Have you wondered how fast your arrow has to shoot in order to kill a certain game? Perhaps you want to sit 80 yards out, what kind of crossbow FPS and arrows do you need to hit your target? An arrow at 107 FPS can kill a deer, and you can increase those odds by adding a broadhead or heavy arrow to your gear. However, the fastest crossbows are deadlier.
How Fast Can Crossbows Shoot?
Compound crossbows are typically faster than recurve crossbows. While people may think that crossbows put out crazy kinetic energy, they aren’t faster than hunting rifles. In fact, the average crossbow generates about 80 to 100 FP KE, or foot-pounds of kinetic energy. If you see a crossbow with a 300 FPS using a 400-grain arrow, then you’ll generate about 76 FP KE.
If you are hunting large game, then your arrow has to be traveling faster. However, it’s really the FPS at the time of impact that matters. If you are close enough to your target to shoot, then it can kill an elk as long as it’s going at least 107 FPS. For this reason, the weight of the arrow matters just as much as the FPS or FP KE of your crossbow.
With crossbows, 400-grain to 450-grain arrows are typically used the most. These arrows have more momentum than lower weights like 300-grain arrows. That’s because a 400-grain arrow is a sweet spot between velocity and momentum. Whereas a lighter arrow may shoot initially at a fast speed, it tends to lose momentum.
Sharp broadheads are important when hunting larger game. However, you don’t necessarily need to get a higher grain arrow unless you are hunting particularly large game, such as a grizzly.
How Fast Are My Arrows?
A number of factors will impact your arrow’s speed. Weather conditions, the weight of your arrows, and the distance that you are shooting from impact the speed of your arrow while it travels through the air.
The FPS that your crossbow advertises is based on ideal conditions, using the arrows recommended by the manufacturer, and is calculated as the arrow begins its flight. Do not expect to hit that level of speed consistently each time that you pull the trigger.
What is Kinetic Performance (FPS/FP KE)?
You typically see this listed as feet per second or “FPS”, FP KE, or kinetic FPS. This is measured using bolts or arrows, (often a 400 grain arrow). The energy released is measured in FPS, and this relates to how much speed and distance performance you’ll need to hunt certain types of game.
Your bolts lose 3 to 4 percent of KE for every 10 yards. With higher FPS, you can kill the largest game because your shots are much faster even if you are shooting from a distance. When we say large game, we mean bears, buffalo, and elk.
Most compound bows will have a 300 FPS / 100 FP KE rating or higher. At 340 FPS / 109 FP KE, you should be able to kill most small to medium game. You may want to upgrade to a 365 FPS / 126 FP KE if you are hunting large game, but these bows tend to be more expensive.
That said, here is a quick chart to understand FPS and arrow speeds:
Arrow Speed
430 fps = 293 mph
420 fps = 286 mph
410 fps = 280 mph
400 fps = 273 mph
390 fps = 266 mph
380 fps = 259 mph
370 fps = 252 mph
360 fps = 245 mph
350 fps = 239 mph
340 fps = 232 mph
330 fps = 225 mph
320 fps = 218 mph
310 fps = 211 mph
300 fps = 204 mph
290 fps = 198 mph
280 fps = 191 mph
270 fps = 184 mph
Crossbow Speed: What Model of Crossbow Shoots Faster?
In general, compact crossbows are among the best crossbows in the world across most categories. Compact crossbows with military-grade materials are made to shoot the fastest. That doesn’t necessarily mean that any compact bpw will take down large game as accurately as a recurve bow with a high FPS and the right arrow. There are a number of factor that come into play when determining success than the crossbow.
There are some mechanical factors of crossbows that also matter when thinking about speed. For example, how heavy are the limbs? They could be slowing your shot. If you have heavier strings, then it could slow your arrows.
The fastest crossbows will have a lightweight construction, high FPS and FP KE, and the limb will be flexible, easy to draw.
Overall, the arrow’s velocity and weight is just as important to how fast your crossbow is supposed to shoot. Getting a good shot depends on the combination of velocity and momentum that creates lethal kinetic energy.