Vertical bow vs. crossbow accuracy

[Stash]

Top vertical bow shooters have always outshot top offhand crossbow shooters in competition shooting. However, since there have been very few crossbow shooters competing in the same competition events, it's possibly not a fair generalization to make.

Last year in Ontario at the 3D Championship we had one crossbow shooter who not only scored higher than all the top "Open" division compound shooters, but he also beat or tied them at the two 2010 indoor target championship events and the one 2011 event that has been completed this year as well.

Maybe it's just a matter of getting the numbers out competing and eventually more good offhand crossbow shooters will develop?

[sumner4991]

Maybe it's just a matter of getting the numbers out competing and eventually more good offhand crossbow shooters will develop?

Then it's a matter of muscle tone, just like the compounds. When I was in my prime and shooting my compound a lot, I could put it away for the Summer months and when I grabbed it in the fall to "get ready" for the season, I had no trouble hitting anything. However, shooting it several times accurately was an issue. I had to get my muscles toned again. Today's compounds are far easier to shoot accurately than the Bear Whitetail Hunter I used. I seriously doubt it really takes a lot of practice to stay deadly.

Holding the crossbow freehand takes some muscle strength. A lot of it, especially if you are going to shoot it accurately.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

[Dash]

There's many people who can pull off a few very accurate freehand crossbow shots. But for crossbow competicion shooting takes a bit of training unless your day job is bricklaying . As your arm and shoulder endurance increases, you start getting consistantly accurate shots over a longer period of time. Ive Practiced 120 shots for the WCSA comp once, just to see how I would go. I'm in shape, but started losing accuracy after only 40-50.
I imagine though, that a serious crossbow shooter who's going to put in the hard yards could hold their own with the best of them.

[DuckHunt]

Free handed at 30 yards, I can keep arrows from either of them in a 3" group. I can case both of them and pull them out six months later and repeat. The only difference is the vertical group may not be dead center. It will be just as tight a group, but maybe not center. A few extra arrows to dial it in and I'm confident with both.

I agree Dash. I have shot a couple local annual shoots that have about 45 targets. After about 30 shots, the ExoMax can wear on you.

DuckHunt

[Aero320]

I have bow hunted for nearly 20 tears, first with Pearson bow, then with Matthews for the last twelve years. Killed at least one deer every year and some monsters along the way. Year before last, my elbow started swelling up when I started practicing in the summer so now I can only use a muzzleloader or deer rifle ( will be 60 next month). The crossbow gives me the opportunity to hunt another ten years. As far as accuracy and practice, some years I practiced beginning in the summer, some years a week before season started. You have a kill zone on a whitetail of about 6 inches. It does not take a lot of practice to hit an area that size and the longest bow kill I can remember was 37 yards (not really a difficult shot). I have made some shots that required me to thread an arrow through a tight passage in the brush in order for the arrow to reach the kill zone. I also find it difficult to draw the compound from a stand when it is 20 degrees and I am cold. Anyone else have that problem?

I started reading this forum (as well as a bunch of others) and have decided on an Excaliber. First was going to go with the Vortex but may instead use the Ibex. Plan on using the rope cocker and will be hunting in tree stands as well as ground blind. I stopped at Bass Pro the other day and cocked one of the 225 pound Excaliber bows with no problem; might be different five years from now though. I noticed most of the hunting crossbows were 175 pounds. The crossbow gives me the opportunity continue enjoying all of the excitement of archery hunting.

[Limbs and Sticks]

Welcome aero320 good choice

WES

[WTB]

Let us throw in another contenderTraditional (Long, Recurve) Bows. Of course to become accurate with this type of bow, it takes lots of practice (muscle strenght) and a consistant method. I know of folks that can out shoot both clompounds and crossbows.

In situations that requires multiple shots and a short time period (quick shots) (self-defense)(end-times)etc. I'll pick-up my 62lb self-made recuvre (no rope cocker,no-release,no scope or sights,three finger release). At 20yards,I'd stick you where I want at least 2 times before you can set your rope cocker or release. I may not hit 1" (I will hit 3-5"groups) but if I hit my intended target multiple times before the target can reload, I'm way ahead.

I all cases with all types of weapons the shooters skill is,in most cases the deciding factor

[secret]

I split just as many X-7s when i shot league as i split Gold Tip Lazer 2s with my crossbow.....but i never got a Triple Banana with my compound

[dwilley]

Sun shone enough this afternoon that I got to try shooting both, but at 25 yards rather than 40 yards, more my range.
Off hand the compound wins, 3 inch vs a 5 inch group, but with a rest that 5 inch group for the crossbow, shrinks to slightly less than two inches.
I shot about 15 arrows per group, (not at the same target at the same time, I would not make that rookie mistake.........again, ) all using field points.
Anecdotal, but..........
cheers,
David

[jag]

So, In general, most would say that a compound bow is easier to shoot and is more accurate than a crossbow from a standing, free handed style of shooting. Right? If that is the case, is there something mechanical to it? Maybe the way the string moves in the vertical movement? Or maybe it is the way you hold a compound? What is it? My results are the same as most. I can shoot a 3 inch group out to 50 yards with my compound (with peep and pins), when I shoot a lot. But, have hard time shooting a 3 inch group at 30 yds with my crossbow, from a freehand style. Has anyone ever done a side-by-side test on it?

[Aero320]

It just occurred to me that I will not have to stand up in the treestand to shoot a crossbow. Have a Lone Wolf climbing stand that has a bracket that you sit un for climbing. Think it will rotate around also to be used as a rest. I am excited about hunting again. Will stop by BPS in Nashville tonight to look at xbows. Think final choice will be either Ibex or Axiom.

[Super 91]

This is quite an detailed question.

I think if you do a side by side comparison with identical equipment, then you might could get similar results. But you would need to use something like the new IN-Line Crossbow from Hickory Creek archery which could be shot vertically and then horizontally. There are a number of factors that work different from one position to another, and that might be why your results might vary.

I plan on doing a side by side test of these two bows here an a few weeks. I hope to outline why one way might be better than the other, but I will have to wait to see how the tests turn out to know for certain what the results are. I'm excited about doing the tests though!

[jag]

The In-Line Crossbow would be the bow to test it on. Another theory: maybe the limbs sticking out away from the center of the bow (horizontal) makes it more touchy than if everything was in line (vertical). If this has something to do with it, maybe the shorter the crossbow, the better. Anyone notice the difference in the shorter a-a bows over the longer or wider crossbows?

[Dash]

I'm not sold on Compound accuracy being better than a crossbow. Although good competition crossbow shooters are a lot thinner on the ground. The results bench shooting an excalibur shows great accuracy. So its all the variables with the person behind it that creates the looser groups.
Last week I shot the 30 shots at the 60 yards in a friendly archery comp ( after shooting 60 shots at shorter ranges). Technically the different bow groups were not competing against each other. Conditions outdoors at the time were a unsteady sidewind and 102f temp. Not great conditions. But none of the compound archers could get near my Ibex at 60 yards with the same consistancy. I left the equinox at home as I wasn't planning to do the 60, and was more than happy the Ibex performed that well. It made my day, as I had been getting the usual negative comments earlier about how "crossbows are only good at really close range". Of course after they saw my score, then I was told that at 75 -80 it would have been different...... No point argueing I must have been just lucky ......... lucky with every one of those shots
Out this way, with the negative media on crossbows, and the unfortunate fact that no archery clubs in this city will allow sporting crossbows, Compound bow users outnumber us at least 100 to 1. It is a numbers game to a certain extent here. I think if there was as many serious crossbow shooters in clubs and competitions as compound archers, the results would start to even out a bit.

[jag]

Dash

You are right, crossbows are very accurate, off a rest, but are they as accurate or easy to shoot in a free hand, standing style? An "average Joe" can shoot a good group at 30 yards after a little practice with a compound bow, but can that be achieved so easily with a crossbow? I have been shooting both ways and, for me and others I have spoke with, vertical is far better than horizontal (again this is from the standing, free handed style). Is that what you experience?