Is The SAS Empire Beowulf 360 Best For 2023? Our Review
The SA Sports Empire Beowulf 360 is quite a popular crossbow that packs all of the required features for serious whitetail hunting at an affordable rate.
Let us look at some of these features that define its impressive performance.
SAS Empire Beowulf 360 – Crossbow
Specifications:
- Velocity: 360 fps
- Draw Weight: 175 lbs
- Length: 35″
- Crossbow Weight: 6.5 lbs
- Power Stroke: 14″
This bow offers great stealth while still dishing out decent power. Its other top features include excellent noise suppression and ease of use.
Qucik Summary
What’s Included In Package
- Produces speeds up to 360 feet per second; 175 pound draw weight
- Includes a 4x32 multi-range scope, 3 carbon arrows, side mounted Claw lever latch quick detach quiver, rope cocking...
- Equipped with integrated full barrel Picatinny rail; adjustable Picatinny mount foregrip
SAS Empire Beowulf 360 Crossbow Detailed Review:
Power
The Beowulf boasts an impressive velocity of 360 fps with about 115 FPKE powering each shot. This is way above the required minimum of 75 FPKE, which would take down the biggest game.
It also allows target shooters to have some fun with further distances, as the crossbow offers remarkable accuracy (with 2” groupings) from as far as 50 yards away. This is highly unexpected from a device offering such a budget-friendly price point.
User Comfort
The crossbow is very easily assembled, and you might not even want to since most of the steps seem obvious manually. Even if you’re a beginner, completing the crossbow shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes.
Once fully assembled, you can instantly feel that it is incredibly lightweight. This is largely thanks to the lightweight synthetic stock and barrel. Most of its bulky parts are made of machined aluminium, a material that is not only light but also very durable and able to withstand accidental falls and bumps.
The CNC machined cams on this bow make it easy to draw the 175lbs draw weight, and the included rope-cocking device makes it even easier. It is important to note that the rope-cocking device is not simply meant to cut draw weight in half, as it’s also an important tool in ensuring that the string is drawn evenly to reduce the probability of an accident or incident.
This quad limb crossbow features a 3.5lb trigger mechanism that is easy to deploy yet firm enough to keep you from danger. The crossbow also has many modernized features that improve its quality and performance. For instance, the full barrel Picatinny rails fitted for accessories like the scope are quite remarkable.
Compound crossbows are always renowned for their strength, and Beowulf is no exception. This is because it is not as wide as its recurve counterparts, and as such, it is easier to handle. It is fitted with pulleys fixed to the limbs, and drawing its string is much easier, thanks to the cam system. This same system also enhances the power of the device, making arrows fly a lot faster than would be expected.
The narrow design makes it easy to manage and allows you to maneuver even through tight spaces when necessary. The firm and adjustable grip provided by the Picatinny mount foregrip ensures a comfortable hold and perfect positioning while aiming for a shot. This seemingly simple detail will make the difference between an accurate shot that goes right through your targets and one that goes off on a tangent.
Noise Suppression
Under its design, Beowulf is one of the quietest crossbows of all time. To this end, it doesn’t require any extra features, which is one of its greatest advantages over other models in the same price range. This fact ensures that easily startled prey will not get the opportunity to get away while you are using this crossbow.
This feature comes as quite a surprise because it is a well-known fact that compound bows are loud and especially so when they include a cam system. However, this model’s limb design and other characteristics have ensured that noise and vibration are kept to a minimum.
Quality of Optics
Even though the included scope is a multiple reticle model with 4×32 capabilities, its light-gathering capacity is almost totally absent. Therefore the device is most suited to hunting during the day. However, the scope is outstanding quality and comes from the manufacturer pretty much sighted in.
It is impressive in poor weather conditions, maintaining a crisp, clear image even in thick fog. It can hold zero for a long time even if it is constantly subjected to difficult situations by the user. This means that you should be fine hitting targets for as long as there’s light.
Safety
The SA Sports Empire Beowulf includes the standard anti-dry fire mechanism that protects you and the device. It also has a safety switch that works automatically. This dual protective layer ensures you do not get into a messy situation with your weapon in hand.
Additionally, it considers that not all of its users will be right-handed and incorporates an ambidextrous safety switch that is easily accessible from both sides. The adjustable Picatinny mount foregrip also goes a long way in ensuring safety.
The ability to adjust the grip to the most comfortable setting ensures that you will have a comfortable hold on the bow, reducing its chances of slipping or even the occurrence of a misfire due to poor positioning.
Durability
The general features of this bow leave no doubt in the user’s mind that it was built to handle a bit of rough use here and there. It uses good quality materials and incorporates features into its design that minimize risks to the device and the user. However, it only offers a 1-year limited warranty.
To extend the life of your bow and ensure you don’t experience any unnecessary challenges after the one year is up, it would be helpful to get yourself used to the various care procedures for crossbows. Practices such as waxing the string, conditioning and de-stringing your bow for extended storage go a long way in extending its life and ensuring great performance.
- Extremely quiet & lightweight
- Decently high velocity and power
- Easy to assemble
- Limited scope capabilities
- 1 year warranty
Assembling The SAS Empire Beowulf 360 Step-By-Step Guide
Add-ons
Since the bow only comes with three arrows, you should stock up on a few more before serious hunting. We recommend using the Carbon Express PileDriver as its great price & power are very well suited to this type of bow.
The bolts come with extra flat nocks, so please don’t use these! Using flat nocks might result in a dry fire as the string is likely to glide right underneath the arrows. This is risky to the user and damages the crossbow. We also suggest investing in a better scope, as the one that comes with it isn’t too great.
Even though the design is compact and lightweight, it would still be a brilliant idea to invest in a padded sling to free up your hands while trudging the forest floor scouring for prey.
- Crossbow scope designed to increase your visibility and upgrade your hunting gear; 12 inches long, 6 inches wide, and...
- Illuminated reticle and Weaver-style rings for optimal performance; Rheostat-controlled adjustable brightness makes...
- Reticle can be used without illumination to provide for versatile use; Generous 4-inch eye relief increases the...
- Compatible with most Crossbows
- Lightweight
- Durable nylon shoulder pad
- BONE-CRUSHING PENETRATION - Heavy grain weight creates maximum kinetic energy and greater knock-down power
- ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION - Ensures spine consistency for greater accuracy. The composite material is extremely durable at...
- REAL STRAIGHTNESS - Precision sorted for straightness to +/- 0.004", for repeat maximum consistency
Conclusion
The SA Sports Empire Beowulf is a great crossbow offering lots of power, speed and accuracy to your hunting experience. It majors on stealth by its being one of the quietest bows ever and has a good enough scope to offer clarity in poor weather. It is generally easy to operate and maneuver due to its compact design and light weight.
Its downsides are not too pronounced, and they majorly revolve around the fact that it has a very brief warranty period and its scope does not feature light-gathering abilities. But all in all, it is an impressive performer, especially about its price and would make a great first crossbow to help you master the art and practice accuracy using target shots.
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