
A self-cocking bow will normally have an in-built mechanism such as a lever at the back that allows you to cock it using nothing but your hands and ‘itself’. Well, don’t be mislead, a self cocking pistol won’t actually cock itself for you when you just click your fingers! The term refers to the ability of the bow to be cocked without using any external devices such as a rope cocker. If you’re new to the whole pistol crossbow scene you’re probably wondering what is meant by the term ‘self-cocking’ that manufacturers advertise their pistols with. But packs of 50 or 100 bolts with point tips (not broadheads) go for a little as the price of lunch. As they’re small they are easily lost when you’re out and about and away from your regular target practice range. You can purchase aluminium or plastic bolts to fit most pistol bows inexpensively. This is due to the power stroke or draw length of the bow itself being much shorter. Pistol crossbow bolts are shorter than standard crossbow bolts. If you want to customize a pistol bow, best to purchase one that comes with an accessory pack or just get the bow first size up your options before you also purchase accessories to customize it. For longer more measured shots, you’d want to try an optical sight such as a 4×20 to allow you to zoom in closer on your prey or target.ĭue to the size of the bow and the manufacturing costs many pistol crossbow mounting rails are not standard Picatinny rail. A red-dot sight allows you faster target acquisition vs an iron sight. As a pistol crossbow is a relatively short range weapon used for hunting fast moving rodents and small game red-dot sights are common and useful. These can normally be detached from the rail and replaced with any other sort of optic you prefer. Just like the regular pistol crossbow come with mounting rails on the top and are designed with both a fore (pin) and back (groove) sight much like the iron sights on a gun. Couple that pistol with broadhead arrows and shorter ranges and you could take down larger game or smaller game more effectively. Rodents, squirrels, bullfrogs, rats, rabbits, ducks… small game. The power of an 80 lbs pistol crossbow is enough to take down small game from distances of up-to 20- 40 yards. Taking down game is also not just about bolt power, if you’re humane you need to make a shot that wounds and kills, to do that with some game you need a broad-head tip.
FULL AUTO CROSSBOW FOR SALE FULL SIZE
Pistol crossbow bolts are smaller than full size arrows, they weigh less and pack less of a punc h. they aren’t!Ī little bit of target practice shows why you shouldn’t underestimate the pistol crossbow Are pistol crossbows good for hunting?Ĭan you takedown small game with a pistol crossbow? 80 lbs draw is more than you’ll pull with many full size recurve bows, however taking down game is down to more than just draw weight. How powerful are pistol crossbows?Ĭan you shoot through 4 full soda cans at about 6 feet? A pineapple from 6 paces? This video from PreparedMind101 demonstrates this and more and settles the argument about pistol crossbows being nothing but toys.

As to speed of shooting, well you can’t leave them cocked but you can certainly load one quickly and leave one resting somewhere without it taking up too much space. They’re ultimately smaller, lighter and more portable than all other styles of bow.

If you’re introducing a friend to hunting or shooting and fancy a bit of target practice, pull out your PSE Brute Force and they’re probably going to be in awe and not keen to take a turn. If you’ve never shot anything before a pistol crossbow is something you can hold and understand with much less fear than a gun. They’re far less intimidating than full-size crossbows. Ammunition is also cheap, if you’re shooting simple plastic or aluminium bolts you’ll get pack of 50 for much less than you’d pay for 12 full size arrows. That’s considerably less than full-size crossbows, compound bows and traditional recurve bows.

A quality one (such as our top pick) can normally be had for the cost of a decent meal.
