A hunting crossbow is a weapon similar to the age old classic bow and arrow. Its shape is of a bow and the place where the arrow is installed to launch is mounted on a framework, and can hold the created tension for a long period of time and have more precision as compared to conventional bows. The arrows are known as quarrels or bolts. The original hunting crossbow was designed and developed in ancient China.
Using a hunting crossbow requires physical strength especially in the upper body and arms. Using a hunting crossbow also requires training as well as sharp eyesight and concentration so that the goal can be achieved. Earlier, crossbows were cheap and made of simple technology and were mostly used in warfare and animal hunting. It is now provided by arms and weapons industry and is mostly used in archery and related sports.
Knowing how to use it is a skill that needs to be practiced. Nowadays bolts don’t have the feather like thing behind as it was there in the earlier arrows, known as fletching.
They though not used in assassination; they are still used in paramilitary forces and are used as counter-sniper weapon.
It is important to choose the best hunting crossbow so that you can have highest possible and a diverse range of draw weights, perfect design so that it is easy to handle it, construction quality, can pass through all safety tests.
Following are the types to choose the best hunting crossbows:
1. Centre point Sniper 370: it can draw weights of 185 lbs and has a velocity of 370 FPS. It can be used in animal hunting and the weight and length of crossbow is 7.9 lbs and 36.5” respectively. It is lightweight and compact and the stocks and firearm are easy to adjust. It has 4×32 scope and a four-arrow quiver and comes with a shoulder sling and three carbon bolts of 20 inches each. It can hunt deer, elk, bear, and moose. But the front is fairly heavy. It won’t strain your shoulder or back. There are integrated suppressors to keep the vibration and noise level down.
2. Centrepoint Gladiator Whisper 405: it has 4×32 mm scope and is quiet and vibration free. It is only 13.5 inches wide when cocked axle to axle. It can aim up to 50 yards only and is slightly heavy. It comes with a sling and three-arrow quiver with rope cocking device and three 20-inch 390-grain carbon arrows. It doesn’t have a speed dial and can generate up to 142 pounds of kinetic energy and is good for hunting.
3. Browning OneSevenOne: it is fast and powerful and has three pica tinny rails. It comes with Cross 1.5–5x 32 mm illuminated scopes, three-arrow quiver with mounting bracket, three 22-inch carbon arrows and rope-cocking device. It can draw a 170-pound weight to propel your arrows downrange at 390 FPS. The scope doesn’t include zero. It can be used to hunt bison’s and grizzly bears.
4. Bear Archery Bruzer FFL: as the name denotes, it can be used in hunting animals like deer, elk, bear, and moose and comes with Trophy Ridge XF425 Scope, 3 20-inch Trophy Ridge insidious bolts, pica tinny-mount quiver, cocking sled, and a rail lube. It can draw weight of 125 pounds and supports forward facing limbs for better balance. It is heavy to carry and the trigger pull is quite too long.
5. Killer Instinct 350: the draw weight is 165 lbs and has an illuminated scope with tactical side-mount quiver and adjustable foregrip for better control. It has 4×32 scope, 3-arrow quiver, a cocking device and 3 carbon arrows of 20” each. Its velocity is 350 FPS and can draw 190 lbs of kinetic energy. The trigger is heavy but is powerful and can be used to hunt.
6. Spider 150: it is very inexpensive and includes a cocking device. It also has 4×32 multi retile scope but it’s no easy to assemble and the velocity is 250 FPS with 55ft lbs kinetic energy. Only small animals can be hunted using this. The Spider comes with 2 16” arrows and 6 20” aluminum arrows.
Always remember the legal conditions of your area before using a crossbow.