Than What?
A longer effective range than what? A 6.5 Grendel? A McMillan Tac 50? A twelve-gauge shotgun with a 32” barrel? I’m sure that’s not what you are comparing something like the TenPoint Stealth 450R Crossbow to! You have to agree with me, that is an open-ended question. I understand the question, but felt the need to provoke you to ask clearly defined questions.
This is what you are really asking, “Do crossbows have a longer effective range than say, the PSE Brute STK or the Bear Super Grizzly Traditional Bow?” See how easy and direct that was? The short answer is no, they do not hold their effectiveness at longer ranges. The game animal you hope to shoot at 40 yards will expect the same results regardless of the type of bow you shoot.
At Least I Can Hit It
I’ve heard many people say, “I hunt with a crossbow because I can hit my targeted elk if he shows up at a further distance!” My answer to them would be, yeah buddy! You may hit it, but it most likely won’t be the appropriate point of impact nor the penetration necessary to humanely take it down. If your goal is to just hit your target animal, then give your Megameat Crossbow Broadheads away, take your Rocky Mountain Practice Points out, and limit yourself to target shooting!
A good hunter does their best to take the animal down as quickly as possible! Do you want to be a good hunter? That could be a whole new blog. I will fight every urge to venture off on that subject and stay on topic. Anyway, when one thinks about a crossbow versus a compound bow, it is understandable how some come to that conclusion. Crossbows achieve greater velocities and if the crossbow could speak, it would say, and your point is!
Of Course Not!
In your mind picture two human catapults with one person in each of them. One person weighs 125lbs and the other weighs 225lbs, will they land in the same place and why? Again, the short answer is, of course not!
There are a few other variables that play a role in the flight of the arrow or the bolt. One of them is length, it’s much like a barrel on a gun, generally the longer the barrel the greater the projectile’s flight. The longer the arrow, the greater the arrow’s flight (this is weight-dependent also).
Let’s compare the Carbon Express Mayhem 20” Crossbow Bolts to the Easton Carbon Legacy 400 Spine Arrows.
Do you see anything on either chart that may equalize the playing field as far as effective distance? I see at least a couple of things. The Mayhem crossbow bolts are shorter and heavier, remember my comparison to a longer barrel. The shorter the arrow/bolt the sooner it will lose lift and velocity. Then factor in the weight, the bolts are about 100 grains heavier than the arrows. Gravity loves to have a great effect on mass, the bigger you are, the harder you fall. I’m pretty sure gravity is the one that came up with that phrase.
One Heck Of A Fight
After reading this, are you still hoping to just hit the elk you’re hunting? If so, I hope you have a great tracking dog or partner and that you are exceptional in your hand-to-hand combat skills. Because when, or should I say if, you catch up with it, you’ll most likely have one heck of a fight ahead of you!
Whether you hunt with a traditional bow, compound bow, crossbow or rifle, know its limitations and yours as well! There are all types of hunters out there, do me a favor and make the choice to be a good one!
