I have never hunted with a crossbow. Are the crossbows that are around $150 good enough to hunt with?

I would spend a bit more consistancy with the bows at that price point for new ones just has not been there.

For around $100 more you can get a Centerpoint which gets great reviews for a lower price bow.

First, welcome to the forum!

Second, I just got my first crossbow this year. I started off on a smaller budget as well, trying to keep it under $300 (wife aggro and all!). The best for that price point is as rjd suggested, the Centerpoint Sniper. You can get it from Amazon for about $230 depending on the sale. Cabela's has an updated version with a few nice perks right at $300. There are tons of youtube videos on this bow.

I went to Cabela's and found it didn't feel good in my hands. It's heavy, right at 9lbs and the scope is obviously cheap. Even though I had read lots of great things about it, it just didn't feel good in my hands. I felt that if I couldn't get comfortable holding it in the store, I wasn't going to be comfortable in the woods where I'm potentially shooting at an animal.

So that left me a few options. I could either play my hand at getting a used xbow, or up the budget and justify it to the wife (took her to Cabela's and let her feel it... luckily she agreed). I decided not to go used for my first purchase as I wasn't sure what I should look for and didn't want to get something that wasn't right for me. I spent a good week reading reviews, watching videos, and reading numerous forums. I also visited several shops. Here in Charlotte, there are 3 near me. One didn't carry any but the higher end, the second was understaffed and after waiting 10 minutes and not getting any help I left, and the other when I told him my budget of $600 or less seemed to not want to help me anymore. Cabela's, the gentlemen helping me was nice but obviously did not want to be there.

I found from another forum an online store, Wyvern Creations. I called them up and spoke to the owner, David. He spent over 30 minutes talking to me and hearing me out about the bows I thought were right for me. He asked great questions like what I wanted to accomplish and what's most important to me (wants vs needs). He ended up agreeing that I made good choices and quoted me prices on both bows I had picked. They were the exact same price, so it came down to what I wanted out of a bow. He also didn't pressure me and asked me to sleep on it and call him when I was ready.

I would recommend giving him a call. He's a no pressure well educated guy who will hear you out.

Ultimately, I went with the Parker Hammer 325. It shouldered the best at Cabela's, shoots nicely, and has a good scope. Buying from Wyvern Creations, they also add a deluxe rope cocker and 4 extra bolts and field points. No sales tax and free shipping. I ended up right under budget of $600, but I feel confident about my purchase and look forward to getting out in the woods.

Hope this helps, good luck on finding a bow!

Congrats on your Parker, solid good lifetime warranty bow just make sure you register it. My Parker is about 10 years and still going strong.

For the OP welcome to the forum. Go somewhere where you can handle the bows. Let the bow tell you, some bows just feel more suited to your wants and needs

Thanks for all the input, I guess I will have to learn as I go. It is truly a learning experience. Thank y’all!

In the Cabela's sale I got last week, they have the Carbon Express X-Force Blade package on sale. Reg. $299.99 for $199.97. Might be worth looking into that package.

Good bow for that price

That Carbon X-Force is a good deal. I just got the Centerpoint Sniper 370 for $235. It is as close as a ready to hunt package as you are going to find. Just add broadheads!!!! It is a great deal, and I have yet to see much negative about it.

I picked up a Carbon Express 850 Pro about 5 years ago. That thing is a tank. Almost 12lbs. Not a fan of the weight and wanting another, I found a Sniper 370 for $200 2nd hand. The look is really cool, ton of info online about them. Features are nice but after shooting them back to back, I can tell it's a lower end unit compared to the 850. It is lighter and will be going on any stalk hunts for sure. The scope isn't the best and it has a lot of trigger creep that takes some getting use to. It is loud, even with the string stops. The 850 Pro was $600 new, got it for $200. The Sniper 370 is $240 new, got my for $200. For the price, the Sniper 370 is hard to beat. Just needs a few tweaks and it's a descent shooting xbow. If I had it to do all over again, I'd probably pick the 850 Pro even though it weights a ton. Just feels more solid at the shoulder, very confidence inspiring to shoot. Shots go exactly where I want them to go. Hope that helps for what it's worth.

I grabbed the sniper 370 combo last season for 250 at Academy. Out of the box the thing shot accurate groups. I added some Rage broadheads and nothing stood a chance. I love this thing. Can't wait to use it this season!