
Be aware that when cocked, the crossbow consumes less space, and upon firing will expand its limbs and potential hit nearby obstacles without sufficient space.

It’s most important for hunting, as mobility, shouldering your crossbow, and aiming between obstacles is harder with a bigger, heavier crossbow, when hunting space is often limited. For reference, a 400-grain arrow travelling at 300 FPS has a KE of roughly 76 ft-lbs (foot-pounds of energy)…if that went completely over your head, don’t worry about it! Size: is crossbow size important? Once you get to 300 FPS with a 400-grain arrow, the relative returns are fast-diminishing. A faster crossbow means less time to move between shot and impact. A faster arrow works against “string jump” when the animal hears the “twang” of the string being fired, and flees in panic. Measurement: FPS (feet per second) & KE (kinetic energy) If you’re tired when you’re about to shoot, you’ll put your aim off, which somewhat defeats the point of the exercise! Crossbow speed & power: why do we want speed, and what’s too much? While hunting, or maintaining a shooting position, you’ll need to be able to shoulder the crossbow for considerable periods of time. What properties to look for in the best crossbows Weight: how much does the crossbow weigh? Read more: Best Crossbow for under $500.If you’re target shooting, you generally aren’t under as much “stress” as hunting, allowing for greater accuracy with heavier, wider more powerful crossbows. Speed, bow weight, bow size and draw weight may make a big difference to hunting, but are not essential for target shooting.

Hunting or Target Shooting: what’s the purpose of the crossbow?
