Cobra 80lbs Self-Cocking Pistol Crossbow Review

Overall Rating

Quite powerful.
Cocks very quickly.
Cheap.
Reasonably accurate.
Looks great!
Rail for scope/red dot/laser/lamp etc.

Unclear instructions.
Stringing the bow is a nightmare!

This crossbow comes in two different types; plastic or aluminium. The one I have is the aluminium version, which is a bit heavier and studier, but more or less the same as the plastic one.

On opening the box I was surprised at how big it was; the pictures seem to make it look smaller than it really is, but it was still easily held with one hand. Beware that while assembly is fairly straight-forward, the instructions are a little vague... I wasn't sure if I was supposed to fit the end caps over the string or not, but looking carefully at the pictures on the box makes it easier.

I discovered that you WILL need two people to string the bow, it just isn't possible to draw back the prod and string it at the same time, and even with two people it's still very tricky.

On my first firing, I was surprised at how powerful this little thing really is - it penetrated about two inches into an old door from ten paces. I was also amazed at how little recoil there was for its power; you barely even realise you've fired it until you notice the bolt has gone. Basically, where I pointed the bow the bolt would land, so accuracy seems very good over short distances; however, given the short size of the bolts (About six and a half inches) I would imagine they would lose altitude rather quickly at longer ranges.

I paid £35 for the crossbow and pack of twelve aluminium bolts, and also I bought a couple of spare strings for £3 each. I would recommend that you buy at least one spare string with the bow, as they will eventually wear out (Although there are ways of making a string last forever) and also plenty of bolts - while they are strong they will get blunt if repeatedly shot at hard surfaces.

All in all, this well worth the money you pay for it and I have no objections recommending this little bow to people for a fun way to pass the time.