Are you considering buying a crossbow and don't know what bolts are suitable for it?

In this article, we'll look at how to choose the right bolts for your crossbow and maybe improve your shooting and its accuracy. In the past, the bolts used for crossbows were mainly wooden bolts that had modified sharp points made of steel with a shape resembling squares. Because of this, crossbow bolts were also called quarrel bolts in the past - derived from the English word square. It was also because the possibilities of blacksmiths in the Middle Ages were limited, the point, often called the head, was prominent, bulky and made up at least 30% of the whole bolt. It had a cutting and inserting part, into which the bolt tube was inserted. Also, flat vanes were used at the end of the bolt to determine the ballistics of the projectile. Their weight was variable, depending on the length and diameter of the bolt produced. Today, the size of a bolt is measured and indicated worldwide in English measure, namely in inches".

CARBON BOLTS FOR CROSSBOW

Just as crossbows have undergone modernization, so have the bolts for them evolved. Nowadays, the most common bolt material is 100% carbon. Carbon fibers are extremely strong and lightweight. They have excellent structural properties, high tensile strength and they are used in modern automobile manufacturing, work components, in aviation or even in modern crossbow limbs. The first carbon fiber was produced by the French physicist Roger Bacon in 1958, but it was only about 20% pure carbon fiber, the manufacturing process has been improved and today we can easily enjoy shooting crossbows with bolts made of 100% carbon. Due to the high quality, durability and not simple manufacturing process, the price of these bolts is the highest. For many high-performance crossbows, such a bolt is the only one allowed and standardized by the manufacturer because of its strength and durability at high velocity.

DURALUMIN CROSSBOW BOLTS

The second most commonly used material for crossbows' bolts is aluminum or duralumin. Such bolts are perhaps the most spread bolts. You can find different lengths and brands. The most common lengths for larger crossbows are 16'', 18'', 20'' and 22 inches. Because of the material available for manufacture, these bolts are affordable, lightweight, but they don't last as long as carbon bolts. Aluminum or duralumin bolts are suitable for all types of crossbows, as long as their construction allows. For this bolt material, you will often see the 2018 and 2219 bolt tube markings. These are the manufacturer's standardized markings for the diameter of the bolt, the 2018 marked bolt has a diameter of about 7.9 mm, while the 2219 bolt marking marks the diameter of the bolt of about 8.6 mm. A thicker bolt in turn has a higher weight and thus reduces the speed of the shot.

LAMINATE OR PLASTIC CROSSBOW BOLTS

This type of bolts is the most numerous for shooting with basic less powerful pistol crossbows. Here, their length is around 6.5". They are compatible between pistol crossbows and often differ only in make, color, and shape of the vanes. Laminate bolts are also used for larger recurve crossbows.

UHLÍKOVÝ LAMINÁT / SKLOLAMINÁT

The big news is an affordable type of bolts mostly for pistol crossbows, namely a composite of carbon and laminate fibers, called mix carbon. These bolts are durable, lightweight and really cost effective. They are perfect for pistol crossbows of even stronger performance. Even AFG Archery bolts have superior components like a duralumin nock and a deeply bonded broadhead. They are also available with steel Bodkin hunting tips or with blades made of sharpened steel. Their durability is superior. They are gently flexible thanks to the laminate content and strong thanks to the carbon used. They will not crack with numerous off-target shots.

DETERMINING BOLTS FOR CROSSBOW

Make sure that you choose the right type of bolt for your crossbow in the first place. Not all pistol crossbows are the same, we already have atypical crossbows in their category and the manufacturer produces special bolts for them. These are, for example, the Ek-Archery Cobra system crossbow models of the R/ RX and ADDER series. The R9 and RX series exclusively use 15"  and 7.5" carbon bolts with a 7.5 mm diameter.

The ADDER crossbow model with magazine, on the other hand, will only accommodate these aforementioned shorter 7.5" bolts, but you can also select the types of hunting bolts for the ADDER crossbow magazine.

Another atypical model of crossbows with specific bolts are the crossbows by the German brand FMA Engineering Supersonic. These small but extremely powerful crossbows use special small-diameter carbon bolts.

As we have mentioned, you can use 6.3 - 6.5" bolts for most pistol crossbows. This is also true for crossbows by the Austrian brand Steambow Stinger models, which work with a magazine. However, we recommend shooting only bolts with a minimum weight of 10 grams with the stronger 90 lbs. limbs. This is due to the higher kinetic energy of the weapon.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT BOLT FOR YOUR LARGER RECURVE CROSSBOW?

It depends on the rail length if you plan to use hunting points as well. These broadheads are screw on instead of factory broadheads and must always protrude in front of the rail, so you must choose a bolt length that is more than the distance from the trigger to the end of the rail. Mostly, however, recurve crossbows use bolt lengths from 16'-18''. Duralumin, laminate, and even carbon bolts are suitable.

For compound crossbows we recommend you to use only duralumin or carbon bolts of proper weight; at least 26 grams. Also pay attention to the power of your weapon. If your crossbow has a power of 400 fps or more, choose only carbon bolts that have high stiffness and can withstand a strong shot. The average length of bolts for compound crossbows is 20'' to 22''. For extra models it is even 16”.

COMPONENTS AND PARTS OF THE BOLT

Bolts consist of a tube, i.e., the main material that determines its basic properties, such as duralumin (aluminum), carbon, etc. The nock is the rear part of the bolt, which crosses the string. The insert is the intermediate piece that connects and dampens the impact of the arrowhead and the arrow tube. Of course, there are also the vanes, which are the rudders of the bolt that hold and give direction during the bolt's flight.

WATCH OUT FOR THE NOCKS!

We recommend that you use the most common types of bolts for recurve and compound crossbows with the moon or halfmoon nock, which is crescent shaped and is typified for modern crossbows. In the past, so-called flat nocks were used, that is, the shape of a flat headed nock. They are rare nowadays and such nocks can seriously damage the trigger mechanism of a crossbow for which they are not intended. So today, more or less only bolts with a moon / half-moon tip are available. Special crossbows are again an exception, for example U.S. manufacturer Barnett and its hyper series, which use dedicated hyperflite bolts with a deep nock.

The vanes are basically consumables, and once deformed, you can simply swap them out on the arrow tube for other, better ones, such as to suit your taste in colour. They will often help you in identifying the bolt in space. The so-called luminous nock, which flashes, changes color and has several color modes, is also used for this purpose. This way you simply won't lose your bolt.

USEFUL GADGET – DECOCKING BOLT

This is a modern gadget with which you can safely discharge your crossbow. As you may have noticed, after you have cocked it, there is nothing left to do but to shoot. And when you are in nature, in the woods and you have missed your target you can reach for the decocking bolt. In our offer you will find such disposable, but also durable decocking bolts.

For choosing the right bolts, take our advice or note the recommended bolts for specific crossbows. Often the bolt intended for a particular crossbow bears its name in the title. An indispensable aid to the shooter for drawing bolts from targets is a bolt puller. Try it out, you'll pull that bolt out much easier!