Horton General Crossbow - Manual (Page 4)

4
When handling your crossbow in the treestand
or while carrying it when it is cocked, do not
grab or hold it by the barrel and fore-stock, thereby putting your
hand into the release path of the bowstring. If the bow were
to accidentally fire, the string will severely injure your hand or
possibly amputate one or more fingers.
Do not transport your crossbow while loaded and
do not store it while it is cocked. An unintentional
discharge of a loaded crossbow could cause death or serious
personal injury. Storing a cocked crossbow can weaken it and
possibly break its limbs, string, and/or cables.
COCKING & UNCOCKING YOUR CROSSBOW
COCKING SAFETY
Wear safety glasses when cocking your
crossbow to protect your eyes from being
injured if the limbs, bowstring, cables, or cocking unit cords were
to break.
When manually cocking your crossbow, grip
the bowstring securely with all four fingers of
both hands and do not relax your grip until the string passes the
Dry-Fire-Inhibitor (DFI) and engages the string latch. Otherwise,
you could severely injure your fingers or hands as you release the
string, and/or you could dry-fire the bow, potentially breaking the
limbs and causing severe injury or other property damage.
Be careful to use proper lifting techniques when
manually cocking your crossbow because you
could injure your back or shoulders if the draw weight is too much
for you to handle.
Note: If the draw weight is too heavy for you to
cock your crossbow manually, various cocking aids are available
to make it easier, including the ACUdraw, ACUdraw 50, and
Rope-Cocker. These cocking devices have their own manual or
instructions. Read the manuals/instructions before using one
of them.
When cocking your crossbow with an ACUdraw
automated cocking unit do not over-crank it.
Stop cranking as soon as you see and hear the trigger-safety-
knob slide from FIRE to SAFE and you hear the string latch
engage the string. If you continue to crank it beyond this point,
you can lift the trigger box out of alignment, damaging the bow;
and/or you can break the draw cords, sending the mechanism’s
string-claw flying, which may cause serious injury and/or property
damage. (See the ACUdraw Instruction Manual for complete
operating instructions.)
When cocking your crossbow with an ACUdraw
automated cocking unit, do not forget to return
the string-claw to its storage position prior to loading an arrow.
Otherwise you will “shoot the claw” when you pull the trigger,
which may cause serious personal injury and/or damage to your
bow from flying debris. (See the ACUdraw Instruction Manual for
complete operating instructions.)
Do not place your foot in the foot stirrup when
cocking your crossbow with an ACUdraw cocking
mechanism. In the unlikely event that the string-claw was to
break away from the draw cords, it could injure or possibly break
your foot. (See the ACUdraw Instruction Manual for complete
operating instructions.)
Do not attempt to manually cock the Storm RDX
crossbow. It is too narrow to cock manually, and
you will pinch and possibly injure your fingers if you attempt to
do so.
Once the crossbow is cocked, do not grab, hold,
or carry it by the barrel or fore-stock, thereby
putting your hand into the release path of the bowstring. If the
bow were to accidentally fire, the string will severely injure your
hand or possibly amputate one or more fingers.
When carrying a cocked but unloaded crossbow,
make sure the safety is in the SAFE position (the
rearward position, toward the white dot) to prevent against an
accidental discharge and possible serious injury.
If your crossbow comes with an ACUdraw,
ACUdraw 50, Rope-Cocker, or Dedd Sled cocking
mechanism, refer to the appropriate manual/instructions for
specific safety recommendations, operation, and instructions
before cocking it.
MANUAL COCKING INSTRUCTION
(FORWARD DRAW CROSSBOWS ONLY)
Cocking your crossbow inaccurately is the most frequent cause of
inaccurate shooting. With any crossbow, if the bowstring is not
centered on the string latch when cocked, the crossbow will not
shoot straight.
1. Before cocking your crossbow, move the safety knob into the
FIRE position (forward, toward the red dot). If you try to cock
your crossbow with the safety in the SAFE position (rearward,
toward the white dot), the string latch will not engage the
string. Instead, the DFI (Dry-Fire-Inhibitor) will catch and hold
the string, making it appear that the crossbow is cocked when
it is not. When the DFI – instead of the string latch – engages
the bowstring, you cannot fire the crossbow. When cocked
correctly, the bowstring will automatically set the safety and
the string latch will grasp and hold the string
(photos 1, 2, & 3).
2. With the underside of the crossbow facing you, place your foot
far enough into the foot stirrup that it will not slip out when you
draw the bowstring.
3. Grab the bowstring on both sides of the barrel using all four
fingers of both hands.