Every year a lot of people decide to join the crossbow scene, but when they look at the pricing they don’t pick up this beautiful weapon anymore. The main reason is the pricing. If you have looked at Ravin’s crossbows, some of them cost over $3000. There is no way a complete beginner will spend that much on a crossbow.
For them, I bring the boat in this endless sea. You don’t have to spend over $1000 on a crossbow if you don’t want to. You can get good crossbows at a cheaper price.
In this guide, I will show you guys some of the best crossbows under $600, which I think are the best. Of course, I will explain why I chose them and why you should do the same. Without further ado, let’s start.
What To Look For While Buying A Crossbow Under $600?
Build quality – A common misconception is cheap crossbow means a bad crossbow. While it’s true to some degree, it isn’t true for every cheap crossbow out there. In this budget range, you will find crossbows that can easily compete with 1000$ crossbows.
Speed – Speed is one of the key parts of a crossbow and you absolutely want to have a fast crossbow. Fast crossbows will always provide better results than slower crossbows. Crossbows in this budget range can get extremely fast. You will find that out soon enough.
Power – Power is the kinetic energy each arrow packs behind every shot. It can be over 150ft-lbs or can be less than 100ft-lbs. It entirely depends on the crossbow you are going for.
Noise – Being silent as an assassin is one of the best skills to have while hunting. If your crossbow is loud like a pistol or a gun where animals can hear you shooting, they will get careful and run away from the place. A silent crossbow can easily increase your chances to hunt better.
Draw weight – Draw weight is the energy you use to load each crossbow on the rail. Unlike guns where it’s either auto-loaded or quite easy to load, crossbows are a bit hard to load and require much more energy. That’s why for a beginner, the lower the draw weight the better it is.
Warranty – Warranty is an important part of a hassle-free experience. A good brand will always provide good warranty and customer service. For you to have flawless hunting, a good crossbow warranty is always needed.
1. Centerpoint Archery CP400 Crossbow Package
Centerpoint is quite well-known among hunters. They have made good crossbows for a while now. The one we have here is CP400. It’s a great budget/beginner crossbow.
Extremely durable – The build quality on this crossbow is amazing. Constructed from durable combinations of materials. The weight of this crossbow is 7.1 lbs. That’s pretty lightweight for a crossbow this big. The rail is constructed from CNC-machined aluminum. It reduces the friction between the string and the rail. Which results in long-lasting strings.
Silent Assassin – When you combine the HeliCoil technology with a deadly silent crossbow, you get a killing machine that will annihilate your target without making any noise. Just like in the movies.
Jokes aside, the noise and vibration of this crossbow are quite minimal. Centerpoint did a good job with the included noise dampeners.
Bullseye – The accuracy of this crossbow is also praiseworthy. They were good at making it a crossbow that not only looks good, but also performs well. Each shot packs 142ft-lbs of kinetic energy. If you are wondering, it’s more than some $1000 or more expensive crossbows.
The maximum speed of this crossbow is 400 FPS. That’s plenty for hunting or competition shooting. It will give you edge over other crossbows in the same price range.
It can get expensive – It accepts a lot of accessories. When you add them all and total the tally, the price will increase automatically to over our initial budget.
2. Barnett Raptor Pro STR Crossbow Package
Barnett is a manufacturer that produces almost everything related to hunting. Naturally, they also produce crossbows. Raptor Pro STR is one of those crossbows that we really like. From specs to performance, Raptor has proven its worth.
Speedy boy – The maximum speed of this crossbow is 400 FPS. That’s faster than most old-gen crossbows and also equal/faster than most modern-day crossbows as well. Barnett is really after to destroy the image of low-priced crossbows can’t be fast.
Extremely lightweight– Raptor Pro STR weighs only 6.9lbs. That’s quite lightweight. You can easily carry it around your shoulder for days. Well, maybe not days but you get what I am saying.
The build quality of this crossbow is also quite good. Despite having a great build quality with a quad limb setup, it still keeps the weight under 7 lbs. Now that’s something Barnett can boast about.
Packs a punch – Each arrow shot from this crossbow packs a punch that weighs 135 ft-lbs of kinetic energy. That’s more than enough to slay even the biggest deer out there. You won’t feel like you are firing a slow or low-powered crossbow at all.
The scope could have been far better – I know not everything can be good in this budget range. But the scope included with the crossbow is not that good at all. This is the first thing that needs to be upgraded on the crossbow.
3. Wicked Ridge Invader 400 Crossbow Package
Wicked Ridge makes some wicked sick crossbows. Okay, that was a bad start. Let me try again. Wicked Ridge is a manufacturer that is known for their budget and beginner-friendly crossbows. They make high-performing crossbows for affordable money. That helps newbies to get into the hobby.
400FPS of goodness – As the name suggests, maximum speed of this crossbow is around 400FPS. It’s more accurate than non-branded crossbows that claim to have over 430 FPS. 400 FPS is more than enough for your daily hunting and other activities.
Extremely lightweight – Invader 400 weighs only at 6lbs. That’s lighter than most compound crossbows available right now on the market. If we judge from build quality and weight alone, the Invader 400 is one of the best crossbows under $600.
Powerful – The maximum kinetic energy of this crossbow is around 140 ft-lbs. That’s almost the same as the Ravin R10. Ravin R10 costs double what the Invader 400 costs. Price to performance value, Wicked Ridge has Ravin beat.
Speed can vary depending on arrows – Tenpoint uses their arrows to test the speed of their crossbow. If you use different arrows that are not rated by Tenpoint, you will get different results.
4. Barnett TS380 Crossbow Package
Barnett is known for their budget crossbows. It’s not surprised they have more than one crossbow on the list. This one however is not as fast as the Raptor. But don’t let that fool you. TS380 packs some serious value.
Not the fastest, but still pretty fast – That’s the perfect way to explain this crossbow. It’s not as fast as 400 FPS or more. It’s still plenty fast at 380 FPS. 380 FPS is just 20 FPS shy of 400 FPS. Sure, that 20 FPS might make a difference in selected scenarios. But if you are just starting out, you won’t miss those 20FPS.
Pretty easy to install – Ease of installation is something all brand seems to lack these days. Crossbows are often too hard to install for newbies. Barnett made sure that’s not the case with TS380. They tried their best to make this crossbow as beginner-friendly as possible.
Safeties are nice to have – Anti-dry fire can save you from life-threatening accidents. It also helps that this crossbow comes with TriggerTech technology designed by Barnett. It can protect your crossbows from triggering on mistake. It also makes the trigger 0 creep with low force to activate.
Scope not great – The included scope of this crossbow is not that good. It’s bad even to some degree. You should try to change it out ASAP.
5. Bear-X Constrictor Crossbow Package
Bear-X is named after the bear, but they are more suitable for deer hunting. Yes, you can go grizzly hunting with their crossbows, but that doesn’t mean you should.
Speed demon – Constrictor can easily reach the 400 FPS mark and go beyond that. The maximum speed on the Constrictor is 410 FPS. That’s impressive! Fast crossbows are fun to use. They give you a thrill that recurve crossbows or slower crossbows can never give.
Move that butt – The butt of this crossbow is adjustable. You can change the setting with simple levers. You can adjust the height, and length of the buttstock to make it fit your style. Thanks to this, Constrictor can be a good choice for hunters at any age and female hunters as well. Short hunters always appreciate a good adjustable crossbow.
Unique quiver positioning – Ambidextrous quiver is not a common thing. Most of the time, the quiver stays underneath the crossbow. But the Ambidextrous position can help with ergonomics and help you load faster. Good thinking from Bear-X.
No cranking device – Sadly, it doesn’t support any cranking device. 190 lbs of draw weight is not the most appealing number either. A cranking device would have done far better for this crossbow.
6. Tenpoint Invader X4 Crossbow Package
Tenpoint is known for its medium to high-end crossbows. They are one of the few manufacturers that go head to head with Ravin and beat them at their own game. Invader X4 is a crossbow from the famous Invader family.
High-speed invading – The maximum speed of this crossbow is 400 FPS. Just at the mark where it seems to be the new trend. Most crossbows nowadays target 400FPS or more. It’s good for us consumers. We will get faster and better crossbows for cheap.
Weights like a feather – According to Tenpoint, Invader 4 is the lightest Invader they ever made. Hopes about a lightweight crossbow are always high. They can be hit or miss. Thankfully, it’s a hit here.
Not the most powerful one, but it still has pretty good power – The maximum raw strength behind each arrow is 112ft-lbs of kinetic energy. Now, that’s not the most powerful crossbow under $600. But it is powerful enough to do whatever you want with a crossbow.
3x Scope included, but the clarity is lacking – Wicked Ridge does include a 3x scope with their crossbow. In most tests, that crossbow scope turned out to be bad. That’s why, upgrading the scope is a good decision.
7. Wicked Ridge Rampage 360 Crossbow Package
The final crossbow on our list today is from Wicked Ridge again. They are the sub-brand of Tenpoint now. The best part about Wicked Ridge crossbow is, that they support ACUdraw cranking devices. A cranking device made by Tenpoint that performs excellently and is probably the best cranking device on the market.
Lightweight – The weight of the Rampage is only 6.7 lbs. It is still lower than the 7lbs mark. You can easily carry it around without feeling tired always. The weight distribution on this crossbow is super nice as well. Construction is very good for the money. CNC rail is smooth, fast, and friction-free.
Supports ACUdraw – As I was saying earlier, they support ACUdraw devices. Those are probably the best cranking devices a crossbow can have. This alone can be the reason to take this crossbow over others in the same price range.
Decently fast and powerful – The maximum speed of this crossbow is 360 FPS. Compared to the other crossbows on the list, this seems slow. But that’s not really it. 360 FPS is still plenty fast to do whatever you want to do with a crossbow.
The string had some issues – Some users have complained about string breaking earlier than they are supposed to. Wicked Ridge will take care of that problem if it occurs in your unit.
FAQs
Is a crossbow under $600 worth it?
If they weren’t, we wouldn’t be writing this. They are more than worth it and it’s the perfect budget for upgrading from an entry-level crossbow to a more premium. It can also be a great budget for beginners who want to have the thrill of using a much more powerful crossbow right from the start.
How far a crossbow can shoot?
That totally depends on how powerful your crossbow is. Theoretically, a crossbow can shoot over 300 yards with ease. Now, how accurate will that be? Not accurate at all. Crossbows are short-range weapons. They should be used as such.
Or else, you can shoot over 300 yards with 0% accuracy.
Conclusion
So, what’s the best crossbow under $600? Well, you saw that we featured various crossbows for various reasons. Some of those reasons will sit right with you and some of them won’t. The ones that will sit right and fit your criteria, that’s the best crossbow for you.
You just need to find out what’s your criteria. And act based on that.
Hopefully, this answers your questions. If so, I am glad. If you still need further help, don’t hesitate to ask.
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!
