How Does A Crossbow Arrow Compare To A Conventional Arrow

As a hunter, you must always want to use new things for hunting. You may even have trouble picking something like a conventional arrow over a crossbow or vice versa.

The question arises- “which gives you what benefits and which is the one that you should pick?”

Well, frankly speaking, it depends on what you like and what you don’t. Some people like traditional things over a new gadget.

Others, on the contrary, like to play with new and modified tech-based arrows.

However, before you pick one of them, you should know what offers you what and know how does a crossbow arrow compare to a conventional arrow?

Conventional Arrow

The conventional arrow will give you a traditional feel that is launched by a longbow.

A typical arrow is made of a long, rigid, straight shaft with a heavy, sharp, and pointed arrowhead connected to the front end. Several fin-like stabilizers called fletching positioned towards the back end and a nock for contacting the bowstring at the back end.

A quiver is a container or pouch that holds extra arrows for easy reloading.

This kind of arrow is a bit long in size and lighter. People have been using this arrow for a long time. There haven’t been many tech-based improvements made yet.

The conventional arrows need to be pulled with the bowstring and the power it gets depends on the user’s strength and experience.

Crossbow Arrow

A crossbow is a more modern type of bow. It is more convenient in some way because of the easy loading and small size.

Well, the original crossbow arrow or bolts were so small like darts. The high intensity of the projectile was too fast that it was like a bolt!

Nowadays, the bolts are longer than in the early days. But the speed is still there.

The crossbow arrow is smaller in size and has a squarer shape while the conventional arrows have more pointy heads. Bolts are heavier and can deal quite a deep damage when shot.

People nowadays prefer crossbows for hunting because of how convenient it is to use.

How Does a Crossbow Arrow Compare To a Conventional Arrow: Which One to Go For?

There is no doubt that the crossbow arrow has modern features or is made for more easy use and there are many Crossbow for Deer Hunting in the market. However, the conventional arrows are smooth and have some unique abilities too.

Before, talking about the details, let’s check the feature of Conventional arrow vs Crossbow arrow:

Features	Conventional Arrow	Crossbow arrow
Length	27-32 inches	16-22 inches
Weight	250-600 grains	400 to 800 grains
Arrowhead	Quite pointy and flat	A bit square but sharp
Point/tip heaviness	Moderate	Much heavy
Shaft material	Wood, aluminum, carbon	Aluminum, carbon
Durability	Low	High
Nock	Cut in the middle of the nock	No cuts
Fletching	Longer shaft with longer fletching	Some have smaller fletching. Some don’t have any
Arrow impact	Moderate	High impact

Length:

The conventional arrow length is much longer than the crossbow arrow. Crossbow arrows are thus, easy to carry in small bags. For hunting purposes, it is more suitable.

On the contrary, the conventional arrow is longer and needs more space. However, you can carry them in a quiver. And people who own a longbow need these arrows for hunting.

Weight:

The average weight of a crossbow arrow is a bit higher than normal arrows. Although there are new types of crossbow arrows that come in less weight.

The conventional arrows, on the other hand, are easier to carry because of less heaviness.

But, nowadays, the comparison of weight in these two types of arrows is not significant.

Arrowhead:

Although the modern arrows for both crossbow and conventional bow are made similar in style some differences can be pointed out.

The traditional crossbow arrow has a bit square-shaped tip. It can crush hard bones or chainmail.

The conventional arrow has a sharp flat pointy tip. This is made for a more penetrative force. However, the modern types in both the arrows use almost the same kind of arrowhead.

Point/Tip heaviness:

The crossbow arrow’s tip is heavier than the conventional arrow.

The shooting style is different in both bows. One uses the strings and pulls down the arrow and then releases the projectile. Thus, it needs a heavier tip for speed and balance.

In the conventional bow, you have to pull back the string with your hand and let it fly.

Shaft material and Durability:

The earlier conventional arrow shafts were made of wood. However, today we can get arrows made of aluminum and carbon too.

The crossbow arrow is made of metal, aluminum, carbon, etc.

Metal-made arrows are more durable than wood-made ones.

Nock cut:

The nock cut helps the conventional arrows to hook it on the string easily. It also makes it easy to pull.

On the other hand, the crossbow arrows do not need a cut. Because of the position where the arrow is placed and how it is designed it doesn’t need the cut.

Arrow impact:

The arrow impact is a kind of burst type in a crossbow arrow where the conventional arrow will give you a narrow and smooth penetrative impact.

For hunting purposes, crossbow arrows can be good and powerful. But for a more natural experience of archery and hunting, you can use conventional bows and arrows.

Finally, Conventional arrow vs Crossbow arrow: which one is more suitable for you?

Although not much difference is seen here, you can pick crossbow arrows for crossbows and have a more hunting-oriented experience.

The conventional arrow may sometimes be good if you can use a traditional arrow. It is lightweight and has good penetrative energy.

However, the crossbow arrow can impact hunting a lot. The crossbow is easy to use where learning to use a conventional arrow is quite hard.

The arrow impact is much more in close range for a crossbow than the conventional arrow.

Also, an affordable hunting crossbow is great for deer hunting. So, using the crossbow arrow is what you need. Furthermore, it is easier to master a crossbow than a conventional longbow or recurve bow.

Some Best Crossbow Arrow

Here are some top-rated crossbow arrows that can be your partner in hunting.

Carbon Express PileDriver Fletched Carbon Crossbolt

This is the best crossbow arrow that you can pick. This will give you bone-crushing penetration when you shoot. With 442 grains of weight and 20 inches long arrow, it can give you the ultimate hunting experience.

Barnett 16075 Headhunter Outdoors

The Barnett 16075 Headhunter Outdoors crossbow bolts are ideal for field practice as well as hunting small to the medium-sized game such as deer and pronghorns.

They have a 400-grain weight and 3′′ vanes. These are budget-friendly and durable.

REEGOX Bio Crossbow Arrows

The finest crossbow bolts for novices and children hunters are these REEGOX lightweight crossbow bolts.

They’re an excellent value for money crossbow arrows for field practice and target shooting.

Smaller-medium game animals can also be hunted using them.

They’re quite precise, fly straight, and have a good penetration rate.

Conclusion

Both the conventional arrow and crossbow arrow are great for hunting or archery.

The conventional arrows are more suitable for archery than crossbow arrows.

On the other hand, the crossbow arrow is better in ways of hunting.

Now you understand how does a crossbow arrow compare to a conventional arrow. This will help you buying the best suited arrow for you.

How Does a Crossbow Arrow Compare To a Conventional Arrow

Conventional Arrow

Crossbow Arrow