Crossbows

Guide to choosing your crossbow

To choose the best crossbow according to your use, you must consider 3 criteria.

Types of crossbows

Crossbows come in several categories, each meeting specific needs. The hunting crossbow is distinguished by its robustness and precision adapted to shots in natural environments, often with an effective range of about 50 to 60 meters. Conversely, the compound crossbow uses a pulley system that allows for better projectile speed and reduced draw effort, thus improving range up to 100m and offering better accuracy thanks to sophisticated sighting systems like reticle scopes.

The automatic crossbows, with their rapid cocking mechanism, can achieve a firing rate of almost 1 bolt per second for the most recent models like the REVO7 from EK Archery, with magazines ranging from 5 to 18 bolts, they are suitable for close combat or defense scenarios.

Finally, pistol crossbows, compact and lightweight, are effective at shorter distances, typically up to 3m, ideal for recreational shooting or emergency situations. Don't hesitate to consult our guides to learn more.

The power and speed of crossbows

The power of the bow is expressed in pounds (lbs), but that's not everything! To shoot accurately and at a specific distance, the speed and weight of your crossbow also play an important role:

• For recreational target shooting up to 15-20 meters, we'll lean towards a pistol crossbow, which is light and easy to use.
• For accurate shots at short distances (up to 40-50m), a crossbow with a power between 120 and 175 pounds may be sufficient, the bolt speed will range between about 250 and 370 FPS.
• For long-distance shots, that is up to 100 meters, we'll look for high-speed models, like those that are over 400 FPS, and thanks to the scope provided, you'll be able to practice grouping your shots up to 100 meters.

The most represented crossbow brands

Among the brands present on Hattila, we can mention a few, known for being equipped with the latest technologies and especially among our recommended selection:

• Excalibur : the boss's favorite brand! It's the only brand in the world to offer LIFETIME guaranteed crossbows that are also powerful while being recurve, resulting in crossbows that are accurate up to 100 meters without any issues!
• Barnett: probably the most famous brand in the world, holder of numerous patents, it's a brand that innovates every year, its current most incredible model is the Hyper Raptor, its name says a lot about the machine.
• TenPoint: The high-end brand that offers the fastest compound crossbows in the world (with the TRX 515 fps), they are also very compact and equipped with the best technologies in the world. They also have the most expensive crossbows in the world when equipped with Garmin scopes with laser rangefinder and automatic sight adjustment... TenPoint doesn't joke around.
• EK Archery: The inventors of the Cobra R9 with its cocking lever, they distinguished themselves with the RX Adder which incorporates the lever and is equipped with a 5-bolt magazine. They offer numerous models with an incredible price-quality ratio, Hattila does everything possible to always have them in stock as the brand is so appreciated.
• Hori-Zone: a Taiwanese brand of very good quality, renowned for its robustness and the power of its most advanced models.
• ManKung: a brand that's not very well-known but deserves to be, as they are manufacturers in Taiwan for several other brands, they are also renowned for the robustness and power of their crossbows but with prices that are often more attractive than others.
• CenterPoint: Manufactured by ManKung (which explains some strong similarities), it's an American brand that develops very powerful and accurate models, highly appreciated in the USA.
• Ravin: High-end and ultra-compact crossbows that stand out for their lack of a bolt support rail, which reduces wear and increases speed. Their Heli-Coil technology allows the cable to be wound around the cam axis, saving space. They were the first to create an electric cocking crossbow, and they didn't do it halfway since it's the R500 that's equipped with it!

What accessories for my crossbow?

To shoot with a crossbow, there are essential accessories, some are already delivered with the crossbow but others need to be ordered separately:

Arrows or bolts: they can also be called "crossbow quarrels", they exist in plastic for pistol crossbows, otherwise they will be in aluminum, carbon, or carbon fiber.
Aluminum is suitable for moderate-speed crossbows, because when a crossbow becomes very powerful, we prefer to use carbon bolts to better absorb the impact.
Be careful to stick to the same model as the bolts provided with the crossbow and NEVER take lighter ones than the original!

Broadheads: While we prefer 2-blade broadheads for bows, we'll prefer 3 or 4-blade broadheads for crossbows, their higher weight will be compensated by the speed of the bolt. The more blades the model has, the more significant wound it causes. 

Quiver and sling: The quiver and sling are essential accessories if you plan to hunt, for example, allowing you to carry the crossbow on your back and have the bolts on board.

Cocking rope or Cocking device: On fairly powerful models (like crossbows over 150 lbs), it becomes essential to use a cocking rope, which reduces the power needed for cocking and will save you from finger injuries from repeated manual cocking.
And if you don't want to or can't use a rope, then you can opt for the crank cocking device, which takes a bit longer to use but allows you to cock a crossbow with the strength of one hand!

Silicone grease, wax, and lubricant: There are waxes for the rail and others for the string, but generally you can use your wax to do both, the goal is to wax regularly to avoid your string heating up against the rail, which reduces its lifespan.

Targets: To train for hunting or simply practice target shooting, it is essential to invest in a quality target that will effectively stop the bolts without damaging them.

• For pistol crossbows, a foam target will be more than sufficient since they are low-powered and therefore have a low penetration coefficient.
• For recurve and compound crossbows, we recommend targets filled with fabric and suitable for the most powerful crossbows, such as the Hurricane target or A&F targets
• There are targets designed for crossbows with short bolts, such as the StrongHold target, which has the capacity to stop bolts from the RX Adder, for example, which are very fast but very short, so they mustn't penetrate too deeply at the risk of tearing off the fletching.

Sight: Most crossbows are already delivered with a red dot (often for models that are not too powerful as they don't shoot very far so there's no need for a scope) or a scope for crossbows with a long shooting range.
Some scope models are equipped with a rangefinding reticle, which allows for different distances to be integrated directly into the reticle and thus to switch from one distance to another without needing to adjust the settings... handy for hunting!

The legislation on crossbows

In France, the crossbow has not been classified as a weapon since July 2013, one might tend to continue treating them like the old category 6 products, which became category D, which is free to purchase for people with identification, but this is not the case! However, to avoid any issues during transport or storage, we will continue to treat them as if they were category D weapons, so you will need to disassemble them or install a trigger lock to transport them and when you store them (it's preferable to avoid domestic accidents)

The crossbow can therefore be used for sport shooting or recreational shooting, but not for hunting. Indeed, crossbow hunting is strictly forbidden in France and in several European countries, however, you can hunt with a crossbow in Spain since it is considered a firearm whose serial number will be registered for approval.

Hattila offers a very quick customer service that responds 7 days a week whenever possible, so if you have a question, don't hesitate to contact us directly by email!