Customer Reviews

80 Lbs Cobra Self cocking Crossbow Pistol Cross Bow 15 Arrows

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have the plastic (Zytel nylon/resin) version of this 80 lb crossbow pistol. Here are a few tips that may interest new buyers of this gun:
1. The wrappings that reinforce the bow string ends and middle will begin to fray and/or separate as you shoot a lot of bolts. The pressure from the cocking rods, pulling back on the middle of the string, causes the wrappings to separate. You can push this spiral wrapping back together with your fingers by pushing from either end of the wrappings and then secure the wrapping by dripping some Superglue along its length. You don't need a lot, but apply it evenly. You can do the same to the wrappings at both ends of the bowstring -- apply a couple drops of Superglue to keep it from fraying/unraveling.
2. The aluminum bolts are junk. The black plastic fin section WILL break off. Don't order more of these. Order the plastic bolts that are available from Amazon and many other sites. They will last much longer.
3. There is a main screw that holds the prod (bow) on the gun. This screw will loosen on its own due to the vibration of shooting. It will loosen to the point that the holding plate and plastic vibration dampening chip will fall out. To avoid this, remove the main screw (the one that you have to tighten with an allen wrench) and apply a couple of drops of BLUE Locktite (not RED!). Read the bottle regarding application directions/drying time.Then reinsert and tighten this screw -- do not overtighten; just firm. This will solve this problem.
4. Gently check and tighten all screws on the gun periodically.
5. Out of the box, the sights are not really set and will shoot bolts quite high over your bullseye at close ranges (50' or less). To bring the bolts down closer to the bullseye, screw the top wheel/screw down quite a bit.
6. Be sure to tighten the small Phillips head screw at the base of the sight mechanism because it may be loose and this will allow the entire sight system to shift left or right. Once it's tight you can adjust left/right bolt strikes using the side adjustment wheel.
7. The trigger is quite hard to pull and this can throw off your aim/shot. I find that I get a smoother shot if I extend my normal trigger finger a little further than normal through the trigger hole and use the index finger on my opposite hand to assist in pulling the trigger. I'm resting the "extra" index finger on my regular trigger finger and pulling with both, adding to the pulling power and resulting in a smoother release.
8. This will be difficult to describe here, but the way that I was able to compress the bow (aka "prod")in order to get the bowstring on was to: a. install the fiberglass bow on gun body as shown in photos on the box, b. use a piece of substantial rope and tied it near one end of the bow and then ran the rope back behind the pistol handle and around to the other end of the bow. Here's where it gets a little tricky. I used a trucker's hitch/knot (you can find pics of this online)to gradually pull the bow tighter and tighter until I could get the string on. The trucker's hitch uses two knotted loops to multiply your pulling power. A strong friend is also helpful.
9. This is a powerful weapon and should NOT be used by children alone! However, it is fun to let kids shoot it under close adult supervision. For target shooting, I found that several layers of old or remnant deep pile carpet stacked or folded will easily stop these bolts and leave them fairly easy to remove.
Enjoy!

You're not going to get laser accuracy from a $50 crossbow - you're going to get a super-fun, easy to load, easy to use plinker.
This crossbow, at an 80-lb pull, launches bolts at a devastating clip. I haven't recovered a single bolt in usable condition. From 50 feet, the aluminum bolt sinks itself 1/2 inch into 2x8 header lumber. That is a horrifying force to reckon with - from what looks like a toy.
The site is somewhat accurate for a device of this quality, we can get 5" groupings at 50 feet, which is much better than I would expect.
We haven't hunted with it, but I imagine that pesky squirrels, raccoons and crows have something to fear when the Cobra comes out from the garage.

I'll start off by saying I'm very satisfied with the product. The crossbow itself is well constructed and sturdy and the bolts that came with it have a good weight and feel to them.

Pros:
- Nice design, sturdy and well made
- Shoots beautifully and with a lot of force
- Excellent safety mechanism
- Feels good firing
- Easy to assemble

Just looking at this crossbow you know you've got a quality product. I'm definitely looking forward to slaying some rabbits and squirrels with this thing. It came with a package of extra bolts that have wicked sharp tips.

Cons:
- Stringing the prod is difficult if you're not very strong
- Cocking is also somewhat awkward if you're not very strong

I'm a weak little skinny person so I can't complain too much about that.

All in all, I couldn't be happier with this product. It's everything it was advertised to be and I would definitely recommend it to anyone*.

*except serial killers and children

I have just received this crossbow model CF-101,it is listed as an 80LDS.
I can only give it one star as I never got to use it.
Once it was assembled and I cocked it the bow broke in half like a toy.
When I contacted the customer relations,they replied as so: Our warrenty
only covers manufacturer defects. Sorry we do not cover physical damage.
What physical damage? It broke under normal use. This particular bow was
poorly manufactured,or it would not have broken!
And why did they not offer to replace the bow?

I've had this crossbow for a long time now and theres 2 problems with it, one is that the bolt-guide has the metal lip which can cause some strings to become damaged quicker than normal. And the boltst hat hold that metal guide in can sometimes come loose, i've actually lost one of those bolts and as such am a little apprehensive about using this again. However its very accurate and powerful given the type of crossbow it is. And the loading mechanism is great, lets you shoot lots of bolts in under 60 seconds, 10+ if youre good at it... only other gripe i guess i'd have is that the trigger isnt as sensitive as i'd prefer, but thats nitpicking.

If you are looking for a fun, easy to handle crossbow at a low price, the Cobra is deffinitely a must buy. It is very powerful, and after some practice you can get decent groupings at 30 ft. The self cocking feature is very confortable, and it really takes little effort to cock it. You have to tighten the screws after a few shots, it takes two persons to assamble it, and the sight are not very good, but stil the experience of shutting with the Cobra is lots of fun, [...]. The alluminium bolts are pretty strong. I have broken only five or six sin some 100 shots.

This is a well made crossbow, quite sufficient for dispatching squirrels, rabbits, etc. The sites work well and it has plenty of power. It is easily cocked. You should use emery cloth on the top rail where the string is likely to touch metal, and then be sure to rub parafin or a candle on the central area of the string and the top rail, to make your string last longer. Take your time in squeezing the trigger. The 3 bolts that come with it are not as sharp as the sets you can buy, but they are sufficient.

At first glance, the product appears to be some cheesy knockoff of a better crossbow. The graphics on the box look like something you'd find in a dollar store.

Looks can be deceiving!

I picked up the crossbow and felt the weight of it. The cold metal in my hand surprised me since I was expecting plastic. The fiberglass prod is strong and sturdy. The string is thick and designed to shoot a lot of arrows. The safety definitely works. The trigger has a comfortable feel to it as you shoot.

To cock this crossbow, you just pull down on the handle that sticks out the back.

Had a brief setup issue when I couldn't find the screw to hold the prod in place. It isn't included in the plastic bag that holds the allen wrench and prod ends. I found it rolling around in the box.

The first shot? Wow. The "plunk" was quiet and the arrow just took off. My Sealy mattress now has a 1/4 inch hole in it. The arrow made it all the way into the mattress too.

I haven't tried adjusting sights or zeroing in on things yet. There is a sight mechanism that adjusts to left/right and up/down.

If you are interested in exploring crossbow shooting, get this one. For $35, you get a whole lot of crossbow and can have some real fun with it.

This a great little crossbow pistol. The self-cocking mechanism makes loading it much easier, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants an inexpensive pistol crossbow. That said, it takes a little work to make it reliable.

As some other reviews state, you should put a dab or line of superglue on the wrapped parts of the bowstring to keep it from unraveling.

You also need to assemble it correctly, and the instructions are very poor. It comes with a little metal plate and two plastic cushions. One cushion goes on either side of the bow, the plate goes in the front, outside that cushion, and then you tighten the screw onto the plate as much as you can. Then you string it.

Some people have said their bow snapped when they were stringing it. This WILL happen if you do it wrong. You MUST let both arms flex equally while stringing it, do not brace the body of the bow and try to bend one arm far enough to slip the string over, it is not made to do that. Brace one arm on the ground, push the bow body down and pull the other arm toward you, then slip the string over the end, so that both arms flex. I easily strung, unstrung and restrung it alone, but I have a lot of experience with bows. If you don't, it would be best to use 2 people.

The bolts (arrows) do come apart easily. I have a proper archery target, and they stick far enough in that the only part you can grab is the plastic. Eventually, it will pull out of the metal shaft, maybe the first time, maybe the tenth. You can easily reinsert the plastic and glue or epoxy them in place, but if you use pliers to crimp the metal onto the plastic also, they'll last longer. If you crimp, though, you run the risk of making hard to reinsert the plastic if it does come apart again.

My only real complaint is the sights. The rear sight is held in place by one screw, the sight base by another, and both of them allow it to swivel slightly if bumped, so you can easily end up way off-target left or right. They should have used two screws on each to prevent this. I see no way to fix this except to sight it in, then glue the sight and base in place. Tightening the screws is only a temporary solution.

Overall, this is a fine bow for what it is, but it has flaws, most of which are fixable if you know what you're doing. I don't know of any similar bows in this price range that won't have similar flaws, and this one at least gives you the easy cocking.

I bought this item after reading quite a few reviews and not wanting to spend so much money.
let me tell you... I never bought something as good for the money. This is a well constructed crossbow, light and sturdy because of the aluminum frame, easy to cock and load, and very very acurate if you pay attention to detail.
I didnt give this item a 5star rating because the rear sight is not very well constructed, but hey, it works well if you pay attention and with all its cheap construction it still gets the arrows within a 12 inch circle from 25 yards.
A better site would give twice the accuracy.
All in all, great bow, very well constructed, great design, can use better sites.
Very happy with the purchase.