Excalibur Matrix Grizzly Review (In-Field) – Recurve Crossbow

Model	Draw Weight	Stroke	Velocity	Suggested Arrow Length	Crossbow Length / Weight
Excalibur Matrix Grizzly Check price on Amazon.com	200 lbs.	11.5"	305 FPS How to sight a crossbow?	18"	33.2" / 5 lbs. 8 ozs.

Excalibur Matrix Grizzly Package Contents

The Excalibur Matrix Grizzly is offered as a basic complete kit. Ours arrived with:

• A Deadzone Scope
• A 4-arrow detachable quiver
• Four Diablo 18” arrows
• Four 150-grain field points
• A rope cocking aid

This was pretty much everything we needed to get started shooting. Finding the 150-grain recommended weight hunting broadheads might prove to be a bit difficult, so keep in mind you might need to order these in advance.

First Impressions: Design, Safety, Comfort and Accuracy

Excalibur has long been known as a company that makes high-quality crossbows, and the Matrix Grizzly now allows for those who want the performance of the Matrix line without the high price tag. The Grizzly is designed as a light-weight, hunting crossbow that utilizes the CRT limbs found on the rest of the Matrix line.

The Mossy Oak pattern does a good job of helping the crossbow blend in and having a recurve means less moving parts to potentially fail. The frame is made from polycarbonate with a thumbhole stock allowing you to hold the crossbow without worry of losing your grip. The light weight further ensures security when handling.

The limbs do not employ the Excalibur REDS (Recoil Energy Dissipation System) as found on the rest of the Matrix crossbows, but this is more of a crossbow for someone who wants to get a good basic platform, and then add on as they are able.

Kinetic Energy of the Matrix Grizzly

The Matrix Grizzly is designed to allow you to hunt in locations where anything over 200-lbs. of draw weight is illegal. The CRT limbs do a good job of efficiently transferring the force of the limbs to the arrow with a resulting speed of about 305 fps, using a 350-grain projectile. This means you are hitting with just over 72 ft. lbs. of energy at the muzzle. While this isn’t the hardest hitting crossbow we have shot, it should have plenty of power for anything deer size or smaller.

Use our arrow ballistics calculator for more valuable information.

Ballistic Data For The Excalibur Matrix Grizzly

Your actual results will vary slightly depending on weather, and significantly with arrow weight change. See our Crossbow Ballistics Guides section for a complete understanding of how we conducted our tests and why this data matters.

Hunting with the Excalibur Matrix Grizzly

Hunting with the Grizzly should be a lot of fun due in part to the ultra-light weight. At just 5.5 lbs., toting the Grizzly into the field shouldn’t be an overly tiresome endeavor. At 27” wide when cocked, the relative compactness of the limbs, at least for a recurve, should help as well. While there isn’t the most massive punch from the Grizzly, there is going to be plenty of power to take most game, and the accuracy is going to really make the difference in bagging your quarry.
You need to keep in mind, as with the other Matrix crossbows, the broadhead will be hanging pretty far off the end of the barrel when the arrow is in the shooting position. Be sure the area in front of you stays clear to keep from hanging up as you lift up for a shot!

How Quiet is the Matrix Grizzly

The Matrix Grizzly is actually a fairly quiet crossbow due in large part to the lower draw weight of the recurve limbs. If you really want to take it down a few more decibels, the REDS is available and can be easily added to the Grizzly.

Cocking the Matrix Grizzly

The Matrix Grizzly was surprisingly easy to cock given the 200-lb. draw weight. This has a lot to do with both the shorter power stroke as well as a shorter overall length. We found that, since you don’t have to lift as high, cocking actually seems easier than a crossbow with a lighter draw but longer stroke. Using a rope cocker is pretty much a given, though.

Quality of the Optics

The included Deadzone scope is certainly a good scope that will allow you to shoot in most situations. It is a nice feature that it has a speed dial, although the adjustment up to 400 fps isn’t going to do you much good on the Grizzly. Depending on your shooting skills and needs, Excalibur has some truly excellent crossbow scopes in their lineup and you might be wise to check one out as an upgrade.

See our detailed guide on how to sight-in your crossbow

What Arrows to use with the Matrix Grizzly

The Diablo arrows included with the Matrix Grizzly are up to the job for most hunting situations. Given the compact design of the Grizzly, should you decide to go with an aftermarket arrow, you really want to stay in the 18” range as a 20” arrow is going to way too far out. Keep in mind that Excalibur recommends a 150-grain tip, so the shorter the arrow, the easier it is going to be to get to that magic 350-grain total weight to break the 300 fps barrier.

You can also learn more about crossbow arrows and take a look at our broadhead recommendations

Overall Thoughts

The Excalibur Matrix Grizzly is a crossbow that was specifically brought into the Matrix lineup to allow a shooter the opportunity to use a Matrix, but without the normally high Matrix price tag. It is a no frills crossbow that will still get the job done. One of the best things about the Grizzly is that it allows the shooter to get a good crossbow platform and add extras as they are able.

This isn’t the fastest crossbow out there, nor the most powerful, nor the flashiest…it is simple and ready for business. If you are wanting the simplicity of a recurve and the quality of Excalibur, but don’t want to shell out $800 – $1000, then the Grizzly may be just the bow for you. Take a look at today's amazon.com price on this crossbow and check out our top 10 crossbows rankings for more.