Over the years crossbow hunting has become popular. Crossbow is fun to use and often the whole package costs less than a rifle. But that’s not always the truth either.
That’s why today we bring you a revolutionary post that will help you decide your next crossbow. That’s right folks, today I am gonna treat you with the best crossbow for hunting. I say this a lot, just because it’s the priciest doesn’t mean it’s the best.
The question that I often get asked both IRL and online is, why the crossbows you are providing are the best? What makes them different from other lists that I find on the internet?
The key difference here is the price to performance.
If you are a long time follower (thanks for following by the way) then you know how much I adore price to performance ratio. I can easily share 10 crossbows priced over $1500 and tell you those are the best.
But I won’t do that, I love hunting. That’s why you are here. To find the best hunting crossbow for you. Keep reading the answer will unfold before you soon.
Best Crossbow For Hunting
1. Ravin R29x Sniper Crossbow Package
| Max Speed | 450 FPS |
| Kinetic Energy | 180 |
| Axle To Axle | 6 inches |
| Helicoil Technology | Yes |
| Overall Weight | 6.75-Pounds |
Ravin is one of the most known crossbow manufacturers in the world. It will be hard to find a person who is interested in Crossbow but never heard of Ravin.
Ravin R20 won the Editor’s choice 2019 award, alongside that many other awards. Ravin R29X can be considered as the upgraded Ravin R20.
This crossbow has an advanced technology called Ravin HELICOIL. The advantage of this technology is,
- Floating arrows: Zero recoil friction increases the accuracy and the stability of the crossbow. This also helps in increasing speed.
- Perfectly leveled string: If the string of your crossbow has zero fraction, then it will increase the longevity of the string. This feature does exactly that.
- Coiling cable: The distance between the limbs is perfect. The weight distribution is also equal. 340-Degree Cam Rotation helps to increase stability and makes the crossbow more efficient.
- Perfectly leveled cams: We all know that a perfectly leveled cam can increase the accuracy of a crossbow by miles.
The silent cocking system is another excellent feature of the crossbow. We all know how cocking a bolt can be a hassle and a bit of a struggle.
The whole cocking system is fully integrated, you don’t need to do anything with ropes. The draw weight is 12 pounds and it’s always silent.
That’s why this is one of the best crossbows for hunting. Even if you miss a shot and quickly draw another one, the prey won’t even hear you cocking a bolt. This will give you a big advantage over the prey.
The crossbow is capable of shooting at up to 450 FPS. You will find a tactical scope inside the box. Mount it and calibrate, hunt till your heart’s content. This is what a mighty crossbow looks like. If you can afford it, it will be 100% worth your money.
Ravin r26
r29
2. TenPoint Vapor RS470 Crossbow Package
| Max Speed | 470 FPS |
| Kinetic Energy | 191 |
| Axle To Axle | 6.5 inches |
| Safe De-Cocking | Yes |
| Overall Length | 31 Inches |
TenPoint is a well-known brand in the outdoor sports and hunting community. Their crossbows are some of the most expensive crossbows on the market. Is there price justified? In short, yes it’s justified. Keep reading for the long answer.
For a long time, one of the most talked about topics in the crossbow community was how to decock a crossbow safely. It was never safe to decock a crossbow. There was a high chance of accidents. You can find a lot of incidents on the internet. Thanks to TenPoint that dream isn’t a dream anymore.
This crossbow also features reverse draw technology and S1 trigger technology.
The S1 trigger is one of my favorite trigger mechanisms. My main reason behind that statement is, there is no creep in the trigger. If the trigger creep is overwhelming often it becomes difficult to get an accurate shot.
The crossbow is so accurate, that TenPoint sells it by saying the same hole accuracy crossbow. I would be lying if I said I was not impressed by that. (It’s not an easy thing to pull off. But TenPoint did pull that off.)
If that wasn’t enough to convince you, this is the fastest crossbow you can buy. It can shoot at up to 470 FPS. I am not throwing dirt at other companies, but this is the fastest & best crossbow for hunting; which is claimed and proved by many different reviews.
S1 trigger, ACU safe decocking, no creep trigger, 1000+ shots guaranteed in one string, only 5lbs of drawing force, and 27 years of warranty if you consider everything, this crossbow is more than worth the price.
3. TenPoint Nitro XRT Crossbow Package
| Max Speed | 470 FPS |
| Kinetic Energy | 191 |
| Axle To Axle | 6.5 inches |
| Reverse-Draw | Yes |
| Overall Length | 29.5 Inches |
You can say this is the smaller brother of Vapor RS470. It shares the same high speed (470 FPS) as Vapor RS470 but it lacks the safe decoking mechanism.
Instead of the S1 trigger, this crossbow has a T5 trigger. Don’t worry this is not an inferior trigger mechanism. T5 trigger features a string latch design. This reduces friction and makes the trigger more efficient.
This is also tested by several persons to ensure safety. It is one of the safest triggers available on the market. Also Auto-engaging safety/Dry-Fire-Inhibitor. The silent ACUdraw only needs 9 pounds of draw weight.
The crossbow comes with a free EVO-X Marksman Scope. It is designed to be more accurate. The scope is a 14x fully multi-coated optic. The performance of this scope was as expected, top of the line.
One thing that I love about this crossbow is the Stag Hard Crossbow Case that is included in the package. The case looks so cool.
With that much speed and accuracy, combined with the highly efficient crossbow scope, this is easily a contender of the best crossbow for hunting. Including this you get the fluent warranty from TenPoint, it’s also cheaper.
4. Ravin R20 Hunting Crossbow Package
| Max Speed | 430 FPS |
| Kinetic Energy | 164 |
| Axle To Axle | 6 inches |
| Helicoil Technology | Yes |
| Overall Weight | 7.1-Pounds |
The one and only Ravin R20, winner of so many awards. Including the best crossbow of the year 2019 editor’s choice. Even after two years of its release, the Ravin R20 is still the best crossbow for hunting under $2000.
The price gap between this and the Ravin 29X is huge. But so are the upgrades. Ravin R20 packed a lot of things for the price. This crossbow also had the HeliCoil technology.
HeliCoil is an excellent technology that helps you with stability and increases the accuracy of the crossbow. While the crossbow becomes more efficient you can use the crossbow for its full potential.
The cams and limps are perfectly leveled. Giving you the optimal crossbow experience. Zero rail friction increases the durability of the string.
The crossbow is capable of firing at 430 FPS. This may seem low compared to the previous ones on the list. It won’t seem low when you compare the prices of each of them. Ravin R20 is easily recommendable to anyone even in 2020.
5. TenPoint Stealth NXT Crossbow Package
| Max Speed | 410 FPS |
| Kinetic Energy | 144 |
| Axle To Axle | 6 inches |
| Power Stroke | 13.5 Inches |
| Overall Weight | 7.3 lbs |
TenPOint Stealth NXT comes with ACUdraw-pro technology. ACUdraw Pro cuts the draw weight of a crossbow to around 8.5 pounds. Combine that with the easy cocking mechanism you got a killer hunting combo.
The great pocket-limb adjustment makes the crossbow more stable. The tri-lock pocket plays a significant role in stabilizing the crossbow.
Equipped with the Rangemaster PRO scope this crossbow is a total package. With so little bullet drop compensation this is probably one of the best hunting crossbows on the market.
When you are using a crossbow for hunting, the main concern is whether the string vibration is too loud. If it is too loud then say bye to hunting. You have to be one-shot andy or you won’t have a second chance.
Luckily the TenPoint Stealth NXT crossbow is true to its name. This silent crossbow can shoot up to 410 FPS Silent and deadly. Thanks to the cable construction, you won’t lose any speed and performance but you will lose the noise and vibration.
The only thing keeping it away from many hunters is the price tag. Even though it’s not the priciest crossbow on the list, it’s still quite pricey. If you can afford it then, by all means, go for it. It will make an excellent addition to your hunting components.
6. Excalibur Micro Suppressor Crossbow Package
| Max Speed | 355 FPS |
| Draw Weight | 280 lbs |
| Power Stroke | 10. 2 inches |
| Length | 31 Inches |
| Overall Weight | 7.9 lbs |
Excalibur set the bar for a recurve crossbow a while ago. Each year they try to hit that bar on their own. A lot of lesser-known company tries to imitate its design and fail miserably.
Excalibur Micro Suppressor is a tiny and compact crossbow. When you present this crossbow to someone and ask them to guess the top speed of this crossbow, I can guarantee they will guess it wrong. This tiny crossbow is capable of shooting at up to 355 FPS.
While the crossbow is lightweight and compact, one of the biggest downsides of this crossbow is the draw weight. It’s a whopping 280 lbs. When you compare it with crossbows with 9 lbs draw weight, this is huge. You need the help of a cocking rope to cock the crossbow. Don’t hope to draw the bolt barehand.
But that huge draw weight can be tolerable if the performance of the crossbow is good. Thankfully, it is good. For the price, it’s one of the most silent crossbows on the market.
With 350+ FPS you can easily kill any medium-size prey. The included scope is also a good one. Glad they didn’t cut costs with the scope. If you calibrate the scope correctly you can use it with a more powerful crossbow.
Another con of this crossbow is the bolt length. They are unusual and besides Excalibur no one makes them. This is a bad move to keep the customers to themselves. If you are okay with these cons then the crossbow is a good choice for hunting. It has all the features necessary in a hunting crossbow.
7. Wicked Ridge M370 Crossbow Package
| Max Speed | 370 FPS |
| Kinetic Energy | 118 |
| Axle To Axle | 9.5 Inches |
| Overall Length | 35 Inches |
| Forward Draw | Yes |
I don’t know about you guys, but I like it when I find a good value for the price. We are starting to hit the budget levels from now.
The width of this crossbow is only 9.5 inches. Wicked Ridge calls it Patented Narrow Crossbow Technology. This feature makes the crossbow compact and easy to maneuver in tight spaces.
The crossbow also has an option to add an ACUdraw cocking system. Honestly, I don’t understand why it does not default. Maybe Wicked Ridge tried to save money.
If you are taking this crossbow my advice to you is, to get the ACUdraw. ACUdraw is an excellent cocking mechanism. It reduces the draw weight to a mere 5 pounds.
The crossbow comes with a 3x multi-line crossbow scope. Out of the box it’s calibrated for 20, 30, and 40 yards.
The trigger system is a T4 trigger. An auto-engaged safety trigger features a Dry-Fire-Inhibitor (DFI). The creep tension is not high at all. Thank you Wicked Ridge for listening to people.
This is an excellent budget option. That’s enough reason to buy this crossbow. The value you are getting is nothing less than insane.
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8. Killer Instinct 425 Crossbow Package
| Max Speed | 425 FPS |
| Kinetic Energy | 156 |
| Power Stroke | 15 Inches |
| Overall Length | 32” – 34.5” |
| Overall Weight | 7.2 LB |
How cool of a name is that? Imagine carrying a crossbow and showing it to friends, when they ask the name you say Killer Instinct. Whoever came up with that name deserves a prop in the back.
This is even more budget-friendly than the Wicked Ridge crossbow. Killer Instinct Speed 425 is one of the best budget hunting crossbows on the market.
As the name suggests, the maximum speed of this crossbow is 425 FPS. 425 FPS is a lot for a budget crossbow. To put it in context, the fastest crossbow is 470 FPS. That crossbow costs $3000 while you get this crossbow for a fraction of its price.
The included LUMIX™ speed ring scope performs excellently. It can easily keep up to 100 yards. You need to calibrate it.
The barrel is made out of aluminum. The friction between the barrel and string is not that much. You can expect your string to last a while.
The trigger creep is not that much. It’s a good thing. One thing that budget crossbows tend to have is the massive draw weight. This one has 200 lbs draw weight. Good luck cocking the bolt without any help.
Besides the massive draw weight, Killer Instinct didn’t give me much room to complain. The crossbow is silent and deadly. The super-fast 425 FPS speed makes it a beast crossbow for hunting. It’s the best budget hunting crossbow if you keep your expectations in check.
9. CenterPoint Sniper 370 Crossbow Package
| Max Speed | 370 FPS |
| Power Stroke | 13.50 Inches |
| Axle To Axle | 18 inches |
| Black Stock | Yes |
| Draw Weight | 185lbs |
Don’t misread the brand for TenPoint. That’s a different brand that makes the top-of-the-line crossbows. CenterPoint Sniper 370 is a budget-friendly hunting crossbow. They are like the Vortex of crossbows. Without cutting too many corners they provide a good experience to newbie hunters.
If the crossbow is not priced too high, a beginner will automatically feel attracted to that crossbow. That is exactly what CenterPoint playing.
The Sniper 370 is capable of shooting at up to 370 FPS. If you compare it with other budget options you will notice it is a lot. Even some of the mid-range crossbows only have 350 FPS.
The stock and forearm are fully customizable. The crossbow comes with a 4×32 crossbow scope. The fixed magnification you can’t change it. But the crossbow scope is quite accurate and performed decently for the price.
With this price there are supposed to be some cons right? Unfortunately, there is. The main con of the crossbow for me is, that the crossbow is front-heavy.
That may be a thing for you, but a front-heavy crossbow distracts me while stalking my prey. That is not a good thing while hunting. The second con is more like nitpicking, the included instruction manual is garbage. Throw it where it belongs and watch a YouTube guide.
The crossbow does get our vote of approval. It is popular as a beast crossbow for hunting. & one thing I would like to let you know is “It is also the best seller crossbow”
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10. Barnett Whitetail Hunter STR Crossbow
| Max Speed | 375 FPS |
| Kinetic Energy | 118 |
| TriggerTech | Yes |
| Single Bolt Assembly | Yes |
| Dimensions | 34.875″ L x 20.125” W |
The last crossbow on our best crossbow for hunting list is Barnett’s Whitetail Hunter STR crossbow. This tiny little crossbow is capable of shooting at 375 FPS. This is also the cheapest crossbow on our list. Don’t confuse it for the Whitetail Pro STR. That crossbow is capable of shooting at 400 FPS. But with this one, you have to settle at 375 FPS.
Keep in mind this is way too much compared to other budget crossbows that barely hit 300 FPS. I consider 320 the bare minimum FPS for hunting. That’s why I didn’t feature any crossbow that is below that speed on the list.
I don’t know about others but I liked the Mossy Oak Bottomland finish a lot. It looks gorgeous from afar. It comes with a 4x32mm standard crossbow scope. Thankfully the performance is good enough. You don’t have to change the scope ASAP. But the scope should be the first thing that you upgrade on the crossbow.
The hunting performance of this crossbow is excellent. The range is enough to hunt from small to medium-sized animals.
If I were to nitpick, I would say Barnett should have provided this scope with 400 FPS too. Without nitpicking the actual con is the draw weight. It’s not user-friendly. The experience of drawing in a panic situation will cause you to panic more.
But if you are aware of the rope-pulling cocking mechanism, you can easily use this crossbow. It’s a good crossbow for the price enough said.
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Best Crossbow For Hunting: Conclusion
We could have easily made a list full of pricey crossbows and made you believe they are the best. But we didn’t, Target Chaser was created by hunters to aid hunters, and from there we expanded to target shooting. Trust me when I say this, all of the mentioned crossbows are some of the best that you can buy. Their price-to-performance value is bonkers.
I also hope that you are now sure about which one to buy. If not you can always ask in the comment section.
Hi, I’m Brent Hansford. A writer turned hunter & now sharing my love for the sport through writing. As I practically breathe weapons, I firmly believe I’m capable of providing you with new knowledge about firearms and hunting. My mission is to help more people get better at hunting & master the weapons. Let me help with unleashing the beast within you!
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