July 08, 2015
By Game & Fish Staff
Parker has a strong brand following, and for good reason. They were a leader in vertical bows, and have been making crossbows long before many others listed in this report. That reliability comes through in the Tornado F4.
It's a dependable hunting machine that directs much of the vibration into the arrow and leaves you with a smoothing shooting experience. Big guys generally like this bow best, likely because it feels a lot like full-stocked .30-caliber rifle.
Test Results
Speed: 332 fps
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Sound: 93.03 dB
Trigger-PullÂ
Weight: 4.67 pounds
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Hunting Weight:
9 pounds, 12 ounces
What We Like: The Tornado, upgraded for 2015, is an old reliable. There's nothing too flashy about it, and it will get the job done.
What We'd Change: They forgot to upgrade the trigger: A nearly 5-pound pull isn't OK anymore.
MSRP: $899
About our 2015 Crossbow TestsÂ
This is probably the best part of our job here at Crossbow Revolution. We assemble a pile of the latest crossbows  from the best companies and shoot each one —  a lot —  recording the results all the while. There are always surprises —  some good, some bad.
Like how awesome it was to shoot a 440-fps crossbow! But who knew that it would be that hard to cock, and I'm no cocking sissy! And then there was the bow that had so much going for it, but the trigger felt gritty and hesitated, like someone had dragged it along a beach.
At the end of the day, it's tough to go wrong with any of these 2015 models. Really, it's all about what you want in your hunting tool — speed, low price, a small package, a quiet bow, smooth trigger?
We hope our play...I mean, work...helps you when you're in the market for a new crossbow.
How We Tested
Because of the large number of variables involved, some of which are extremely difficult to control, we will not be purporting this to be a scientific test, but, instead, a general hands-on report so you'll have information if you are looking at buying a new crossbow.
We test right out of the box, as any consumer would receive it. While crossbow companies send them to us to use free-of-charge, we also send them back to the crossbow companies after any hunting and testing.
Trigger
Three trigger releases, with the arrows and field points that came with the crossbow, measured by an RCBS Trigger Pull Meter, and averaged to give one number in pounds.
Sound
Three shots fired, measured in decibels by a Vernier sound level meter 6 feet from the crossbow, averaged for one final dB number.
Speed
With arrows and points that came with the crossbow, we released three arrows through a Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph and averaged the three to get one number in feet per second (FPS).
