To understand how these create our overall speed and power, we need to look at both in depth. Both of these are made up from the relationship between the power stroke and the draw weight.

The power of your bow is directly related to the speed. This makes the accuracy on a crossbow much lower, as is reflected in the score difference between compound and crossbow shooters in competition. In this article we looked at how a crossbow slowly loses accuracy overtime. Rather than drawing the string back, you must draw the bow and lock it into place with a latch. When you use a crossbow, it is a little different. This means that your effective anchor point will remain the same shot after shot. The arrow rests between the knots on the loop, and the latter keeps the release at exactly the right distance every time. This is called the anchor point, and it is important in understanding how these two bows differ in accuracy.Ĭompound bows these days use what is called a string loop, which helps to increase accuracy. When you draw back a bow, your hand holding the string comes back to a certain point at which it rests against your face. But, what it offers for simplicity, it loses in accuracy. AccuracyĪs you’ll learn shortly, the crossbow is the simpler of the two bows to shoot. Doing so will make it easier to conceptualize how these differences can have a real impact on firing. Since both of these shots happen quickly, I recommend watching the bows fire after reading each of the following sections. You can see each of the features we’re discussing in action.

You can see each of the features we’re discussing in action: To see what both of these bows look like when they’re being fired, check out this video. This mental balancing can be taxing, but by breaking these down into seven categories, you can manage this juggling act better. If you decide to judge your crossbow by weight alone, then power and noise will be affected. You may think that picking which of the two is quietest would be as simple as sound alone however, by picking for silence, you give up power. To call these differences clear and concrete would serve only to simplify the discussion too much.Įach of these seven differences should be considered with the other six. Some are direct contrasts, as mentioned above, but others combine together to inform each other. The seven differences that we will be looking at are connected to each other. The Differences Between Crossbows and Compound Bows By the end, you will be able to make an informed decision as to whether you want a crossbow or a compound bow. Each of the seven key differences listed above will be looked at specifically through the rest of this article. This in-depth discussion has only just started. Often, they are a direct contrast to each other, so as one increases, its reflection decreases. Each of these attributes can make or break your decision of style. There are seven key differences between a crossbow and a compound bow: accuracy, power and speed, draw, noise, look, simplicity, and size. In order to understand which of these is the best for you, we will be looking at the differences between them, so you can be knowledgeable in your selection. While these two bows are similar in a lot of ways, they are different in just as many.

Likewise, the compound bow is an evolution of the historical hunting bow that relies on technological progress to achieve its result. Crossbows were used in the Battle of Agincourt, but the crossbow of history looks and functions quite differently compared to our modern iteration. Compound bows and crossbows are often discussed together because they are both more modern creations.

Compound crossbow