From the moment you see it for the first time, you have to admire the crossbow. It’s a powerful weapon, beautifully designed, and prepared for the hunt. However, the average price tag may shock you as soon as you look at it. Why are crossbows so expensive?
The reason for this is very simple. Crossbows are expensive because they have to incorporate different parts of their structure and functionality to provide the best bowhunting experience. Piecing that together is a tough process which is reflected directly in its price.
So, let’s dive deeper into why a crossbow is such an expensive weapon.
Crossbow Purpose
The whole purpose of the crossbow is to provide the ultimate hunting experience. While crossbows may be used for tournaments, its main purpose is to provide you with a superior hunting experience.
Unlike the bow that would require constant preparation, planning, and solid technique, the crossbow is a ready-to-use weapon. It takes out all of what a bow needs and puts emphasis on preparing to take the final shot.
Compared to a bow, you won’t have to have to focus as much on technique. Instead, you can just learn to aim really well and be prepared to take any tournament or hunt.
Aside from that, the mechanism behind the crossbow takes out the need to prepare for each shot individually as you would need to with the bow. Instead, it gives more fun and immersion into the hunting experience for both younger, inexperienced archers and older, more experienced archers.
However, from the days of ancient China’s battlefronts to today’s hunting purposes, it’s obvious that crossbows were constructed specifically so they could cut out the middleman from the start.
Construction of the crossbow is directed so you wouldn’t need to train archers especially. Now, anyone could become an archer. Don’t forget that crossbows are extremely powerful, as this video shows:
Crossbow Construction
The crossbow consists of several main parts, each of which needs to be of a certain quality so you can use it appropriately. Buying comes with a golden rule attached to it; how much money you invest in it will directly go into the quality of the product.
Each part of the crossbow needs to be of a high quality if you want to have a superb hunting experience. Then, you would want to make sure you know how to separate quality construction from a faulty one.
Actually, each part of the crossbow is equally important and, if you want to do some serious hunting, buying a cheap one won’t cut it. On top of that, a cheap crossbow will break easily, you won’t be able to upgrade it, and it will have less resistance, power, and durability.
As the price goes up, you’ll gain more chances to hunt properly and, later, upgrade your crossbow to suit different hunting grounds and purposes. Therefore, buying a cheaper crossbow won’t help you in the long run.
Of course, you may still think that you can do well with a cheaper crossbow. Thus, let’s look at different aspects of your crossbow’s functionality.
Power
The first thing you will want your crossbow to have is power. Without adequate power, you can’t hit or pierce any target, live or inanimate. Therefore, if you want to have a crossbow you must be sure it will hit the target on the spot.
If your crossbow doesn’t have adequate power, it won’t be able to produce the proper speed required over the needed distance. Without that speed to back up your shot, the piercing power will lack. Even if you hit your target in that case, piercing skin or other material won’t happen.
As it is important to have proper arrows, it’s also equally important to have enough power to shoot them properly. A cheaper crossbow comes with less power; therefore, its effectiveness will be less when hunting.
So, there’s a compromise with a cheaper crossbow—yes, you can get it for less money, but it won’t create the necessary impact. On top of that, a cheaper crossbow will lose its power sooner than an expensive one would.
Therefore, although the cheaper one may be more affordable, the main feature of the weapon may soon be lost. If you can’t fire it properly, you can’t do anything with it, so the power is preceded by something even more important: the shooting system.
Shooting System
To fire in the first place, you will need a shooting system. A shooting system is a mechanism that allows you to fire an arrow or a bolt. It consists of strings, a pull-up system, and a way to cock the arrow and fire it effectively.
Here are several elements you will want to make sure are of high quality:
- Strings
- Safety system
- Cocking system
- Buttstock
Strings are, perhaps, the most important part of both the bow and crossbow anatomy. If the strings aren’t up to par, you won’t be able to produce the needed power. Strings should be durable, strong, and able to withstand different seasons and environments.
Next would be the cocking system. The cocking system is what keeps the arrow in place before you decide to fire. If you can’t keep your arrow in check, you won’t be safe for the duration of the hunt.
Then comes the safety system. If this system were to be removed, it would allow you to shoot the crossbow, so it absolutely needs to be in check. If you can’t remove the safety, you can’t shoot. That alone would defeat the entire purpose of shooting the crossbow in the first place.
Finally, you will want to have a quality buttstock. None of it will matter if you can’t rely on the crossbow to endure the shooting. All of this leads us to the following point, about resistance.
You can always buy your own crossbow and try this in action.
Resistance
One of the most important factors about the crossbow—or bow for that matter—is the ability to withstand different environments. If you are into indoor or tournament shooting, then this won’t matter a whole lot.
However, if you do decide to go hunting outside, then this may be a factor you will want to think about. If the crossbow can’t withstand heat, cold, moist environments, or sand, then it would be much harder to enjoy hunting.
A cheap crossbow won’t be constructed well enough to withstand different hunting environments.
Durability
Resistance is just one part of the durability. Durability is the ability of a weapon—for this matter, a crossbow—to last longer. Not only is it that a crossbow should be resistant to environments, but it should also have durable parts.
Crossbows, as far as weapons go, are of a simple construct. However, that would mean that it’s really important for all parts to be durable. First, you would want to make sure your strings are high-quality. The strings may pop, break, or get loose, making you unable to shoot.
Then, there comes the matter of the cocking and safety systems. If they aren’t durable, you will be unable to shoot, as the cocking and safety systems are necessary to arm the crossbow in the first place.
Finally, you will want to have a proper buttstock. Having a good buttstock will keep the crossbow together, keep you out of harm, and make hunting safer. Buttstock may break and, if it breaks, you will be unable to shoot the crossbow.
The buttstock is a necessary part of the weapon that gives it balance. However, even having all that may not be enough; you may still want to upgrade it from time to time.
Accessories
Finally, the thing that a cheap crossbow cannot use are accessories. Accessories are important for both tournament and hunting purposes alike. The use of accessories allows you to have a better experience.
Accessories may include anything from scopes to sound dampeners. All accessories will be used widely to personalize the experience of each archer; therefore, you will want to have an expensive crossbow that will allow you to personalize it for your purposes.
For example, you may want to dampen the sound of your crossbow to gain a better hunting experience in open spaces. You can try dampeners or make your crossbow bore-sighted, which would also be possible.
Cheaper crossbows are usually ready-made and cannot be customized further, so buying one and trying to improve it will be mission impossible most of the time.
There you have it—the main difference between cheaper and expensive crossbows. In the end, it all comes down to how serious you are about archery.
It’s Worth Every Penny
So, if you’re still left with a question of whether you want to buy a more expensive crossbow, the answer is yes. It totally is.
A more expensive crossbow will last longer and provide you with a seamless experience. If you are serious about tournaments or hunting, that’s exactly what you will need to have a great time with archery.
After all, every penny you don’t spend on the quality is a dollar you will pay additionally for repairing malfunctions of a cheaper product. You’ll still need to maintain your crossbow to keep it shooting at it’s best, learn more here.