The average power stroke on a crossbow is 14 inches compared to 25 inches on a composite. With the string pushing the arrow an additional 10 to 11 inches, the vertical bow provides the maximum kinetic energy far greater than that of a crossbow. Both crossbows and compound bows are very effective tools for hunting. Crossbows have the advantage of producing higher arrow velocities and kinetic energy than compound bows.
Today's modern crossbows are capable of producing arrow velocities of 300 to 470 f, p, s., and more than 100 ft-lbf of kinetic energy. Modern compound bows regularly produce arrow velocities of 270 to 310 f, p, s and about 60 to 90 ft-lbf of kinetic energy. Clearly, either option has plenty of energy when it comes to producing a clean and ethical crop of an animal within the common ranges of 0 to 40 yard archery. The average compound bow has a total range of up to 100 yards and an effective range of between 30 and 60 yards, according to the archer.
For crossbows, some crossbows can shoot up to several hundred meters, but less accurately, of course. If you're hunting or shooting at target, a skilled archer could consistently hit targets up to 80 yards away. For the middle archer, again an effect range would be 30 to 60 yards. Crossbows have a long range and more damage.
If you want to stay safe and at the same time attack enemies, then look for a crossbow. But if your survival strategy requires less charging time, then the bow is for you. Crossbows are much faster than bows, but a bow will give you greater accuracy. If you are able to aim well, a crossbow would be a good option.
If you do not have accuracy, then you should choose a bow to make it easier for you to shoot. When the bow is fired, the string of a conventional compound bow pushes the arrow more than twice as far as when shooting a crossbow. Therefore, to produce the same arrow speeds, a crossbow must have more than twice the draft weight of a compound bow. To make things more confusing, just as there are compound bows and recurve bows, there are compound crossbows and recurve crossbows.
Let's compare the crossbow with the compound bow in the following 10 categories: speed, range, rate of fire, accuracy, safety, portability, maintenance, noise, cost and the best for hunting. For a detailed explanation of crossbow safety and how to safely unbuckle the crossbow, check out this TenPoint Crossbows video. You may have heard that crossbows are better than a compound bow, but you may have also heard that a compound crossbow is not as good as a compound bow. Over the years, the crossbow has been refined and new materials have been obtained to increase the effectiveness of the crossbow.
The disadvantages are that the total weight and volume of a crossbow make it difficult to aim unless it is in a prone position or has the crossbow resting on a flat surface. You can have a crossbow removed with the purchase of some additional accessories, such as a leaf spring silencer, for example. The biggest advantage the crossbow has over the compound bow is the ability to maintain a loaded and ready to fire condition, while the compound bow, although faster when loading, can lose the shot with the crossbow.
