Best Crossbow Bolts

Crossbow bolts on this list and what sets each apart

Nine packs made the cut this week. Several come from the same maker in two versions, so I've grouped those. Each label below says what a bolt is on this list, from its stated specs. It does not say a bolt shoots better than another. Nobody at Hemlock Run has shot these, and the spreadsheet doesn't shoot anything.

Barnett Hyperflite and Hyperflite Lighted: two lengths, two nock styles

Barnett has two bolts here, a 5-pack and a 3-pack, and they are not interchangeable. The Hyperflite comes 5 to a pack and is 20 inches with a capture nock, which Barnett states as the maker's spec; it's the only capture nock on this list. Its listing gives .001 inch straightness and a .204-inch diameter, the only diameter stated anywhere here. That number matters when you shop for replacement nocks later, because nocks are sized to the shaft.

The Hyperflite Lighted is 22 inches with a half-moon nock and lighted nocks, per its listing. Its .001 straightness comes from Barnett itself, which makes it the only .001 rating on this list confirmed by the maker rather than a listing. Same family name, different crossbows. Read the nock column twice.

Black Eagle Executioner: half-moon nocks in two lengths

The Black Eagle Executioner shows up twice: a 20-inch bolt and an 18-inch bolt. Both have half-moon nocks, both come 6 to a pack, and both listings state .001 inch straightness.

Same nock, two lengths, which is handy if two crossbows in camp take different lengths but the same nock style. (Ours do. The argument about whose is "normal" is ongoing.) Half-moon nocks have to be loaded the right way up, with the odd-colored vane down in the rail. More on that in the nock section below.

Excalibur ProFlight: the flat-nock bolts on this list

Excalibur has two 18-inch flat-nock bolts here: the ProFlight in a 6-pack and the ProFlight Illuminated in a 3-pack. Both listings state a carbon shaft and .001 straightness. The Illuminated version comes with lighted nocks, per its listing.

Flat nocks are the only style on this list with no groove to line up. That's convenient: you can drop the bolt on the rail in any rotation. It also means a flat-nock crossbow needs flat-nock bolts, and a grooved-nock crossbow needs something else.

Carbon Express D-Stroyer 380 and Mayhem Crossbolts: universal nocks, maker-stated .003

Two Carbon Express bolts are here, the D-Stroyer 380 Crossbolt in a 3-pack and the Mayhem Crossbolt in a 6-pack. Both are 20 inches. Both have a universal nock and a straightness of .003 inch, and both figures come from the maker. The maker lists the D-Stroyer shaft as carbon and says neither one has a lighted nock.

Carbon Express's page describes its universal system as moon nocks plus a second nock style for crossbows that use capture-type nocks. That flexibility is the main reason to look at these. The .003 tolerance is looser than the .001 bolts above, and it's still a stated, checkable number.

Gold Tip Nitro: 22 inches and the loosest stated tolerance

The Gold Tip Nitro is 22 inches, tied with the Barnett Hyperflite Lighted for the longest bolt here. The listing gives a carbon shaft, a half-moon nock, a straightness of .005 inch and 6 bolts to a pack.

That .005 is the loosest stated tolerance on this list, which is why it sits last under a straightest-first rule. Being last is a sorting result, not a verdict. If your crossbow's manual calls for a 22-inch half-moon bolt, the Nitro and the Barnett Hyperflite Lighted are the two on this list that match both. That's a short shopping trip.

How to choose crossbow bolts: the specs that decide it

The rule box on this page sorts by straightness. Your crossbow sorts by something else first. Here's the order I'd check, and why.

Match the nock to your crossbow first

This is my one opinion on the page: the nock decides more than the straightness grade does. A .001 bolt with the wrong nock is a worse bolt for your crossbow than a .005 bolt with the right one. The reason is mechanical, not taste.

TenPoint explains that on today's narrow crossbows the string can ride over or under a nock shape it wasn't designed for. That can cause what TenPoint calls a simulated dry fire, even on a crossbow that has a dry-fire inhibitor. It can also wear the center serving early, and once the serving fails, the string has to be replaced. Bowhunter adds that the wrong nock type can void a crossbow's warranty, and says to check the owner's manual.

The four nock styles on this list:

• Capture: a nock built to grip the string; the 20-inch Barnett Hyperflite uses one
• Half-moon: a curved groove the string sits in; Black Eagle Executioner, Gold Tip Nitro and Barnett Hyperflite Lighted
• Flat: a flat back with no groove; Excalibur ProFlight
• Universal: Carbon Express's system, which pairs moon nocks with a second style

Bowhunter notes flat nocks work in most crossbows except those with acute string angles. TenPoint makes the same point from the other side: flat, moon and capture nocks suited the wider bow assemblies of earlier crossbows, and narrow modern ones may need something else. Your manual settles it.

Load half-moon bolts with the odd vane down

A half-moon nock only works when its groove lines up with the string. On a typical crossbow, the bolt rests on a rail with a slot down the middle. The cock vane (the one that's a different color from the other two) goes down into that slot. That puts the groove level with the string.

A crossbow nock patent spells out what happens when a different vane is in the slot. The groove and the string end up at roughly a 60° angle to each other, instead of lined up. Bowhunter adds that a half-moon bolt indexed wrong can keep the anti-dry-fire mechanism engaged, so the crossbow won't fire at all. That's the good outcome.

It's like a two-prong plug with one wide prong. It goes in one way, and forcing it doesn't count as the other way. Quick check before every load: odd vane down, groove level.

Use the length your crossbow maker lists

Bolt length is not about speed or style. Grand View Outdoors says most crossbow bolts are 20 or 22 inches. It also says crossbow makers set a minimum length because a bolt that's too short can put your hand in the string's path when you load.

This list runs 18, 20 and 22 inches. The 18-inch bolts here (Black Eagle Executioner and Excalibur ProFlight) are for crossbows rated for that length. Don't cut a longer bolt down to match, and don't buy a short one because it "looks close." Close is not a crossbow measurement.

Straightness: smaller is straighter

Straightness is the most a shaft is allowed to be off true, in inches. Victory Archery sells one shaft in three grades: ±.001, ±.003 and ±.006 inch. That gives you a feel for the scale. On this list:

• .001 inch: Barnett, Black Eagle and Excalibur (the listings state it; for the Barnett Hyperflite Lighted the maker does)
• .003 inch: both Carbon Express bolts, stated by the maker
• .005 inch: Gold Tip Nitro, from the listing

You won't see a thousandth of an inch with your eyes. (Uncle Walt measures "close enough" in pencil widths. I have asked him to stop calling that a unit.) The grade is a promise from the maker or the listing. Your own check is the spin test further down.

Weigh the whole bolt, and stay above the minimum

The maker's minimum weight is a hard floor. Grand View Outdoors says crossbow makers list a minimum bolt weight. It warns that bolts that are too light transfer energy poorly and may shatter the limbs.

TenPoint sorts finished bolts into three classes:

• Lightweight, 350 to 400 grains: faster and flatter, but more noise, vibration and wind drift
• Standard, 400 to 435 grains: TenPoint's default all-purpose choice
• Heavyweight, 435 grains and up: slower, quieter, more stable in wind, drops faster at long range

The finished weight is the whole bolt, not just the shaft. Grand View Outdoors walks through the math: a 20-inch shaft at 13 grains per inch is 260 grains. Add a 15-grain nock, 36 grains of vanes, a 90-grain insert and a 100-grain point, and the finished bolt is 501 grains. (Quick math is my love language. Danny's is jerky.)

Most bolts on this list don't state a finished weight from the maker, so I haven't listed weights here. Weigh what you build, or ask the maker.

Spine matters more as crossbows get faster

Grand View Outdoors notes that modern crossbows can go past 400 FPS (feet per second) and reach 470. At that speed, a bolt without enough spine (stiffness) can shatter when fired. Follow your crossbow maker's arrow recommendation, which already accounts for this. The bolts that came packaged with your crossbow are a safe reference point.

Pack size and lighted nocks

Packs here come in 3, 5 or 6. A smaller pack is a fine way to see how a bolt groups from your crossbow before you buy more. A 6-pack covers practice bolts plus a few you set aside for broadheads.

Two packs come with lighted nocks, per their listings: the Barnett Hyperflite Lighted and the Excalibur ProFlight Illuminated. Neither Carbon Express bolt has one, per the maker. Otherwise lighted nocks are a separate purchase sized to the shaft. Options are on the lighted nocks page.

Who should skip this list

If your crossbow is still in the box, skip this list for now. Shoot the bolts that came with it, read the manual's bolt section, and come back with three numbers: length, nock style and minimum weight.

Skip it too if your crossbow uses a nock style that isn't here, such as a proprietary nock only its maker sells. None of these bolts will be the right answer, however straight they are. And if you shoot a vertical bow, you want arrows, not bolts: those are on the hunting arrows page.

Check every bolt before you shoot it

Never dry fire a crossbow, and never shoot a cracked, bent or damaged bolt. Keep broadheads covered in a quiver until you load.

Archery 360's inspection guide covers the basics. Run a fingernail along the shaft; a ridge that catches suggests a crack. Bend carbon shafts gently in a few directions and listen for creaking. Spin the bolt on its point on your palm; a slow wobble suggests a bent shaft. Check nocks for dark lines. Discard anything that fails, especially carbon, which can break on release. Archery 360's dry-fire guide also lists loose or damaged nocks among the causes of dry fires. After one, don't shoot again until a pro has inspected the bow.

Broadhead choice is its own topic, on the crossbow broadheads page. Broadhead and crossbow season rules vary by state, so check your state wildlife agency before the season.

How this list is built

The rule is short: crossbow bolts whose maker or Amazon listing states straightness, length and nock type, straightest stated tolerance first. A bolt missing any of those three doesn't make the list. Ties keep the order the data gives them, not an order I like.

Values come from the bolt maker's own product page first. Where the maker is silent, the value comes from the Amazon listing, and the table marks it that way. If neither says, you get a dash. There are no ratings in the rule because the site doesn't use ratings to pick.

The list is re-checked every week. New bolts get added when their data qualifies, packs drop out when they're no longer available, and the order can shift. So this page is a snapshot of what qualifies now. For how bolts work in general, the crossbow bolts page goes deeper, and the crossbows themselves are on the crossbow page.

Nock first, length second, weight third, straightness fourth. Write all four in the logbook, next to the crossbow's name.