Horton General Crossbow - Manual (Page 6)

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LOADING AND UNLOADING YOUR CROSSBOW
ShOOTING YOUR CROSSBOW
ARROW LOADING & UNLOADING SAFETY
Do not load an arrow in your crossbow until
you are situated where you intend to remain
stationary until shooting it. Never carry your crossbow with an
arrow loaded in it. Death or serious personal injury could result if
you were to slip or fall while carrying a loaded crossbow.
Wear safety glasses when loading, shooting, or
unloading your crossbow to protect your eyes
from being injured if the limbs, bowstring, cables, or cocking
mechanism cords were to break.
Broadheads are razor sharp. Do not handle them
with your bare hands to avoid serious personal
injury. When transporting or storing field- or broadhead-tipped
arrows, keep them safely protected inside a quiver.
When loading or unloading (removing) an arrow,
do not allow any part of either hand to move
into the release path of the bowstring because if the bow were
to accidentally fire, the string would severely injure your hand or
possibly amputate one or more fingers in its path. Carefully hold
the arrow with your index and middle fingers and your thumb,
just behind the broadhead or point, as you slide it into or out of
position.
After your hunt, remove your arrow and secure it
in your quiver.
ARROW LOADING INSTRUCTIONS
When the crossbow is cocked and the safety is in the SAFE
position (rearward, toward the white dot), follow these steps to
load your arrow:
1. While keeping your crossbow pointed in a safe direction, your
finger off the trigger, and no part of either hand in the release
path of the cocked bowstring, place a Horton recommended
crossbow arrow on top of the barrel, with one of the vanes or
feathers slipped down into the barrel’s arrow-flight-groove.
Note: When loading the arrow, hold it between your index
and middle fingers and your thumb, just behind the point or
broadhead (photo 1).
2. Slide the arrow along the arrow-flight-groove under the arrow
retention brush, and into the trigger box’s string slot until its
nock sits firmly against the cocked bowstring.
HAND & FINGER SAFETY
Also refer to Cocking Safety in the Cocking & Uncocking
Your Crossbow section beginning on page 4.
Do not allow your thumb or fingers to move
above the crossbow barrel’s flight deck or
anywhere into the bowstring’s release path (photos 1, 2, & 3)
because the string will severely injure or amputate a finger and/or
thumb in its path when you fire the crossbow.
You must keep your hand and fingers safely
positioned every time you shoot the crossbow
(photo 4).
Your fore-grip hand is particularly vulnerable
when shooting from a bench rest. Make sure you
do not allow the fore-grip hand to rotate to the side of the grip or
to slide in front of the grip, thereby allowing your thumb to move
above the flight deck and into the release path of the bowstring.
Again, if you fire the crossbow with your thumb in the release
path of the bowstring, you will seriously injure it and possibly
amputate it. A safe way to position the fore-grip hand is to place
it flat on the bench rest with your fingers pointing toward your
target. Spread the thumb away from the fingers to form a “V”.
Position the fore-grip flat on the bench rest in front of your hand
and slide the back end of the grip into the “V” (photo 5).
ARROW UNLOADING (REMOVAL) INSTRUCTIONS
When the crossbow is cocked and loaded, and the safety is in
the SAFE position (rearward, toward the white dot), follow these
steps to unload your arrow:
1. While keeping your crossbow pointed in a safe direction, your
finger off the trigger, and no part of either hand in the release
path of the cocked bowstring, remove the arrow.
Note: When
unloading the arrow, hold it between your index and middle
fingers and your thumb, just behind the point or broadhead
(photo 1).
2. Secure the arrow in your quiver.
PROPER POSITION. Hold the arrow with your index and middle finger and your
thumb just behind the broadhead.
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