Hey Rich! Loving the series here. I've always heard good things about Mission Crossbows. Edit pre post! I almost got ahead of myself. I was going to comment on the fact that we sit with our crossbows cocked and at the ready for hours before shooting or decocking. This must affect any comparisons we try to make between 20,000 competition and practice shots vs hunting situations. As I was typing I saw you reached the same conclusion! It's still very interesting.
100% agree, very interesting! Matt is a HUNTER for sure but most of his 20,000 shots are cock and shoot, not cock and SIT for hours and then shoot, LOL. That likely accounts for some guys getting 1,000's of shots...I mean, why else would someone track every shot? Haha Thanks for watching.
Thank you Rich another great video. I’ve always had a quarter of an inch between my string and rubber stoppers on my Excalibur vortex , it’s 10 years old now but I did replace the limbs last year due to a small splinter on the front of the right limb. It took less than two days for the lims to arrive. Excalibur Crossbow’s honoured their warranty to me. I’m very 😀. From day one I chose to have more brace height in order for the lims to not overextend. This was at the expense of a small amount of feet per second. This was to save my limbs in the long run.Have a great day.
Hello there I know this is from 2022 I just got started about 2 weeks ago with crossbows. My knowledge has exceeded at least 2 years worth of experience with your videos. smile thank you. Even before I got a crossbow years ago I heard so much about limbs breaking
I really enjoy your videos. I am new to crossbows. I just bought a CenterPoint Elite sniper 385. I’ve only shot it enough to sight it in but I LOVE it! As soon as spring hits I’m going to be shooting a lot. Your videos are very informative and well done. Thank you and keep them coming!😊
I appreciate all the episodes of this Breaking Limbs Series. I enjoyed each one of them as usual. They were very informative. Thank you for all the work that you do and I have learned a lot from them. Looking forward to more videos. Thanks again.
Nocks! Check them as you would an arrow - after each shot. My buddy's Barnett blew up because his nocks were mushrooming out. I pointed it out but he didn't think it required immediate action. However if the string slips off the deformed or broken nock, its a dry fire!
Wax and lube can help a lot if you use it. My experience from using a vertical bow years ago. My bow took thousands of shots and yes my strings were always full of wax. Never had to replace the string. Handle your bow like a glass cup and maintenance goes along ways
great video series - I’m now ready to weigh in 🤓! Although, some of the more technical reasons for limb breakages, that were presented make total sense, I do believe that there are really two major reasons. 1. Manufacturers are mass producing these units and as a result we see more issues with the quality of the limbs. 2. i definitely agree with user error ( probably should have been number 1) as an issue. I have yet to see comment where someone says “My limbs broke after I dry-fired the bow, or dropped it out of my tree stand, or left it cocked from 6am-6pm, etc.” I do agree with you Rich, that going to a heavier arrow build is the one thing that we can do to eliminate one possible cause of limb breakage, but if manufacturers are going to ship their bows with light weight arrows, then the cycle will never end.
Another great video full of great information. Really enjoying the video series. Been listening to talking with bunjie a lot and there is so much information on there really appreciate it. Thank you
I see I'm not alone in the world on broken limbs now. I shoot about a 50 grain heavier bolt than ones that came with my centerpoint. Limb split. Got a new centerpoint dagger 405, heavier bolts. While sitting in my stand this weekend one limb started cracking & came apart. A dangerous situation. Of course i'm getting run around from centerpoint.
Thank you for this series. The name of my channel is EVALUATE AND REPAIR. When it comes to crossbows I don’t know much. So this series has done all the evaluation so when I do choose a crossbow , hopefully I can avoid the repair part .
Something to add on limb failure, and that is heat issues. Leaving your crossbow inside a vehicle in the summer time for example, or inside a truck bed where direct sun can shine on the bow and heat the metal truck bed putting the bow or crossbow on slow bake could effect the integrity of the limbs and possibly the string. I had a solid fiberglass recurve bow 45 pound pull, warp badly when left in a hot car. I thought the heat would only affect laminated limbs, but that was not the case.
Having a good bow press that can safely compress a xbow is very important. Improper pressing is where a lot of bows get damaged. I have a bow-a-constrictor press that does a great job on both compounds and xbows. I do some string building and bow tuning and have a lot of equipment and work on several xbows every year. String material, strand count, serving diameters are important to know. Older xbows used dacron because of it elasticity and shock absorbing qualities. In today's world, we have a dyneema material. Dyneema is light, fast and has elasticity to give a soft shot and is used on a lot of x bows. Dyneema's purity evolved over the years from 75% to 99% and there are a lot of different versions throughout the last 25 years. Some of the older versions are no longer available and have been replaced with newer versions. I have built a lot of xbow strings with dyneema and it does a great job. So proper pressing and proper string building is two things that can greatly improve the life of a bow.
I also build my own bow strings. I have a bow press and a string building jig. I believe that I can build one better than store bought because all of my servings are hand made and served. So far, I have built 5 strings and 3 sets of cables. I get a lot of satisfaction from building my own strings and cables and being self sufficient.
My thinking (what makes sense to me) is the prolonged draw periods would have more negative effect than anything else. Of the things mentioned (so far) this seems best explanation. Not all but certainly substantial food for thought. Seeing as how you cant really do anything about that, it's almost a non-issue. Limbs are either gonna take it, or they are not.
I'm kinda in the same boat after all this series. 😕 some cars go 300,000 miles and some don't. There are things we can do to get more out of them, but...
Great video once again Rich! 👏 Appreciate you putting all this time into the series for us. Lots of great info. I'm going to move the stops ahead a hair on my XP but the X1 doesn't have any string stops. Isn't that ironic?! 🤔 😃
Hey guys. I think the aspects that you figured out for probability of limb-breakage miss one key-point: the "geometry of the limb and riser" (well...the wyvern-guy said something in this direction, but i think here is much more potential to understand about why limbs fail). I get all (or most of) the arguments of the professionals you asked. And i think the "efficiency-calculation" does play a role in the whole picture....but as well does the geometry...so what i want to propose is: of two crossbows with the same (in-)-efficiency-percentage one may fail more likely, because the limb: a) is not mounted in a proper angle to the riser that harmonises with the limb-shape (side-comment: in the Takedown-Riser of the 340fps-model (talking excal of course...) the limbs are mounted like on 80°, while in the none-takedown 340fps model its 90°... affecting the limb-bend AND the power-Stroke... 13" at the normal one and 14.38" at the takedown model....but regardless of the different power-stroke with same draw-weight it is producing the same arrow speed. (one could think the longer stroke with same draw-weight would produce faster arrows...but it seems the limb does in fact not bend more, even if it has a longer stroke...cuz the angle is different!) b) does have a non-optimal profile or shape itself (for example to thick or to thin in a specific point of the limb / or is to thin or to thick at all....) c) does not have a good holding in the limb-pocket (noticed some thin rubber-inlet in the pocket to smooth the hold of the limb) d) the overall length of the limb and its flexibility-rate ...... sooo....the micro-limbs...in one or more than one of those aspects are apparently worse in the limb-geometry. so i would add the category "geometry-design" to your categories (user-error, etc.) I noticed some high-end crossbows use super-thin limbs that bend in a crazy curve - but since they are thin it seems not to cause a lot of stess to them - while other crossbows have very thick limbs that bend significantly less to produce the same speed...and for example the micro-limb is thick in some points, while in others its thin, which automatically causes them to bend more in the thin point and less in the thick points...if not properly designed a limb may bend to much, where its not supposed to and eventually fails more soon because of that design. Over the years i noticed some crossbow-manufacturers have been redesigning crossbows with (apparently) high limb-failure-rates ..moving on to thinner (!) limbs, (apparently) resolving the issues...one could think THICKER means more resistant...but depending on the geometry the opposite seems to be the case. In other cases (excal "high-output-limbs...") they do it right like one would expect (those are thicker than the gen2-micro-limbs). I have myself not quite figured out, how the riser-design affects, if a thick or thin limb prevails.... Another side-note..: I personally own the 340td....and i try to optimise my arrow-setup according to your research-results...also i personally believe that the rubber-air-brake-pads - instead of doing harm as a collision-like-object, may in fact absorb some of the overhang-energy by themselves and "support" an especially stressed point in the limb-geometry of the micro-limbs as they prevent the limb "oscillating / bulging" out to much to the front (there are some interesting slowmos on YT, showing the oscillation of an excal...user wavelength1970) ... just what i was thinking...so i let them in place - as they also slow it down a bit...and i believe - as they reduce vibration they reduce stress as they - in my opinion - may absorb a part of the limb-energy (i don't care about the sound-dampening) ...but thats also - JUST a theory...... =). all hail to all bunjies...from germany
Do limb dampeners help with disbursing the energy and therefore helping the limbs? It reduces sound, so I would assume so, but I know what happens when you assume things. lol
General consensus is yes, rubber reduces vibration and helps. Personally I think we get more out of heavier arrows though. Rubber on limbs slows down the xbow, just like the arrows, but doesn't give you a penetration benefit. That's my thoughts thanks for watching!
@@Deathbybunjie Love the videos, we are all learning together. I am already using a heavier arrow 479gr. Just was curious about the dampeners. Thank you Rich.
Idk but nice video but I rather keep simple act and go with little heavier arrows cause adding stuff too it, like inserts and broadheads but that me. I love Excalibur and never had a limb destroyed on me yet but yet again I take the string off when I’m not using it or travel some where
so def good info , pretty much done most of however im very curious on the dampener number 4 , is there a place tofind some possible add on orupgrade dampners spring loaded or such aftermarket for centerpoint
Has a Bear Saga 420 my limbs broke after 20 or 25 shot both right limbs and the Riser broke when the crossbow cocked. Bear warranty the Limbs took to shop and they replaces both sides and Riser took bow home first time i cocked it . Left lower limb pop and cracked whats the deal ? these thing junk or what
Mr. Rich, I have a ignorant question. I just bought a barnett xp385, per operators manual, it says don't keep cocked past 4 hours. Do I uncock then cock it back? Or should I wait until I see deer then cock it?
Not an ignorant question at all! Barnett is one company that puts that in their manuals. I say follow their instructions. Basically, the way I look at it, I'd plan my hunts in 4 Hour increments. At the end of 4 hours I would shoot it into a Target or decock it and then have lunch. Then I would cock it again and sit until dark. If you're going to hunt all day, then probably every 3 hours or so I would uncock it and cock it again. Now, I can't tell you Why that makes a difference. But I can tell you that that is a Barnett thing for sure and I would abide by it. I suspect it is what they think that the limbs can handle. I would not wait until I see deer the cock it, one of the big advantages of crossbows is having it cocked in advance. I wouldn't give up that advantage! Good luck out there and I hope this helps!
Seem better, but new hardware seems to have helped too. For example the brackets on Genevieve's replacement limbs are different from the originals. So...fingers crossed!
@@Deathbybunjie oh wow I didn’t know they were making the brackets different too. Man I love my excaliburs my mag 340 and now my micro 380 just wish I was getting little more speed out of my 380 than I am
I have left crossbows cocked over night. Evening hunt, followed by a morning hunt. Probably not a good idea to do that. I still wonder if the act of repeatedly cocking and shooting a crossbow might be more likely to reduce the lifespan of the limbs than leaving it cocked?
I think it's the opposite...the repetition repeats the testing process like bending 10,000 times...limbs can survive that. Unfortunately that's not how we hunt, of course.
The difference in shooting crossbows during practice vs hunting is really like a car with high highway miles vs a car with high city miles. Leaving the crossbow cocked for long periods of time when hunting is far harder on the limbs than practicing with the bow when you cock and shoot within minutes and not hours like in a hunting situation.
At 16:50 Darren Cummings seems to say string stops are a culprit in contributing to broken limbs by preventing a slower extended vibration. I always thought string stops transferred energy away from the limbs thereby protecting them from damage Am I wrong here?
I think you're talking about impulse theory...absorbing all that energy at once is worse than absorbing it slowly over time. I think the string stops are good if installed properly, but if there's not enough gap and they stop the vibration all at once, that's not good. They dump it into the riser, yes, but the riser is attached to the limbs, and the string is attached to the limbs, too, so a lot of that energy goes into the limbs. Better to let it play out over a slightly longer time. If you have the correct gap between the string stops and the string, the string will go forward and touch it, and start slowing down, but not stop all at once. That's the idea. I hope that helps.
Ok thanks. I'm brand new to crossbows and just learning the basics. I was surprised to find out how often limbs can break, even on brand new $2000 Xbows. In my limited resesrch I've come to the conclusion one of the main reasons for broken limbs are speeds over 400 FPS. So I'm looking at something in the 350 range. And according to your expert guests, proper diffusion and direction of vibrations away from the limbs I'm learning a lot from your channel, keep up the good work
Rich do you think the db killer bumpers string still needs space because they are made to push in to absorb some of that energy not like the s5 they are softer and built different! I also don’t think these air brakes on Excaliburs are good either
I just got a brand new barnett explorer 400xp and the string is touching the rubber pads. Now I'm worried if that's not right. This is my 1st ever crossbow
I'm sorry that it's been a year, since you left this comment, but check with the manufacturer and you should be okay. The important thing is that you're being observant and checking out these things and I hope you had a great year of crossbow hunting!
@Deathbybunjie hey like they say better late than never 😂 but yeah it's normal the way it is on mine they said. It's just slightly touching. Not even enough to even put any pressure on it and yes I had a great year. I got to harvest my first crossbow deer with it. I appreciate the reply. Congratulations on the new position 👏🏼
fact the front of a bolt drives the bolt fact 500 plus bolt with broadhead is correct fact 200 150 min single level broadhead goes though deer;s shoulders all the time at 20 or less yards i know i'm an old timer with four crossbows and its not about the blood trail its kill on sight..if i can drop all my deer with in 40 yds with crossbows shooting at 305 370 and 415 with the same setup .any body can dont shoot behind the front legs cause its 50 50 chance you will lose that deer engines in the front limbs on crossbows won't break if you follow what i;m teaching you .......god bless happy hunting old man rick...
The reason no videos is just because I've been working on my new book is all. It's written, just putting finishing touches on it. Will be back with videos before too long! Thanks for your interest 🙂 👍🏻
Is a Barnett ghost 420 a good compound crossbow to start off I really love the design on it but thing is I’m starting to like the sub 1s a lot too and that guy put 20’000 shots into his by modding his out a bit and taking good care of it now I’m also starting to think maybe I can make the Barnett last that long too if I do the same thing but the other part of me is saying it’s also the brand as well and how good it’s built so that makes me want the sub 1 instead of the Barnett ghost than the Scorpid you got is really nice too because of the spring retention it has to the string im just trying to pick either of those three because I need a new crossbow it’s time my Stryker 380 is getting pretty boring been having it for a while I just want a crossbow that I can rely on and make it last because I also noticed that crossbows that are high in price doesn’t mean they are reliable I just want to pick between the three and it is my decision to make but I would like some help anyone got any idea? And also I don’t just wanna just hunt i also love shooting a lot in my backyard too I don’t like my xbow sitting
Mission is one of those brands that is meant to shoot over and over and over, I don't know that I would say that about Barnett but that's based on reputation only and not experience. Frankly, I think some of the Scorpyds are meant to shoot over and over but maybe not all of them. The lower poundage ones maybe. No guarantees in this business, that's for sure. But good luck! On the other hand there's nothing wrong with sticking with the one that's working right now!
Just shoot it when you need to for hunting...If it blows up,go to the shop and buy another one of exactly the same model..Eventually you'll have enough parts to build a brand new one from all the ones that blew up..
I bought a Excalibur 440 Bulldog 5 Years ago and have had String Failure and limb Breaks, 20+ Strings 4 Limbs, I Bought a Twin strike last year Fist Time out Hunting A Limb Broke, this Year went to sight in the twin strike Both String the Serving was coming loose so Excalibur shipped 2 new strings that did not Arrive until after i had to lave so I took my Bulldog and shot it sighting in 8 Times and the Limb Broke that makes 4 Limbs in 5 years!!!!! Then I get home and put the new strings on the Twin strike and was going to Sight it in and Cocked the top limbs then cocked the bottom Limbs and herd a Loud Crack Guess what they BROKE AGAIN that makes 2 Limbs in 2 years on Twin strike and 4 Limbs on Bulldog IM SICK OF THIS I've had 6 Hunts Ruined!!!!! What can I do?????
Man I love you and your family but I have to tell you 1st off my single shot is a 3rd of the weight of my 1100 Remington and that is why there is less Recoil I feel like I'm listening to do CN liptart news yeah liptart news explain why trump is responsible for current inflation.Just saying.
If you shoot a single shot and a semi, both same weight and same load, the semi feels like less kick. No one was talking about two guns of different weights.
Hey Rich! Loving the series here. I've always heard good things about Mission Crossbows. Edit pre post! I almost got ahead of myself. I was going to comment on the fact that we sit with our crossbows cocked and at the ready for hours before shooting or decocking. This must affect any comparisons we try to make between 20,000 competition and practice shots vs hunting situations. As I was typing I saw you reached the same conclusion! It's still very interesting.
100% agree, very interesting! Matt is a HUNTER for sure but most of his 20,000 shots are cock and shoot, not cock and SIT for hours and then shoot, LOL. That likely accounts for some guys getting 1,000's of shots...I mean, why else would someone track every shot? Haha Thanks for watching.
Thank you Rich another great video. I’ve always had a quarter of an inch between my string and rubber stoppers on my Excalibur vortex , it’s 10 years old now but I did replace the limbs last year due to a small splinter on the front of the right limb. It took less than two days for the lims to arrive. Excalibur Crossbow’s honoured their warranty to me. I’m very 😀.
From day one I chose to have more brace height in order for the lims to not overextend. This was at the expense of a small amount of feet per second. This was to save my limbs in the long run.Have a great day.
Hello there I know this is from 2022 I just got started about 2 weeks ago with crossbows. My knowledge has exceeded at least 2 years worth of experience with your videos. smile thank you. Even before I got a crossbow years ago I heard so much about limbs breaking
Outstanding video as always! All Hail Bunjie!
Many thanks, I'm totally new on crossbows and this information is gold
Thanks Rich for this enlightening video!
I really enjoy your videos. I am new to crossbows. I just bought a CenterPoint Elite sniper 385. I’ve only shot it enough to sight it in but I LOVE it! As soon as spring hits I’m going to be shooting a lot. Your videos are very informative and well done. Thank you and keep them coming!😊
Nice video lot of information
I learned a lot watching this series thank you, as always, very informative!
WOW 👏 AWESOME. THANKS 😊
It's awesome that you had Matt on. That guy helped me with so many questions I had about my XR. Thanks for the video!
Yes, he's top notch, I'm lucky to have had the chance to talk to him, too!
Thanks Rich for another great video Neil from West Virginia
I appreciate all the episodes of this Breaking Limbs Series. I enjoyed each one of them as usual. They were very informative. Thank you for all the work that you do and I have learned a lot from them. Looking forward to more videos. Thanks again.
Informative
Thank you Rich
Excellent series and as a novice with a 360 TD micro it’s really helped.
Cheers
Thanks for a very informative series, Rich. Enjoyed every episode.
Nocks! Check them as you would an arrow - after each shot. My buddy's Barnett blew up because his nocks were mushrooming out. I pointed it out but he didn't think it required immediate action. However if the string slips off the deformed or broken nock, its a dry fire!
My Wicked Ridge/TenPoint requires a proprietary nock on the bolts.
A good eye!
Wax and lube can help a lot if you use it. My experience from using a vertical bow years ago. My bow took thousands of shots and yes my strings were always full of wax. Never had to replace the string. Handle your bow like a glass cup and maintenance goes along ways
Great series Rich. Thank you.
Great series, thank you!
great video series - I’m now ready to weigh in 🤓! Although, some of the more technical reasons for limb breakages, that were presented make total sense, I do believe that there are really two major reasons. 1. Manufacturers are mass producing these units and as a result we see more issues with the quality of the limbs. 2. i definitely agree with user error ( probably should have been number 1) as an issue. I have yet to see comment where someone says “My limbs broke after I dry-fired the bow, or dropped it out of my tree stand, or left it cocked from 6am-6pm, etc.” I do agree with you Rich, that going to a heavier arrow build is the one thing that we can do to eliminate one possible cause of limb breakage, but if manufacturers are going to ship their bows with light weight arrows, then the cycle will never end.
Another great video full of great information. Really enjoying the video series. Been listening to talking with bunjie a lot and there is so much information on there really appreciate it. Thank you
Glad to hear it, thanks!
Love my sub-1. It’s the newer faster cam at 385fps. Built like a tank!
thank you for this whole series. it has helped me with some of the worries about will it happen to me too
Great video.
Nailed it 👍🎯
I have a tenpoint extreme that I bought in 2001 no clue how many shots thru it but the number would be BIG ,still has original limbs !
I see I'm not alone in the world on broken limbs now. I shoot about a 50 grain heavier bolt than ones that came with my centerpoint. Limb split. Got a new centerpoint dagger 405, heavier bolts. While sitting in my stand this weekend one limb started cracking & came apart. A dangerous situation. Of course i'm getting run around from centerpoint.
Thank you for this series. The name of my channel is EVALUATE AND REPAIR. When it comes to crossbows I don’t know much. So this series has done all the evaluation so when I do choose a crossbow , hopefully I can avoid the repair part .
I hope so too thanks for watching and good luck!
Got to look at my Crossbow it came with a String Stop I don`t remember if the String rest against it or not. Enjoyed it Rich
Something to add on limb failure, and that is heat issues. Leaving your crossbow inside a vehicle in the summer time for example, or inside a truck bed where direct sun can shine on the bow and heat the metal truck bed putting the bow or crossbow on slow bake could effect the integrity of the limbs and possibly the string. I had a solid fiberglass recurve bow 45 pound pull, warp badly when left in a hot car. I thought the heat would only affect laminated limbs, but that was not the case.
Oh yeah, I agree, that's the user error category in my book, can be a big one
awesome rich
Having a good bow press that can safely compress a xbow is very important. Improper pressing is where a lot of bows get damaged. I have a bow-a-constrictor press that does a great job on both compounds and xbows. I do some string building and bow tuning and have a lot of equipment and work on several xbows every year. String material, strand count, serving diameters are important to know. Older xbows used dacron because of it elasticity and shock absorbing qualities. In today's world, we have a dyneema material. Dyneema is light, fast and has elasticity to give a soft shot and is used on a lot of x bows. Dyneema's purity evolved over the years from 75% to 99% and there are a lot of different versions throughout the last 25 years. Some of the older versions are no longer available and have been replaced with newer versions. I have built a lot of xbow strings with dyneema and it does a great job. So proper pressing and proper string building is two things that can greatly improve the life of a bow.
I also build my own bow strings. I have a bow press and a string building jig. I believe that I can build one better than store bought because all of my servings are hand made and served. So far, I have built 5 strings and 3 sets of cables. I get a lot of satisfaction from building my own strings and cables and being self sufficient.
Dyneema has very very very little stretch
My thinking (what makes sense to me) is the prolonged draw periods would have more negative effect than anything else. Of the things mentioned (so far) this seems best explanation. Not all but certainly substantial food for thought. Seeing as how you cant really do anything about that, it's almost a non-issue. Limbs are either gonna take it, or they are not.
I'm kinda in the same boat after all this series. 😕 some cars go 300,000 miles and some don't. There are things we can do to get more out of them, but...
so as I understand from this video, if i remove the 2 strings rubber stoppers it will prolong limbs life?
but more noise.
am I right?
That's certainly possible...trade offs. But adjust brace height to manufacturer's recommendation and should be ok, more likely than not.
Great video once again Rich! 👏 Appreciate you putting all this time into the series for us. Lots of great info. I'm going to move the stops ahead a hair on my XP but the X1 doesn't have any string stops. Isn't that ironic?! 🤔 😃
Yep...betting manufacturer defect explains some
Nice 👍
Waiting for a new video of some kid from you buddy!
Hey guys. I think the aspects that you figured out for probability of limb-breakage miss one key-point: the "geometry of the limb and riser" (well...the wyvern-guy said something in this direction, but i think here is much more potential to understand about why limbs fail). I get all (or most of) the arguments of the professionals you asked. And i think the "efficiency-calculation" does play a role in the whole picture....but as well does the geometry...so what i want to propose is: of two crossbows with the same (in-)-efficiency-percentage one may fail more likely, because the limb:
a) is not mounted in a proper angle to the riser that harmonises with the limb-shape (side-comment: in the Takedown-Riser of the 340fps-model (talking excal of course...) the limbs are mounted like on 80°, while in the none-takedown 340fps model its 90°... affecting the limb-bend AND the power-Stroke... 13" at the normal one and 14.38" at the takedown model....but regardless of the different power-stroke with same draw-weight it is producing the same arrow speed. (one could think the longer stroke with same draw-weight would produce faster arrows...but it seems the limb does in fact not bend more, even if it has a longer stroke...cuz the angle is different!)
b) does have a non-optimal profile or shape itself (for example to thick or to thin in a specific point of the limb / or is to thin or to thick at all....)
c) does not have a good holding in the limb-pocket (noticed some thin rubber-inlet in the pocket to smooth the hold of the limb)
d) the overall length of the limb and its flexibility-rate
...... sooo....the micro-limbs...in one or more than one of those aspects are apparently worse in the limb-geometry.
so i would add the category "geometry-design" to your categories (user-error, etc.)
I noticed some high-end crossbows use super-thin limbs that bend in a crazy curve - but since they are thin it seems not to cause a lot of stess to them - while other crossbows have very thick limbs that bend significantly less to produce the same speed...and for example the micro-limb is thick in some points, while in others its thin, which automatically causes them to bend more in the thin point and less in the thick points...if not properly designed a limb may bend to much, where its not supposed to and eventually fails more soon because of that design.
Over the years i noticed some crossbow-manufacturers have been redesigning crossbows with (apparently) high limb-failure-rates ..moving on to thinner (!) limbs, (apparently) resolving the issues...one could think THICKER means more resistant...but depending on the geometry the opposite seems to be the case.
In other cases (excal "high-output-limbs...") they do it right like one would expect (those are thicker than the gen2-micro-limbs). I have myself not quite figured out, how the riser-design affects, if a thick or thin limb prevails....
Another side-note..:
I personally own the 340td....and i try to optimise my arrow-setup according to your research-results...also i personally believe that the rubber-air-brake-pads - instead of doing harm as a collision-like-object, may in fact absorb some of the overhang-energy by themselves and "support" an especially stressed point in the limb-geometry of the micro-limbs as they prevent the limb "oscillating / bulging" out to much to the front (there are some interesting slowmos on YT, showing the oscillation of an excal...user wavelength1970) ... just what i was thinking...so i let them in place - as they also slow it down a bit...and i believe - as they reduce vibration they reduce stress as they - in my opinion - may absorb a part of the limb-energy (i don't care about the sound-dampening)
...but thats also - JUST a theory...... =).
all hail to all bunjies...from germany
This is great stuff and a lot to think about! Thank you!
Do limb dampeners help with disbursing the energy and therefore helping the limbs? It reduces sound, so I would assume so, but I know what happens when you assume things. lol
General consensus is yes, rubber reduces vibration and helps. Personally I think we get more out of heavier arrows though. Rubber on limbs slows down the xbow, just like the arrows, but doesn't give you a penetration benefit. That's my thoughts thanks for watching!
@@Deathbybunjie Love the videos, we are all learning together. I am already using a heavier arrow 479gr. Just was curious about the dampeners. Thank you Rich.
That was the same question I was going to ask 👌
Idk but nice video but I rather keep simple act and go with little heavier arrows cause adding stuff too it, like inserts and broadheads but that me.
I love Excalibur and never had a limb destroyed on me yet but yet again I take the string off when I’m not using it or travel some where
so def good info , pretty much done most of however im very curious on the dampener number 4 , is there a place tofind some possible add on orupgrade dampners spring loaded or such aftermarket for centerpoint
Have to check with that company
@@Deathbybunjie all i get from them is a no centerpoint makes nothing , oh well ,ill check with couple others that do custom work
Has a Bear Saga 420 my limbs broke after 20 or 25 shot both right limbs and the Riser broke when the crossbow cocked. Bear warranty the Limbs took to shop and they replaces both sides and Riser took bow home first time i cocked it . Left lower limb pop and cracked whats the deal ? these thing junk or what
Yikes that's no good!
Mr. Rich, I have a ignorant question. I just bought a barnett xp385, per operators manual, it says don't keep cocked past 4 hours. Do I uncock then cock it back? Or should I wait until I see deer then cock it?
Not an ignorant question at all! Barnett is one company that puts that in their manuals. I say follow their instructions. Basically, the way I look at it, I'd plan my hunts in 4 Hour increments. At the end of 4 hours I would shoot it into a Target or decock it and then have lunch. Then I would cock it again and sit until dark. If you're going to hunt all day, then probably every 3 hours or so I would uncock it and cock it again. Now, I can't tell you Why that makes a difference. But I can tell you that that is a Barnett thing for sure and I would abide by it. I suspect it is what they think that the limbs can handle. I would not wait until I see deer the cock it, one of the big advantages of crossbows is having it cocked in advance. I wouldn't give up that advantage! Good luck out there and I hope this helps!
What you think about Excalibur newer HO limbs? Think they will hold up better
Seem better, but new hardware seems to have helped too. For example the brackets on Genevieve's replacement limbs are different from the originals. So...fingers crossed!
@@Deathbybunjie oh wow I didn’t know they were making the brackets different too. Man I love my excaliburs my mag 340 and now my micro 380 just wish I was getting little more speed out of my 380 than I am
@@Deathbybunjie what is difference in the hardware if you don’t mind me asking buddy
@@stevenhicks815 ua-cam.com/video/OfHPFQwVFSU/v-deo.htmlsi=--IlKjdMuxxaMDcr I think that video shows it pretty good
@@Deathbybunjie thank you
so I bought my first used crossbow from a archery shop nearby and noticed it had a small fracture in the limb what should I do?
Take it back to him and see if they'll either fix it or give you your money back, if not contact the company, I hope that helps
I have left crossbows cocked over night. Evening hunt, followed by a morning hunt. Probably not a good idea to do that. I still wonder if the act of repeatedly cocking and shooting a crossbow might be more likely to reduce the lifespan of the limbs than leaving it cocked?
I think it's the opposite...the repetition repeats the testing process like bending 10,000 times...limbs can survive that. Unfortunately that's not how we hunt, of course.
What if manufacturers went to hydraulic/pneumatic string stops?
Good thought, check out what Scorpyd does ua-cam.com/video/qCWX_7Ufvxs/v-deo.html
Rich what is your opinion on the scorpyd crossbows??
Loving it 100% might not be best for everyone but the Deathstalker has been a good move for me to the modern era of crossbows.
@@Deathbybunjie they look like amazing crossbow’s.
@@Deathbybunjie maybe one day I can afford one lol
The difference in shooting crossbows during practice vs hunting is really like a car with high highway miles vs a car with high city miles. Leaving the crossbow cocked for long periods of time when hunting is far harder on the limbs than practicing with the bow when you cock and shoot within minutes and not hours like in a hunting situation.
I agree, hunting is city miles 😆
@@Deathbybunjie Yes it is
At 16:50 Darren Cummings seems to say string stops are a culprit in contributing to broken limbs by preventing a slower extended vibration.
I always thought string stops transferred energy away from the limbs thereby protecting them from damage
Am I wrong here?
I think you're talking about impulse theory...absorbing all that energy at once is worse than absorbing it slowly over time. I think the string stops are good if installed properly, but if there's not enough gap and they stop the vibration all at once, that's not good. They dump it into the riser, yes, but the riser is attached to the limbs, and the string is attached to the limbs, too, so a lot of that energy goes into the limbs. Better to let it play out over a slightly longer time. If you have the correct gap between the string stops and the string, the string will go forward and touch it, and start slowing down, but not stop all at once. That's the idea. I hope that helps.
Ok thanks. I'm brand new to crossbows and just learning the basics. I was surprised to find out how often limbs can break, even on brand new $2000 Xbows.
In my limited resesrch I've come to the conclusion one of the main reasons for broken limbs are speeds over 400 FPS. So I'm looking at something in the 350 range. And according to your expert guests, proper diffusion and direction of vibrations away from the limbs
I'm learning a lot from your channel, keep up the good work
Rich do you think the db killer bumpers string still needs space because they are made to push in to absorb some of that energy not like the s5 they are softer and built different! I also don’t think these air brakes on Excaliburs are good either
I think the db killers still need space, they're built the same size just a bit different shape.
@@Deathbybunjie okay thank you.
I just got a brand new barnett explorer 400xp and the string is touching the rubber pads. Now I'm worried if that's not right. This is my 1st ever crossbow
I'm sorry that it's been a year, since you left this comment, but check with the manufacturer and you should be okay. The important thing is that you're being observant and checking out these things and I hope you had a great year of crossbow hunting!
@Deathbybunjie hey like they say better late than never 😂 but yeah it's normal the way it is on mine they said. It's just slightly touching. Not even enough to even put any pressure on it and yes I had a great year. I got to harvest my first crossbow deer with it. I appreciate the reply. Congratulations on the new position 👏🏼
fact the front of a bolt drives the bolt fact 500 plus bolt with broadhead is correct fact 200 150 min single level broadhead goes though deer;s shoulders all the time at 20 or less yards i know i'm an old timer with four crossbows and its not about the blood trail its kill on sight..if i can drop all my deer with in 40 yds with crossbows shooting at 305 370 and 415 with the same setup .any body can dont shoot behind the front legs cause its 50 50 chance you will lose that deer engines in the front limbs on crossbows won't break if you follow what i;m teaching you .......god bless happy hunting old man rick...
Do you think if a crossbow has longer axle to axle it helps . I do
There are so many design factors, that could be one of them!
It's been two months since a post...I hope all is well.
The reason no videos is just because I've been working on my new book is all. It's written, just putting finishing touches on it. Will be back with videos before too long! Thanks for your interest 🙂 👍🏻
I tell my customers to shoot 150 grain heads. Simple fix to add weight and efficiency to the arrow.
Indeed! For me that's great with modern xbows!
Is a Barnett ghost 420 a good compound crossbow to start off I really love the design on it but thing is I’m starting to like the sub 1s a lot too and that guy put 20’000 shots into his by modding his out a bit and taking good care of it now I’m also starting to think maybe I can make the Barnett last that long too if I do the same thing but the other part of me is saying it’s also the brand as well and how good it’s built so that makes me want the sub 1 instead of the Barnett ghost than the Scorpid you got is really nice too because of the spring retention it has to the string im just trying to pick either of those three because I need a new crossbow it’s time my Stryker 380 is getting pretty boring been having it for a while I just want a crossbow that I can rely on and make it last because I also noticed that crossbows that are high in price doesn’t mean they are reliable I just want to pick between the three and it is my decision to make but I would like some help anyone got any idea? And also I don’t just wanna just hunt i also love shooting a lot in my backyard too I don’t like my xbow sitting
Mission is one of those brands that is meant to shoot over and over and over, I don't know that I would say that about Barnett but that's based on reputation only and not experience. Frankly, I think some of the Scorpyds are meant to shoot over and over but maybe not all of them. The lower poundage ones maybe. No guarantees in this business, that's for sure. But good luck! On the other hand there's nothing wrong with sticking with the one that's working right now!
@@Deathbybunjie thanks buddy you’ve been a lot of help I love watching your videos I’ve learned a lot from them
please come back havin bungee withdrawal lol
Lol be back soon, finishing book up
Just shoot it when you need to for hunting...If it blows up,go to the shop and buy another one of exactly the same model..Eventually you'll have enough parts to build a brand new one from all the ones that blew up..
There are worse ideas out there, I like that you stay familiar with your model that way
@@Deathbybunjie yeah,unless you bought a tac15 like I did 11 years ago...
I bought the Centerpoint wrath 430 and after only 10 shots my left limb broke. So I returned that piece of junk
Sorry to hear that, I've looked at those before, neat crossbow, sorry to hear it broke on you
@@Deathbybunjie 10 shots that's all it took to break the limbs
I bought a Excalibur 440 Bulldog 5 Years ago and have had String Failure and limb Breaks, 20+ Strings 4 Limbs, I Bought a Twin strike last year Fist Time out Hunting A Limb Broke, this Year went to sight in the twin strike Both String the Serving was coming loose so Excalibur shipped 2 new strings that did not Arrive until after i had to lave so I took my Bulldog and shot it sighting in 8 Times and the Limb Broke that makes 4 Limbs in 5 years!!!!! Then I get home and put the new strings on the Twin strike and was going to Sight it in and Cocked the top limbs then cocked the bottom Limbs and herd a Loud Crack Guess what they BROKE AGAIN that makes 2 Limbs in 2 years on Twin strike and 4 Limbs on Bulldog IM SICK OF THIS I've had 6 Hunts Ruined!!!!! What can I do?????
It sounds like that is not the right company for you. Really sorry to hear that.
#1 should be add a anti dry fire. everyone is going to dryfire some day no matter how good you think you are. 🤣
Hard for me to argue with that 😆
Who counts 20,000 shots? Calling bs.
He's a competitive shooter. He documents every shot, over and over.
Second
😆
@@Deathbybunjie
My favorite channel.
first
Man I love you and your family but I have to tell you 1st off my single shot is a 3rd of the weight of my 1100 Remington and that is why there is less Recoil I feel like I'm listening to do CN liptart news yeah liptart news explain why trump is responsible for current inflation.Just saying.
If you shoot a single shot and a semi, both same weight and same load, the semi feels like less kick. No one was talking about two guns of different weights.
Great series Rich! Thanks!