy!
48 of 48 people found the following review helpful.
Pretty fun – and quite effective.
By C. Ramirez
You’re not going to get laser accuracy from a $50 crossbow – you’re going to get a super-fun, easy to load, easy to use plinker.
This crossbow, at an 80-lb pull, launches bolts at a devastating clip. I haven’t recovered a single bolt in usable condition. From 50 feet, the aluminum bolt sinks itself 1/2 inch into 2×8 header lumber. That is a horrifying force to reckon with – from what looks like a toy.
The site is somewhat accurate for a device of this quality, we can get 5″ groupings at 50 feet, which is much better than I would expect.
We haven’t hunted with it, but I imagine that pesky squirrels, raccoons and crows have something to fear when the Cobra comes out from the garage.
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
By Danger Cloud
I’ll start off by saying I’m very satisfied with the product. The crossbow itself is well constructed and sturdy and the bolts that came with it have a good weight and feel to them.
Pros:
- Nice design, sturdy and well made
- Shoots beautifully and with a lot of force
- Excellent safety mechanism
- Feels good firing
- Easy to assemble
Just looking at this crossbow you know you’ve got a quality product. I’m definitely looking forward to slaying some rabbits and squirrels with this thing. It came with a package of extra bolts that have wicked sharp tips.
Cons:
- Stringing the prod is difficult if you’re not very strong
- Cocking is also somewhat awkward if you’re not very strong
I’m a weak little skinny person so I can’t complain too much about that.
All in all, I couldn’t be happier with this product. It’s everything it was advertised to be and I would definitely recommend it to anyone*.
*except serial killers and children
See all 49 customer reviews…
Only 35# draw weight, this is just a little toy crossbow
Eh…
