Steambow AR-6 Stinger II Tactical Repeating Crossbow

It assembled really well, and works well also .

The forward front handle was a bit of a problem. It would not tighten firmly and solid on the rail I then used a small hex nut on the little pin on the tightener, works well now , not loose or wobbly but solid (I like solid ) thanx

Just use the stringer with caution and the right way as described. All is good now .

This is a very powerful miniature crossbow when you mount the 90lb hunting limbs. I haven't used the 55lb. limbs as much, but accuracy is pretty good for me out to 20 yards or so with the hunting limbs. The version I'm reviewing is carbine style Stinger AR-6 Tactical version 2 with the AR style adjustable stock (not the older version with the safety). This can do follow-up shots in a way that other crossbows can only dream of doing. There is no safety to get in the way here, which was a con others mentioned in the previous versions. I haven't tried any farther than 20 yards yet, but I'm sure it could be decent at even 25 yards. Farther than that is beyond pistol crossbow territory. Accuracy is very good though, assuming you are able to get a red dot sight at the very least. Groups are excellent (about 1-3") at 10-11 yards and under. Small game would not be safe from hunters equipped with this and the broadheads. I also like that it uses picatinny rails and the weight is low.

It should be noted that Steambow is constantly improving on the Stinger line, which is one reason I got this instead of one of the other options. Being able to get off follow-up shots without working a safety really sets this apart. Still, it is not the cheapest crossbow out there. For the price, you could get a more powerful full sized crossbow or even a firearm. It is not crazy to end up spending $500 once you get it and the hunting limbs, extra strings, arrows, and maybe an optional laser sight and spare parts kit. That is no small amount of money. Also, the original black spring near the trigger broke early on for me. I got a replacement from the manufacturer. Steambow has since upgraded this part to a silver one what has lasted way longer than the original two that come with it. I'd have changed that, but they already got to it. They also added a thumb screw for the rear magazine, which is another change I'd have made. It allows you to access the string for waxing without tools.

You really should get a red dot sight mounted on this as soon as you can. The fiber optic sight and spring co-witness combo are not a sighting system I could be consistent/accurate with. Also, Steambow makes a wide range of accessories to kit out your crossbow. This is one of my favorite things about this product. You can get things like an integrated laser (which is dead-on for me, even though it has an odd 3-screw adjustment method), a sling, light, scope mountable rail, folding stock adapter, various limb weights (35, 55, & 90 lbs), and even an upgraded trigger! While I favor the 90lb limbs for the overall versatility, the trigger pull requires some effort. The new trigger cuts that effort in half, as stated by the manufacturer. And they've recently added a new lower part that allows for a quick detach limb setup, adding to the portability of the crossbow. I think it is a really great crossbow system, and it shoots ammo made by tons of manufacturers. Just don't go cheap with arrows.

for its size very powerfull

the initial string wore out quick but rounded the edges of the rear load area and the new string is doing fine

buy extra shafts

Fairly accurate and fun to shoot. Draw weight is easy enough, but cocking mechanism with safety using rear stock is somewhat awkward, This is made a little worse because the synthetic adjustable rear stock attachment point allows for some rotation of the rear stock. For the price I would expect a better, stronger build quality. Assembly instructions are minimal. No parts list included, which is ridiculous at this price point. Easy enough to use common sense and figure out, but parts list would eliminate any guess work and second guessing. Example is listing the use of 2 bolts with washers, one long bolt and one short, no lengths or diameter supplied. Issue is there is one long bolt, but the short one is an Allen Screw, (pointed head not a bolt end), so you're not sure if your missing something, got a wrong part, who knows? Also had a spring, with no clue provided about where or why it was supplied? Print a parts list Steambow and put it as an insert in manual. Problem solved.

Rear sight is a joke. It is actually the top part of the latch spring holding the magazine closed. The spring on mine was very stiff and out of place, I had to bend it some to even get the magazine open. No way to guarantee it gets aligned correctly. - Use a straight edge in a straight line from point A to B, for windage, maybe? What about elevation adjustment.?Where are you going to land 25 yards out? All you can do is guess, shoot a few, then try to get lucky trying to adjust a stiff metal spring with a pair of needle nose pliers. Ridiculous rear sight solution for the price of this product. My string aid aid was also too short. No where near as long as ones shown in videos. I still had to bend limbs by hand to attach stringing aid. .Stepping up the quality wouldn't even add $5.00 - $10.00 to Steambow's manufacturing cost to fix some off the quality build issues. $5.00 - $10.00 more and this is a 5 star product and you have satisfied customers. That's a no brainer Steambow

Hard to find a way to mount a red dot that allows for absolute co-witness with the stock fixed sites. The picatinny rail is in front of the fiber optic front site. The rail is slightly below the same plain as the front site. This means the base of the scope is higher than the front site. This means you can't get an absolute or partial co-witness. Found a riser mount on Amazon that the mount is 2 sides only, no base plate, but it's a little expensive, Looked at some flush mount 45 degree adapters that had enough bad reviews that I avoided them. Found one that seemed of higher quality and may be thin enough on the base to not obscure the front sight. Even if you purchase from GoGun, (you pay more from them), and get their included picatinny rail on top of the magazine you'll have the same issue and now you will not even be able to see the front sight at all because of scope. Poor design execution.

The way the item was packaged left me in total amazement! This item came with two bow strings The bow It’s self and the magazine. Finally it also included target bolts.Construction was simple save the stringing. It is very accurate easy to use and will definitely eliminate pesky critters! What I hunt a deer with it? Of course I would! Is it capable of taking down a deer? Absolutely!

I would eliminate the safety

Once you are able to use this item with efficiency you will learn that the safety most certainly is in the way! When practicing for speed you must consider using your thumb for the safety. The target bolts that accompany this item Could also be used for hunting pesky critters! If you’re wondering whether or not this is a good home defense item I would certainly answer in the affirmative!

It was very easy to assemble. works as promised, Fun as sh*t. Solid and durable.

I hope they continue to refine the crossbow product line I will be first in line to by a truly automatic crossbow.

when showing family members, or friends how to use it make sure they don't overcompensate for what they think is going to be recoil. it doesn't and my wife shot an arrow past the target into a rock courtyard.

Awesome crossbow. I've always wanted a crossbow and this one is so unique and user-friendly. I love that it holds multiple arrows and all you have to do is pull back on the handle to reload. The laser site is a great addition too. I absolutely love the size which doesn't compare to the strength,,packs a wallop!!! Basically this crossbow kicks ass !!!

Nothing

It's compact and has 6 shots in it. It has an upgrade option for a hunting bow. Very simple to operate. If you are not allowed to have a gun this thing will either intimidate or kill the opponent or the prey. It does not work too bad as a pistol at close range.

It feels cheap. Everything is plastic. The rear site is a bent metal thingy that you won't find on any other thing that is capable of shooting projectiles. Overall it's really horrible, except that it works. There's no ergonomic reason for the charging handle to be shaped that way - if it was longer you could use it as a shoulder stock, for instance. The laser sight is probably where they should have saved the money - three non-captive screws are absolutely pointless. How do you zero in something that needs to be adjusted from three different directions while loosening up the other two of them? Really hard to figure out why they wanted it there. And the literature really advises you to add a red dot sight. I'll do it at some point. It's hard to test accuracy because unless you put it in a clamp there's no way to hold it well. Personally it seams to be not accurate at all.

This is an amazing mix of good and bad engineering. It's kind of a toy that is a lethal weapon.

Overall it needs a lot of work to be a good weapon. If it was $60 or something I'd be much happier.

But with upgraded limbs and bolts you can actually hunt. And you can definitely kill someone with it as it is, so keep away from children.

Accurate shooting, Nice compact design.

Better quality limb hooks. Mine broke after 50 shots and I am unsure where to get replacements.

Avoid until they can upgrade the limb hooks. They should be of better quality.

Amazing, truly I upgraded to this from an old hou shuei single shot crossbow pistol i bought in 2010. This is more accurate, easier to cock, and just as powerful. The six shots are truly what makes it over the top though, it feels like it something belonging to medieval royalty nothing else like it.

The laser is cool but not necessary other than that perfection.

Buy lots of bolts the cheap plastic or aluminum ones are fine, just watch that they are straight before you load em