While recurve crossbows rely mainly on the limbs and the power stroke to generate power, compound crossbows use a more complex "cams" and cable system (in addition to the limbs). This is where recurve crossbow shine and the main reason so many crossbow hunters swear by them. Within the usual hunting distance with a crossbow (30-40 yards), the shot sound will almost certainly startle the animal irrespectively of the crossbow type. Shots with recurve crossbows are somewhat quieter.Īt the same time, they are loud enough so if you're thinking about follow-up shots on the same animal, these won't be possible in most cases. Yes, recurve crossbows come with larger and heavier limbs, but compound crossbows use extra components that add to the overall weight. There is no direct relation between the type of crossbow (recurve or compound) and its weight. The only "sacrifice" is that they are generally harder to cock compared to the normal-sized models due to the shorter and stiffer limbs. At the same time, they do provide considerable power (330-400 fps). Recurve crossbows tend to be wider because of the longer limbs which makes them a bit less maneuverable and it might be slightly less convenient to traverse through dense vegetation carrying one.īut these days you can get a model from Excalibur's Micro series which are quite compact and lightweight (less than 6 lbs), even if you compare them with compound crossbows with similar stats. A rope would reduce the needed pulling force by 50%, and a crank would bring the draw weight down to about 5%!Īdd the fact that most top-of-the-line powerful crossbows are sold with built-in crank cockers and we can relax about those startling draw weights that we see on the technical papers. Most times you'd be using some device to assist you in this effort - either a cocking rope or a crank device. Luckily, these days almost nobody pulls the string back with their bare hands, unless it's some low-powered model with simpler construction. Imagine deadlifting 290 lbs every time you want to cock the crossbow! Both would be at least somewhat hard to pull back for the average male shooter, but those 290 lbs, in particular, would require some extra physical strength, to put it mildly. If we forget about arrow speed for a moment, the biggest practical difference between the two would be in the perceived draw weight. But you can expect a somewhat higher consistency from a recurve crossbow as they suffer less frequently from technical issues that affect their accuracy. This is not to say compound crossbows are less accurate. A badly placed shot may deliver slow death to the animal due to blood loss, but you won't have much chance to recover it. This issue has no analogy in recurve crossbows as they have no cams and cables - the bowstring is tied directly to the limbs.Īnd as they say: "crossbow hunting is all about accuracy!". The cams on compound crossbows can get out of sync which would lead to one limb pulling with a higher force and your arrows might not land where you'd expect them to. Now let's look at their technical specifications in more detail:Īs you can see, both products offer high-end performance and come packed with tons of extras like built-in crank devices. The Nitro XRT by TenPoint features the whooping 470 fps and "reverse limbs" style. And if you are looking to buy a recurve crossbow from a reputable manufacturer, you basically have one choice: Excalibur. Here is the time to add a small clarification: there aren't that many companies that make recurve crossbows. But the gap is melting and there are at least a couple of battle-tested 400-420 fps recurve crossbows on the market. Yes, compound crossbows have an easier time ejecting those arrows at over 400 fps (feet per second). Recurve and compound crossbows are getting closer and closer if you look at their main characteristics - power, size, ease of loading, and so on. One that also reflects what is available in today's market. So despite all that has been written on the matter, these two crossbow styles deserve a fresh comparison.
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