Depending who you ask, crossbows are either the best things to happen to archery, or they’re an invention of the Devil himself. This argument has been going on since the Middle Ages (seriously, the Pope had words about it, back in the 12th century). But for bowhunting beginners, crossbows are an excellent choice, since they’re a lot easier to learn to operate than a compound bow. But with an ever-increasing variety on the market, it’s hard for a beginner to know what to buy. Here’s a rundown of the best crossbows for beginners, at different budget levels.
Best Low-Priced Crossbow for Beginners: Barnett Wildcat CRX
If your budget is minimal, worry not. You don’t have to spend a lot of money for a basic crossbow that will kill deer or other wild game at close range. You can buy a Barnett Wildcat CRX for $229.99 (or less—it’s easy to find a sale on this crossbow) and you can take it hunting.
The Wildcat CRX is a recurve crossbow, so there’s no worry about cams or other complicated parts breaking. It’s simple, and that keeps the price down; but it also keeps arrow speeds down, to around 280 fps. That’s enough for hunting; for decades, vertical and crossbow hunters both used bows with less speed than that.
This crossbow comes with a red dot scope, which might not be optimal in low-light conditions but will get the job done; Barnett even throws in a scope cover. They also include a rope cocker that reduces the effort of drawing back the limbs, along with a couple of 20-inch Easton Headhunter arrows and a side-mount arrow quiver that will be easy to use inside a tight tent blind.
Recurve crossbows are an ancient technology, but Barnett has updated this bow’s design with modern features. A finger guard that helps keep your digits out of the path of the string, and the trigger uses their Anti Dry Fire system to avoid accidentally shooting the bow without an arrow loaded. Soft-touch cheek pieces help you line up your eye to the scope. In total, there are three Picatinny rails for attaching optics and other accessories. See more details at Barnett’s website here.
Best Mid-Priced Crossbow for Beginners: Excalibur Mag Air
Although the Mag Air is the lowest-priced model in Excalibur’s lineup at $549, it still has the same features that make the rest of their bows so desirable: A reliable recurve design, an ergonomic stock, capability to mount a crank, and best of all, a bulletproof lifetime warranty.
The Mag Air is lower-priced than Excalibur’s other bows because it uses a plastic chassis instead of metal/composite chassis like their other equipment. With arrow speed of 305 fps, it’s still slower than many of the faster compounds on the market, but that’s enough power to reach out at standard bowhunting range. It’s the trade-off for the recurve design, and it’s worth giving up speed in exchange for reliability.
Without accessories, the Mag Air weighs just under 5 pounds, about a pound less than most of the competition in this segment. Fully tricked out for hunting, with scope and arrow quiver, it weighs 6.7 pounds—still manageable for a youth hunter. It’s an excellent choice for a beginner, and will also keep many experienced hunters happy, but beware of one issue. Early Mag Air bows could work the sight bridge assembly loose under repeated firing; if you buy one, make sure to Loctite any assembly screws down carefully to avoid this. See more details at Excalibur’s website here.
Best Full-Featured Crossbow for Beginners: Wicked Ridge Rampage XS
The Wicked Ridge Rampage XS is a compound crossbow, meaning it can hit faster speeds than a recurve crossbow while also being easier to draw back. It also means you’ve got to deal with axels and cams, so if you need to maintain this bow, forget about changing the string in the field; you’ll be taking it to a bow shop.
But for that added complexity, you get arrow speeds of 390 fps while still only being 19 inches wide when uncocked, 15 inches when cocked. That’s very handy when you’re hunting in tight brush or inside a box blind. The Rampage XS also has an AR-style telescopic stock that allows for 2.5 inches of adjustment, in 0.5-inch increments. Their proprietary ACUdraw cocking device is also built in, not an added expense like an accessory crank on other bows, and it reduces draw weight to 5 pounds. And unlike other bows that must be sighted in from scratch when purchased, the Rampage XS has a basic 20-yard zero from the factory, making your job a lot easier. The Pro View scope comes with lighted sighting dots to help you gauge your arrow drop out to 60 yards (glowing red or green). However, you should not attempt shots at that range without practice first.
The Wicked Ridge Rampage XS is made in the USA. It’s a lot of crossbow for the $549 starting MSRP (as high as $649, depending on options). See more details at the Wicked Ridge website here.
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