If you are new to the sport, or even if you have been in it for a while, choosing the right crossbow can seem like a hard task when there are literally hundreds to choose from. We have put together a few key points here about the different types, along with their advantages and disadvantages to help you choose the right crossbow for your needs.

Step 1: What is the correct draw weight for me?
Step 2: Recurve Vs. Compound
Step 3: Scope, Red-Dot, or Pin
Step 4: What type of accessories and bolts should I buy?

Step 1: What is the correct draw weight for me?

Be honest with yourself about how strong you are. In the quest to make crossbows faster and faster the draw weights have become heavier and draw lengths longer, making them MUCH harder to pull back. If you think that you will only be using your crossbow for target shooting and maybe small game such as chicken, rabbits, turkey etc… consider buying a 150lb model. In most areas this is the legal hunting weight that is required and nothing more is needed if you do not plan on going after big game. The benefit of not buying a bow with too much weight is that you will enjoy shooting it a lot more, and you will be able to shoot it longer without tiring out.

If you are planning on going after bigger game such as deer, elk, moose etc… you will want something with a little more hitting power. Generally we recommend 200lbs or more, however there are a few high quality 175lbs crossbows that generate speeds of a bow well over 200lbs. Be sure to check the speed rating, this will give you an idea of how efficient the bow is.  Just because it is a lighter weight does not mean that it will not have as much power. For example; with cars, a bigger engine doesn’t always mean the most power.

Step 2: Recurve Vs. Compound

You will find in the crossbow world that there is an ongoing debate over which is better, Recurve or Compound.  The truth is neither is better, they are different and both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of Compound Style.
One of the advantages of a compound style model is that they are generally more compact. Compound style limbs do not need to flex and much and therefore do not need to be as long. This makes it a lot easier when maneuvering through the bush. Another advantage of the compound style is that, pound for pound, they tend to be slightly faster. There are recurve models that are faster than 90% of the compound crossbows out there, but the fastest in the world are compound. The final advantage of a compound style is that generally they are easier to pull back. With Recurves a lot of the weight is in the last few inches making it a little harder to pull.

Advantages of Recurve Style
Recurve crossbows have their advantages too!  One huge benefit of a recurve crossbow is that you do not need a bow press or have to take it into a shop to have the strings changed. This can be costly and sometimes inconvenient if you do not have a shop near you.  String wear is a common thing on crossbows and with a recurve crossbow you can change your string yourself with no press. It is possible to do by hand, but for most there are stringers that make it extremely easy. If you are deep in the bush hunting and you happen to bump your string with a broadhead you will be able to put a new string on right there on the spot (assuming you always carry a backup string).  Another advantage is that there are simply less moving parts, which means less can go wrong. When you’re deep in the bush on the hunt of a lifetime, less going wrong is VERY important.

All that said - both styles are fine choices. Neither one is better… just different. Weigh the pros and cons of each and make a decision that is right for you.

Step 3: Scope, Red-Dot, or Pin

Another debate among crossbow hunters is which is better – a scope sight, red-dot, or a pin system? Again here there are advantages and disadvantages to each. We will briefly outline them and give you “our” opinion.

Red-Dot Sights
Let’s talk about red-dot sights first. A red dot style sight is a scope that you look through that has a red dot glowing in the middle. With crossbow sight there are generally multiple glowing red dots for different distances. Red-dot sights are commonly used in military situations. One of the big advantages of a Red-dot sight is that it is very easy to raise it up to your line of sight and see the dot fast and make a quick shot. The red-dot really stands out and takes a fraction of a second for your eye to see it, which is why it is very common in military situations where you need to be ready and to shoot within seconds. However with a crossbow in hunting situations you rarely need to make a shot within a few seconds, and if you only have a few seconds to make a shot – you probably ethically shouldn’t take that shot. One other disadvantage of a lot of red-dot style sights is that often the dot can be so bright that it can overpower the target behind it that you are trying to aim at. With some of the higher quality red-dot scopes you can control the intensity/brightness of the dot to dim it down, however by doing this you are defeating the purpose of a red-dot’s quick acquisition characteristic.

Pin Sights
Let’s talk about pin sights. A pin sight system is generally a set up that has multiple pins in the front with a peep sight style sight in the rear. Similar to what you might see on a rifle without a scope. Pin sights have their advantages as well. One huge advantage of a pin sight is being able to shoot in very low light. Because you are not looking through multiple layers of glass it is easier to see in low light conditions. Statistics show that the average distance an animal is harvested with a cross bow is 22 yards. This being said one might wonder why we need any kind of a scope at all. If you do not plan on making long shots (40+ Yards) there is nothing wrong with a pin setup.

Scopes
Let’s talk about scopes. Multi-line scopes are generally the most common type of sight for a crossbow. The aiming precision with a crosshair scope is far superior to the other 2 styles. In recent years scopes have started to come with the ability to illuminate the crosshairs if so desired. This basically makes it the best of both worlds. If you need the fine precision you keep them dark and fine, if you need to see it better you increase the light. It is our opinion that scopes are the best choice for a crossbow. All things considered, aiming, lighting etc, we feel that a scope will give you the best possible chance of successfully harvesting your game. 

Step 4: What type of accessories and bolts should I buy?

The first thing is some kind of cocking aid. Some crossbow packages come with one and some do not. Whether or not you can easily pull the bow is not the point, a cocking aid will always pull the string back evenly putting equal flex in both limbs. This is very important for accuracy. If one limb is pulled more than the other it will cause left and right misses.

Rail Lube:
The second item that we highly recommend is some kind of rail lube. Most of the rail lubes on the market are pretty similar and all work well. The important thing is that you use some type of lube. Most crossbows on the market are designed with the string riding along the rail. This causes friction and heat that wears the serving on the string quickly if not lubed. Even when it is lubed it will wear over time, however if it is frequently lubed and maintained it will last substantially longer.

Other Useful Crossbow Accessories:

Bolts (Arrows):
There are really only two types of bolts to choose from, aluminum or carbon. The majority of the market has gone towards carbon as it is lighter, stronger and does not bend. The only reason people still buy aluminum bolts is that they are heavier, and if you want the heaviest possible bolt then aluminum is your choice. That being said, there are brass inserts that are available for carbon crossbow bolts to weigh them down so that you get the best of both worlds, the durability of a carbon, and the heavy hitting power of aluminum.

Flat Back vs. Moon Nocks:
There are 2 main styles of nocks for crossbow bolts – Flat back and Half Moon.  Both are just as accurate and just as strong. There are some things that you should be aware of when deciding.

Half moon nocks are great with crossbows that may not have the string riding along the rail, however if it is riding along the rail they can be very dangerous and also inaccurate. It is very possible to dry fire your crossbow due to accidentally loading the arrow the wrong way. The danger is that if the grove does not line up with string when you shoot the bow the string will slip past the nock and cause a dry fire. This can happen in situations where it is dark out and you cannot see your cock feather, or most common is when someone other than yourself uses the crossbow and does not know how to properly load it. We have seen this more than once and it is a risk you take with half moon nocks.

The second problem with half moon nocks is that if they are installed at any kind of an improper angle to the cock feather it will cause the arrow to twist when it is shot. The arrow will always want to go a certain way because the cock feather goes down a grove in the stock. If the groove in the nock is not perfectly 90 degrees to the cock feather upon release the force of the string going forward will cause the arrow to twist into a position of the grove lining up with the string. That sudden twist and jerk causes inaccuracy.

The benefit of a flat back is that no matter you load it you are safe. And there is no error in having it off a few degrees as in the case of the half moon style.