Tac15i accuracy and consistancy problems

[shooter981]

Sorry for the confusion. Yes, its the same arrow, its the only one I have left out of the original three. No, I didn't mark it and load it same side up everytime. Yes, same hold for every shot. No, the popping noised isn't from the cocking device sliding off to the side. I know what that is and remedied that be holding pressure on the side of the string so it doesn't stack up when spooled. You can hear a small cracking sound coming from the limbs when its about 6" from being at full draw. The way this iis heading, it sounds like a limb problem. Its just hard to explain the first 6 arrows everytime going in same hole then the groups shift or a really bad flyer. Will PSE give me a run around or will they be professional about this?? Have they upgraded the limbs? Meaning will this happen again with a new set of limbs eventually? I have absolutly NO USE for an unreliable weapon. I put way too much time into my hunting to see it wasted by a bow that may not make the shot at the moment of truth. Thanks again for everyones help.

 

[bowslngr]

shooter981,
I had the same problem with mine (POI shifting) before a limb eventually cracked for the second time. What I found was that the forward, limb section of the bow was not torqued down tight enough to the barrel section. It seemed tight when I put a hex key to it, but if I grabbed both cams and wrenched the bow left and right I could see the whole assembly moving back and forth slightly. This may or may not be your problem as well, but you may want to check it.

Jeff

 

[shooter981]

UPDATE: I purchased this crossbow from Len thru his store on Ebay. I relayed the info from here to him and stated that I thought the limbs were failing and were the reason for the accuracy problems. He had me return the limb assembly to him and they replaced the limbs on warranty. He was great, no hassle what so ever and I had my limb assembly back in under seven days, including ship time!!! I'm happy to report the crossbow shoots unbelievable now. I've had it out to 80 yards so far and I have to shoot seperate dots on my target so as not to damage my arrows!!! I need to thank Len and Andy for taking care of this without hassle and in a very very timely manner so I can get back out into the woods. THANK YOU!!!

 

[Luv2turn]

I want to phrase this carefully so please read the entire post.

My first xbow was an Excalibur Axiom with the high end sight. I had it zeroed in 5 or 6 shots andthe sight had great adjustment to 50 yards. It was noisy, had little range, and wide. It was also bullet proof. I dry fired it one time with no downside. I'm not recommending that you dry fire anything, it was a stupid moment.

I so enjoyed the xbow that I decided to go for what might be the best xbow on the market, the Tac 15i.

My Tac 15i was DOA for a bad crank mechanism. That took a week to get the parts in.

I then had numerous problems trying to zero the xbow as described in my HHA postings.

While working that issue, one of my limbs started to seperate. Had to wait another 10 days to get replacements.

Have now sent my scope back for a replacement but have a loaner Parker scope on it while waiting.

I'm almost afraid to say that all is working fine at this time. Nailing tacs to 60 yards, thanks to the advice from xbow755.

All the above has occurred in a one month period. Oops, forgot to tell you that my string stops started splitting after less than 200 shots!

I can't wait for the new arrows on the horizon so I don't have to worry about spines, etc. I will also be installing the timney trigger and the drop away rest when I am sure I don't have another problem.

So, if you think I will now be recommending you get the Excalibur, you are wrong. Just be prepared for the worse case scenerio but also be prepared to get an Xbow that blows everything else away when things are right.

If you get a good one, you'll be elated. If you get one like mine, be prepared to spend time and patience to get it right. PSE has made good on all repairs to date and this site will help you through the rough spots.

If you want to play it safe, get the Excalibur. If you want unsurpassed performance, get the TAC 15.

Mike

 

[WildWillie]

Mike -

My sentiments exactly (Not exactly on the Excalibur as I've never owened one of those)

I have had similar difficulties with my Tac 15i. New scope, new upper, new limbs, all under warranty, but still costing me about $50 per repair to have 2-3 day shipping and the RMA charge.


WildWillie

 

[Luv2turn]

I must have a better dealer. Hasn't cost me anything but lost time. I don't even know what an RMA charge is.

Mike

 

[jon.henry755]

To all the newbies that have experienced some of the initial flaws that can occur once in a while with anything, I have two points worth noting.

1. Len and Andy have become either the largest or 2nd largest TAC15 Distributors in the US. There is a reason for this. Len and Andy know the product as well as anybody in the business and work hard to provide their customers with the best advice and support that's possible. Len has spent hours with me discussing and looking into the limb problems with PSE's engineers. How many dealers do you really think are going to do this.

Len has created a published list of the ten most important things you need to know about this crossbow. How many other dealers can even tell you about three of them? Bottom line is everybody should be fortunate to have a dealer like Len and Andy to deal with.

2. Len and I did a great deal of looking into many of the problems that were being reported and the fact of the matter is that although nobody likes to be the one getting negatively affected by any problems with a brand new item they've paid good money for, the fact is that the percentages of products that show any signs of these problems is just barely over 1%. This is an acceptably low percentage within the manufacturing business, so while we agree that it's painful and w wish you weren't within that 1%, it's inevitable that somebody is going to be.

I more than most have fought hard to bring manufactures attention to these problems, so I'm also thrilled to hear that you are now seeing the good side of the product and what it can do. Some of us have worked very hard for the past year to promote just what this crossbow is capable of when everything comes together and is working right. In that respect it's second to none and with some of the new after market products that are now available for the TAC's, I will match it's performance against any crossbow on the planet.

Welcome aboard and I hope to hear more of the success stories from you now that you seem to be over the tough spots.



Regards,

Jon

 

[WildWillie]

I actually bought my Tac (Here) from Len. I thought I could get things quicker by taking it to my local dealer. PSE was charging $20 to ship parts 2-3 day UPS instead of standard ground. I requested this so that money is all on me. The $30 RMA charge I was told from the dealer was from PSE, but I am not so sure the local shop didn't use that too offset their labor costs.

If I encounter any more problems I will ship it back to Len and Andy for their examination.

WildWillie

 

[bowslngr]

Gosh. I don't know what to think about that "below 1%" claim. I guess I have just been lucky enough to be in the unlucky 1% three different times. Once for a draw chord that broke and twice for delaminating limbs. All in about a 15 month period. And two of those failures had a direct impact on my hunting seasons.

 

[tawood]

I had the same issue the 1st time a limb split. I tried everything I could think of; scope first, pron square with rail, cam level and clearance, string mark alignment, bow/scope level, biscuit and D-loop alignment. Just couldn't set the scope because shot placement was inconsistent (4 to 6 inches off in random directions).

Check your limbs very carefully for spintering or "hangnails", use your "best" arrow for tuning (and hope it doesn't swallow the nock before you've finished).
GOOD LUCK!

I had this problem right before (earlier today) my limb split too....hope it doesn't happen to you too, but my groups kept moving sideways, then one time as I was getting ready to shoot....POP! I decocked and checked the limbs, and my right one had split after about 50 shots.

 

[jon.henry755]

Hi WildWillie,
For the record just in case you or our other readers are not familiar with the meaning of RMA it means Return Merchandise Authorization and is typically a number or code that the manufacture issues to a customer for the approved return services they are performing.

My point is that no manufacturer ever has the right to charge for an RMA when there product is under warranty. If they were charging because they were going to provide an overnight or next day shipping guarantee because I was demanding that type of turn around they might have a leg to stand on, but not in any other circumstance.

If you really wanted to get to the bottom of who's stealing your money, I would suggest calling PSE Customer Support yourself and ask if they have a standard customer charge for RMA's while under warranty. If not, you can then have a friendly conversation with whomever was borrowing your money, if you know what I mean?

Let me know if you need the PSE Customer Support Number and I'll send it?

Regards,

Jon

 

[Len Backus]

Andy and I never charge for regular return shipping. And if parts are in stock we ship back within 1 day, sometimes same day.

We try to keep key parts in stock.

We know you want to get back to hunting NOW, not next week.

Len

 

[Luv2turn]

This is not a gloat.

On second thought, it is!

New limbs are working fine. Loaner scope is working fine (with more than a little help from John Henry). My free replacement string stops arrived and are installed. Still waiting for the new scope.

Went to my ground blind late this afternoon and finally saw 4 does. Took an easy shot at 42 yards. Complete pass thru with nothing but vitals. Heart was nothing but a pile of mush. She went 35 yards on adreneline.

Had her cleaned, quartered and on ice within 2 hours of the shot.

My very first kill ever and it went like it was scripted. All I knew about gutting and cleaning was gleaned from youtube.

Meats in the fridge. Bloody clothes iare in the washer. I'm having a beer. All is right in my world.

Thanks to all of you.

Mike

 

[OkieBowie]

Gosh. I don't know what to think about that "below 1%" claim. I guess I have just been lucky enough to be in the unlucky 1% three different times.

Has the TAC-15 crossbow itself been checked out (or replaced) by PSE?
Perhaps, there is something wrong with the crossbow (limb pockets) that has caused you to be in the unlucky 1% twice for limbs.