PSE TAC Elite and Ordnance Crossbow Review
By Andy Backus
We have been quite eager to publish a review of the TAC Elite and TAC Ordnance crossbows. So we were excited to receive our first shipment of the new PSE TAC Elite crossbows a few days ago.
Several years ago my dad, Len Backus, had started to hear a significant buzz about a brand new crossbow model from PSE, the likes of which had never before been seen (or even thought of). PSE had changed the crossbow game with the introduction of their PSE TAC 15 and TAC 15i crossbows. Len approached PSE owner Pete Shepley at the SHOT Show in 2010 and was able to get his hands on one with the idea that he'd try it for a while and write a detailed review about it.
Read Len's detailed PSE TAC 15 review article from 2010 - HERE.
You see, Len is an experienced long range rifle hunter and shooter, and publisher of the online magazine LongRangeHunting.com. He thought that if he used some of the shooting techniques known to be critical to accurate long range rifle shooting, that he could really max out the potential of this intriguing weapon. Well, he was right, but the performance of the PSE TAC 15i crossbow was so far beyond anything he could have expected that he was sort of in a state of awe, unable to believe what he was seeing. He starts his original PSE TAC 15 review article describing how he kept shaking his head as he walked back from his target at the local range:
Fast forward 3 years, and through our online store, The Long Range Hunting Store , we have sold and serviced more TAC 15 and TAC 15i crossbows than any other store in the country. Our TAC 15 specific online forum, www.TAC15forum.com , has grown and grown (thanks to the popularity of the TAC 15) and provides some of the most detailed information anywhere about how to get the most out of your TAC crossbow. It is also a great place to chat with other TAC 15 owners and share hunt stories. Len and I have personally hunted with our own TAC 15i crossbows, taking deer as far as 72 and 86 yards. Both shots were pass-throughs, by the way. I mention these facts to make the point that we know as much or more than anyone about the PSE TAC series of crossbows. In fact, the folks at PSE have been known to occasionally refer customers to us with unusually technical questions since we have so much experience with PSE TAC crossbows.
In reviewing the new 2013 PSE TAC Elite and Ordnance crossbows, I will start by giving you an overview of why their predecessors, the TAC 15 and TAC 15i, have been so effective and so popular. First let me explain that the TAC 15 and its new and improved model, the TAC Ordnance are designed to drop into your own AR-15 lower. The TAC 15i and its new and improved model, the TAC Elite, have an integrated lower. To simplify the rest of this review, I will be referring to the TAC 15i and TAC Elite models with the integrated lower.
So what has made the TAC 15i so effective and popular? Its tactical, AR-style look and feel? The ability to easily accessorize and customize the TAC 15i thanks to three picatinny rails, and the ability to drop in custom triggers or drop-away rests? Those are very appealing features, but I believe its blistering fast speed and extreme accuracy and killing power out to extremely long ranges are the main reasons for its popularity.
The TAC 15i is an unusually long crossbow, allowing for an extra-long "power stroke" of 17 ¼ inches. The power stroke is the distance measured from the crossbow's string at full draw to the string at rest. The longer the power stroke, the faster the crossbow. In his original TAC 15 review article, Len used a chronograph and measured a speed of 406 fps. Extremely fast vertical bows these days shoot much lighter arrows at just under 310 fps, so you can imagine how much faster 406 fps seems.
The TAC 15 arrows are larger in diameter and are stiffer than vertical bow arrows in order to handle the extremely fast launch speed and force of the TAC 15. The arrows are also longer than typical crossbow arrows because of the long power stroke. This results in a relatively heavy arrow which retains pass-through power out to great distances and is also less affected by wind deflection.
Extreme accuracy out to ranges of 100 yards or more, along with killing power out to those same distances are the main reasons why the PSE TAC 15i crossbow has been as popular as it has. I've already mentioned that the TAC 15i is able to sling a relatively heavy arrow at super-fast speeds, and that obviously contributes to its incredible accuracy.
By Andy Backus
We have been quite eager to publish a review of the TAC Elite and TAC Ordnance crossbows. So we were excited to receive our first shipment of the new PSE TAC Elite crossbows a few days ago.
Several years ago my dad, Len Backus, had started to hear a significant buzz about a brand new crossbow model from PSE, the likes of which had never before been seen (or even thought of). PSE had changed the crossbow game with the introduction of their PSE TAC 15 and TAC 15i crossbows. Len approached PSE owner Pete Shepley at the SHOT Show in 2010 and was able to get his hands on one with the idea that he'd try it for a while and write a detailed review about it.
Read Len's detailed PSE TAC 15 review article from 2010 - HERE.
You see, Len is an experienced long range rifle hunter and shooter, and publisher of the online magazine LongRangeHunting.com. He thought that if he used some of the shooting techniques known to be critical to accurate long range rifle shooting, that he could really max out the potential of this intriguing weapon. Well, he was right, but the performance of the PSE TAC 15i crossbow was so far beyond anything he could have expected that he was sort of in a state of awe, unable to believe what he was seeing. He starts his original PSE TAC 15 review article describing how he kept shaking his head as he walked back from his target at the local range:
Fast forward 3 years, and through our online store, The Long Range Hunting Store , we have sold and serviced more TAC 15 and TAC 15i crossbows than any other store in the country. Our TAC 15 specific online forum, www.TAC15forum.com , has grown and grown (thanks to the popularity of the TAC 15) and provides some of the most detailed information anywhere about how to get the most out of your TAC crossbow. It is also a great place to chat with other TAC 15 owners and share hunt stories. Len and I have personally hunted with our own TAC 15i crossbows, taking deer as far as 72 and 86 yards. Both shots were pass-throughs, by the way. I mention these facts to make the point that we know as much or more than anyone about the PSE TAC series of crossbows. In fact, the folks at PSE have been known to occasionally refer customers to us with unusually technical questions since we have so much experience with PSE TAC crossbows.
In reviewing the new 2013 PSE TAC Elite and Ordnance crossbows, I will start by giving you an overview of why their predecessors, the TAC 15 and TAC 15i, have been so effective and so popular. First let me explain that the TAC 15 and its new and improved model, the TAC Ordnance are designed to drop into your own AR-15 lower. The TAC 15i and its new and improved model, the TAC Elite, have an integrated lower. To simplify the rest of this review, I will be referring to the TAC 15i and TAC Elite models with the integrated lower.
So what has made the TAC 15i so effective and popular? Its tactical, AR-style look and feel? The ability to easily accessorize and customize the TAC 15i thanks to three picatinny rails, and the ability to drop in custom triggers or drop-away rests? Those are very appealing features, but I believe its blistering fast speed and extreme accuracy and killing power out to extremely long ranges are the main reasons for its popularity.
The TAC 15i is an unusually long crossbow, allowing for an extra-long "power stroke" of 17 ¼ inches. The power stroke is the distance measured from the crossbow's string at full draw to the string at rest. The longer the power stroke, the faster the crossbow. In his original TAC 15 review article, Len used a chronograph and measured a speed of 406 fps. Extremely fast vertical bows these days shoot much lighter arrows at just under 310 fps, so you can imagine how much faster 406 fps seems.
The TAC 15 arrows are larger in diameter and are stiffer than vertical bow arrows in order to handle the extremely fast launch speed and force of the TAC 15. The arrows are also longer than typical crossbow arrows because of the long power stroke. This results in a relatively heavy arrow which retains pass-through power out to great distances and is also less affected by wind deflection.
Extreme accuracy out to ranges of 100 yards or more, along with killing power out to those same distances are the main reasons why the PSE TAC 15i crossbow has been as popular as it has. I've already mentioned that the TAC 15i is able to sling a relatively heavy arrow at super-fast speeds, and that obviously contributes to its incredible accuracy.
TAC Elite and Ordnance Crossbow Review
The other unique feature of the TAC 15i that contributes to its excellent accuracy is its vertical bow style arrow rest and nocking loop. The TAC 15i comes with a whisker biscuit arrow rest similar to what you would find on a vertical bow. The arrow makes contact only with the whisker biscuit when fired rather than riding down a rail like all other crossbows. The whisker biscuit rest can be fine-tuned and even paper tuned to ensure the arrow is flying perfectly straight and true. There is no tuning available on crossbows where the bolt rides down a rail. There is also more friction when crossbow bolts ride down a rail than there is for TAC 15i arrows, which only make contact with the whisker biscuit rest.
That friction between the bolt and rail results in lost speed and accuracy. Not so with the TAC 15i. We've actually taken this tunable rest and less friction concept a step further and offer a drop-away style arrow rest, where the TAC 15i arrow doesn't contact anything when fired. The TAC 15i also uses a nocking loop, unlike any other crossbow, which results in an extremely consistent, repeatable release.
To give you an idea of the type of accuracy I keep referring to, in his original review article Len talks about shooting his first 6-arrow group at 100 yards and achieving a group size of 1.875 inches. That is better than many average rifle hunters expect to do with their rifle. My typical 100 yard 3-arrow group size averages 2-4 inches. And even at this extreme range, if I would use a typical compound bow target rather than a 400 fps crossbow target, my TAC 15i arrows would bury all the way up to their vanes and wreck the vanes. This is an indication of the extreme force at impact even at 100 yards. A responsible, practiced, serious deer hunter should expect complete pass-through at 100 yards from a shot in the heart/lungs kill-zone.
Another unique feature of the TAC 15i is its cocking mechanism. The TAC 15i is one of the only crossbows on the market that allows you to de-cock in the field. Cocking the TAC 15i is achieved by attaching a crank handle to the side of the bow and cranking it up. It takes very little strength to cock and can be done silently. To de-cock the TAC 15i, you simply replace the crank handle and reverse the process after depressing the detent lever. With other crossbows, when you are done hunting you must fire the bolt into the ground or have a target waiting somewhere and fire into that.
Now on to the new 2013 PSE TAC Elite Crossbow.
The engineers at PSE had a goal for the TAC Elite Crossbow to be the new and improved version of the TAC 15i. They focused much of their attention on improving certain parts of the crossbow to improve durability while not losing any of the speed and accuracy from the original. Like all fast crossbows and vertical bows on the market, the limbs are designed to be as lightweight as possible to achieve the fastest speeds possible while still being durable.
To achieve the fastest speeds in the industry, the manufacturers must ride a fine line in pushing the envelope of high performance, and some limb failures are inevitable. If you Google the term "bow limb failure" you'll find that every single brand and model of high performance vertical bow or crossbow will have some small incidence of limb failure. We have found the percentage of TAC's with limb failure to be a very low and competitive number. One significant improvement made on the TAC Elite crossbow was to beef up the limbs slightly to improve their durability. Beefier limbs equal a loss in speed. In order to keep the speed up, PSE's engineers re-designed the cams slightly. The overall look and feel of the limbs, cams, and front end of the TAC Elite is very similar to the TAC 15i, but with the same (or faster) speeds, and more durable limbs. The limb pocket was redesigned for improved limb durability, too.
Another improvement aimed at better durability was relocating the cocking mechanism slightly. The TAC 15i's cocking mechanism is well made and efficient, but there are several parts inside that had a small incidence of break-downs. In relocating the cocking mechanism on the TAC Elite, the engineers were able to use slightly stronger parts and also reduce the amount of force bearing down on some small parts. I have personally serviced TAC 15i cocking mechanisms and know exactly which parts were at risk for failure, and I feel that the new design will be very effective in reducing problems.
Another change to the cocking system relates to the "cocking sled" that rides down the main body of the crossbow to connect to the string loop prior to cocking. The cocking sled rode in a track on the TAC 15i but was not connected to the crossbow. On the TAC Elite Crossbow, the cocking sled is attached to the track with a pin that rides in its own track. This makes the process of pulling the cocking sled out and attaching it to the string loop a little bit simpler. It also means that if there is ever a problem with the cocking mechanism, either because of user error or a breakdown, the cocking block is fully contained and will not be damaged or lost.
That friction between the bolt and rail results in lost speed and accuracy. Not so with the TAC 15i. We've actually taken this tunable rest and less friction concept a step further and offer a drop-away style arrow rest, where the TAC 15i arrow doesn't contact anything when fired. The TAC 15i also uses a nocking loop, unlike any other crossbow, which results in an extremely consistent, repeatable release.
To give you an idea of the type of accuracy I keep referring to, in his original review article Len talks about shooting his first 6-arrow group at 100 yards and achieving a group size of 1.875 inches. That is better than many average rifle hunters expect to do with their rifle. My typical 100 yard 3-arrow group size averages 2-4 inches. And even at this extreme range, if I would use a typical compound bow target rather than a 400 fps crossbow target, my TAC 15i arrows would bury all the way up to their vanes and wreck the vanes. This is an indication of the extreme force at impact even at 100 yards. A responsible, practiced, serious deer hunter should expect complete pass-through at 100 yards from a shot in the heart/lungs kill-zone.
Another unique feature of the TAC 15i is its cocking mechanism. The TAC 15i is one of the only crossbows on the market that allows you to de-cock in the field. Cocking the TAC 15i is achieved by attaching a crank handle to the side of the bow and cranking it up. It takes very little strength to cock and can be done silently. To de-cock the TAC 15i, you simply replace the crank handle and reverse the process after depressing the detent lever. With other crossbows, when you are done hunting you must fire the bolt into the ground or have a target waiting somewhere and fire into that.
Now on to the new 2013 PSE TAC Elite Crossbow.
The engineers at PSE had a goal for the TAC Elite Crossbow to be the new and improved version of the TAC 15i. They focused much of their attention on improving certain parts of the crossbow to improve durability while not losing any of the speed and accuracy from the original. Like all fast crossbows and vertical bows on the market, the limbs are designed to be as lightweight as possible to achieve the fastest speeds possible while still being durable.
To achieve the fastest speeds in the industry, the manufacturers must ride a fine line in pushing the envelope of high performance, and some limb failures are inevitable. If you Google the term "bow limb failure" you'll find that every single brand and model of high performance vertical bow or crossbow will have some small incidence of limb failure. We have found the percentage of TAC's with limb failure to be a very low and competitive number. One significant improvement made on the TAC Elite crossbow was to beef up the limbs slightly to improve their durability. Beefier limbs equal a loss in speed. In order to keep the speed up, PSE's engineers re-designed the cams slightly. The overall look and feel of the limbs, cams, and front end of the TAC Elite is very similar to the TAC 15i, but with the same (or faster) speeds, and more durable limbs. The limb pocket was redesigned for improved limb durability, too.
Another improvement aimed at better durability was relocating the cocking mechanism slightly. The TAC 15i's cocking mechanism is well made and efficient, but there are several parts inside that had a small incidence of break-downs. In relocating the cocking mechanism on the TAC Elite, the engineers were able to use slightly stronger parts and also reduce the amount of force bearing down on some small parts. I have personally serviced TAC 15i cocking mechanisms and know exactly which parts were at risk for failure, and I feel that the new design will be very effective in reducing problems.
Another change to the cocking system relates to the "cocking sled" that rides down the main body of the crossbow to connect to the string loop prior to cocking. The cocking sled rode in a track on the TAC 15i but was not connected to the crossbow. On the TAC Elite Crossbow, the cocking sled is attached to the track with a pin that rides in its own track. This makes the process of pulling the cocking sled out and attaching it to the string loop a little bit simpler. It also means that if there is ever a problem with the cocking mechanism, either because of user error or a breakdown, the cocking block is fully contained and will not be damaged or lost.
TAC Elite and Ordnance Crossbow Review
When shooting a crossbow (or rifle for that matter) at long ranges, even a small amount of canting (tipping) of the crossbow to one side or another will introduce a significant horizontal error. For example, at 100 yards, a 6 degree cant (only 1 minute on a clock face) will cause the arrow to impact about 12 inches left or right of center. Similarly, at 700 yards a 6 degree cant with a 7mm Remington Magnum rifle will cause the bullet to impact about 12 inches off-center. The only effective way to eliminate canting is the use of a bubble level anti-cant device. Since the TAC 15i did not come with an anti-cant device, we promoted the use of, and sold many after-market ACD's to our TAC 15 customers. The engineers at PSE identified the effectiveness of an ACD in maximizing the accuracy of their crossbow at long range and built one into the new TAC Elite. This is a very significant improvement when it comes to shooting the TAC Elite at longer ranges!
The TAC Elite Crossbow features the same accurate mil-spec trigger as the TAC 15i, which can be replaced with a lower pull-weight custom trigger if desired. (All test firing for accuracy in the original and in this review were done with the original trigger.) The firing mechanism features a safety and an anti-dry-fire device just like the TAC 15i. The AR-style stock is adjustable for a good fit. The TAC Elite Crossbow package includes a bipod, which is the same one that came with the TAC 15i. It also includes 3 TAC arrows, which are also the same arrows as those used with the TAC 15i. The whisker biscuit rest is the same, as is the comfortable handgrip. The bow string and cables are slightly different lengths than the TAC 15i, and PSE has improved the string weights (which help add speed) so as to reduce problems with the weights creeping too close to the cams.
The PSE TAC Elite comes with a 3-9x40mm PSE-branded scope with 5 horizontal reticle marks. The Accu-shot scope that originally came with the TAC 15i had 6 mil-dots above and 6 below center, which worked well to be able to range from 30 yards out to 120 yards. The Elite's new scope reticle will not work as well for extreme long range shooting but will be adequate for distances out to perhaps 70 or 80 yards.
Several months ago I was one of the few lucky dealers to get my hands on a prototype of the PSE TAC Elite Crossbow. It was exactly the same as the finished product I just received the other day. It was still cold, rainy and windy during the week that I had the prototype, but I was lucky enough to find a vacant warehouse where I was able to shoot out to 100 yards. That day I quickly sighted in the TAC Elite at 20 yards and was getting the same tiny groups I was used to with the TAC 15i. I actually aim at different points on my crossbow target so as not to damage my arrows because the groups are so small. I quickly worked my way back in 10 yard increments to 100 yards.
My first 3-arrow group at 100 yards was a bit bigger than I would have liked (about 5 inches) but I felt like I was rushing and my form may not have been spot on. For the next two 3-arrow groups I really took my time. I was getting used to the factory trigger (we shoot our personal TAC's with a lighter pulling competition aftermarket trigger) and focusing on my shooting form. I was shooting off the TAC Elite's bipod on a small folding table with a chair and a rear bag rest. I settled in, checked for cant, put slight forward pressure into the bipod, deep breath, slowly exhale, squeeze trigger, and fire. I forgot to bring a tape measure with me, but my 3-arrow group was approximately 2 inches.
For the next group, I set up 2 video cameras, one back by me and the other one taking a close up of the target. Again I really took my time and focused on my form and again my 3-arrow group size was approximately 2 inches -- with the factory trigger. (See the video HERE.) I am convinced that the PSE TAC Elite Crossbow has the same exceptional speed and accuracy out to 100 yards or beyond as its predecessor the PSE TAC 15i.
In conclusion, the new PSE TAC Elite crossbow is just as powerful and accurate as its predecessor, and thanks to the addition of an integrated anti-cant device it is easier than ever to get the most performance possible out of this unbelievable crossbow. Improved limbs and an improved cocking mechanism mean the TAC Elite crossbow is even more durable.
About The Author:
Andy Backus is a husband and father of two little girls. He grew up hunting whitetail deer and other critters in Wisconsin with gun and bow and over the years has been fortunate to hunt and explore most of the Western US states and Alaska. Andy is the Field Editor for Long Range Hunting Online Magazine and also manages the Long Range Hunting Store.
The TAC Elite Crossbow features the same accurate mil-spec trigger as the TAC 15i, which can be replaced with a lower pull-weight custom trigger if desired. (All test firing for accuracy in the original and in this review were done with the original trigger.) The firing mechanism features a safety and an anti-dry-fire device just like the TAC 15i. The AR-style stock is adjustable for a good fit. The TAC Elite Crossbow package includes a bipod, which is the same one that came with the TAC 15i. It also includes 3 TAC arrows, which are also the same arrows as those used with the TAC 15i. The whisker biscuit rest is the same, as is the comfortable handgrip. The bow string and cables are slightly different lengths than the TAC 15i, and PSE has improved the string weights (which help add speed) so as to reduce problems with the weights creeping too close to the cams.
The PSE TAC Elite comes with a 3-9x40mm PSE-branded scope with 5 horizontal reticle marks. The Accu-shot scope that originally came with the TAC 15i had 6 mil-dots above and 6 below center, which worked well to be able to range from 30 yards out to 120 yards. The Elite's new scope reticle will not work as well for extreme long range shooting but will be adequate for distances out to perhaps 70 or 80 yards.
Several months ago I was one of the few lucky dealers to get my hands on a prototype of the PSE TAC Elite Crossbow. It was exactly the same as the finished product I just received the other day. It was still cold, rainy and windy during the week that I had the prototype, but I was lucky enough to find a vacant warehouse where I was able to shoot out to 100 yards. That day I quickly sighted in the TAC Elite at 20 yards and was getting the same tiny groups I was used to with the TAC 15i. I actually aim at different points on my crossbow target so as not to damage my arrows because the groups are so small. I quickly worked my way back in 10 yard increments to 100 yards.
My first 3-arrow group at 100 yards was a bit bigger than I would have liked (about 5 inches) but I felt like I was rushing and my form may not have been spot on. For the next two 3-arrow groups I really took my time. I was getting used to the factory trigger (we shoot our personal TAC's with a lighter pulling competition aftermarket trigger) and focusing on my shooting form. I was shooting off the TAC Elite's bipod on a small folding table with a chair and a rear bag rest. I settled in, checked for cant, put slight forward pressure into the bipod, deep breath, slowly exhale, squeeze trigger, and fire. I forgot to bring a tape measure with me, but my 3-arrow group was approximately 2 inches.
For the next group, I set up 2 video cameras, one back by me and the other one taking a close up of the target. Again I really took my time and focused on my form and again my 3-arrow group size was approximately 2 inches -- with the factory trigger. (See the video HERE.) I am convinced that the PSE TAC Elite Crossbow has the same exceptional speed and accuracy out to 100 yards or beyond as its predecessor the PSE TAC 15i.
In conclusion, the new PSE TAC Elite crossbow is just as powerful and accurate as its predecessor, and thanks to the addition of an integrated anti-cant device it is easier than ever to get the most performance possible out of this unbelievable crossbow. Improved limbs and an improved cocking mechanism mean the TAC Elite crossbow is even more durable.
About The Author:
Andy Backus is a husband and father of two little girls. He grew up hunting whitetail deer and other critters in Wisconsin with gun and bow and over the years has been fortunate to hunt and explore most of the Western US states and Alaska. Andy is the Field Editor for Long Range Hunting Online Magazine and also manages the Long Range Hunting Store.
