Best Excalibur Reviews And Ratings
Interested In Excalibur Crossbows? Check Out Our Rundown Of The Best Models
In a hurry and just want to find out what the #1 Excalibur Crossbow is? After our thorough testing and research we highly recommend the Excalibur Crossbow Micro 355 as the best by far.
Excalibur is a leading name in the crossbow market known for their long-lasting, durable products.
Excalibur stands behind recurve technology in their crossbows, which is older than compound bow technology but produces superior accuracy and reliability. Recurve bows have few moving parts and rugged simplicity, making them durable and easy to use and maintain.
An Excalibur crossbow can be a major investment because of the price, but know that if you buy Excalibur you are getting one of the best crossbows money can buy with a proud 30-year history and unmatched performance.
With this list of Excalibur crossbow reviews, it will be easy to find the top Excalibur crossbow to match your needs and budget.
In this article we reviewed the following crossbows as we found them to be the best Excalibur crossbows on the market:
- #1 Excalibur Crossbow Micro 355
- #2 Excalibur Bulldog 440
- #3 Excalibur Assassin 360 Strata
- #4 Excalibur Micro Suppressor
- #5 Excalibur Matrix GRZ 2
- See The Micro 355 Review
- See The Bulldog Review
- See The Assassin Review
- See The Suppressor Review
- See The GRZ 2 Review
When looking to buy an Excal crossbow your first questions are probably
Are they worth the money?
Are they good quality crossbows?
Do they live up to the hype?
Well the answer to these questions are definitely yes!
Excalibur crossbows have been around for a long time, 30+ years, they are a reputable brand and trusted amongst recurve crossbow hunters
They always look to improve the technology they put into their crossbows and it shows through their progression of models they have produced over the years.
From the Exo series to the newer Micro Suppressor and Assassin models.
How To Choose The Right Excalibur Crossbow For Your Needs
What are you going to be using your Excal bow for?
If you are going to be hunting with it you need the right balance of power but it also needs to be quiet
If you just want to hit targets then accuracy is the most important feature to look for, we cover all of this in our reviews below
What Are The Advantages Of Excalibur Crossbows
Being solely recurve crossbows this makes them more simple in design, when compared to compound bows, making them easier to maintain and repair if something breaks
The crossbows have been made with durability in mind, check out their destruction challenge video below to see what I mean, it’s pretty epic! They run it over with a truck and it still hits the bullseye!
The Excalibur crossbow limbs design makes these crossbows accurate and reliable so you can trust them to perform when you need to make your shot
Excals are so simple to load using the rope cocker, and it’s virtually silent, or you can use the cranking device if you struggle doing it by hand because of an injury
Another feature I like is the ability to safely decock the string without having to shoot an arrow into the ground and potentially damaging it.
Their tried and trusted design makes them more compact and lightweight without sacrificing accuracy, scopes are mounted with perfect alignment allowing you to acquire your target faster
I broke the string on my Micro 355 while out hunting and I was able to replace it their and then in less than a minute. You know if that was a compound I would of been out of the hunt to go get it fixed in a shop.
So if you like simplicity and performance over complex design and over the top tech then an Excal crossbow could be a good choice for you.
Are There Any Problems With Excalibur Crossbows
A quick google search for Excalibur Crossbow problems will bring up some issues people have had with their crossbows. Just like any other product you will get some problems arise due to the amount of crossbows that have been made.
After shooting the bow a lot you may notice cracking around the limbs that can look like cracks, this is usually just cosmetic from wear and tear but keep an eye on it if it happens to you.
This is where Excalibur’s customer service shines, they are very knowledgeable and can give you advice on any issues, the Excalibur crossbow warranty is generous too so you should be covered.
Now On To Our Excalibur Crossbow Reviews
I have researched and tested a variety of the best Excal crossbows on the market today and reviewed for you the highest rated, best valued and top quality Excalibur crossbow models for you to pick your favorite
First up and our number 1 pick
Best Overall Excal Crossbow
Excalibur Micro 355
Outdoor Veteran Rating
10/10
Check Price
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Ultra Compact And Powerful
The Micro 355 is a powered up version of the popular 335 model.
It is the same weight and design but the velocity has been beefed up to 355 fps from 335, and all from of a power stroke of just 10 inches
You’d think with this extra power the draw weight would of increased by a lot too but it only increased by 10lbs, giving it a draw weight of 280lbs
This gives the crossbow incredible power with a manageable draw weight and it comes with a rope cocking aid, but if you struggle with this kind of pull buying the crank will help.
It surprises me every time I shoot this bow how they manage to get so much power into an ultra compact design, it comes down to the quality of the Excalibur crossbow limbs
Who This Crossbow Is For
Anyone will be happy with this crossbow but if you stalk through denser woodlands the compact design will be welcomed, it is great for any situation where space is tight, like in a tree stand or ground blind, but where power is a must.
Because it’s so lightweight at 5.2lbs it may be a good option for kids or anyone with old shoulder injuries
I love the fact it’s so compact but still has great power, I really enjoy the feel and performance of this crossbow
A Top Package of Accessories To Get You Shooting Quicker
The Micro 355 comes with a good array of accessories to provide you with everything you need to get straight out shooting
You get an Excalibur Tact Zone crossbow scope, which is a top quality scope, we actually included in our picks of the best crossbow scopes, and 30mm rings to mount it.
Next you have a 4 arrow quiver so you have enough bolts on hand at all times.
The R.E.D.S suppressor system to quieten your shots and an ambidextrous cheek piece so it doesn’t matter which hand you fire with.
And Finally a rope cocking aid making the bow easy to cock.
The Micro 355 Could Be The Best Excalibur Crossbow to Buy
All the excalibur crossbows on this page made it here because they are all good options
The Micro 355 is my top choice because you get a compact lightweight design that doesn’t sacrifice a great deal of power. You get a beast of a bow in a small package.
Pros
- Compact and powerful making it ideal for tight hunting spaces
- Highly accurate making your shots hit the mark
- Suppressor system quietens your shots
- Easy assembly
Cons
- People complain about cracks appearing on limbs, as I addressed above this is usually cosmetic but check with Excalibur customer service because if it’s not they may replace your limbs free under their warranty
>> Check Price on Amazon <<
The Best Excal Crossbow For Maximum Power
Excalibur Bulldog 440
Outdoor Veteran Rating
9.6/10
Check Price
Speed 440 FPS
Cocking Effort 15 LB
Draw Weight 300 LB
Draw Length 19.5″
Width Cocked / Decocked 23″ / 30″
Overall Length 35.75″
Weight 6.2 LB
Stock Type Bullpup Ready Rest
A Powerhouse Of A Crossbow
The Bulldog 440 is the newest crossbow on this list and it is a true powerhouse of a crossbow, with a blistering speed of 440 fps it really packs a punch making it awesome at taking down large game.
The extra speed will give you a flatter shot
This crossbow shoots on a straight trajectory with excellent range making it highly accurate and deadly, I love the crisp Pro Shot ACP trigger allowing you to switch between a 1 or 2 stage trigger, it really ups the performance of this bow.
Getting this crossbow unboxed and assembled is really easy due to its simple design, stringing and unstringing couldn’t be less complex.
What You Get With This Crossbow
You get everything you need to start shooting with this crossbow package, everything is top quality so you won’t need to upgrade any individual parts.
It comes as standard with the charger EXT Silent crank making it super easy to make ready
Guardian Anti dry fire system to stop your string breaking (or worse) if you fire with no arrow in place
The scope with this bow has been upgraded to the awesome Tact 100 which is a great illuminated scope for long range shooting
4 arrow quiver and 4 Pro flight arrows with practice tips – these are good enough to start but you might want to upgrade to some better crossbow arrows
Creep free ACP trigger with its two stage configuration, I personally like using a two stage trigger so I’m holding stage one ready to pull that last bit when I’m ready to hit my target
Who This Crossbow Is For
Hunters wanting a high powered, high quality crossbow to take down large game without fail will benefit from the Bulldog 440
Anyone who loves to shoot a powerful crossbow and feel the kick when you pull the trigger will love to shoot this bow, you still get the simplistic design typical of Excals but the extra thrill of feeling the power in this beast.
Pros
- Awesome Power at 440 fps
- Built in crank is a good bonus
- Shorter Bullpup stock making it lighter and more balanced
- Crank system reduces 300lb draw weight down to 15lb
Cons
I haven’t come across anything I don’t like yet, if something comes up I will update this section
>> Check Price on Amazon <<
The Best For Additional Features
Excalibur Assassin 360 Strata
Outdoor Veteran Rating
9.6/10
Check Price
Speed – 360 FPS
Cocking Effort – 12 lb
Draw Weight – 285 lb
Draw Length – 15″
Overall Length – 30″ – 33″
Width Cocked – 21″
Width Uncocked – 25″
Weight – 7.7 lb
Silent, Sleek And Deadly!
The Assassin 360 Strata is a revolutionary revamp of the popular mechanics of Excal crossbows. They have added some great features making this crossbow the ultimate combo of stealth, strength and performance.
It shoots and loads with near silent action, it is built with the top engineering quality we expect from Excalibur and produces up to 360 fps making it capable of taking down any large game.
Excalibur are positioning this crossbow as the ultimate recurve to convince compound crossbow enthusiasts that maybe this recurve could be better….
It has all the power, simple loading and a simple design. If your in the field with your compound and the string breaks or the cams need retuning your done for the day and will need to take it to a pro shop to get repairs done, with this crossbow, and other Excals, you can do the maintenance yourself in the field so it works when it need to.
The New Added Features On This Crossbow
Excalibur have added a revolutionary new integrated charger cranking system that works with near silence, great when you need to reload without scaring away any game that could be around
The new Tru-Fit adjustable stock allows you to easily adjust the length of pull between 12” and 15” meaning you can share the crossbow with a kid or spouse who may be smaller than you, this is great when you want to travel lighter
The Pro Shot Trigger on the Assassin provides a friction less pull without any creep. It is a 2 stage match grade trigger that breaks cleanly and precisely every time.
Who This Crossbow Is For
Anyone who wants a top notch recurve bow with some top tech added.
If you are a compound lover and want to give a recurve a try then this would be a great choice for you,you get the power but with the simplicity the Assassin give you.
It is a beast to shoot and I thoroughly enjoyed using it, you will too!
Pros
- Easy to sight in, I was hitting bullseyes in three shots
- Really top notch trigger system
- Adjustable stock is brilliant for sharing the crossbow
- Top level accuracy
Cons
- Nothing I can point out!
>> Check Price on Amazon <<
The Best for Balanced Power and Quietness
Excalibur Micro Suppressor
Outdoor Veteran Rating
9.6/10
Check Price
The Micro Suppressor is built on the Micro 355 model but adds the recoil anti vibration system making each shot dead quiet, people have often asked – are Excalibur crossbows quiet? And the micro supressor proves they are.
The sound deadening system is a great addition when hunting and you don’t want to scare away your prey.
It sacrifices a slight amount of velocity, reducing it from 355 fps down to 343 fps, not enough to make a difference to you kill shot.
The Micro Suppressor is everything I love about the Micro 355 with the added silencing, read more above under my 355 review to learn more about it
Pros
- It’s everything great about the 355
- Brilliant performance from the sound deadening system
Cons
- Same as the 355 and the limb cracking, again it’s usually cosmetic so check with Excal customer services to check and get replaced if necessary
>> Check Price on Amazon <<
The Best Budget Excalibur Crossbow
Excalibur Matrix GRZ 2
Outdoor Veteran Rating
8.5/10
Check Price
Velocity 305 FPS
Cocking Effort 100 lb
Draw Weight 200 lb
Mass Weight 5.5 lb
Arrow Length 18″
Arrow Weight min 350 gr
Stock Type Feather-Lite
The Awesomeness Of An Excalibur With An Attractive Price Tag
The GRZ 2 is a damn good crossbow for the money, built on the foundation of the proven Matrix power load limbs gives the GRZ 2 a nice amount of speed up to 305 fps.
The feather lite skeletonized stock keeps the bow nice and light and well balanced while still remaining rugged and durable.
Even though it costs half of the top models in this list of Excalibur Crossbow Reviews it is still a great crossbow of high quality that you would expect from Excal.
What makes it so cheap you ask, well it doesn’t have an anti dry fire system, so don’t go pulling the trigger without an arrow in place, and it does lack any noise suppression so your shots can be heard by prey, not too much of an issue but I do like the quietness of the other crossbows on this list.
Who This Crossbow Is For
If you want a top quality recurve crossbow but have a limited budget then this is definitely a great choice, you get trusted and proven limbs that simply perform.
Buying your first crossbow? This crossbow is low budget, you can get some really junk crossbows at this price, but offers a great shooting experience
If you are intrigued by what Excal crossbows can offer but aren’t totally convinced then you can buy this cheaper bow to see what their all about, but be warned you will love it and want to spend more on one of their top crossbows!
Pros
- Fantastic crossbow for the price
- Lightweight and well balanced
- Top quality limbs even though the price is low
- Great starter crossbow
Cons
- No suppression so it’s a bit loud
- You will want to buy a top Excalibur after you give this a try
>> Check Price on BassPro <<
Images used with permission from Excalibur.com