Crossbow Bolts

Crossbow bolts are short, heavy and built around the rail

A bolt doesn't leave a crossbow the way an arrow leaves a compound. It sits in a groove on top of the barrel with one vane down in that groove. A spring holds it in place, and its nock rests against a string that's already locked back. When the trigger breaks, the string shoves the bolt straight down the barrel.

That changes what matters. On a vertical bow, the bow and the arrow negotiate through spine (shaft stiffness), and you tune your way to a match. On a crossbow, the crossbow maker has already done most of that math and written the answer in the manual. Your job is mostly to obey it. Shared arrow basics like spine, grain weight and FOC are on the hunting arrows page. This page is about what's different on the crossbow side.

Bolts are typically shorter and heavier than arrows for longbows, per Wikipedia's crossbow bolt entry. Hunting bolts usually have three vanes, a threaded insert up front for points and broadheads, and a nock shaped for the crossbow's string. "Bolt" and "crossbow arrow" mean the same thing; makers' manuals tend to say arrow.

The table on this page lists every crossbow bolt we track, sorted by length. It shows length, shaft material, straightness, nock style, pack count and bolt weight where the maker or the listing gives them (the table marks values that come from the listing). When neither states a value, you get a dash.

Read three numbers from your crossbow manual first

Here's my one opinion on this page: buy the bolt your crossbow's manual describes, then argue about everything else. The reason is printed in the manuals themselves.

One crossbow maker's owner's manual sets a minimum finished arrow weight of 420 grains, point included. It warns that lighter arrows can produce a dry-fire effect and may cause the limbs to shatter. It also warns that using the wrong arrow can void the warranty. A separate guide from another outlet says the same about nocks: the wrong one can cause injury to the shooter and the crossbow.

So before you look at a single pack, write down:

• Minimum length, in inches
• Minimum finished weight, in grains, with the point on
• Nock style the crossbow requires

If you can't find the manual, Grand View Outdoors suggests comparing against the bolts that came in the box with the crossbow, and if all else fails, using the ones packaged with it. Not glamorous. Correct.

What to look at when you pick crossbow bolts

With those three numbers written down, here's how the table's specs break down.

Length: almost always 20 or 22 inches, never shorter than the minimum

Grand View Outdoors says most crossbow arrows are 20 or 22 inches long, and that makers set a minimum length for a safety reason. A bolt that's too short can put your hand in the string's path when you load it. That's the whole case against "close enough."

Wikipedia's entry puts the wider range at 15 to 22 inches, with 20 as the common standard. If your crossbow lists 20 inches, buy 20. If it lists 22, buy 22. This isn't a Wawa-versus-Sheetz debate where everyone gets an opinion; the manual already ruled.

Length is a deciding spec, so the table sorts by it. There's a separate page on 20-inch crossbow bolts, the most common size.

Bolt weight: count the whole finished bolt

The weight that matters is the finished bolt, ready to shoot. Grand View Outdoors lists what goes into it: shaft, point or broadhead, insert, nock and fletching. Weigh it as a package. A grain is a tiny unit; Archery 360 puts 437.5 grains in an ounce.

Quick math: shaft weight is length times grains per inch. A 20-inch shaft at 14 grains per inch is 280 grains. Screw on a 100-grain point and you're at 380, before the insert, nock and vanes add theirs. Check that total against your manual's minimum, not the shaft number alone.

One crossbow maker's guide sorts finished bolts into three classes:

• Lightweight, 350 to 400 grains: faster, flatter, but puts more energy back into the limbs, plus more vibration and noise
• Standard, 400 to 435 grains: the choice of most crossbow makers, per the same guide, because it quiets modern crossbows
• Heavyweight, 435 grains and up: the most kinetic energy and deeper penetration, but it drops faster, so yardage matters more

The same guide says light bolts are more easily pushed around by wind, rain and brush. Light bolts buy a flatter path. Heavy bolts buy quiet, energy and a crossbow that isn't absorbing the leftovers.

Some packs list bolt weight with a point, some without. Check which before you compare.

Nock: match the style your crossbow names

The nock is where string meets bolt, so most trouble starts there. The table's Nock column uses these styles:

• Flat: a flat back the string pushes on
• Half-moon: a shallow groove the string seats into
• Capture: a deeper nock with ears that hold the string
• Universal: a pack that ships with more than one nock style
• Proprietary: one maker's own design, for that maker's crossbows

Bowhunter's crossbow guide says flat and half-moon are the two most common styles, and that recommendations vary by crossbow, so check the manual. It adds two details worth knowing. Flat nocks work in most crossbows, but not those with sharp string angles. Half-moon nocks have to be lined up with the string, and one loaded crooked may not fire at all.

A half-moon nock is like a key in a deadbolt: one way works, the others don't.

Capture-style nocks came along as crossbows got narrower and faster. A crossbow maker's article explains why: on a narrow crossbow, the string can slip over or under an older-style nock and cause what it calls a simulated dry-fire, even on crossbows with dry-fire protection.

"Universal" doesn't mean it fits everything. On one maker's product pages, the universal system means moon nocks installed in the bolt, plus a second nock in the box for crossbows that use capture-style nocks. Swap to whichever your manual names, and don't mix styles in one quiver.

Lighted nock: a tracking aid that still has to match

A lighted nock turns on when the string hits it, so you can follow the bolt in low light and see where it went. The table marks whether a pack comes lighted. Most hunting setups add them later, and they have to match your crossbow's nock style the same way a plain nock does.

Any nock swap changes the finished bolt at its back end. Shoot your hunting bolts with the nocks you'll actually hunt with before opening day. Fit and styles are on the crossbow lighted nocks page.

Straightness: a maximum, read in thousandths

Straightness is the most a shaft is allowed to be off true, in inches. Smaller is straighter. The table shows the stated figure for every bolt that has one.

One maker's bolt pages say their figure is a maximum for every shaft, not an average across a batch. A maximum is a promise about every bolt in the pack. An average lets one bad shaft hide behind two good ones. The same pages list how closely each pack is matched for spine and weight, which matters just as much.

Shaft: carbon crossbow bolts or aluminum crossbow bolts

The table's Shaft column shows the stated material. Grand View Outdoors splits it:

• Carbon: more popular, flexes and recovers, so it usually lasts longer; it's straight or it's broken
• Aluminum: cheaper to make, but one wrong bend or kink and it's done
• Carbon-aluminum: an aluminum outer shaft over a carbon core

"Straight or broken" cuts both ways: carbon doesn't quietly take a bend, but a crack can hide in it, so it gets a flex check (below). One older crossbow manual recommends 20-inch aluminum bolts by shaft size right next to carbon ones. If yours does, aluminum is fine.

Diameter (ID): decides fit in the groove and which nocks fit

Inner diameter (ID) is the hole in the back of the shaft. It decides which nocks and lighted nocks slide in. Buy nocks by the bolt's stated ID, not by "looks about right."

Outside diameter matters for the barrel. Grand View Outdoors says a bolt that's too thin sits low in the barrel's groove. One that's too thick sits high and throws the nock out of line with the string. Both are reasons to stay with the size your manual lists.

Arrows per pack: plan for practice, spares and a hunting set

The bolts in the table come in packs of 3 or 6. Quick math for a season: you want a hunting set that's been shot with broadheads, a practice set with field points, and a spare or two for the bolt that finds a rock. (Six disappears faster than you'd think. Ask anyone who's walked to a target and come back with five.)

Point weight and FOC: 100 grains is the usual start

FOC (front of center) is how far the balance point sits ahead of the middle of the bolt. Bowhunter's crossbow guide says most shooters use 100-grain heads, and that a 125-grain head may add a slight edge, depending on the crossbow and bolt. A heavier head keeps more energy and raises FOC, though the article calls the difference small.

One crossbow maker's manual sets a 100-grain minimum for points and broadheads. It says going heavier won't hurt the crossbow and adds energy without giving up much speed. Heavier points do add to finished weight, so redo the quick math.

Hunting crossbow bolts: getting them ready for deer

Crossbow bolts for hunting are your practice bolts with a broadhead, set up so both hit together.

1. Sight in with field points that match your broadhead weight.
2. Pick a broadhead that's rated for crossbow speed and energy; Bowhunter's guide makes that point plainly.
3. Spin each bolt on its broadhead tip. One crossbow maker's manual says it should spin without wobble, and the blades don't need to line up with the vanes.
4. Shoot your broadheads at the same aiming spot as your field points and compare groups.
5. Mark the bolts that group, and hunt with those.

Bowhunter's guide says mechanical heads usually need no further tuning once field points are sighted in. Fixed blades may need more work. Broadhead types are on the crossbow broadheads page and the main broadheads page. Broadhead and crossbow rules vary by state, so check your state wildlife agency before the season.

Load, carry and unload your crossbow safely

One crossbow maker's manual describes loading this way: set the bolt in the barrel's groove with a vane down in it, then slide it back under the retention spring until it rests solidly against the string. Never let your fore-grip fingers or thumb rise above the barrel into the string's path. Wisconsin DNR adds the rest: check the safety right after cocking, raise and lower the crossbow from a stand uncocked on a haul line, and never fire it without a bolt.

To unload, fire a bolt into a safe target or soft, rock-free ground. The same manual suggests carrying a practice bolt in the quiver for exactly that, where your state allows it.

Check every bolt before you shoot it

A damaged carbon bolt can break when the string hits it and hurt you or someone near you. Inspect each bolt before every session and after any hit on something hard. Keep broadheads covered in the quiver.

Easton's flex test works on carbon bolts the same as arrows. Hold the shaft near the point and near the nock and flex it gently in an arc, away from you and anyone else. Repeat four to six times, turning it a bit each time. Then twist it in opposite directions. If you hear or feel cracking, throw it out. Archery 360 says to check nocks for cracks too, and a cracked nock gets replaced before that bolt goes back on the string.

Who should skip buying bolts right now

Skip it if:

• Your crossbow came with bolts you haven't shot yet; start with those, and the manual
• You don't know your crossbow's specs yet; find the manual first, then shop
• You shoot a compound or recurve; you want the compound bow arrows page instead
• You're still choosing a crossbow; bolts follow the crossbow, so start on the crossbow page

Walt's take: "A bolt's a bolt." It isn't, and the manual in his truck's glovebox agrees with me. Length, weight, nock. Write all three on the inside of the case lid.