Best Crossbow

Eight crossbows, sorted by speed

Eight crossbows qualify this week. The spread from first to last is 80 FPS, and two pairs tie: two at 450 and three at 390. Ties keep the order the data gives them. Each label below says what a crossbow is on this list, from its published numbers. It doesn't say one shoots better than another, because nobody at Hemlock Run has shot any of them. My spreadsheet has strong feelings. It has never pulled a trigger.

Ravin R470 Stealth Gray: the fastest and the heaviest here

The R470 tops the list at 470 FPS, per its Amazon listing. Ravin states 196 ft-lb of kinetic energy and a weight of 8.4 lb. That energy figure is the highest here, and so is the weight.

The listing names an integrated crank, so the cocking handle lives on the crossbow instead of in your pack. The data doesn't give a cocked width, a draw weight or an optic. Read Ravin's own page for those before you order.

Quick math: the R470 weighs 2.6 lb more than the two lightest crossbows on this list. It's also 80 FPS faster. Whether that trade is worth it depends on how far you carry it.

TenPoint Flatline 460 EVO-X Marksman: reverse draw, six arrows in the box

TenPoint lists the Flatline 460 as a reverse-draw crossbow at 7.5 lb with 193 ft-lb of energy. The listing gives 460 FPS and a cocked width of 7.5 inches.

It's the only reverse-draw design on this list. Grand View Outdoors describes reverse-draw crossbows as slightly faster, more compact and better balanced, and conventional designs as easier on strings because the angles are less severe.

The listing names an integrated crank and a safe de-cock. The package, per the listing, has an EVO-X Marksman Elite scope, ACUslide and six EVO-X 16 carbon arrows. Six is the biggest arrow count on the list.

Ravin R29X: 450 FPS at 6.75 lb

The R29X ties for third at 450 FPS, per its listing. Ravin states 180 ft-lb and 6.75 lb.

That weight is the lightest of the four crossbows at 450 FPS and up, by 0.75 lb against the two TenPoints. It gives up 20 FPS and 16 ft-lb to the R470 and weighs 1.65 lb less.

The data stops there. No cocking method, width, optic or package is stated, so the table shows dashes. That isn't a knock on the crossbow. It means you'll need Ravin's page to fill in the rest.

TenPoint Stealth 450 Oracle X: the narrowest cocked width listed

The Stealth 450 shares the 450 FPS mark with the R29X, per its listing. TenPoint lists it as a compound crossbow at 7.5 lb and 184 ft-lb.

Its listed cocked width is 6.5 inches, the narrowest number on this list. The listing names an integrated crank, a safe de-cock and ACUslide. The box, per the listing, holds a Burris Oracle X rangefinding scope and three Pro Elite 400 carbon arrows.

Same speed as the R29X, 4 ft-lb more energy, 0.75 lb more weight. Small gaps, but they're real ones.

Barnett Alpha 410: the middle of the speed range

The Alpha 410 sits alone at 410 FPS, per its listing. Barnett states 138 ft-lb, a 190 lb draw weight, a 13-inch cocked width and 6.3 lb.

The listing describes a crank cocking device that comes installed, plus a 4x32mm illuminated red and green multi-reticle scope, a side-mount 3-arrow quiver, two 20-inch Headhunter carbon arrows with 100-grain target points and string and rail lube wax.

It's 0.5 lb heavier than the lightest crossbows here and 20 FPS faster than them. The Alpha is the step between the 390 group and the 450 group, with nothing else in that gap.

Barnett BLK OPS 390: the rope-cocked crossbow on this list

The BLK OPS 390 is rated 390 FPS in its listing. Barnett states 128 ft-lb, a 175 lb draw weight, 13 inches cocked and 6 lb.

It's the one crossbow here whose listing names a rope cocking device rather than a crank. The package, per the listing, also has a 4x32 multi-reticle scope, a side-mount 3-arrow quiver, two 20-inch Headhunter arrows, two 100-grain practice points, a neoprene scope cover and lube wax.

It also sits in the lowest price tier on this list. The rule doesn't sort by price, so that's a note, not a reason for its place.

Wicked Ridge Rampage XS Peak XT: 5.8 lb and the widest here

The Rampage XS is rated 390 FPS in its listing. The maker states 128 ft-lb, 5.8 lb and a cocked width of 15 inches.

That weight ties for the lightest on the list. That width is the widest. The listing names an ACUdraw crank, a lighted 3x Pro-View scope and three Match 400 Alpha-Nock arrows.

Grand View Outdoors calls about 15 inches cocked an average width, so the Rampage isn't unusual for crossbows in general. It's only wide next to the narrow, fast crossbows at the top of this page.

Wicked Ridge Invader M1 De-Cock: 390 FPS with a de-cocking crank

The Invader M1 closes the list at 390 FPS, per its listing. The maker states 125 ft-lb and 5.8 lb. The listing gives a cocked width of 9.5 inches.

The listing names an integrated crank and a safe de-cock, plus a scope. It ties the Rampage XS for the lightest crossbow here and is 5.5 inches narrower when cocked. Its 125 ft-lb is the lowest energy figure on the page, and it's still a published, checkable number.

What the extra speed costs: weight, width and the bolt behind the number

Split the list in half and the pattern is plain. The four crossbows at 450 FPS and up weigh 6.75 to 8.4 lb. The four at 390 to 410 FPS weigh 5.8 to 6.3 lb.

Here's my one opinion on this page: for most hunters, weight is a bigger daily cost than speed is a daily gain. You carry a crossbow on every hunt. You shoot it on very few. As a physical therapist I see plenty of shoulders, and none of them came in because a bolt was 40 FPS too slow. The weights above are the makers' own figures, so you can check this against your own walk in.

Width runs the other way. The fastest TenPoints are the narrowest at 6.5 and 7.5 inches cocked, and the 390 FPS Rampage XS is the widest at 15. Speed and narrow width tend to come together here, along with weight.

Speed ratings come with a bolt weight attached

A speed rating is measured with one bolt. Bowhunt America gives the kinetic energy formula: bolt weight in grains times speed squared, divided by 450,240. Run that backward on this list, with each crossbow's published speed and energy, and the implied bolts land between about 370 and 410 grains.

That's a rough check, not a spec. It assumes both numbers were measured with the same bolt, and the data doesn't say so. But it tells you the ratings aren't built on featherweight bolts, and that your own bolt will move both numbers.

How to choose a crossbow from this list

The rule sorts by speed. Your hunt sorts by four other things first.

Read speed and energy as a pair

Deer & Deer Hunting puts it plainly: lighter arrows fly faster, heavier ones fly slower and carry more energy. Its example compares a 370-grain arrow at 440 FPS with a 445-grain arrow at 410 FPS, and the heavier, slower one comes out ahead on energy.

So two crossbows with the same speed rating can carry different energy. The R29X and the Stealth 450 both list 450 FPS, at 180 and 184 ft-lb. Speed alone wouldn't tell you that.

If you want your own number, weigh your finished bolt and use a chronograph. Deer & Deer Hunting says to set the end of the rail one bolt length from the first gate, 20 inches for a 20-inch bolt.

Measure the space you'll shoot from

Cocked widths here run from 6.5 to 15 inches, with the Ravins unstated. A blind window or a crowded stand has an opinion about every inch. Measure the window you actually hunt from, then cross off what doesn't fit. A shorter, narrower crossbow is also easier to swing toward a deer that came in from the side you didn't expect, which is most of them.

TenPoint's buyer's guide frames the choice as speed or compactness. On this list that's close to true, with weight riding along.

Decide how you'll cock it, and how you'll uncock it

TenPoint's guide on cocking says a rope cocker cuts the effort to about half the draw weight. On the BLK OPS 390, with its 175 lb draw, quick math says roughly 88 lb at the rope. A crank needs far less effort; TenPoint puts some systems at 5 to 10 lb.

TenPoint also separates removable cranks from integrated ones. A removable crank you leave at home means no hunt, and I would like Uncle Walt to read that sentence slowly. Six crossbows here name a crank in their data, one names a rope, and the R29X data is silent.

Cocking and de-cocking are different features. TenPoint notes that a crank that cocks a crossbow can't always let the string down. Three crossbows here list a safe de-cock: the Flatline 460, the Stealth 450 and the Invader M1.

Count what comes in the box

Six crossbows list a scope in the package. The two Ravins don't state an optic in our data. Arrow counts run from two to six where stated. A quiver comes with both Barnetts.

Package contents decide your first shopping trip after this one. Count the bolts you'll need for practice and for broadheads, and see what's left to buy. The crossbow scope page and the crossbow bolts page cover the add-ons.

Who should skip this list

If you're buying for a young or small-framed shooter, skip a speed-first list. The fastest crossbows here are the heaviest, and none of the data covers length of pull or youth sizing. The compact crossbow page is a better start.

Skip it too if you hunt deer and want the list sorted by energy instead of speed. The same field, sorted on a kinetic-energy floor, is on the deer crossbow page. And if you've never shot a crossbow, Grand View Outdoors points out that any crossbow sold for hunting today has enough speed for whitetails at reasonable ranges. Fit and cocking will matter to you sooner than the last 20 FPS.

Handle it like it's loaded

Treat every crossbow as loaded. Keep your fingers below the rail, never climb into a stand with a loaded crossbow, and haul it up on a rope unloaded. Crossbow seasons and draw-weight rules vary by state, so check your state wildlife agency before you buy.

How this list is built

The rule: crossbows whose maker or Amazon listing publishes speed, kinetic energy and weight, sorted fastest first, with no more than two per brand. Weight must come from the maker. A crossbow missing any of the three doesn't make the list.

Values come from the crossbow maker's own page first. Where the maker is silent, the value comes from the Amazon listing, and the table marks it that way. Speeds on this page all come from listings. Where neither source says, you get a dash.

There are no ratings or review counts in the rule. The two-per-brand cap keeps one maker from filling the page. The list is re-checked every week, so crossbows can join, drop out or move as their data changes.

For how crossbows work in general, the crossbow page goes deeper, and the compound crossbow page covers the most common design here. Write your bolt weight next to your speed rating. One number without the other is half a sentence.