Ever see that “stupid gun” cartoon with a revolver barrel reversed so that it fires backward at the “dumb shooter?”

The smart folks working for Horton crossbow took that reverse-shooting concept and came up with a revolutionary design that hunters can now take to the field.

Riley Foster demonstrated this new vision-frontal string technology at the Association of Great Lakes Outdoors Writers (AGLOW) fall conference at Gaylord, Mich. Foster, a Horton staffer for 21 years, brought along a Vision 175 model for AGLOW writers to see and shoot on a local range.

Crossbows have been around for more than a millennium; the modern crossbow has been on the market for decades. But this new design makes carrying and aiming a crossbow much more comfortable and efficient.

“It’s balanced perfectly,” Foster said, because the weight is centered at the trigger area rather than out at the end. This balance puts less stress on arms, which must be outstretched to steady a conventional weapon.

The bow starts its bend behind the trigger and its limbs arch forward and hold close to the body of the weapon when it is cocked, making it appear as if it is firing backward. Foster said that when the bow limbs move out and forward when firing they make almost no noise, unlike the sounds made by a typicalcrossbow shot.

The overall width when cocked is cut in half, which makes for easier walking and stalking. “The Vision, when cocked, is just 10 inches wide; a conventional crossbow measures 20 inches horizontally when cocked,” he said.

Reverse-limb horizontal bow-shooting gear has been on the drawing boards and drawstring ranges for years. Horton had an earlier version on the market last year. “Several had worked on this design for years, but this version—licensed exclusively to Horton—was introduced at the Archery Trade Association show in 2009,” Foster noted.

He has received glowing reports of its successes on big game in Africa and from North American hunters during early turkey season. “We’re just starting to get nice news of deer kills in our area,” he said.

Crossbows, not a legal archery-hunting device in New York State, have seen a reaffirmation for Pennsylvania hunters. A recent game commission ruling will allow crossbow during most archery and late-season muzzleloader hunting. Ohio hunters have been using crossbows throughout their four-month archery season for nearly 30 years.

Horton’s new Vision 175 model, which loads to a 175-pound pull, will fire arrows at the highly popular rate of 325 feet per second (fps). Of late, bow makers producing vertical or cross bows have touted 325 fps capability as a high standard.

For more details on Horton crossbows and vertical bows, call (330) 633-0305 or go to either crossbows. com or verticalbyhorton.com.