Knowledge Base

Compound Crossbow Buying Guide

Compound crossbows are extremely high powered pieces of kit. The cam wheels built into the limb allow for arrows to be shot at much higher speeds than traditional recurve crossbows. In places where it's legal to hunt with a crossbow like the USA, people use compound crossbows to take down large animals such as bears or elk.

In this guide, we are going to give you a general overview of what to expect when it comes to owning and using a compound crossbow.

Who Are They Targeted Towards?

Compound crossbows are designed for the serious archer. They are very high powered and feature some amazing technology. Some compound crossbows shoot at speeds of up to 500 feet-per-second! Due to this immense power it does take a bit of strength to cock the string back if you don't have a cocking aid.

Don't be put off by the power though - there are some great brands out there such as EK Archery who design compound crossbows meant for beginners.

This means you can start shooting your crossbow as soon as you pull it out of the box and don't have to worry about working your way up to a more powerful one.

How Powerful Are Compound Crossbows?

As mentioned before, compounds are the most powerful types of crossbow you can buy.

There are a wide variety of models you can purchase but the power and speed can range anywhere from 100lbs draw weight to 220lbs draw weight, and speeds up to 500 feet-per-second.

Starting from beginner and moving toward expert, here is a list of some good compound crossbows we would recommend for the first time archer.

• EK Archery Blade+ Compound Crossbow Package
• Barnett Hyper XP405 Compound Crossbow Package
• Ravin R500 Sniper Compound Crossbow Package 500fps

Cocking Your Compound Crossbow (Cocking Rope or Crank Cocker)

When it comes to cocking your compound crossbow you have 2 choices; use a cocking rope or a crank cocking device.

If you intend to shoot for long periods of time then it is worth investing in a crank cocking device or a crossbow that comes with one built in. On some crossbows, a crank cocking device can reduce the draw weight by up to 90%. Meaning you can cock an extremely powerful crossbow with ease.

The other option which does require some strength is a cocking rope. This is a rope that has 2 hooks on the end which attach to the crossbow string, allowing you to pull the hooks towards you along the crossbow rail to cock the crossbow.

Assembling & Maintaining Your Compound Crossbow

It shouldn't be too difficult to set up your compound crossbow. Most packages these days come with very few parts that you need to assemble and more often than not you only need to put the limbs on with 1 or 2 screws, the scope and the stirrup.