Dusty1

I would like to know what people would recomend as far as shaft, broadheads, insets, the weight of these items and whatever I may have missed for hunting larger game such as bear, elk, moose and buffalo with my Excalibur Equinox.

Cossack

With the equinox I'd use a slightly heavier arrow. I make my own. My personal choice is Gold Tip Lazer II with 110 gr insert and 2" Blazer vanes, tipped with 125 gr Slick Trick Magnum. This will give you an arrow weighing about 430 grs, with 20% FOC. But there are lots of great arrows on the market currently Easton makes great arrows. Parkers Red Hot arrows are made with built in FOC.

Cossack

Do Bolts have a Spine concern when choosing them for Crossbows?
Normally crossbow specific arrows are heavily spined plus they are mostly a short 20" or 22" which adds to the stiffness. The 3 most popular arrow shafts are Golt Tip Lazer II's, Easton Power Bolts and Easton 2219 aluminum.


Is there different draw weights for Crossbows being I am not sure if some could cock a Crossbow if it is high poundage?

There's a wide range of draw weights and resulting required cocking effort. I recommend the shooter go to a dealer and try to cock a few different crossbows to see which is the most appropriate. If physical limitations are to an extent that a rope cocker cannot be used, a crank cocking device is an alternative. Take a look at the Ten Point Pro Slider or GT Flex as these bows can be set on 3 different draw weights. The shooter might have to start with a lighter draw weight for ease of cocking and gradually work up to one of the heavier draw weights. These bows are very versatile, with high quality and great customer service. If the shooter can cock his crossbow with a rope cocker, I believe he will enjoy the shooting experience much more than with a cranking device for cocking, which is time consuming and quite noisy (clicking noises) but a cranking device certainly beats not shooting at all :-)

Does it matter how heavy / light the broadhead is to be used with a Crossbow?

Using standard factory arrows with 4" vanes, you may have better results with a good quality expandable head. I recommend you look at NAP's offerings. If the arrows have brass inserts, go with 100 grain heads, if they have aluminum inserts, it's likely 125 grain heads will give you the best weight FOC

What is the difference between an arrow nock and a bolt nock?

They are both "arrow" nocks. I also recommend folks refer to crossbow arrows as ...............arrows because that's what they are. Crossbows use either flat nocks or "moon" nocks. The crossbow arrow nock does not have to be attached (snapped onto) to the bowstring as with a vertical bow because the crossbow string rides down the barrel deck with some downforce and the arrow is held down for the first few inches by a metal hold down finger. I recommend aluminum nocks as they are typically better quality and more durable.

How long does a Bolt have to be and what is the minimum GPI or overall weight have to be?

No problem here, just go by factory recommendations to start. They specify arrow length and minimum arrow total weight for each model crossbow. Many crossbow shooters and hunters use heavier arrows than factory recommended minimums for better KE and smoother/quieter shooting crossbows [/align] __________________

Dusty1

I should have said grain not weight. And I missed the R in inserts.

Horizontal Hunter

I make and shoot the same arrow. The only difference is that mine is tipped with a 125g NAP Spitfire. I used to shoot the Beaman Thunderbolts but the front insert is aluminum and does not provide enough FOC for consistent broad head flight. I am not aware of a brass insert for the Beamans.

Bob

Dusty1

So Im guessing the inserts come with the shaft and you choose the shaft with thegrain of insert that you want?

DoctorDeath

with the broad head my arrow weighs 392 grains ..I shoot a 100 grain Muzzy out of my Phantom 10pt ..

dd

Horizontal Hunter

Depends on the dealer so you always need to check. Some dealers pull the inserts out of the package and sell them separately. I have been buying my arrows from Keystone Country Store. They come with the brass insert for the front and the aluminum insert for the back.

Bob