blksn8k

Crossbow, not deer. LOL

I've been hunting with a crossbow since 2009 which was the first year they were legal for everyone in PA's archery deer seasons. My last compound was a Mathews Switchback which I still have but haven't shot in years. My 1st X-bow was a Scorpyd RDT 125 which I also still have. It still shoots fine but is extremely heavy at ~11 lbs with a scope, sling, etc. Up until this year it has been my backup bow and it came in handy in 2022 when I had an issue with the string on my 2nd X-bow which is also a Scorpyd. That one is a Deathstalker 420 and I've had it since 2019. It is a couple of pounds lighter than the RDT 125 and quite a bit more compact at 9" axle-to-axle when cocked. But, like I said, I had a problem with the string a couple of years ago. The serving seems to get a lot of wear from the trigger latch posts, especially on the left side. The fact it doesn't have a crank cocker only makes that situation worse because of the amount of time it can be in the fully cocked position and the fact that the only way to de-cock it is to shoot it. Not good and at this point I actually have more faith in the old RDT 125.

Anyway, a few days ago I placed an order with The Hunt Works on-line store for a Ten Point Siege 425. I did a fair amount of research before deciding on that model and I got a decent deal from that store. My biggest issue with the Scorpyds was the lack of a cocking/de-cocking device and the Ten Point solves that issue with their Accuslide system. The bow is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow so it will be a couple of days before I can give my real-world impressions but I haven't seen much in the way of negative press so far. I'm not crazy about the price but it did come with six extra bolts, three broadheads, a lube kit and free shipping. I also found a 5% discount code. I went with moss green which was the least expensive of the color choices. Crazy to think this is now considered a mid-priced crossbow.

bronko22000

Did you get a chance to shoot it yet. I'm just curious. I too have been hunting with the Xbow in PA since about 2014 or so. I started with an Excalibur and shot my 2nd biggest buck to date with it.(in almost 60 years of hunting). I sold the Excalibur and bought a Centerpoint Sniper 370 after shooting my hunting buddy's. I've been using that since 2015 without any issues at all. I'd have to count but I know I've killed at least 20 deer with that xbow. I still hunt with my vertical compound, and occasionally the recurve but usually the Xbow gets the nod.

blksn8k

Yes, I've probably shot it about a dozen times just sighting it in and fine tuning it. Seems to shoot at least as well as my Scorpyd Deathstalker 420.

Don't tell anyone but the store that sold it to me must have screwed up and put the wrong boxes of extra arrows in the package. Their ad was for the Siege 425 package from Ten Point along with three Center Punch mechanical broadheads, six Center Punch 16" arrows (bolts) and a tube of Scorpion Venom rail lube. The extra arrows apparently come in boxes of either three or six. Instead of one box of six or two boxes of three, they included one box of three and one box of six meaning I got nine extra arrows instead of the six listed in their ad. The package from Ten Point already included 3 arrows so now I have a total of 12. Oops!

The only real issues I have found so far are with Ten Point's sling mounts and the safety system.

On the sling mounts they have holes drilled in boss extensions on the bottom of the composite stock. That's great except that the holes were not big enough to accommodate standard size sling swivels. The easy fix was to drill the holes out to a slightly larger diameter. I assume those holes are drilled prior to the painting or coating process which might explain why they were slightly undersize.

The safety issue was a little more difficult to resolve. I am left eye dominant which means that although I am right handed, I shoot left handed. Well, for some odd reason Ten Point chooses to only include a safety stud on the right side of the trigger box. The box is threaded and marked for one on either side. There is zero mention in the Ten Point owner's manual that I could find for how to accommodate a safety stud for left handed shooters which I thought was kinda odd considering that they do explain how to install the quiver for left handed use. My initial thought was that I should be able to just remove the stud from the right side and install it on the left. However, they must use thread locker when they install the thing because I tried unscrewing it but I was putting way too much pressure on it for the size of the threads (6-32) and decided I was not going to risk breaking it off. So, I found a 6-32 Philips head screw and a jam nut and installed those on the left side. Hopefully, I can order an extra stud from Ten Point but what I installed seems to work well enough for now...

The attached photos are obviously with the trigger box extended to the un-cocked string.

blksn8k

One other thing that I have done so far was to order and install a pack of three Ten Point Alpha-Blaze lighted nocks. I have always used Lumenoks on my other bows but so far I haven't been able to find those to fit these arrows which come with factory installed (glued in) HP aluminum bushings.

The Ten Point Alpha-Blaze nocks are advertised to stay lit for up to 24 hours whereas the Lumenoks are good for about 40 hours and the newer Lumenoks even have replaceable batteries.

The Ten Point Alpha nocks also have a unique groove design so you can't just use any old crescent shaped nock. I really do like the shape of the Alpha nocks since they should be much easier on the string serving. Now if Lumenok could just come up with a similar shaped nock...probably patent issues?