For bowhunters, they are usually inexpensive starter models. Recurve crossbows have lost popularity in the bowhunting world and are bigger with hobbyists. They’re also just heavier, making recurve crossbows all around less portable. Plus, the longer limbs are more awkward when you’re hiking through the woods and can cause rustling in the brush. Unfortunately, a recurve crossbow’s large size also means more recoil and a lot more noise when shooting. They also have fewer mechanisms and therefore require less maintenance, and their classical look is always in style. This makes them the powerful weapon necessary for taking down large game like moose, elk or bear. They tend to be larger with a long draw length. The long, curved limbs can hold a lot of power, sometimes even more than the more technologically advanced bows we’re going to discuss later. These days, archers and bowhunters choose recurve crossbows for a number of reasons.

These can hold more tension than wood with less weight. While you can get a traditional wooden crossbow if you want, most use aluminum or carbon fiber for the limbs. They are made from different materials, though. In shape, recurve crossbows aren’t all that different from the first crossbows used by the Chinese in ancient times or their European cousins during the Middle Ages. The recurve has the added benefit of holding the bowstring in place more effectively. This recurve lets the limbs produce more power while being shorter than otherwise. “Recurve” refers to the fact that, at first, the bow limbs curve down away from the front of the bow, but then recurve back toward it, away from the shooter. However, if you’re a beginner, that kind of power might be too much, meaning you should look for a less powerful model under 500 fps.Ī recurve crossbow is the most traditional type of crossbow, what you’d imagine some medieval archer using-and in fact, they did.

Is that the best? If you’re an experienced hunter, probably so. The fastest production crossbow in 2023 is the TenPoint Nitro 505 shooting at 505 fps. Like any machine, the various designs have their upsides and downsides. The first thing to know is the different kinds of crossbow models and what they’re good for. Before deciding on a model, it’s best to understand the different types of crossbows, the best companies making them, and a few other details. Or maybe crossbows just seemed like fun machines that make for an interesting hobby-which is definitely true!īut while it might have seemed simple enough to just grab the first crossbow you found online or at your local archery shop, you quickly realized crossbows come in many different forms and styles, and they’re produced by numerous manufacturers. If you’re like many of us, you’re interested in crossbows because you checked your state’s hunting season to find that crossbows are allowed during the much longer archery season.

Accu cross crossbow pistol