Welcome to the best Southern crossbow reviews and guide to Southern’s accessories. The comparison chart below lists the most popular crossbows manufactured by Southern. A side-by-side comparison is possible, and you can click the “Our Review” link to read a very detailed overview of that crossbow. We update this page on a monthly basis, including new information and reviews of previously unlisted Southern x-bows.
Southern Risen XT 350 Check price on Amazon.com | Southern Rebel 350 Check price on Amazon.com | Southern Risen XLT 385 Check price on Amazon.com |
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Our Review | Our Review | Our Review | |
Draw Weight | 180 lbs. | 155 lbs. | 200 lbs. |
Stroke | 13" | 14.2" | 14" |
Velocity | 350 FPS | 350 FPS | 385 FPS |
Suggested Arrow Length | 20" | 20" | 20-22" |
Crossbow Length | 35.5" to 38" | 40.5" | 35.5-38" |
Crossbow Weight | 8.75 lbs. | 10.8 lbs. | 8 lbs. 14 oz. |
Ballistic Data For Our Top Southern Crossbows:
- Speed Reduction
- Kinetic Energy
- Hunting Requirements
What do Southern Crossbows have in Common
If you read our Southern Crossbow reviews, you’ll notice a few common features:
- All are compound crossbows
- The draw weights range from 155 to 200 lbs
- All utilize quick and quiet cams
- All have included weaver scope mounts
- They are geared towards a more tactical platform
- Most have adjustable buttstocks
- They come with a lifetime limited Warranty
- All come with a complete package
- All come standard with a picatinny rail
- All come with a vertical fore grip
Southern Crossbow’s lineup is really geared towards the shooter with a lot of familiarity with an AR platform. The adjustable buttstock on the Risen line actually features a Mil-spec buffer tube so you can customize this with just about any stock out there. The inclusion of a picatinny rail makes for easy customization which is something that most AR owners love to do! A nice feature with Southern is that they basically include just about anything (with the exception of hunting broadheads) that you might need to hit the field.
Southern Crossbow Accessories
Southern offers quite a few accessories, and one of the coolest things about this company is that they include them with the crossbow! Below is a quick rundown of what you get with the crossbow:
Southern Crossbow Bolts
Southern includes four field-tipped, aluminum 20” bolts in each of its packages. This is the one place where we feel they may have missed the mark just a bit. Given the power of their crossbows, especially the Risen XLT 385, we aren’t sure that aluminum was the best choice. We have heard from a few folks out there that these arrows tend to bend easily from the power generated from these crossbows. Consider purchasing additional carbon arrows separately if the auminum ones you get don’t work as well as they should.
Southern Crossbow Optics
The 4×32 scope included in all three of Southern’s offerings is of good quality and sufficient for most of your needs. The graduated reticle offers a good ability to shoot accurately at an array of ranges and the scope is very easy to zero. As mentioned in some of the reviews, you really might consider investing in an illuminated reticle to add to the ability for low-light shots or even a red dot holographic site for fast target acquisition.
Crossbow Cocking Aids
The included cocking rope is straight forward, as is the actual cocking of the Southern Crossbow line. You would do well to purchase a spare (or two) to ensure you always have that bit of needed assistance in the field.
Additional Accessories
Southern also includes a 6-bolt quiver on each of its models as well as a telescoping stock on its Risen line. While the telescoping stock technically isn’t an accessory, the fact that it has a Mil-spec buffer tube really is worth bringing up again. With so many available stocks for the AR platform out there, and with the picatinny rail below, you can literally choose from hundreds of options to customize your crossbow. The inclusion of the vertical fore grip really can change the feel of these crossbows as well.
Used Southern Crossbows for Sale
If you want to look at purchasing a used Southern crossbow, we recommend doing so only where you are able to personally inspect the bow before letting go of your money. A used crossbow can come with defects (either known or unknown by the current owner) that could require significant repair or even pose very real danger when shooting. Taking the crossbow to your local shop that you trust for a quick inspection could mean the difference between a great purchase, and a complete waste of time and money.
We generally recommend to less-experienced crossbow users that it is better to purchase a lower-priced new crossbow than an expensive used one at a discount as they may not have the skill level yet to truly evaluate the condition of the used crossbow. Take a moment to check out our top 10 crossbows where you can read reviews and compare prices.
Best Southern Crossbows Review Summary
All of Southern’s line of crossbows are powerful, accurate and customizable. The Risen line really takes the ‘tacti-cool’ factor to the next level and offers a very familiar feel for those used to rifles and just transitioning to the crossbow world. If would be worth a few minutes of your time to read through the reviews on the Southern line to better understand which crossbow is right for you and your needs. The prices are quite reasonable given that you get just about everything you need included with the crossbow. Make sure to read our tuning & maintenance guide as well to learn about the steps necessary to keep your crossbow in excellent shape and to maintain performance.
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