Is it a crossbow? Is it an air rifle? Is it an arrow launcher? Yes.

We’ve seen a variety of air-powered, arrow-flinging “air rifles” like the Crosman Pioneer Airbow, Hatsan Harpoon, and Umarex Air Saber hit the market over the past year. All of them have something in common – they’re not crossbows, but rather an air-powered “arrow launching” system.

If you’re missing the traditional feel and handling of a crossbow, check out the new Steambow Excalibur Bulldog. It actually is a crossbow. The only difference is that you don’t have to manually cock it. A button press puts the power of compressed air to work, drawing and locking the bow itself.

Here are the details from Air Venturi:

Combining ground-breaking technology with one of the most powerful crossbows on the market today, the Steambow Excalibur Bulldog 440 is the ultimate hunting crossbow!  Under normal circumstances, the Bulldog 440 represents a tremendously powerful hunting crossbow, that is accompanied by a hefty 300 lbs draw weight.  But when outfitted with the revolutionary Steambow air assisted cocking technology, you simply push a button to cock the crossbow.  It’s that easy!

Producing speeds up to 440 FPS, this crossbow has an fantastically flat trajectory and produces bone crushing power!  Thanks to the Steambow power unit, you no longer need to exert yourself or mess with clumsy cocking aids to operate this beast. Screw in your air cylinder or CO2 cartridge and you have everything you need to operate your Bulldog, literally at your finger tips.

Another benefit of the Steambow system are the quick takedown limbs. While the Bulldog 440 is only 30″ wide when de-cocked, you can reduce that width to under 10″ for your trek in and out of the woods. While the Steambow Excalibur Bulldog 440 does tip the scales on the heavy side, you’ll find that the weight is well balanced and actually helps deaden the shooting cycle. Combined with the clean and crisp Pro Shot trigger, the Bulldog is a true pleasure to shoot.

The true beauty of the Steambow lies in the extra safety it provides in addition to the ease of use. While it removes the difficulty of cocking the string from the shooting process, it also gives you the ability to de-cock the crossbow, by simply pulling the OPC button back and releasing the tension on the limbs. You no longer need to carry a spare arrow with you to fire into the ground, or keep a block target in the back of your car. It’s safer, simpler and easier to use.

If you’ve been holding back on crossbow hunting, now is the time to get out into the woods and see what a Steambow can do!

Steambow Excalibur Bulldog 440 Kit

• Patented Steambow technology
• OPC – One Push Cocking
• Capable of rapid fire
• Tool-free string replacement
• Quick take-down limbs
• 440 fps maximum arrow velocity
• Pro Shot Trigger – Breaks clean and crisply at 3 lbs
• 300-lb. draw weight (but it takes just 1 push of a button!)
• Overall length: 36″
• Weight:  11.85 lbs. w/ air tank attached
• Picatinny optics rail
• Width: 23″ Cocked, 30″ De-cocked
• Manual Safety
• Quiver, quiver mounting kit and 4 arrows included
• Kit Includes (2) 90 gram CO2 cartridges and one 13 cubic inch Air Venturi HPA tank