The Latest News for Crossbow Hunters

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, June 30, 2012.)

Here’s an American crossbow
that won’t force you to choose
between quality and price.

Whether you’re a crossbow hunter or not, you probably know crossbows are controversial. And never more so than a few years ago when the Pennsylvania Game Commission gave them the thumbs up for a four-year trial in the deer woods during archery season.

Some bowhunters swore they’d never shoot a crossbow. There’s irony in that because some were traditional archery hunters who had already forward-migrated to vertical compound bows, a design that’s far more modern than the traditional concept of a recurve-style crossbow.

Today, the controversy seems to be waning and crossbows are becoming acceptable, even popular. The PGC ended the trial period back in the spring. So, crossbows are here to stay.

For years, crossbows were associated with the handicapped and the elderly, so the market wasn’t big enough to drive innovation and competition. Now, advertisements in hunting magazines have made crossbow names familiar to us all – Barnett, Excalibur, Horton, Parker, PSE, Ten Point, and more. And it’s not just ads – Peterson’s Bowhunting magazine now includes a column on crossbows, as does Bear Hunting magazine and others. A couple of entire magazines are devoted to crossbow hunting. Fears that crossbows would ruin archery hunting have vanished.

One crossbow that hasn’t received much press is the Kodabow, made by a small company in Pennsylvania. If you were at the Eastern Sport Show in Harrisburg during February, you may have seen the Kodabow demonstrated. Chuck Matasic, retired Naval Officer and President of Kodabow, allowed all comers to shoot a Kodabow, and during the show a single crossbow flung over 2,000 arrows without a hitch.

Considering that vertical bows with a 70 pound draw need constant tweaking, and Kodabow models have a draw weight of 185 pounds or higher, that’s remarkable. That’s a lot of stress on any piece of equipment, but the Kodabow is built with such sturdiness and precision that it easily handles it. That’s why Kodabow isn’t afraid to take its message to the public that way.

You’re going to be hearing more about Kodabow because on June 26th, firearms company Sturm, Ruger & Co. bought a minority interest in the company. This will help Kodabow accelerate its business plans and expand its reach. I suspect other crossbow companies realize they have a strong competitor for market share in Kodabow.

About the partnership Matasic said, “Ruger shares our vision that delivering dependable and innovative hunting products made in the USA will drive industry leadership and success.”

Made in USA? Yes! Kodabow sources every crossbow component domestically and assembles them in its West Chester, PA plant. Although Sturm, Ruger has bought a minority interest, Kodabow will still be controlled by the innovators who started it. They’re hunters, they know crossbows, and their interest is in quality and reliability. The fact that every component is made in the USA is not only an important corporate value, it means Kodabow can be very responsive to its customers.

Kodabow crossbows are built on an AR15 rifle platform. That’s not unique in the crossbow world. PSE has also done it. But PSE uses the strength of the frame to support a compound limb design with cams and cables to maximize speed.

Kodabow takes a different approach. Using simple recurve limbs, the Kodabow crossbow capitalizes on the strength of the AR15 frame to maximize reliability, without sacrificing the speed you need. It’s quiet, accurate, and because the design is so simple, dependability is guaranteed shot after shot after shot, year in and year out.

A Kodabow is no bottom shelf crossbow. It’s not at the expensive end either, but it is high-end when it comes to quality. And, over time, its simplicity and reliability will pay off in savings.

When choosing between American products and Asian imports, consumers usually trade off quality for price. Here’s an American crossbow that won’t force you to make that choice.

A leader in the crossbow industry has risen right here in Pennsylvania and is making top end crossbows at a competitive price. Congratulations to Kodabow, and to Sturm, Ruger for recognizing a leader in the industry. Check out Kodabow online at www.Kodabow.com.