Crossbows, Bolts and Grain Weight

The proper use of crossbows will essentially make the item last longer, and correct use means you have to shoot an appropriate arrow as well. Although slightly deviating arrows or bolts can probably work, it will not work effectively; you can make it work but the outcome will not be as good as using the correct bolt. If you have been hunting with crossbows before, you probably have some ideas on what to look for; either you learned it by the book or by trial and error. Crossbow bolts come in different sizes and materials; the most popular would be aluminum and carbon arrows, which are technically the toughest type of arrows. Before you purchase your set of arrows, you should consider factors that will affect your shooting efficiency.

    The first thing to consider is the type of material. Like what was said before, aluminum and carbon are the most common arrows for crossbows for obvious reasons: consistency and durability. Manufacturers make these arrows with superb precision so every time you make an arrow fly, it will feel more or less the same with all the other arrows. Both arrow types are also lightweight so they travel pretty fast. But these arrows do not come cheap so if you plan on buying any of these, choose carbon arrows because even though it is more expensive, it will last longer.

One of the most obvious advantage or a carbon bolt is its weight; however, your crossbow is a very powerful tool that can launch arrows over hundreds of feet per second. Do you find any connection between those characteristics? A rule of thumb, as suggested by expert archers and hunters, heavier bolts slightly increases the efficiency of the crossbow while lighter ones do the opposite. Manufacturers will provide you a list of recommended weight grain depending on the crossbow you are using. You must follow this to maintain the good condition of bows.

While others say that it is necessary to stick to the recommended grain weight, there are people who suggest using a slightly heavier one. They say that when using heavier bolts, crossbows tend to move smoothly; but this will cost you some speed. Weird as it may seem, lighter bolts are the ones that may cause serious damage. Using underweight bolts might cause unwanted physical injuries if ever the bow fails to work properly.

When it comes to crossbow, durability and straightness are not just the governing factors. You also need to understand the effect of weight on speed and trajectory of arrows.