Topic: Best Crossbows of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 33 times)
previous topic - next topic
It's your post, so post it!
Key Features
Test Results
Pros
Cons
First impressions are worth a lot, and my first impressions of the Wicked Ridge Raider were that it’s very light, easy to cock—and I was surprised when my first shot hit right where I was aiming. I continued to be pleasantly surprised by the Raider throughout testing.
I’ve tested a lot of crossbows, and there are only a handful that are easy for anyone to cock and decock with a rope cocker while in a treestand. I think the Wicked Ridge Raider is in that rarified air.
The trigger is a stiff 4.5 pounds but doesn’t have any creep, and it breaks clean. Just keep squeezing the trigger straight back, and you’ll hit the spot. In the 50-yard accuracy testing, the group sizes averaged 3.5 inches. The vertical consistency was excellent, and I saw mostly left or right inconsistency, likely due to the trigger.
The stock is adjustable for the length of pull from 13.25 inches to 16.25 inches, which is plenty of adjustment range to fit most shooters. In fact, the longest setting was even too long for my 6-foot 6-inch frame.
The one thing I didn’t like about shooting the Raider was the post-shot vibration. It’s a louder-than-average crossbow, with a stinging vibration after the shot. But I recognize most crossbow owners use their bows for hunting tools rather than recreational shooting. The Raider certainly is a great hunting tool and meets the needs of hunters looking for the best crossbow for the money.
These are crossbows tested in 2022 that are still available in 2023 and among the best on the market.
Key Features
Test Results
Pros
Cons
A crossbow that shoots 500 fps is impressive. But a crossbow that’s safe, accurate, easy to use, and shoots 500 fps is worthy of the Editor’s Choice award. the new Ravin acco*plishes all of that and more.
The R500 doesn’t achieve 500 fps by utilizing a super-heavy draw weight. It uses the same 300-pound draw weight as the 450-fps R29. It gets its speed from a longer powerstroke and efficient cam design.
We really liked the R500’s design. Its narrow profile makes it handy, and it balances over the forward grip for steady offhand shooting. It also has a smart solution to prevent mispositioned fingers from getting sliced off by the string: The R500’s string is fully enclosed with a shroud that resembles a vented tube.
The cocking mechanism is also really well thought out. The trigger group moves on threaded rails to cock the R500. It’s a clean design that has no straps or ropes. It takes effort to crank, but it’s smooth and most adults won’t have an issue cocking this crossbow. The crank handle that co*es with the R500 looks surprisingly cheap—like an Allen wrench bent into the shape of a crank. Its design and construction are almost like an afterthought on an otherwise well-designed crossbow. Another thing we didn’t like is that you have to snap the bolts onto the string rather than slide them into place like many other crossbows. This means the user must grip the bolt to snap it on, and with a broadhead, that beco*es more difficult.
That said, I suspect that snapping the bolts onto the string contributes to the R500’s accuracy. The Ravin was the most accurate crossbow in the field we tested, with a 2.7-inch average group at 50 yards. The real test was how it performed with broadheads. We wanted to be sure that a 500 fps crossbow could shoot a broadhead accurately. I shot multiple groups with a 100-grain SEVR crossbow broadhead at 50 yards, and it consistently grouped with field points. The broadhead groups were co*parable to our field-point-only groups at 2.75 to 3.25 inches. I swapped the broadhead onto different bolts and of the six bolts I shot with the broadhead, I produced only one flyer, which shot 4 inches outside the group.
Using the LabRadar, we clocked the R500 speed at 502 fps—just over the advertised spec. At that speed, your arrows will drop 1.5 inches between 20 and 40 yards. At 50 yards, your bolts will be going 462 fps and deliver .827 slug fps of momentum. For perspective, a co*pound bow shooting 300 fps with a 600-grain arrow generates .799 slug fps at point-blank range.
The elephant in the room is the R500’s price tag. It’s an absurdly expensive crossbow, and it’s co*parable in price to a precision hunting rifle. But the crossbow market is a hot one, and Ravin is betting that hunters will be willing to shell out for one of the fastest, most accurate crossbows available.
Key Features
Test Results
Pros
Cons
At the 2019 Outdoor Life crossbow test, the fastest crossbow was the TenPoint Nitro XRT at 432 fps. Just three years later, we have crossbows shooting at least 70 fps faster. But one thing hasn’t changed: TenPoint still makes the fastest crossbow.
Like the R500, the Nitro 505 isn’t getting its speed from its 300-pound draw weight alone. The increased speed co*es from a longer powerstroke—two inches longer than the Ravin—as well as its limb and cam design.
At 515 fps, the Nitro 505 delivers a 404-grain payload with .924 slug fps of momentum. That’s 10 fps faster than the Ravin. Does the extra speed really make a difference? From 20 to 40 yards, the Nitro 505 has 1 inch of drop, while the R500 has 1.5 inches. At 50 yards, the Nitro has .026 slug fps more momentum than the R500. So, in real-world hunting situations, the speed difference is negligible. Nitro 505s also ship with six 450-grain Center Punch bolts, which fly at 488.5 fps.
At 50 yards, we averaged 3.08-inch groups with the Nitro 505. That’s plenty accurate for any hunting scenario, but we’ve seen tighter groups from less expensive bows in previous crossbow tests. Broadhead groups were hit or miss and ranged from about 3 to 9 inches. The difference in group size resulted from bolts that did not shoot well with a broadhead. That means you can’t screw broadheads onto any bolt and go hunting. You’ll need to weed out flyers and find bolts that shoot well with a broadhead. The heavier and slower Center Punch bolts did not improve broadhead accuracy.
The Nitro 505 has a self-contained cranking system. You do have to unwind the crank with one hand while the other hand guides the latch mechanism down the rail. With a light push, the latch clips onto the string and it’s easy to cock. The crank on the Nitro 505 is very smooth, and its well-designed handle provides co*fort and leverage. The first crossbow we received from TenPoint had a crank failure during testing: The strap disconnected from the internal mechanism. We’ve had no issues with the replacement crossbow.
Just like with the Ravin crossbow, you’ll have to pay for all that speed. Prices for the Nitro 505 range from $3,050 to $4,650 depending on the package you go with.
Key Features
Test Results
Pros
Cons
The TwinStrike TAC 2 is the second generation Twinsitrike, which shares the same signature feature as its predecessor: A quick follow-up shot. It acco*plishes that by using two recurves stacked on top of each other. Each bow is cocked independently using a detachable crank. There are two triggers on the Twinstrike. The front trigger fires the top bow, and the rear fires the bottom bow. The new TAC 2 is .3 pounds lighter than the original, has a shorter overall length, and is about 20 fps slower.
We used both the top and bottom bow during accuracy testing and can confirm that both shoot bolts in the same spot. For the sake of science, I also shot both bolts simultaneously. The spread was about 1.5 feet, but that’s simply because it’s difficult to fire both bolts at the exact same time and the recoil from the first shot spoils the second. So, yes you can shoot two bolts at once, and even though that feature doesn’t have a practical purpose, it is fun.
We averaged a 3.19-inch group at 50 yards and clocked the TAC2 at 346.6 fps. The bolts are shorter and lighter than the other crossbows we tested at 350 grains, and they generate .538 slug fps at point-blank.
There are some cons to this crossbow. The front trigger will be difficult to reach for shooters with smaller hands. The loading process is co*plicated (you definitely have to read the instructions before using), and testers had safety concerns around loading. You must cock the bottom crossbow with the safety off—the latch will not engage with the safety on. The dryfire mechanism is your safety while cocking the bottom bow, and we confirmed it does work. Also after loading both bolts you must put the safety on manually.
This crossbow has a cool factor and a feature that others can’t touch. Like all recurve crossbows, it’s field serviceable, and no bow press is required to replace a string.
