Crosbow Air Bow....

[hunter63]

Benjamin® Pioneer Airbow...used compressed air to fir an arrow at 450 fps.....
Quote>
The all-new Pioneer Airbow™ stands alone as a new category of hunting. A pneumatic weapon designed, developed, and built in the USA, the Airbow functions like a crossbow but instead is powered by compressed air. The Airbow fires at up to 450 feet per second (FPS), powered by 3000 pounds per square inch (psi) of compressed air. Unlike compound bows, arrows from the Pioneer stabilize quickly after firing, improving accuracy and expanding the kill range for any game animal.


http://www.cabelas.com/browse.cmd?ca...inAirbow_ODA16

Thoughts?

[crashdive123]

It looks pretty slick. With a similar price point of mid to higher end crossbows it is not priced in the "stupid" range. I'd be wary of bringing a $200, 3000 psi bicycle pump into the woods though. I would be real uncomfortable tramping around with a 4500 psi, carbon fiber air bottle in my pack.

For me, if I were in the market for a crossbow, I'd probably stick to a traditional type.

[Manwithnoname]

To me it's a mechanical blow gun instead of a crossbow. Native tribes from here and many other places have used blowguns for centuries. I've made my own and played with them and was amazed at the power a solid puff of breath could provide. I can only imagine the power that thing would dish out. Benjamin has always had a name representing quality but none the less that's where my focus would be, on the reliability of that reservoir holding it's charge. I know the technology has been around a long time with pellet guns and such so should be tried and true.

[hunter63]

I'm not real big on jumping on the newest wizzbang bandwagon out there.....But this is a different sort.

Do think it's "cool"....makes me wonder of it is legal anywhere for anything other than plinking and maybe varmints.....?

[kyratshooter]

What we have here gentlemen is repurposed technology.

The "airbow" is simply a disguised compressed air speargun. They come with a pump or with precharged cylinders just like those used in the airsoft guns.

They have been available at your local SCUBA shop since the 1950s.

So we are talking about 50 year old technology with the new twist of having a shoulder stock added.

[Manwithnoname]

Ya learn something new everyday. I'm not a diver, the only spearguns ive seen have had the big rubber band thing to launch the spear.

[Pennsylvania Mike]

For what I can tell on the advertising pictures from the website you can only use the Benjamin brand arrows, limiting the use of the crossbow if you use or loose them, they have like a plastic end on the arrow to make a tight contact with the barrel so air does not scape. It is a very nice concept but I think I stick with the conventional crossbows.