July 10, 2009
Today, Matt from the gear review board takes up the question, "Does PSE's Sidewinder XB really have a deadly bite, or is it just roadkill?"
PSE is no stranger to the crossbow market. For years they have offered solid entry level crossbows that perform well, don’t require a ton of maintenance, and give you all the features you need for a successful hunt, all at a fair price. The PSE Sidewinder XB doesn’t break any molds but that begs the question, “Does it need to?”
The Sidewinder XB comes standard with a weaver
scope mount and a bright, clear, TruGlo
crossbow scope.
The Sidewinder XB from PSE features a 185# draw, 12.5" power stroke and weighs in at 8 Lbs. It boasts a quick 310FPS with PSE's 20" Charger bolts and comes with everything you need to get started. Lets see what its got!
Weighing in at about $399.00 PSE's outfitter package comes with pretty much everything you need to get in the woods other than broadheads. The package unfortunately does not come with a rope cocking device. At 185# of draw weight the Sidewinder XB can be a bit of a bear to cock by hand, so for the sake of consistency and accuracy I strongly recommend picking up a rope cocker as an add-on, you’ll also want to pick up some string wax and some rail lube so that you can give the string and cables a good waxing before you assemble the crossbow. You may also wish to pick up a soft case such as Neet’s standard crossbow case to keep everything together. Even after picking up the rest of the goodies to make your package ready for opening day as tested, you’ll still be coming in under $525.00
When you open the box you’ll find your crossbow and accessories tightly packed in a fitted Styrofoam block. The first thing I noticed is the Next G-1 camo looks extremely well applied. The quality of PSE’s film dipping is generally held in very high regard in the compound bow world and it is obvious on close inspection that the same level of care is given to their crossbow parts. The camo does a really fine job of breaking up the crossbow’s outline once assembled and looks pretty attractive on the range or in the field. Pulling the prod out of the packing I noticed immediately that the strings and cables are pretty dry. This is normal for a new bow. After spending about 10 minutes working some Bohning Tex-Tite into the strings and cables, while talking to Mike about how much I hate waxing strings, everything was starting to look really good. Don’t be shy with the wax and rub it aggressively into the strings and serving areas so that the friction melts it into the strands. This often ignored step of crossbow care will more than triple the life expectancy of your string and cable set, as well as giving you a bit more speed.
The Sidewinder XB's machined aluminum prod assembly is dipped in attractive Next G-1 Camo.
It also features a handy foot stirrup for easy cocking and will accomodate even the bulkiest cold
weather boots.
Once you’re finished waxing, assembly is a snap. PSE includes all the tools and fasteners needed to put the bow together properly. After a boring but necessary read through the manual assembly proved to be nothing out of the ordinary. After assembling the bow according to the instructions, double –checking all the fasteners on the bow for tightness and security, lubricating the rails, and squirting a few drops of Militec CLP down into the lock, it was time to go to the range.
The first thing I noticed after getting the bow sandbagged on my shooting bench was how clear the optics are. Truglo is a trusted name in sighting devices, both in the archery and firearms industries, they did not disappoint. Rather than sourcing out a heap scope from elsewhere and sticking their name on it, PSE included a genuine Truglo crossbow scope with the outfitter package. Good Job PSE! Though the eye relief range of the scope had a bit to be desired this was a fine and necessary trade-off for the wonderful lack of parallax the scope demonstrated.
Moving my head side to side within the eye relief range I noticed no perceptible movement of the crosshairs relative to the target at distances from 10 to 50 yards, making this a very forgiving system for hunters and target shooters.
The Sidewinder XB's ergonomic grip made getting a solid purchase on the stock very easy and comfortable. Though the trigger pull is a little stiff it is still a nice crisp 2 stage with almost no creep.
Loading was nice and easy and the bolt retention clip, while holding the bolt securely, didn’t interfere as is common on some other crossbows. Another important feature that bears mention on the Sidewinder XB is the automatic safety. Once you cock the bow the safety is automatically set, reducing the likelihood of an accidental dry-fire or negligent discharge.
Settling in behind the bow I found the stock to be extremely comfortable and the ergonomics impeccable. Everything seems to be exactly where it should be. Squeezing off the first shot one of only two shortcomings the bow has showed up. The trigger pull seemed “lawyer proof”, very heavy. There wasn’t any noticeable creep and the letoff was crisp, but the weight was up there. Not having a trigger scale handy I couldn’t measure it exactly but I would estimate the pull at 7-8 pounds. It did seem to lose a little after some breaking in but I would still call it a mid 6 pounder. The two stage design of the Sidewinder XB's trigger is still pretty predictable though and overall I can't complain much.
The TruGlo Scope's Reticle features four horizontal lines as well as duplex lines to aid in range estimation and compensation.
The first few shots at 20 yards went low left in a group too tight for comfort. Leaving the crossbow anchored solidly in the bags I moved the reticle to the middle of the group firing 3 more shots at the center of different spots on the target, a bolt struck each spot fired on dead center, good to go. Another side note, I noticed that the threads on the scope caps are very fine, it would be easy to cross-thread them. To alleviate some of this it helps to put just a dab of rail lube on the tip of your finger and rub it across the threads. This reduces any chance of galling and makes it easier to feel when the threads are actually aligned.
The scope comes with graduation marks for assistance with range estimation and compensation. These lines don’t get specific round number yardages assigned to them, but are more for reference as you develop familiarity with the bow. For me the second line worked out to about 35 yards, the third line worked out to about 47 yards, and the bottom line worked out to be about 58 yards. Filling in the gaps shouldn’t be all that difficult. As long as you took the care to get the scope aligned and zeroed nicely the Sidewinder XB should give you no problems. Inside ethical hunting distances it shoots flat and hard. For fun long range target shooting it brings all the accuracy and consistency you could ask for.
The Sidewinder XB "Fields" very well. It was easy to cock the crossbow in sitting, standing, and crouching positions, as well as easy to shoot from any position. Though not the narrowest crossbow on the market at 28" it doesn't feel too wide at all. Overall I have to say I’m very impressed with the quality and performance PSE has built into the Sidewinder XB. At $399.00 in the factory outfitter package and around $500.00 well equipped, the Sidewinder XB represents a great value. You can bet this year during crossbow season I'll be giving this bow a thorough workout from the stand. I genuinely believe that you’ll be hard pressed to find comparable performance in any other bow at or near its price point. Keep it up PSE!