Why a crossbow is not the same as a bow

[huntnnw]

MY 68LB BOW

[huntnnw]

I dont think they should be legal during Archery season here unless disabled or use during modern fireaem. Trophy class animals should not be entered in archery records if killed with a crossbow. Its not the same! not having to draw it is the huge part of archery. It would be so much easier to kill bucks and bulls with one..hear somehting coming and all you have to do is point in the direction and be ready! no movement just pull the trigger.

[csaaphill]

 

[AKBowman]

"He lives in WI where archers 65 and older can use a crossbow during archery season"

This year that reg changed and anyone can use a crossbow during archery season. No age or disabled restrictions. This is speaking of WI.

[AKBowman]

Now if you could just find a good place to hunt deer that was in a firearm restricted area...

Some private property I have permission to hunt is essentially a firearm restriction area, since the landowner will only allow archery equipment. But since it's not an official state "firearm restriction area," crossbows cannot be used there. I'd like to use a crossbow (with a scope) during the modern firearm season. (for blacktail deer)

It's perfectly legal to use any lesser weapon during a season in WA state. You can use archery during archery, archery and Muzzle during Muzzle and archery, Muzzle, rifle and crossbow during modern.

Firearm restricted area you can use crossbows

[Jellymon]

Now if you could just find a good place to hunt deer that was in a firearm restricted area...

Some private property I have permission to hunt is essentially a firearm restriction area, since the landowner will only allow archery equipment. But since it's not an official state "firearm restriction area," crossbows cannot be used there. I'd like to use a crossbow (with a scope) during the modern firearm season. (for blacktail deer)

It's perfectly legal to use any lesser weapon during a season in WA state. You can use archery during archery, archery and Muzzle during Muzzle and archery, Muzzle, rifle and crossbow during modern.

Firearm restricted area you can use crossbows

Nope, crossbows cannot be used during modern outside of firearm restricted areas.

[huntingfool7]

My 72# compound can shoot accurat at 100+ yards...  I would think that a 100 # cross bow could go way further with way more ke and fps.  With a scope you could probably kill deer at 150 + yards easy with very little practice.  Would be fun for the modern season. 

Crossbows are much less efficient at transferring energy to the bolt than your compound bow.  A 100# crossbow is more similar to a 20# bow than your 72# hunting compound.

   I dunno about that..My dad hunts with one and it burries arrows considerbaly farther into the target then my 68lb bow at 40 yards.

A hunting crossbow has twice the draw weight and shoots a projectile that's half as heavy as your bow to get similar velocity.
You can hear the inefficiency in the shot. That noise is from lost energy.

[jackmaster]

I don't think crossbows should be legal during archery season, but it makes no sense that they're not allowed during modern firearm. The rumor we've heard on here is that they will be making them legal this year for modern firearm season, and that's how it should be. I never understood why they made them legal to use only in firearm restriction areas.

Lokidog, keep us updated on how you are liking that crossbow. I want to get one eventually, and I know nothing about them.

[lokidog]

Oh well! hope they get them legal I see nothing wrong in allowing a crossbow in archery season since that's they point they're still an arrow and nota gun!
If they're going to allow them in rifle why not archery
Whats the big deal too? if it's legal there why not here. thats the thing too were constantly bickering amongst ourselves!

Did you read the first post?   

My 72# compound can shoot accurat at 100+ yards...  I would think that a 100 # cross bow could go way further with way more ke and fps.  With a scope you could probably kill deer at 150 + yards easy with very little practice.  Would be fun for the modern season. 

Crossbows are much less efficient at transferring energy to the bolt than your compound bow.  A 100# crossbow is more similar to a 20# bow than your 72# hunting compound.

   I dunno about that..My dad hunts with one and it burries arrows considerbaly farther into the target then my 68lb bow at 40 yards.

A hunting crossbow has twice the draw weight and shoots a projectile that's half as heavy as your bow to get similar velocity.
You can hear the inefficiency in the shot. That noise is from lost energy.

Very loud, anything over 30 yards, I think, would have a good chance at jumping the string.  This X-bow shoots a 412 grain (with 100 gr head) bolt (my 28 1/2" arrows are 470 gr).  They say it shoots at 315fps.  As far as killing deer at 150 yards, I think these bolts slow down very quickly as they are substantially larger in diameter than arrows for bows. 

I'm looking forward to "playing" with this more and see if using the cocking rope tightens up the grouping over hand cocking (I can easily cock this one by hand).  IMO, any X-bow less than 150 lb pull should not be used for hunting (125 is legal min.).  I might use this next year for deer here on the island if I don't shoot a big buck out from under Boss300's nose while trying to help him maintain his dink shooter status though.      

[lokidog]

I just used an archery ballistic calculator to compare my bolts and arrows.  I do not know the speed of my Bowtech Invasion shooting 28.5 inch StEpic 300 470 gr arrows @ 65lb, so for argument's sake I used the same speed as for the bolts.  Anyone want to calc my speed, go ahead.

I recorded info at 20, 40, 60, and 100 yards.  The drop from level was the same for both to 60 yards, at 100 yards the drop is 6" (about 3%) more for the X-bow.  The speed dropped off faster with the X-bow, but not as much as I thought, 2 fps less at 20 and 40, 4 fps less at 60, and 5 fps (1.8%)less at 100.  The big change was in the energy since the bolts only weigh 412 gr. 99 vs 86 ft-lbs @20, 94 vs 81, 90 vs 77, and 82 vs 70 @100 (15% less). 

What does this mean besides telling me not to take 60+ yard shots with either my bow or crossbow?  I don't know.  I do know, though, that there is a lot less movement taking the safety off vs drawing and I do know it takes a lot more time to get good with a bow, especially if you are one of the uber dedicated longbow or recurve hunters.

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

My 72# compound can shoot accurat at 100+ yards...  I would think that a 100 # cross bow could go way further with way more ke and fps.  With a scope you could probably kill deer at 150 + yards easy with very little practice.  Would be fun for the modern season.

Unethical to shoot that far with either a compound or a crossbow.  You are still in the 300's with FPS and to much can happen in the time from release to arrival at the target.  Learn to sneak or buy a rifle.  JMHO

No I would never shoot that far.  Just saying the compound is still effective.  and a crossbow well effective passed that range.

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

weird I thought they were way more effective than a compound.  never shot one.  if it cant kill at  150 LBS at 40 yards then well something's wrong...  306 ft per second would keep that heavy of a bolt zipping down range wayyyyy past 40 yards.  I have found the more weight I add the further my arrows go cause of momentum.

[magnanimous_j]

Personally, I don’t have any problem with them.

But I worked behind a gun counter for a couple years in college and some of the older guys would literally hide the crossbows in the storage room and only even admit we had any under duress. They claimed that crossbows attracted an “undesirable element.” So for some reason I never understood, I think there is a stigma attached to them.

Again, I’m pretty ignorant about crossbows, but I guess if I was being honest, they DO look a little more prone to catastrophic failure than a rifle or a bow. I wouldn’t want to be around when one of the bendy pieces snapped.

[Jonathan_S]

What's the range limit of a crossbow?

I've read several instances of crossbows shooting 2" groups at 100 yards.

Must have been fletched with FOBs 

[lokidog]

weird I thought they were way more effective than a compound.  never shot one.  if it cant kill at  150 LBS at 40 yards then well something's wrong...  306 ft per second would keep that heavy of a bolt zipping down range wayyyyy past 40 yards.  I have found the more weight I add the further my arrows go cause of momentum.

As was mentioned, the power stroke is much shorter so a 150 lb crossbow is not even close to a 70 lb bow for energy transfer.  Crossbow bolts are also shorter, fatter, and lighter thus leading to a faster drop off of speed and energy.  Sure they will fly downrange to a target at 150 yards, just like a bow will, but the energy is going to be a lot less (energy correlates to the square of the speed).  A person could probably be a lot more accurate with the Xbow since you can put it on a rest but to get the equivalent energy to a heavier arrow, the draw weight on the Xbow will have to increase.