Excalibur! The sword of king Arthur. People believed it had some magical values that helped the king to win so much. Is magic real? Was this real? Or just another myth? We are not here to argue about that.
We are here to find out about Excalibur crossbows. Do they hold the value to the name? Or just another get by that just used a cool name? Don’t worry, that’s what we are going to find out. You are not at the wrong place, we are going to review some of the best Excalibur crossbows that we think is more than worth your money.
Before we start with their crossbows, let’s get to know Excalibur crossbows a bit first.
History & Heritage
Excalibur crossbow is a recurve crossbows manufacturer. While most of the modern crossbow manufacturers has embraced the love for compound crossbows, Excalibur is still making good old reliable recurve crossbows. But, with a modern touch. All of their crossbows are made from modern technologies and with the help of countless machinery and human perfection.
Excalibur crossbow was founded back in 1983. You can guess they have been here for a while. They are known for their reliability, performance, ease of access, and some of the best recurve hunting crossbows money can buy.
Excalibur Technologies
One might think, it’s a recurve crossbow why would there be any technologies involved? I did say Excalibur perfected the art of recurve crossbows. To make them competitive with other compound crossbows, Excalibur had to come up with some good stuff.
Dual Fire Technology: As the name suggests, you lock two arrows in the bow. Increasing your chances and confidence to hit the target. This technology allows you to fire another shot immediately after the first one.
Quic-Loc technology is patented by Excalibur crossbows. It makes the already easy to repair crossbow even easier to repair. Thanks to this technology, you can unlock the whole crossbow by removing one compartment.
Charger EXT Cranking Aid: It’s a known fact that, recurve crossbows suffers from heavy draw weight. You can cut the weight by 50% using a rope cocking device, but it’s still quite much. The charger EXT cranking device lowers the draw weight of the bow by a lot. Keep in mind every Excalibur crossbow doesn’t support this cranking aid.
Excalibur Accessories
Bolts: Recurve crossbow most of the time uses a different type of bolts on their crossbow. To keep up with the demand, Excalibur makes their own crossbow bolts. Depending on which one you go for, the price will vary highly.
Broadheads are one of the most used hunting accessories. They help to pierce the flesh of the prey quite well and stays inside of the prey. That’s why they are popular for deer hunting and small animals hunting. Even in fish hunting a lot of hunters prefers to use broadheads instead of bolts.
Crossbow case: A carrying case for the crossbow. You can carry the crossbow without damaging it with one of this.
Scopes: Your Excalibur crossbow will come with a scope included. If you want to upgrade that down the line, then you can go for crossbows from Excalibur that are better than the stock scope they include with the bow. Besides these, they also sell a ton of other useful accessories that you can use on your Excalibur crossbows.
1. Excalibur Assassin 400 TD Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 400 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 100 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 15 Inches; Draw Weight: 325 LBS; Axle To Axle: 20.5 / 25 Inches; Length: 30 – 33 Inches; Weight: 7.9 LBS.
Excalibur Assassin 400 TD is one of the best crossbows Excalibur ever made. It’s one of the few Excalibur crossbows that can easily hit the 400 FPS mark. Besides the speed, it also packs all of the glorious technologies from Excalibur. Previously we mentioned we can’t call one single crossbow from Excalibur the best. But if I really were to call one the best, that would be the Assassin 400TD no doubt.
400 FPS. As the name suggests the maximum speed of this crossbow is 400FPS. If you know a little about Recurve crossbows, then you know they are not known for their speed or power.
Express limbs are a new thing from Excalibur crossbow. These limbs are more profound and more powerful than their previous crossbow limbs. They generate a ton of kinetic energy to combine with the 400 FPS mark.
Quic-Loc technology. To make it easy to open and repair, Excalibur included the Quic-Loc technology here.
Charger EXT crank. The draw weight of this crossbow is 315lbs. You can’t expect a regular hunter to pull of that strength every time he loads the crossbow. That’s why Excalibur uses EXT crank with this crossbow to make the draw weight nearly disappear.
Quick Facts:
There is another version of this crossbow that is capable of firing at 420 FPS. But this one in my opinion is top tier hunting crossbow.
Pros
- Great build quality.
- 400FPS.
- Quite powerful.
- Silent and deadly.
- EXT cranking aid.
- Pro-Shot ACP trigger.
Cons
- The scope could have been better.
- The draw weight without the cranking aid is quite high.
2. Excalibur Matrix Bulldog 400 Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 400 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 124 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 14 Inches; Draw Weight: 280 LBS; Axle To Axle: 23.75 / 30.25 Inches; Length: 35.8 Inches; Weight: 6.2 LBS.
Excalibur Matrix Bulldog 400 is another 400FPS crossbow from Excalibur. Unlike the one we just showcased above, this one is more traditional than ever. It uses the regular single limb design that we love and adore. The string replacement on this type of crossbow is quite easy as well.
The speed is one of the key factors of this crossbow. One of the few Excalibur crossbows that can reach the 400 FPS mark with ease.
Great build quality. The build quality on this crossbow is excellent. I know it doesn’t look like made out of that good materials. But that works to your advantage. The camo skin is good for hunting in the jungle in winter.
Noise. Excalibur is known for their suppressors. They make crossbow more silent than a silenced pistol. It’s an incredible feat that they perfected over the years. Matrix Bulldog is no exception. It’s deadly and it’s silent.
Capable of doing big game hunting. One of the concerns of recurve crossbow is their capability of participating in big game hunting. Not a lot of recurve crossbow can do that. Due to them being underpowered for big game hunting. You don’t need to worry about that. Excalibur got that covered
Quick Facts:
If you can get over the humongous draw weight, this is a great recurve crossbow to have in your inventory.
Pros
- Great build quality.
- Big game hunting capable.
- 400 FPS.
- Good scope included.
- Durable limb setup.
- Silent.
Cons
- The draw weight is scarily high at 280lbs.
3. Excalibur Micro Mag 340 Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 340 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 72.3 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 13 Inches; Draw Weight: 270 LBS; Axle To Axle: 22 / 25 Inches; Length: 31.75 Inches; Weight: 5.5 LBS.
Excalibur Micro series is known for being silent and deadly. While the name does indicate it might be a micro crossbow, but that’s not the case here. The crossbow is a regular crossbow with two limbs and a bowstring in a CNC machined aluminum bow rail.
Speed. Recurve crossbows usually isn’t too fast. Micro Mag is capable of reaching 340 FPS. While compound crossbows can easily beat that number, there aren’t many recurve crossbows by other manufacturers available that can beat this number.
Incredibly lightweight. It’s one of the lightest crossbows you will ever land your hands on. Weighing at 5.5lbs, it easily outclasses other compound and recurve crossbows. As this crossbow doesn’t have that much going on for it, there isn’t any need for extra weight on the bow. Props to Excalibur for making such a light crossbow.
String stoppers, seems like such a small item. Yet, they do so much to a crossbow. String stoppers can mute the sound of the crossbow and soften the impact of the bow string. This way, the bowstring will stay intact for a long time. Micro Mag 340 is quite silent while and after shooting.
Quick Facts:
Like always, one of the key downsides of a recurve crossbow is the draw weight. Otherwise, it’s a solid option for beginner hunters.
Pros
- Affordable.
- Lightweight and durable.
- 340 FPS.
- Good scope included.
- String stoppers built-in.
Cons
- The draw weight is quite high at 270lbs.
4. Excalibur Micro 335 Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 335 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 98 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 9.5 Inches; Draw Weight: 270 LBS; Axle To Axle: 22 / 25.5 Inches; Length: 32.5 Inches; Weight: 5.2 LBS.
Micro 335 uses the Gen 2 CRT limb architecture invented by Excalibur. It’s another addition to the previously famous Micro crossbow lineup. Don’t let the name deceive you, it’s not a micro crossbow at all. The micro in the name stans for the micro suppressor technology that Excalibur uses.
335 FPS. For a beginner recurve crossbow, this speed is more than acceptable. 335 FPS is not the fastest bow you will ever hold, but it’s more than capable of whatever hunting you have planned for it. Unless, you are planning to go to Russia to hunt bears? Then I can’t recommend this to you. Jokes aside, it’s more than enough for small hunting and games.
5.2lbs weight. Now that’s something none of us saw coming. I know they are lightweight, but this low? That’s a sight to behold.
98ft-lbs of kinetic energy. That’s an improvement over the previous one. Almost touching the 100ft-lbs mark. You can easily do deer hunting and similar events with this crossbow without any issues.
Quick Facts:
Extremely lightweight and fun to play around crossbow. If you like recurve crossbow and don’t want to spend a ton behind one, might want to get this.
Pros
- Lightweight.
- Compact and durable.
- Affordable.
- 335 FPS.
- 98ft-lbs of kinetic energy.
Cons
- High draw weight.
- Slightly louder than compound bows.
5. Excalibur GRZ2 Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 305 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 72.3 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 11.2 Inches; Draw Weight: 200 LBS; Axle To Axle: 26 / 30.5 Inches; Length: 33.5 Inches; Weight: 5.5 LBS.
Excalibur GRZ2 is a beginner recurve crossbow from Excalibur crossbow. It’s not the fastest crossbow ever nor is it the most powerful to start with. Excalibur thought of beginner hunters getting into the scene.
305 FPS. For a modern crossbow, that’s borderline unacceptable. As I said, it’s a beginner crossbow. While you could go for crossbows with 380 or more FPS as a beginner, that might be a bit too high for a lot of hunters.
72.3FPE. That’s not powerful at all. At best it is capable of hunting small animals and deer. If that’s all you do, then it’s more than capable of doing so. But don’t expect it to win you big game hunting. It’s not capable of doing such.
Extremely lightweight. One of the things that I love about Excalibur crossbow is their weight distribution. Usually, recurve crossbows will be lighter than compound bow. That’s because compound bows has a lot of things going on for it at the same time. The weight of the GRZ 2 is 5.5lbs.
Quick Facts:
If you want a beginner crossbow that’s lightweight and gets the job done, this can be it. Otherwise, you may as well call pass on it.
Pros
- Affordable.
- Lightweight and durable.
- Decent scope included.
- Moderately powerful.
- Silent.
- Good for small hunting and beginner hunters.
Cons
- Not that fast.
- 200lbs draw weight without rope cocker.
6. Excalibur Matrix Grizzly Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 305 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 72 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 11.5 Inches; Draw Weight: 200 LBS; Axle To Axle: 26.88 / 30.62 Inches; Length: 33 Inches; Weight: 5.5 LBS.
Now that’s a mouthful name. This is an interesting crossbow. Till now, almost all of the crossbow we so far has an aluminum flight rail. For some reason, Excalibur went for a new composite for the rail. Instead of aluminum, it’s constructed from various plastic and other synthetic materials. While it’s still not as durable as aluminum it’s not something that will break within a squeak.
305 FPS. Once again, lacking on the speed department. At this point I am sounding like a broken record. It is what it is.
Draw weight. While the draw weight of this crossbow is nearly 200lbs, you can easily cut that down by 50% with the included rope cocking aid. It’s a small tool that does the job just fine. That will make the draw weight of this crossbow more than viable.
Silent. Whisper technology is working wonders for Excalibur crossbows. The rail of this crossbow is not made of aluminum. That’s why there is a risk of hearing scratch from the friction between the arrow and the rail. You should keep the rail lubed often to eliminate such risk.
Quick Facts:
It’s not the best crossbow ever made, but it’s another one of those crossbows that gets the job done. Besides that, it won’t win you wars or big game hunting competition. But it will provide a fun little experience that is necessary while hunting.
Pros
- Cheap.
- Good build quality.
- Easy to setup.
- Beginner friendly.
Cons
- The rail is not made from aluminum but it’s durable.
7. Excalibur Banshee 308 Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 308 FPS; Kinetic Energy: +-70/80 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 8.5 Inches; Draw Weight: 254 LBS; Axle To Axle: 21 / 25 Inches; Length: 30 Inches; Weight: 5.4 LBS.
Named after the agent of death. Does it live up to the name? We will find that out soon enough,
Banshee 308 is an entry level recurve crossbow from Excalibur. Excalibur is known for making good recurve and entry level crossbows. Their learning curve and ease of access is quite easy.
308 FPS. While it’s not the fastest bow on the market, it’s a crossbow that gets the job done. Just keep in mind this is not capable of doing big game hunting. If that’s what you are planning on doing, you shouldn’t take this.
Weight. One of the main concerns while buying a crossbow is the weight of that crossbow. The weight of Banshee 308 without any accessories is 5.2lbs. That’s extremely lightweight compared to compound crossbows.
Noise compression. This is where Excalibur tends to outshine most of the brands. Their whisper-quite sound compression system is an excellent combination to lower the sound of a crossbow and the vibration. You don’t need to pay extra for this service. You will find this built-in on the Banshee.
Quick Facts:
You might be wondering why is Banshee on the best Excalibur crossbow reviews list? To answer that, not everyone needs the most powerful crossbow ever. Some of us are content with 300 FPS for a low amount of money.
Pros
- Affordable.
- Good build quality.
- Lightweight.
- Beginner friendly.
- Easy to open and repair.
- Whisper-quite silence system.
Cons
- The crossbow is too short for tall people.
Frequently ASK Questions
Are Excalibur Crossbows Any Good?
The answer depends on what are you looking from the crossbow. If you are looking for a good recurve crossbow that is good for hunting and regular crossbow stuff, then yes, they are pretty good. But if you are comparing them against compound bows, then they are questionable. You need to keep in mind that these are made as easy to repair.
How To Use An Excalibur Crossbow?
Using them is not different than a regular crossbow. If you have used a crossbow before, then you already know how to use them. You really don’t need a crash course to get you started. Just load the crossbow as you would and shoot at the target.
How Long Do Excalibur Crossbow Limb Last?
Now, that’s a valid question. Excalibur doesn’t use traditional CAM system limbs of a compound crossbow. Excalibur uses their own made crossbow limbs. The reputation of those limbs are quite good. Rarely you will find cases of having cracks on the limb from factory. That’s bad QC and they will replace that for you. If you don’t crack the limbs accidentally, then the crossbow limbs will last for a long time.
Are Excalibur Crossbow Quiet?
Yes, all of their crossbows that uses whisper-quiet technology, they are extremely silent and deadly. You will find string stoppers on almost all of the crossbows made by Excalibur. Those string stoppers plays a big role in sound compression. They also reduce the vibration of the crossbow a by a lot.
How To Decock An Excalibur Crossbow?
If you have a cranking aid installed on your crossbow, then it’s quite easy to decock the crossbow. Just do everything in reverse.
Before you decock the crossbow, make sure the safety latch is on and you remove the arrow first. Some of the Excalibur crossbows can hold up to 2 arrows at the same time. If your unit can do that, then you need to remove both of the arrows from the crossbow. Then turn off the safety latch, use the rope cocker to slowly ease the bowstring back to the place.
How To String An Excalibur Crossbow?
In the manual of the crossbow you will find a guide to how to replace the bowstring and how to tighten the string if it gets loose. Visual demonstration will be better in this case. That’s why I am leaving it up to the good old YouTube experts.
How To Sight In An Excalibur Crossbow?
Sighting in a crossbow is quite easy task to do. It’s tedious but it’s easy. You just need a lot of patience. Start from 20 yards point and try to adjust the windage and elevation of the scope. then fire a couple of shot again to make sure the setting you put up is correct. Don’t sight in a crossbow at 40 or more yards. It will lessen the accuracy of the crossbow a lot. As long-range performance of a crossbow is quite deceiving.
Best Excalibur Crossbow Reviews Summary
Excalibur is not a small crossbow company. Their history is rich and profound. They are one of the few active manufacturers that is still producing good quality recurve crossbows. Something that a lot of us don’t appreciate anymore.
But recurve crossbows are still viable gateway drug to this hobby. Hunting should be enjoyable and hassle free. Both of those are possible with an Excalibur crossbow. Excalibur has huge catalogue for you to choose from. But all of them aren’t worthy of calling “best Excalibur crossbow”. I hope that makes sense. These are the crossbows that we think are worth your money.
At the end of the day, all we can do is provide our opinions and the decision will be still on your hands. I hope we were a bit of help in that decision making.