Crossbow VS Compound Bow VS Pellet Gun — The Best Hunting Weapon?

There are several different types of hunting weapons these days. Among the top hunting equipment, a crossbow, a compound bow and a pellet gun are the most widely used. All these are projectile weapons. Crossbows shoot darts, compound bows shoot arrows while pellet guns or airguns shoot steel pellets. So, which is the best hunting weapon among these? Let’s compare the advantages and drawbacks of each hunting weapon to identify the best between them!

Crossbow for Small Game Hunting

A crossbow is an advanced version of a traditional bow and arrow. It looks like a rifle or a pistol. There is a trigger that you need to pull to shoot darts. It is mostly used for small game hunting. Here are its pros and cons.

• Easy to Use

The most prominent feature of a crossbow is the ease of use. It is the easiest to use weapon for hunting. It is operated like a rifle or a pistol. You need to pull the trigger to shoot darts, as simple as that. There is no other hunting weapon that is easy and simple to use.

• Ideal for Beginners

Beginners tend to struggle when it comes to hunting weapons. They want an easy to use weapon so that they can get a good control of the weapon. So, for beginners, a crossbow is an ideal choice. They can use it pretty easily without any prior experience.

• Ideal for Disabled Hunters

There are many disabled hunters in the US. For these individuals, a crossbow is the weapon to use for hunting. Since it works like a rifle, it is easier to control and easier to use. Therefore, disabled hunters can maintain a good control over the weapon and use it perfectly.

• Cheapest Hunting Weapon

A Crossbow is also the cheapest hunting weapon. Not just the price of the weapon is the lowest compared to other weapons, it proves to be very cost effective. You can reuse the darts and as a result, you need to buy a lot of darts, so save money.

• Good Accuracy, Range & Velocity

Accuracy, range and velocity are the factors that determine the effectiveness of a hunting weapon. It can shoot at great accuracy. In addition, it can shoot at a good range. Generally, the effective range is around 500 feet. The velocity can also be more than 500 feet per second.

• Lack of Strength

The issue with a crossbow is the lack of strength. Sometimes, it is simply not powerful enough to take down a big animal. It is a great small game hunting weapon, not a great big game hunting weapon. This is due to the lack of strength and power.

• Noisy Weapon

Another problem with a crossbow is that it makes a lot of noise. Noise produced by the weapon causes a lot of trouble for the hunter. It can distract the animal and he would escape quickly. What a disappointment if your hunt escapes from your range and then you are left with nothing.

• Weighty

Draw weight is a factor that determines the shooting range and velocity of the hunting weapon. Higher is the draw weight, higher is the velocity and the range. However, a weighty hunting weapon like this is very difficult to carry on the field. So, this is a huge drawback of a crossbow.

• Slow

If your hunting weapon is slow, it is not effective. A crossbow is very slow to reload darts and hence it becomes ineffective. When it takes a lot of time to reload darts, your prey can escape and run away from your reach in the meantime.

Compound Bow for Small Game Hunting

A compound bow is also a projectile weapon and it shoots darts. It is like a traditional bow but it has been improved. Now, these bows can shoot at good velocity, and have beater shooting range. It is among the most popular hunting weapons these days. Here are its pros and cons.

• Strength

The huge plus with a compound bow is the strength that it possesses. Since it shoots huge arrows, expect it to take down a huge animal with ease. It is the best big game hunting weapon. It is extremely strong and has the power to take down a deer with ease.

• Easy to Carry

The advantage of a compound bow is that it is very easy to carry. Yes, draw weight matters a lot when it comes to shooting range and velocity. However, a compound bow is one of the hunting weapons that is very easy to carry because the draw weight is pretty low.

• Silent

A compound bow is a silent hunting weapon that makes no noise at all. There is no sound produced when arrows are shot from the weapon. This makes it an ideal hunting weapon. Your prey is never distracted and hence he stays within your range. You can get him any time.

• Good Accuracy, Range & Velocity

Like a crossbow, a compound bow also promises good accuracy, range and velocity. Accuracy, range and velocity are the factors that determine the effectiveness of a hunting weapon. It can shoot at great accuracy. In addition, it can shoot at a good range. Generally, the effective range is around 500 feet. The velocity can also be more than 500 feet per second.

• Hard to Use for Beginners

For beginners, it is not the best hunting weapon to use. It is hard to use for them as they are new to this. It requires some skill and practice in order to become a shooter with a compound bow.

• Hard to Use for Disabled Hunters

It is also hard to use for disabled hunters. They can never manage a good control on the weapon. They may not lack skills but they lack the physical requirement to use it with perfection. Therefore, it is not recommended to disabled hunters as a hunting weapon.

• Requires a Lot of Training & Practice

Pellet Gun for Small Game Hunting

Pellet guns are also known as air guns. These are widely used hunting weapons around. These are real guns that shoot steel BBs known as pellets. These are powerful bullets that can be useful in small game as well as big game hunting. Here are its pros and cons.

• Good Range & Accuracy

Like the other two hunting weapons, pellet guns also offer good accuracy, range and velocity. Accuracy, range and velocity are the factors that determine the effectiveness of a hunting weapon. It can shoot at great accuracy. In addition, it can shoot at a good range. Generally, the effective range is around 300 feet. The velocity can also be more than 350 feet per second.

• Easy to Use

Pellet guns work like real guns and hence they are very simple to use. There is a trigger mechanism that helps in shooting. You need to pull the trigger in order to shoot pellets. Pellets are the BBs made of steel. These are very powerful bullets and can cause serious issues. Don’t mix them with airsoft BBs. These steel BBs are more powerful and can be used for small game hunting effectively. Anyway, these are very simple to use for beginners and disabled hunters.

• Too Noisy

Pellet guns are generally too noisy and hence this makes them slightly ineffective. Noise produced by the weapon causes a lot of trouble for the hunter. It can distract the animal and he would escape quickly. What a disappointment if your hunt escapes from your range and then you are left with nothing

• Most Air Guns are Expensive

Pellet guns are also not the cheapest hunting weapons. Compared to other hunting weapons, these are expensive. The prices are on the higher side. In addition, you need to buy a lot of steel BBs or pellets. This makes it pretty expensive and costly as you need to purchase many BBs.

• Ineffective at Times

At times, pellet guns are simply ineffective. As mentioned, these guns fire steel BBs. Yes, these are made of steel but they are not that powerful to take down a big animal. You can say that these are not the big game hunting weapons but the small game hunting weapons.

The Best Hunting Weapon?

So, you have explored all these hunting weapons, which of these seems the best for hunting? Well, all these weapons are effective and useful in hunting both small game and big game. However, comparing the pros and cons of each of these weapons, a crossbow comes up as the best hunting weapon and slightly better than a compound bow and the pellet gun. It is easier to use and is ideal for all types of hunters. It is ideal for both small game and big game hunting. In addition, it is the cheapest hunting weapon. So the crossbow is our pick!