Kodabow Bravo Zulu Review – Recurve Crossbow

ModelDraw WeightStrokeVelocitySuggested Arrow LengthCrossbow Weight
Kodabow Bravo Zulu

Kodabow Bravo Zulu

Check price on Amazon.com
200 lbs.14"330 FPS

Crossbow Academy: ballistics, sighting, tuning
20"8.3 lbs.
Pros:
- Attractive AR-style appearance
- Includes destringing aid
- Excellent accuracy and power

Cons:
- Arrows are low quality
- Not compatible with crank cocking devices
- Heavier than average
Small Game Hunting?yes2
Deer, Elk Hunting?yes2
Moose, Bear Hunting?yes2
Target Shooting?yes2

What Comes in the Box?

Howdy, and welcome to my review of the Kodabow Bravo Zulu. Each package delivered by Kodabow includes the following items:

  • The Kodabow Bravo Zulu crossbow
  • 3×32 multi-reticle illuminated scope
  • Assembly hardware and tools
  • Bipod
  • 5-arrow quiver
  • 5 20” carbon arrows
  • Rope cocking device
  • Destringing aid
  • Bow string was
  • Owner’s manual
  • Warranty card

Assembly of the Bravo Zulu

kodabow1Assembling the Kodabow Bravo Zulu is quick and easy, and I had mine set up and ready to go within 10 minutes. You attach the riser to the stock, and then attach the foot stirrup. After that, you will adjust the vertical folding fore grip to your personal preferences, mount the scope, and attach the quiver. Then, you’re ready to go.

Testing for Accuracy and Power

The Kodabow Bravo Zulu is a 200 pound beast of a crossbow, with a 14” power stroke. It deals out the arrows at 330 fps, and delivers more than 95 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy. That’s more than powerful enough to drive the arrows completely through most target blocks, so make sure you’re using a good target or be prepared to try digging your arrows out of the mud or backstop.

Sighting in the Kodabow Bravo Zulu took almost no time at all, because it was sighted in right out of the box. I was quickly checking out the different ranges of the bow, testing my x-bow at 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 yards. From 20 yards, my arrows all fell inside a group that touched one another, and my groupings from 60 yards were all less than an inch. This is an insanely accurate crossbow, and it has the power to take on whatever you might want to pursue.

Hunting with the Bravo Zulu

With as much kinetic energy as this bow shells out, it is perfectly suited to any legal game in North America, at least as far as accuracy and power go. The crossbow is also lightweight enough to carry around all day without feeling extremely fatigued, but it would be nice if it was a little bit lighter. At 8.3 pounds, you do feel the weight at the end of the day.

I took the Bravo Zulu moose hunting, and this beast was more than enough power to take on the bull moose I spotted from my tree stand. My arrow passed clean through the moose, and the guy barely stumbled a few feet away before he collapsed from blood loss.

Cocking The Bravo Zulu

kodabow2This recurve crossbow has a draw weight of 200 pounds, so you won’t be drawing it by hand anytime soon. Luckily, the Bravo Zulu comes with a rope cocking device, which makes the draw very smooth and as easy as it can be. The AR-style stock, though, is not compatible with any of the crank cocking devices I own, which is really too bad—if any crossbow would benefit from using a crank cocking device, it’s this one.

The Crossbow Scope

The 3×32 scope that ships with the Bravo Zulu has glass etched reticles for 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 yards, and provides red or green hollow circles with a 2” kill zone and 5 brightness settings. The scope comes sighted in right out of the box, and stays sighted in for months. The optics are clear and crisp, with plenty of contrast during the day and excellent light gathering capabilities during low light conditions.

Bolts

You get 5 Kodabow Magnum .338 arrows with your crossbow, 20” arrows with field tips to bring the total weight to 400 grain. These arrows are not the best quality, however, and split pretty easily. I’d recommend switching to better arrows early on; I used my Firebolt arrows with this bow, and they worked perfectly at 425 grain.

Safety and Design

kodabow3The AR-style design is gaining traction with crossbows, and it fits the Kodabow Bravo Zulu very well. The vented fore arm and vertical fore grip, along with the pistol grip and adjustable butt stock, make this look like a rifle until you notice the bow attached to the front of the weapon. Construction is solid, and the Weaver rails accept various accessories. The crossbow features an automatic safety and anti-dry fire system, as well as a patented trigger system. The features all work flawlessly, keeping you safe in the field or at the range.

Warranty

The Kodabow Bravo Zulu is covered by a limited lifetime warranty. Customer service at Kodabow is professional and friendly, and the staff seems to really enjoy their jobs.

What Crossbow Case Fits the Kodabow Bravo Zulu?

A very nice companion for the Kodabow Bravo Zulu is the Plano 1133-00 Manta Crossbow Case which sells for about $120. It has an adjustable tall-stock to accommodate this Zulu’s adjustable stock. For around $55 the Barnett Case (Model 17083) is a good soft case choice.

Crossbow Review – Summary

Thanks for reading my review of the Kodabow Bravo Zulu crossbow. This is a quality crossbow with excellent shooting characteristics, and makes a great choice for hunting or target shooting. Take a look at today's amazon.com price on this crossbow and check out our top 10 crossbows rankings for more.

7 Comments

  1. Very well written review. It summarizes my experience with a used Koda-Express I purchased. In trying to get the bow to a hunting state(the seller apparently striped it, no scope, bipod, extra string, decocking device). I called KodaBow on 7 different occasions, 5 of those calls Chuck Matasic the CEO answered the phone. I don’t believe that can be said for any other crossbow manufacturer. Although they may not be compatible with other cocking devices, Kodabow is manufacturing one that fits in the stock like their rope cocking devise. I believe I’ll be enjoying my KodaBow for a long time.

  2. That should be other CRANK cocking devises. And Kodabow is manufacturing its own Crank cocking devise that fits into the stock like their rope cocker. sorry for the omission on the previous post.

  3. About the arrows that Kodabow supply they are Gold Tip Laser II Crossbow Arrows! These are a Quality Arrow in my book, I shoot quite often. I am still shooting all but one of the original arrows that came with the purchased KODABOW Express, That’s 16 months with no issues with any arrows except loosing one arrow in the woods before I started using Luminox.. Thank You for all of your reviews and Reviewing a Kodabow, I believe that they really are an Exceptional crossbow. Here is a link to Kodas crank cocking device. http://kodabow.com/store/details.php?prodId=204&category=5&secondary=&keywords=
    Stan

    1. Hi Stan,

      Thanks for this. I’m not sure what happened with this post earlier. It’s possible that the bow you received included completely different arrows to the one that I got, manufacturers sometimes switch out arrows over time for many different reasons. The one’s I got were not that good, but I’m happy to hear you liked the Gold Tip Laser II’s that you got with yours.

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