The Horton EZ Loader Cocking Rope uses the principal of mechanical action gained with pulleys to reduce the effort needed to cock a crossbow by half. That means that a crossbow with a 150-pound draw weight will need only 75 pounds of pull to bring it to full draw and the cocked position.
The EZ Loader uses a unique sight-bridge block that was developed by Horton engineers to fit all current Horton Crossbows. And because the length of the cocking rope is completely adjustable, the EZ Loader can also be used to cock most other brands of crossbows in current production.
Another advantage of the EZ Loader is that it will insure that your bow is cocked consistently with the string in the same position shot after shot insuring spot-shooting accuracy. In fact using a rope cocking aid is the only way to insure that your bow is shooting with all the accuracy it has the potential of delivering.
Here is an amazingly effective way to improve the accuracy of your crossbow shooting in nearly every situation. The Horton Crossbow Knee Pod is easy to use and will steady your shot to increase both maximum effective range and accuracy.
The Hunter's Knee Pod from Horton Crossbows is a portable, lightweight, and versatile shooting rest that features a U-Shaped saddle on the main telescoping assembly rod that fits over the user's thigh just above the knee. The telescoping rod fits into the main assembly rod with a locking pin that allows the Knee Pod to be adjusted to each individual shooter's needs. The locking pin is attached to both assemblies by a cord with a snap that allows your Knee Pod to be carries on your belt.
The telescoping assembly rod has a U-Shaped foam-padded rotating saddle that fits the forearms of most makes of crossbows, and it also works to steady rifles, shotguns, muzzle loaders, and both video and still cameras. As a rule of thumb, right-handed shooters should place the Knee Pod on the left thigh. Small adjustments in elevation and windage can be made easily by shifting the thigh and foot.
This detachable sling from Horton Crossbows features a shoulder pad and lightweight strap that makes carrying your crossbow a snap. Made from sturdy camo fabric, these slings are specially designed for all the Horton crossbows we sell. Includes swivels and mounting clips that fit all current Horton models as well as many other makes of crossbows with standard rifle-type stud posts.
The addition of a sling to your hunting or target crossbow is one of the best investments you can make. It will make transporting your bow much easier and it can also be used to brace the bow against your shoulder to steady the shot thereby increasing range and accuracy. With sling is easily removed from your bow when it isn't needed. the flick of a thumb, the clip releases for fast mounting.
Because of the incredible power of crossbow limbs and the contact of the string serving with the crossbow rail, a crossbow string will wear much faster than a string on a conventional bow. It is, therefore, doubly important to keep the rail and string lubricated to protect the string and servings from wear caused by friction.
Horton Rail Lube is applied to the rails of the crossbow in very small amounts every five or six shots to prevent wear on the centre serving of the string. Rail Lube contains Teflon so is very slippery and is thin enough so it won't gum up the trigger mechanism like string wax does.
Saunders string wax a very high quality general-purpose wax that we recommend for all crossbow strings. You should apply string wax to the entire string except for the inch or so of serving where it contacts the rail. NZAP sell these two items together as a kit or you can buy each separately. Both of these products work on any make of crossbow.
The most important thing to remember in crossbow shooting isn't how you shoot it (which is also important, of course) but how you cock it in the first place.
It is critical that the pressure on the string as it is drawn back to the trigger lock be the same on both sides of the bow so that both limbs are flexed the same amount. Most of us are stronger on the dominant side (right handers have stronger right arms and left handers have stronger left arms) so there is a natural tendency to pull with more pressure on one side than the other. To combat this lopsided cocking tendency, nearly all target shooters and a lot of crossbow hunters use a cocking aid, such as the EZ Loader above, even though they are plenty strong enough to cock the bow without one. The cocking aid insures an even, consistent and smooth pull during cocking.
Another important crossbow-shooting trick is to mark the centre of the string on each side of the barrel with two small servings of white string material (dental floss also works fine) to give you a visual check that the string is cocked evenly.