The Best Crossbows, Accuracy and Speed Tested

A few years ago there was an incredible speed race in the crossbow market. It resulted in several crossbows that shot arrows above 515 fps, which meant you only had to account for 2 inches of drop between 20 and 50 yards. With those fast crossbows came high prices and maintenance costs since the strings didn’t last very long.

Currently the market is focused on reasonably fast bows, compact profiles, and time-tested designs that provide a lot of value for the dollar. Most importantly, they all have our favorite crossbow feature —— accuracy. We shot 40, three-shot groups at 50 yards from ten new crossbows this year. Those 40 groups averaged 2.39 inches.

Former OL shooting editor Townsend Whelen said, “Only accurate rifles are interesting.” The groups from this year’s test show that the same is true for crossbows. Here are this year’s results.

Jump to our testing protocol

The Best Crossbows Compared

A look at the top performing crossbows from this year’s test. *Weights listed are without accessories. Momentum Unit: slug ft/s

The Best Crossbows of 2025

Editor’s Choice, Best Overall: TenPoint Turbo X

The TenPoint Turbo X was the most accurate crossbow we tested this year. It’s also $870 cheaper than the second most accurate crossbow and $1,200 less than the fastest crossbow. It was one of the easiest to cock and decock and it shot very well in all field positions. When you add up those factors and our score sheets, we couldn’t deny the Turbo X as the 2025 editor’s choice winner. 

Turbo X shot a 1.23-inch group average out of four, three-shot groups at 50 yards. While the bench shooting was impressive, the crossbow was far from done showing off. Horner shot the crossbow off-hand extensively and printed several 3-inch groups at 50. He also stretched it out to 85 yards off-hand, and his group was under 8 inches. 

Over the years of testing crossbows, I’ve learned that some are sensitive to shooter input. For example, if you pull the stock tightly into your shoulder on one shot and use a relaxed grip on the next, the arrows hit in different places. The Turbo X maintained the same point of impact for two shooters on the bench, offhand, and off a tripod. 

What about broadheads? We tested that too. At 40 yards, a G5 DeadMeat hit perfectly with the field point. A Muzzy Trocar Crossbow Broadhead, hit about 3-inches low. We also shot a TenPoint Evo-X as well, and it landed more than 8 inches from the field point’s impact point. We were hoping the Turbo X would shoot any fixed blade given its relatively low speed and high-accuracy potential. But if you’re planning on shooting fixed heads, we recommend trying a few different designs to see what flies best.

The Turbo X uses TenPoint’s ACUslide cocking mechanism, it’s also used on the $2,650 Flatline 460. It’s a very easy system to use. You can go from unloaded to ready to fire in under 30 seconds. We think the cocking effort is low enough that a young hunter can crank it back on their own. 

The Turbo X isn’t the fastest crossbow by any means. We chronographed it at 415 fps with a 400-grain arrow and measured its drop from 20 to 40 yards at 6.5 inches. So while it’s about 100 fps slower than the TenPoint TRX 515, it will still give you plenty of forgiveness in range estimation. One benefit of a slower crossbow is that the strings don’t wear out as quickly as their higher fps counterparts.

The main disadvantage of the Turbo X is that it’s a long crossbow. It won’t be easy to maneuver in a ground blind or through thick brush. Another con is the scope rail isn’t made of metal like we see on more expensive crossbows.

Great Buy: Wicked Ridge Invader M1 De-Cock

Throughout our many crossbow tests, we’ve reviewed a bunch of crossbows under $1,000 and usually the main differentiator is their ease of loading and build quality. This year was no different. The top two budget crossbows, the Barnett XP405 and the Wicked Ridge Invader M1, were equally accurate but the Invader M1 was far easier to cock due to its integrated cocking mechanism. The version of the Invader M1 we tested also has the new de-cock feature. 

The Invader M1 De-Cock has TenPoint’s ACUdraw De-Cock built into it. It uses a sled, which is stored neatly on the butt stock, to hook onto the string. The cocking handle, stored alongside the forend, inserts into the stock and winds the string back. The bow’s draw weight is 190 pounds, but the force required to turn the handle is only 5 pounds. It was one of the easiest crossbows we tested in terms of cocking effort. Other than the safety clicking on, the whole operation is silent and can be done in a treestand with little movement. De-cocking the crossbow is just as easy and silent.

The Invader M1 De-Cock is an all-around great bow for the money. If you’re interested in picking one up though, you’ll have to navigate three variations of the Invader M1. The Invader M1 De-Cock with the ACUdraw 50 Sled De-Cock costs $700, but it’s a manual cocking crossbow. The mechanism is still integrated into the crossbow, but rather than cranking the string back you’ll pull it back with the two attached handles. You’ll also manually let the string down. The ACUdraw Crank De-Cock is the version we tested, which costs $900 and has the crank to pull the string back or forward. The standard Invader M1 costs $750 and is the same crossbow we tested minus the de-cocking feature.

Most Reliable: Excalibur Hybrid X

The Excalibur Hybrid X finished second in our accuracy testing with a 1.89-inch average. It also had the lightest trigger we tested by almost a half pound. But, what makes this crossbow unique is its innovative design — it’s a hybrid compound and recurve crossbow. That gives the Hybrid X the speed of a compound crossbow and the easy maintenance of a recurve.

Whether your crossbow string wears out or it somehow gets damaged, you can change the string on the Hybrid X without a bow press. All you need is the Hybrid X Stringing Aid, which costs $40. Crossbow hunters who have had their bow go down in the field know how useful this feature really is.

The Hybrid X requires 12 pounds of cocking effort, but it feels less than that because the cocking mechanism is so smooth. Everything about getting the Hybrid X loaded is easy: from the smart cocking handle storage to the speed to the low effort cranking. The one quirk is that when the mechanism locks onto the string you have to manually put the safety on. 

The Hybrid X’s balance point is farther back, which can make it a little tricky to get seated in a tripod saddle. However, it shot well off hand and kneeling and it can make precision shots in any field position.

Best Speed Bow: Ravin 470

The Ravin R470 is an exceptionally compact bow at 26.75-inches long and 12.5-inches wide. Those dimensions will make it easy to carry through the woods and use in tight spaces like a blind. Usually crossbows that are compact aren’t very fast due to their short power stroke, but this one is cooks at 475 fps. That’s due to Ravin’s HexCoil cams which rotate 300 degrees and can generate a lot more speed per inch of draw length and pound of draw weight.

Its accuracy was good at a 2.375-inch group average at 50 yards. But not as good as some of the slower bows, which is not unusual based on our testing. It’s still going to be plenty accurate for normal archery hunting distances.

The R470 uses a screw drive cocking mechanism (VersaDrive), which uses threaded rods to move the cocking mechanism forward and back. It’s a very simple operation, but it does require 17 pounds of cocking effort. That’s more than 3x the Turbo X’s cocking effort. The R470 is at the top-tier of crossbows in terms of price and it has the build quality to match. You’ll find a lot of aluminum instead of plastic in the construction. But it does have some ergonomic cons. The cocking handle is uncomfortable to use and feels cheaply made. The kicker on the cocking handle is that replacements cost $85. The safety location is next to your ear and difficult to find while the crossbow is shouldered.

Despite those cons, the R470 is an engineering marvel. Its compact build, fast speeds, good accuracy, and light trigger make it a deadly option for the serious crossbow hunter.

Best Budget: Barnett XP405

The Barnett XP405 only costs $600, but it has some excellent features and impressive accuracy. It has 4.5 inches of length of pull adjustment to fit a wide range of users. We found it to be well balanced for positional shooting, and it’s stable while shooting off a knee, tripod, or unsupported. It has a great trigger for a budget crossbow, which helped it shoot a 2.18-inch group average. That group average was the fourth best in the test and better than crossbows that cost four times as much as the XP405. It comes as a manual cocking crossbow, but a crank can be purchased separately ($150). 

We used the included rope cocker and found it easy to cock for a non-crank. It features a simple yet ingenious design for using the rope cocker: a rope keeper. There’s a ball just behind the rope cocker groove that keeps the rope in place while you’re getting the sled in place. It has dry fire safeties for extra peace of mind while getting an arrow loaded.

Best Beanfield Crossbow: Ravin LR

If you spend your time in a treestand or box blind looking out over a beanfield or open oak flat, this is the ultimate crossbow for you. It’s designed to be a rock-solid shooting platform for making long-range shots. I shot this crossbow from 50 to 100 yards and it shot excellent groups at all distances. But what was most impressive was the point of impact consistency. On some crossbows, a slight change in how hard you press your cheek into the stock or shoulder into the buttpad can cause your point of impact to shift. Even switching from a shooting bag to a tripod to offhand can cause point of impact changes, but not so with the LR.

The LR has a nice flat for-end, which is perfect for shooting off a tripod, laying on a bag, or resting on your knee. It has an extended Picatinny section on the for-end for mounting a bipod or other accessories. It also has an extended scope rail which allows you to mount larger scopes and thermal clip-on devices. The extended rail also adds rigidity to the crossbow, which helps with accuracy.

The LR also has an adjustable length of pull and comb to help the crossbow fit a wide range of archers. Features like that go a long way in helping you feel comfortable when you’re taking a shot on a deer.

Read my full Ravin LR review for more information including how it shot at 100 yards and how much arrow drop you can expect from 0 to 50 yards.

Tenpoint TX 28

My favorite feature on the TX 28 is the safety location. Yes, this crossbow is packed with great engineering, but finally there’s a crossbow with an ergonomic safety. Most crossbow safeties are located far from the trigger, which means you have to hunt for the safety. The TX 28’s safety can be actuated with your thumb while your finger rests just outside the trigger guard.

The TX 28 is very compact at only 28-inches long and 11-inches wide uncocked. But it has good ergonomics for a tiny crossbow. It balances well for positional shooting and it has a good forend for clamping into a tripod. I would like to see the forend be flat rather than ramped for tripod shooting though.

The TX 28 uses TenPoints ACUslide, which is among the easiest cocking mechanisms to use. We tested it with the 445-grain CenterPunch HPX arrows that keep the speed under 400 fps. If you want the most speed from the TX28, you can use the Pro Elite 400 arrows. The TX 28’s accuracy wasn’t spectacular, but it was far from poor. A 2.41-inch group average at 50 yards is beyond good enough for deer hunting.

Great Crossbows from Past Tests

Best Recurve: Excalibur RevX

We haven’t been enthusiastic about recurve crossbows mainly because the cranking mechanisms or rope cockers they used weren’t easy to use. The cranks also typically lacked the ability to stop mid-draw and if your hand did slip off the crank handle, it would crack your knuckles as it spun forward. But, the Excalibur RevX is different. It’s incredibly smooth and easy to load. It also has modern amenities like a built-in crank you can pause. 

It averaged a sub-2-inch group at 50 yards, which put it third in our accuracy rankings at our 2024 crossbow test. It also finished third in our handling scores that year. Yes, a recurve crossbow is slower than compound offerings. But, they’re much easier to maintain. You can even change a string in the field in just a few minutes. 

The crank handle stows securely under the stock and is wonderfully executed. The cocking order of operations takes some getting used to because it’s not as automated as other crossbows. One of the key points is that you must manually engage the safety after you clip the firing mechanism on the string. This is a extra safety step that other crossbows don’t require, but it’s one you’ll used to with time.

The ergonomics and trigger were among the best we’ve tested and all the testers agreed the RevX is a fun bow to shoot. The RevX provides that overlooked aspect of crossbow ownership. If you don’t mind a bow that’s a little slower than the rest, but want something that’s accurate and joy to practice with, here’s the best option. 

Ravin R29X

The Ravin R29X was released in 2020, and yet it’s still a dominant crossbow. It offers good speed and incredible accuracy well beyond what most would consider ethical hunting ranges. After doing our official accuracy testing at 50 yards, all three testers shot the R29X at 100 yards and our groups averaged 3.5 inches with a light crosswind. That’s not a distance we’d recommend for hunting, but it was interesting to see the bow’s capability. 

At 50 yards the R29X had the smallest group average at 1.16 inches. We shot three different brands of mechanical broadheads through the R29X (SEVR, G5, and Rage) and they all grouped with field points. Ravin crossbows are consistently the most accurate we test, and we think that’s partly due to the bolts clicking onto the string. That adds some consistency over most other arrows which have a groove that rests against the string rather than snapping onto it. Of course, clicking the arrow onto the string is an added step in the loading process. Even with that added step, the R29X scored the highest in the ease of loading category. It’s very easy to crank for most adults; Ravin says it requires 12 pounds of force. We also like that the rail is open without brushes or anything getting in the way of easily loading the bolt. The internal cocking mechanism is simple to use and the only noise comes from the clicks made while releasing the firing mechanism and clicking it onto the string. Our main complaint with the firing process is that the safety is located away from the trigger guard, making it hard to reach. It also lacks a positive click when you move it into the fire position. 

The R29X’s bullpup design makes it short and keeps the balance point close to your body, which aids in off-hand shooting stability. The short design is also great for maneuverability, but some will find the 13-inch length of pull a little too short for a comfortable cheek weld. 

The forend has a rubberized grip for off-hand shooting, which is comfortable for balancing in your palm. The downside of the rubberized grip is that it’s not ideal for clamping into a tripod or resting on a support. A flatter and more solid foregrip would be an upgrade there. For bipod shooting, there’s a section of Picatinny rail at the forward most point of the forend and we love that it’s metal rather than plastic. 

When the R29X first came out it was among the fastest crossbows available, but in 2024 you can get a bow that’s 65 fps faster. Its now considered average in speed, but it’s still plenty fast. We found arrows fired from the R29X drop 6.8 inches from 20 to 50 yards. In other words, you won’t be penalized for misjudging range by a few yards in a hunting scenario. 

All the crossbow testers were asked: “If you had to take one of these bows hunting tomorrow, which would you choose?” The unanimous answer was the R29X. It does everything you want a hunting crossbow to do and its accuracy leaves no doubts when you settle the crosshairs behind a deer’s shoulder.  

Tenpoint TRX 515 

Like the 4-minute mile, the 500 fps crossbow seemed impossible. But, we’re now on the second generation of 500+ fps bows and they’re getting faster and better. The main issue we had with the first gen Tenpoint Nitro 505 was its inconsistent broadhead accuracy. However this year we shot SEVR and G5 mechanical broadheads from the TRX 515 and they grouped right with field points at 50 yards. That’s a huge improvement and it makes the TRX 515 an excellent option for the speed fanatics. 

What does all that speed get you? The 445-grain CenterPunch HPX arrows only drop 2.5 inches from 20 to 50 yards. It delivers nearly twice the momentum of the fastest compound bow we tested this year. The arrow will reach a target 40 yards away in about .25 seconds, which makes it nearly impossible for a deer to duck the arrow at closer ranges. See our article on The Truth About Deer Jumping the String for more on that.

All that performance comes at a steep, $3,450 price. If you want the TRX 515 with the awesome Garmin Xero scope, it’ll run you $5,000. It’s a bit of sticker shock and while the bow is fast it’s not without its faults. 

It shot a 2.54-inch average at 50 yards, which is ok accuracy for hunting, but not stellar. We found it awkward to guide the arrow down the rail and nock onto the string without the fletching getting caught between the string and rail. The brush arrow rest at the front helps keep your arrow in position, but it also contributes to the awkward loading. The trigger has minimal creep, but it is heavy and we think that contributed to the large group average. A final knock is that it utilizes plastic parts, which is common in crossbows to reduce weight. But, for a bow with the TRX 515’s price tag a carbon stock instead of plastic would be more appropriate and provide the owner with more value.

Ravin R10X

Like the R29X the R10X isn’t new, but this 2021 model is still a great buy in 2024. It was right behind the Excalibur in the accuracy rankings (fourth overall) and it is easy to load, much like the Ravin R29X. The only drawback in the loading process is the crank handle can hit the scope if you’re not careful. 

It’s a longer crossbow than the bullpup designs that currently dominate the market. We found the safety lacked a positive click to let you know it’s in the fire position, which led us to visually inspect it each time. 

Crossbows tend to jump from $1,000 to $2,000+, and the R10 is a nice compromise between a budget bow and the top of the line models.

How We Tested

Speed

We measured crossbow speed using a Garmin Xero C1 chronograph. Each crossbow was shot three times, and we averaged the speeds to give you the specs listed. For context, the bolt weight is also listed for each bow.

Accuracy

Two testers shot two, three-shot groups at 50 yards from each crossbow. That gave us a total of four groups per crossbow. We averaged those four groups to give you the accuracy specs listed. 

Trigger Pull

We averaged three trigger pulls for using a Wheeler Professional Digital Trigger Pull Gauge.

Cocking and Loading

We evaluated each crossbow for how easy and intuitive it was to cock and load. We also took note of safety features, the noisiness of cocking mechanisms, and each crossbow’s manual of arms.

Handling

We tested accuracy from the bench, but that’s probably not how you’ll shoot when hunting, so we also shot crossbows offhand, kneeling, and off a tripod to see how they handled in field positions. 

Some of the crossbows received extra attention to provide additional data points. We checked arrow drop, shot groups at 100 yards, and shot broadheads at 40 to 50 yards with select bows. 

The Test Team

Scott Einsmann: Outdoor Life’s gear editor and lifelong archery nerd. 

Derek Horner: OL’s manager of audience development, who has hunted deer with everything from flintlocks to crossbows.

Crossbow hunters have been asking for more high-value options instead of cool, but outrageously expensive, ones. We tested three crossbows that deliver on that demand: the TenPoint Turbo X, the Wicked Ridge Invader M1, and Barnett XP 405. Each provides a lot of value at different price points and can fill a freezer without breaking the bank.