Mission Archery MXB-400 Crossbow
Harry Fitzpatrick 01.07.16
It’s a cold, crisp, fall morning with the leaves crunching under each footfall. You’re climbing into the treestand with a new Mission MXB-400 crossbow. You sit and wait patiently for an elusive, monster 12-point buck. Patience pays off, as the thick antlers of the deer appear forty yards away. Your heart starts to race, adrenaline starts pumping. You raise the crossbow and exhale.
That’s the dream of every hunter, and especially so for me as I pulled a new Mission Archery MXB-400 crossbow out of the box it arrived in. Immediately it struck me that this was a lightweight and compact crossbow. Compared to the first crossbow I owned 10 years ago, the MXB-400 appears to have a very streamlined, purpose-built design. Even with the addition of a Hawke XB 1.5-5x scope, quiver, and three bolts, it remained handy and maneuverable.
Here are some quick specs:
- Speed: 400+ FPS
- Length: 34 inches
- Finish: Lost AT camo
- Physical weight: 6.9 pounds (with accessory rail)
- Powerstroke: 14 inches
- Bowstrings: Zebra Hybrid
- Width: 19.5 inches
- Draw weight: 200/175/150/125
- MSRP: $1,199 (camo), $1,299 (tactical)
The crossbow comes equipped with a Bridged Integrated Accuracy Support (BIAS) scope mount system that is centered on the rail to improve accuracy. There is also another rail system on the bottom that extends almost to the end of the frame. Any hunter that is used to shooting with an extended support handgrip can add a vertical foregrip and not have to change their shooting style. The important thing to remember is to make sure that if a vertical fore grip is added, that all digits be kept down below the rail. Failure to do so can result in serious injury to one’s fingers.
According to the specs, the limbs are specifically designed with ease of maintenance in mind. The limbs can easily be adjusted to increase or decrease draw weight. In addition, the tension on the limbs can be released without the aid of a bow press to replace any strings/cables that might become worn out. The patented X-CAM technology allows for more compact limbs and increased power and consistency. Consistency in the mechanics of the crossbow, as I was soon to find out, results in accuracy.
After researching online and reading over the manual, it was time to test Mission’s claims. To start off, I wanted to check the balance, so I simply shouldered the MXB-400. It proved to be well-balanced—so much so that when I looked through the scope, I was able to hold a relatively stable sight picture with very little effort. Moving it from left to right was rather easy and not unwieldy.
Upon arriving at the test site, I set up targets for testing purposes at 10-yard intervals, starting at 20 and going out to 60 yards. Once the distances were measured and marked, I sighted in at 20 yards. The scope manufacturer recommends a 20-yard zero—each subsequent tick mark represents 30-, 40-, 50, and 60-yard holdovers. Utilizing a holdover is much easier and efficient than unscrewing the caps and making adjustments.
The combination of the cocking aid, RS Tread, and anchor point allowed for a smooth controlled movement in cocking the crossbow. The RS Tread eliminates the need for a foot stirrup and reduces weight and overall length. By simply placing my boot on the Tread I was able to achieve a stable platform for the first part of cocking the crossbow.
For testing purposes, I was using Mission bolts that weighed 300 grains with a 100-grain field point. The length of the bolt was 22 inches. After cocking the crossbow, I loaded the first bolt into the rail and slid it all the way back until the metal nock was in place. On a side note, one feature that I particularly like is the safety is automatically engaged once the crossbow is cocked. I got into a prone position behind the crossbow and looked down the scope. Once I had my sights lined up, I took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully and began to squeeze the trigger. Oops, I forgot to take the safety off. The safety is located just below the scope rail and is definitely different from a firearm safety.
With the safety disengaged, I set the MXB-400 back on the sandbag and started the process over again. I let out a long, forceful breath and applied steady rearward pressure to the trigger. SMACK! The bolt hit two inches high on the four-inch bullseye. The trigger is heavy but with a crisp break and very little travel. I shot two more bolts into different bullseyes and got the same results. I had learned a hard, expensive lesson 10 years ago about shooting bolts into the same aiming point.
After verifying that I had a very tight group, it was time to make an elevation adjustment. The adjustments on this scope are in half-MOA increments. Each turn of the turret produced an audible, tactile click. Trying to make adjustments and not being able discern clicks can be really frustrating.
As I had mentioned earlier about consistency, it was time to set up the Oehler Chronograph and measure bolt speeds. After firing the crossbow 16 times through the chronograph, the results were amazingly consistent. The speed for fifteen shots through the chronograph registered at 382 FPS using the same bolt. I used a different bolt one time and got a speed of 383 FPS. With that type of consistency, the groups at 20 yards were incredible. Even at the 30-, 40-, and 50-yard marks the groups remained very tight. At the 60-yard mark the group opened up a little bit but it was still less than two inches. This spread in the group size could be attributed to fatigue on my part. Even though it is relatively easy to cock the MXB-400, after about 20 shots it can become tiring. See the table below for data on groups.
| Target distance (yards) | Group size (inches) |
| 20 | 0.87 |
| 30 | 0.92 |
| 40 | 0.53 |
| 50 | 0.81 |
| 60 | 1.41 |
Not only was the MXB-400 extremely accurate but also proved to be very powerful. The majority of bolts penetrated so deep into the target that they were difficult to remove. Even at 60 yards the bolts continued to penetrate deeply into the target. There is no doubt in my mind that even at extended ranges the MXB is capable of responsibly harvesting a big game animal like a deer.
For the most part the MXB-400 lived up to its claims. I didn’t get a speed of 400 FPS but does that really matter with consistent, accurate shots at 382 FPS. I’ll take a well-placed 382 over a 400 miss any day. Do I believe that the crossbow is capable of speeds over 400 FPS? Of course. One explanation could be that the draw weight when sent to me was not set at the 200 pounds max. I could really care less about the minor difference in speed. I’m more impressed with the knowing that as long as I do my part, I know without a doubt the crossbow will do its part.
