TenPoint Vapor Crossbow Review

Model	Draw Weight	Stroke	Velocity	Suggested Arrow Length	Crossbow Length / Weight
TenPoint Vapor Check price on Amazon.com	165 lbs.	15.5"	360 FPS Crossbow Academy: ballistics, sighting, tuning	22"	37.4" / 6.8 lbs.

Package Contents

Hi there, and welcome to my review of the TenPoint Vapor crossbow. The Vapor features Parallel Limb Technology to make it one of the narrowest crossbows on the market today. Each package delivered by TenPoint includes the following items:

• The TenPoint Vapor crossbow, including stock and bow assembly
• TenPoint RangeMaster Pro scope
• 3-arrow ambidextrous quick-detach quiver
• 6 420-gran crossbow arrows with field tips
• AcuDraw 50 rope-cocking mechanism
• Deluxe soft crossbow case
• Owner’s manual
• Owner’s instructional DVD
• TenPoint vehicle window sticker
• Warranty card

Assembling the Crossbow

The TenPoint Vapor comes out of the box with the scope already mounted and bore-sighted. All that is required is to mount the riser onto the stock and attach the quiver. The riser does have very tight tolerances, so it took several minutes to get it properly aligned on the stock. Still, assembly of this crossbow was quick and easy, and I had it ready for the range in about 15 minutes.

With everything that comes with this crossbow, I was a bit surprised at the lack of a padded sling. I would almost rather have the sling included than the crossbow case, since I already own several crossbow cases and prefer hard cases anyways.

Accuracy and Power

The TenPoint Vapor flings arrows off the rail at 360 fps with 118 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy. This is a mighty powerful crossbow, which is surprising, given its small stature. I had to prop my target block up against an iron stake driven into the ground to keep it from being knocked over with every shot.

Once I had the scope sighted in, which only took a couple of shots, I was able to start testing the accuracy of the crossbow. Let me just say this: I had to replace the fletchings on several arrows because of how accurate this crossbow is!

To be specific, I was able to maintain half-inch groupings at 20 yards, and 1” groupings from 40 yards. At 60 yards, my groupings fell within a 2” circle. In reality, I probably could have maintained 0” groupings from 20 and 40 yards; after I ripped apart the fletchings on several arrows, I started aiming at different spots to prevent damaging more arrows. From as far as 40 yards, I could probably use this crossbow as a nail driver.

Ballistic Data For The TenPoint Vapor

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Hunting: What to Expect

The TenPoint Vapor weighs only 6.8 lbs. without the scope and quiver, but comes in around 8.5 pounds fully loaded. Add a padded sling, and this weight can be pretty easily distributed across your shoulders. One very nice feature of this crossbow for hunting is the Parallel Limb Technology TenPoint employs. The crossbow is only 17.5” axle-to-axle uncocked, and a bare 12.6” cocked. I can honestly say that this is the narrowest crossbow I have ever carried, and the narrow width makes a world of difference from the tree stand. This crossbow deals out almost 121 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy, making it one of the most powerful crossbows available. This is more than enough power to take down the largest legal game animals in North America, even the formidable grizzly bear! The Bowjax crossbow noise dampening kit and string dampening system make this one quiet crossbow! Both at the range and in the field, I did not hear the Vapor much louder than even the compound crossbows I was shooting beside. I took the Vapor turkey hunting, and fitted my arrows with wide broadheads. The first day out, I saw a group of turkeys in my field, and set up to bag a nice tom. I took careful aim just beneath the neck, trusting the accuracy of the crossbow would still be as wonderful as it was during my range session. A bit reckless, but it was a beautiful sight to behold when I took the shot: the neck and head of the turkey were cleanly severed from the body by my shot, and the rest of the turkeys were baffled for a second before they scattered back into the woods.

Kinetic Energy of The TenPoint Vapor

What you need to know now is how much power is behind each shot from the TenPoint Vapor. The Vapor spits out arrows at a blistering 360 FPS, assuming point blank range and 420-grain arrows. This provides each arrow with around 118 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy at point blank range. Assuming the standard reduction of few percent ft. lbs. of KE for every 10 yards beyond point blank range, this still leaves you with 113 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy for a 30-yard shot. This is definitely a whopping amount of kinetic energy, providing you with almost 125% of the minimum amount of kinetic energy you should have when tackling the toughest game in North America, such as Cape buffalo or grizzly bears. [sc name="kinetic-energy"]

Cocking the TenPoint Vapor

The TenPoint Vapor has a 165 lbs. draw weight, which is amazingly light for how powerful the crossbow is. TenPoint definitely paid attention to detail here, including a cocking device with the crossbow regardless of which package you buy. The less expensive package includes the AcuDraw 50, a rope-cocking device integrated into the butt stock of the crossbow. I love the AcuDraw 50’s convenience, because I do not have to worry about digging around in my pack or pockets for the rope-cocking device. For a bit more money, you can have the AcuDraw, a hand-crank cocking device. Cocking the Vapor is smooth and easy, and the safety engages flawlessly each and every time.

The Crossbow Scope

The TenPoint Vapor comes with the RangeMaster Pro scope, a truly wonderful crossbow scope. This is a 5X 30mm scope with three duplex crosshairs and five dots calibrated for 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 yards. The scope’s dots can be illuminated with either red or green illumination, controlled by a rheostat for five brightness settings. The optics are practically flawless, and the scope has very good light-gathering capabilities and eye relief. The scope was close to sighted in right out of the box, and it only took me three shots before I was ripping apart fletchings with my groups. This scope held zero throughout the entire hunting season, and does not seem to be out of zero even after multiple trips to the field and range. [sc name="how-to-sight"]

TenPoint Vapor Arrows

TenPoint ships the Vapor with six 420-gr arrows. These carbon arrows are made to excellent standards, and fly true and straight every time. I recommend sticking with 420-gr arrows, even if you purchase after-market arrows, but you can always go with heavier arrows. I would not recommend using less than 400-gr arrows with this crossbow. [sc name="crossbow-arrows"]

Safety and Design

One very nice safety feature of this crossbow is the innovative GripSafety on the side of the foregrip. This device prevents accidental fires, making sure you have your support hand clear of the string before firing. The construction of the TenPoint Vapor is top-quality, and all of the safety and anti dry-fire mechanisms work flawlessly each and every time. The Vapor is such a pleasure to shoot that I’ve already fired more than 900 arrows from it, and the string and cables are showing almost no signs of wear.

Warranty

TenPoint protects your crossbow purchase of the TenPoint Vapor with a lifetime warranty, and TenPoint’s customer service representatives are very friendly and make sure you get any required warranty service quickly and conveniently.

What Crossbow Case Fits the TenPoint Vapor?

The TenPoint Vapor pairs nicely with the SKB Hunter Series Crossbow Case. This durable hard case is very expensive and not suitable for those on a budget. The Carbon Express Deluxe Case is a soft case choice with a smaller price tag.

Crossbow Review – Summary

Thanks for reading my review of the TenPoint Vapor crossbow. This crossbow is, without a doubt, the best crossbow on the market today. TenPoint is setting a bar with the Vapor that other crossbow manufacturers will be hard-pressed to beat. Take a look at today's amazon.com price on this crossbow and check out our top 10 crossbows rankings for more.