The question: “Are crossbows better than compound bows” and vice versa have been asked for decades, and every year a new bow or piece of information attempts to tilt the scale one way or another. You may have come across claims that crossbows generate far greater kinetic energy than compound bows, that crossbows aren’t technically bows or that crossbows are deadlier than compound bows. While often exaggerated, most of these myths are rooted in factual information, and as with all arguments, there are valuable claims to be made for both the crossbow and the compound bow.
Here, we will break down the differences and similarities between compound bows and crossbows. We will compare and contrast the power stroke, velocity, draw weight, kinetic energy, noise, accuracy, follow-up shots, size and weight. By the end of this blog, you’ll see the advantages to either side, and you’ll be able to make the decision for yourself as to whether a compound bow or a crossbow is right for you. It really comes down to what you specifically want as an archer or hunter, and what you feel most comfortable with.
What Is a Crossbow?
Before diving into the debate, let’s break down a crossbow in order to understand a bit more about its development and uses.
The earliest evidence we have of crossbows dates back to the 6th century B.C. and was discovered in China. While we may not know exactly where and when the crossbow was invented, we know that by the 4th century B.C., it was playing a vital role in East Asian militaries.
Much to the dismay of some archery traditionalists, a crossbow is indeed a bow—it’s just positioned horizontally on a stock that houses a trigger mechanism used to fire arrows or bolts. In a sense, they resemble a firearm, and are sort of like a cross between a bow and a small rifle. Ironically, crossbows are more “traditional” than compound bows, as they have been around thousands of years longer. However, it’s only in the last 50 years that crossbows have seen aggressive innovation and a boom in popularity, and this is largely to do with the technology and development of compound bows.
What Is a Compound Bow?
Let’s jump to the small town of Billings, Missouri, circa 1966. Holless Wilbur Allen, Jr. decides to saw the ends of the limbs off his traditional recurve bow and attach a pulley to either limb, creating the first compound bow.
Allen discovered that by coupling an offset axle with a cam-shaped pulley, he could significantly improve the draw length, draw weight, force curve and let-off of his conventional bow.
Since the ’60s, compound bows have gained huge momentum in becoming the bow of choice for hunters and archery enthusiasts. They are easier to pick up and shoot relatively accurately than other vertical bows, and they allow for the attachment of many bow accessories to aid in accuracy and precision, such as arrow rests, stabilizers and after-market sights
Power Stroke
Measured in inches, the power stroke of a bow is the distance between the string’s resting position and fully-drawn position. When comparing the power stroke of compound bows to crossbows, compound bows nearly always have a longer power stroke; their limbs are longer, resulting in a longer string and a longer pull in order to be fully drawn.
Some people might argue that this longer power stroke results in faster arrows because the string is in contact with the arrow for a longer period of time, but this isn’t necessarily true. While power stroke is a key difference between compound bows and crossbows, the speed or velocity of an arrow is determined by a combination of power stroke, draw weight and arrow weight.
Draw Weight
Measured in pounds, draw weight refers to the amount of effort or power needed to draw the bowstring. Crossbows typically have much higher draw weights than compound bows because they need to make up for having smaller limbs and a shorter power stroke. On average, the draw weight for a compound bow ranges between 50 and 70 pounds, while most crossbows range between 150 and 175 pounds. Some crossbows even have draw weights above 200 pounds. For these high draw weights, most crossbowmen and women utilize a cocking device to span the bow. Another thing to keep in mind is that every state has different regulations for hunting with bows and crossbows, and you are often not allowed to have a crossbow with extremely high draw weights. Make sure to stay informed on your state’s current bow hunting regulations.
Velocity
While draw weight and power stroke are pretty straight forward, determining the speed of a bow is not. Both crossbows and compound bows will come advertised as shooting a specific velocity or speed, and while this is maybe a good estimate of the velocity it shoots, it’s not completely accurate. For compound bows, this number is achieved by testing the bow to IBO standards—a draw length of 30 inches, a maximum draw weight of 70 pounds and a 350-grain arrow. For crossbows, there is no standard, so those advertised speeds could be anyone’s guess, and since many buyers these days want the fastest bow, the company may be teasing out the fastest speed however they can.
Additionally, the speed of the bow is not only reliant on the draw weight and power stroke, but the weight or grain of the arrow or bolt being fired. A heavier arrow will have less velocity than a lighter arrow. That being said, a lighter arrow will slow down faster, while a heavier arrow will retain its speed and trajectory longer. Remember, too, that a heavier arrow will also succumb to gravity faster than a lighter arrow, so it will lose trajectory faster. It’s all about finding a balance that works for you.
At the end of the day, when it comes to comparing crossbow speeds to compound bow speeds, crossbows will be faster due to their significantly higher draw weight, and that higher velocity contributes to a higher overall kinetic energy.
Kinetic Energy
While many bowmen are spurred on by the speed of the bow, the kinetic energy is the second thing they usually look for. Since kinetic energy equals one-half of the mass of the arrow multiplied by its velocity squared (KE = .5mv2), we can understand that crossbows also hold an edge over their vertical cousins.
Let’s say a crossbow throws a 400-grain arrow at 370 feet per second (fps) and a compound bow throws a 400-grain arrow at 300 fps. The crossbow will have more kinetic energy due to the higher velocity. Since crossbows tend to be faster, they also have an edge on overall kinetic energy, especially retaining that energy farther down range (shots over 30 yards). Since most bow hunters make their shots fewer than 40 yards, and often between 20 and 30 yards, this isn’t a major disparity for compound bows. When it comes down to dropping big game, the compound bows and crossbows we have today provide plenty of kinetic energy to get the job done. Crossbows may have an advantage down range, but there’s more than enough energy from compound bows for it not to be a major advantage. More important to this conversation is finding the type of bow that’s right for you. If you’re used to firearms, the switch to a crossbow will be easy, but if you want to challenge yourself with a vertical bow, you’re going to have to practice.
Noise
Noise is a hunter’s worst enemy. The last thing any bowman needs is a deer 30 yards away to jump at the sound of a bolt being fired. Bowhunting is up close and personal, with the bow hunter’s best assets being silence, stillness and camouflage. While all bows, crossbows included, are relatively quiet, the stored energy of the bow generates vibration when the string is loosed. This vibration produces noise. Because crossbows have much higher draw weights and more stored energy, they have the potential to produce more noise, and in most cases they do. Technology, however, is getting better, and there are many attachments that can help to reduce this noise, such as limb dampeners and string suppressors.
Accuracy
The question of accuracy may be one of the most convoluted subjects in the debate between crossbows and compound bows because there are many factors that affect the accuracy of the bow. Generally, a bow is really only as accurate as the person wielding it, but we will break down the potential accuracy of each bow below to give you more perspective.
Compound bows are designed to be extremely accurate weapons. Their cam systems can be manipulated so that every draw of the string is consistent and just like the one before. Additionally, string loops are available for compound bowstrings to ensure that the arrow nocks to the same spot on the string every single time. This renders a slight edge to the compound bow over the crossbow, whose string position during spanning and locking can be compromised, resulting in bolts firing a little to the left or to the right.
Crossbows, on the other hand, have some accuracy advantages of their own. For one, they allow the shooter to hold their aim longer, and the only fatigue is the weight of the crossbow itself. With compound bows, there is the weight of the bow, but also the tension of holding the string. Even though this tension is minimal with compound bows as compared to other vertical bows, it still gives the crossbow an advantage here. Another accuracy advantage for crossbows is the ability to use a crossbow scope. Crossbow scopes are ideal and almost necessary for longer-range shots. They have a graduated reticle with aiming points for different distances, and a power ring that allows the user to adjust for different arrow speeds. Coupled with a rangefinder, scoped crossbows give a hunter every reason not to miss the target. Lastly, crossbows are generally much easier to shoot accurately right out of the box, or for beginners who have some familiarity with firearms.
When it comes down to it, either bow is extremely accurate as long as the user has practiced and feels comfortable firing it. That being said, crossbows may have a slight edge with their added advantages in scopes and ease of use.
Follow-Up Shots
Compound bows have a clear advantage here. Crossbows just take more time to crank, span and nock an arrow. With compound bows, you just have to grab the next arrow from your quiver, nock it and draw the string. A skilled archer can do this in seconds, and as they say, practice makes perfect.
Size and Weight
Compound bows have a longer axle-to-axle length (also known as ATA or A2A) than crossbows, but the longest part of a crossbow is the stock, which supports all the moving parts and accessories. Crossbows generally are bulkier than compound bows and can be a bit more cumbersome to trudge through the woods with.
Compound bows are also generally lighter than their crossbow counterparts, which have many more moving parts and accessories to weigh them down. In fact, most crossbows are two to three times heavier than compound bows. Technology, though, is always providing room for innovation to lighten the load, and every year you see lighter and lighter bows, which, in turn, lessens the importance of the weight of the bow.
Ease of Use and Safety
The question as to which bow is easier to use is a bit subjective. Someone who has shot vertical bows for some time will have no problem picking up a compound bow and feeling rather comfortable with it. Compound bows are also a bit more straightforward than crossbows, which have a lot more going on in the way of additional parts and steps. All things taken into consideration, crossbows are a bit easier to pick up and shoot accurately, and anyone who has shot a .22 rifle will feel more than comfortable firing a crossbow. This is one of the reasons why crossbows are one of the fastest growing sectors of the hunting industry right now. Hunters who have used rifles for years and want to take on the challenge of bowhunting are turning to crossbows for an easier crossover. Crossbows are also finding a niche with aging bow hunters, whose eyesight may not be as capable as it once was.
When it comes to safety concerns, research shows that there are just about as many injuries related to compound bows as there are with crossbows. As crossbows become more and more popular, this statistic can surely change. Additionally, crossbows can be a bit more dangerous, as they are difficult let down or disarm. Disarming a compound bow is manageable, but disarming a crossbow with 175 pounds of draw weight poses a challenge. For this, some crossbows come with disarming mechanisms, but most of the time, the shooter is forced to fire into the ground, as trying to disarm a crossbow without a disarming mechanism is asking for an injury.
Accessories
Once you’ve made your decision between a crossbow and a compound bow, you have a near unlimited number of accessories to help you make it into the perfect hunting weapon. For crossbows, scopes (or sighting systems similar to scopes used on rifles), cocking devices and disarming mechanisms are a must. With compound bows, you’ll want to get stabilizers, arrow rests, alternative sights string loops. For either bow, be sure to invest in some string and vibration suppressors, as the last thing you need is for your target to jump string.
Final Verdict: Crossbows vs. Compound Bows
So – are crossbows better than compound bows?
Whether you’ve decided to go with a compound bow or a crossbow, remember that both require practice and familiarity to use with success. Either bow will successfully drop game time and again when the shooter knows how to use it. A lot of hunters really love the compound bow because it provides the nostalgia of a traditional, vertical bow. They are also more of a challenge to learn to shoot accurately, which can make hitting that whitetail buck at 30 yards so much more satisfying.
We hope this discussion has helped answer all your questions in relation to this debate, but if you have any more, we are here to help. At Hinterland Outfitters, we pride ourselves in having unmatched customer service, so feel free to contact us to inquire about our crossbows or compound bows as well as any other hunting or outdoor needs you may have. Lastly, if you are considering a crossbow, check out our crossbow buyer’s guide. It will walk you through everything you need to know to buy your next crossbow.
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