Crossbow Review: Excalibur Micro AXE 340

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that crossbows are now lighter, faster, and more powerful than ever before. The same goes for the newest crossbow in the Excalibur line-up: The Micro AXE 340.

The word Micro in the name should tell you all you need to know. The Micro series of crossbows have been around for some time now, offering bow hunters a lightweight crossbow perfect for carrying to the blind or up a tree stand. So, it’s no surprise Excalibur take it one step further and create a Micro with a minimalist design, yet still powerful, and most importantly, affordable.

So was born the AXE 340 — an accurate, performance driven crossbow at an unmatchable price. The most noticeable feature of the AXE 340 is the stock. Created with minimalism in mind, the skeleton stock greatly reduces the crossbows overall weight. Paired with an aluminum main frame, the AXE 340 tips the scales at just 5.5 pounds.

Some would turn their nose up at a traditional recurve crossbow because of the length from limb to limb, however, the Micro series is truly compact in overall size on both overall length and limb length. When cocked, the AXE 340 sits at just 22 inches and packs a series punch. The bow can reach velocities of up to 340 feet per second — which competes with other more expensive crossbows on the market.

We found the Excalibur Micro AXE 340 to be accurate and deadly, easily shooting distances past 40 yards. The recurve bow takes 270 pounds of pull to cock, which is completely doable for any adult with the included rope cocking aid. However, after a few sessions of cocking, it’s much more enjoyable to use the Charger EXT Crank (sold separately). Best part, the AXE 340 can be uncocked, a traditional feature of all Excalibur crossbows.

In all, the AXE 340 is made for the hunter looking to go as light and compact as possible — all while not breaking the bank. This value bow comes in at just $750 and easily gives other bows on the market a run for their money.