ORIGINAL: bronko22000
I have to respectfully disagree to some extent. You are implying that anyone can pick up a crossbow and hit a target at 40 yds and beyond without any practice. That statement is totally absurd. As for drop, well check this site out. Here is a comparison test.
http://www.tenpointcrossbows.com/video_trajectory.asp
Another article from hunting-fishing.net:
Myth: Anyone can pick up a crossbow, practice for an hour, and be ready to head to the woods.
Fact: Any experienced crossbow hunter will tell you that there are many ways to make a bad shot with a crossbow. First, if a crossbow is not cocked perfectly straight, it will not shoot straight. If the bowstring is pulled even 1/16th of an inch to the right or left of center, that difference can translate into a six-inch error at 20-yards. Additionally, like any conventional bow shooter, a crossbow shooter must maintain a proper stance, control breathing, squeeze rather than “jerk” the trigger, steady the entire body, and follow through (watch the entire arrow flight through the sighting mechanism) after the release. And finally, the crossbow hunter must also be a good judge of distance and be practiced at shooting the crossbow at distances between five and approximately 35 yards.
Myth: A crossbow shoots much faster and farther than compound bows.
Fact: Under controlled conditions, a series of velocity and kinetic energy tests were performed on two compound bows with 70# peak draw weights (248 and 205 feet per second) and 2 crossbows with 150# peak draw weights (228 and 242 feet per second). The bottom line was that both the compound bows and crossbows produced similar ballistic results. That is, the crossbows did not shoot farther or faster than the compound bows.
You are sadly way behind the times on that thinking my friend. LOL
Just a quick educational piece.
There are5 crossbows off the top of my head right now that are so far superior in ballistics to even the most powerful compound it isn't even comparable.
1.The PSE TAC-15 170# draw, 412fps with a 425gr bolt = 160ft lbs of KE
2. The BowtechStryker 175#, 405fps with a 425gr bolt = 155ft lbs of KE
3. The Bowtech Strike Force 180#? , 390fps with a 425gr bolt = 143ft lbs of KE
4. The Barnett Predator 175# draw, 375fps with a 425gr bolt = 128ft lbs of KE
5. The Bowtech Desert Stryker 150# draw? , 350fps with a 425gr bolt = 116ft lbs of KE
If you want FACTS on what some of these new ones can do ballistically simply run a trajectory chart for each one and see what those speeds mean with that weight bolt.
Most crossbows rate their speeds with much lighter bolts and speeds below these which can directly compare ballistically to the best compounds.........however don't kid yourself for a second thinking there aren't ones that blow even the FASTEST modern compound clean out of the water.
The average 29" , 70# compound generates about 65-70ft lbs of KE. The very top end fastest ones like the Bowtech Airborne 82nd or PSE X-Force will get in the 90+ft lbs range. These are the highest performaing compounds made.
Crossbow manufacturers purposely keep the performance low key to stay below the radar and not frighten compound shooters. It's a vehicle to sneak into more states and ultimately sell more crossbows. These hyperperformance ones are counetrproductive to that cause that's why you will see them ridiculed and attacked by crossbow supporters even though they are the pinnacle of crossbow performance.
If you notice, 4 of the 5 top performing models are made by a company that also makes vertical bows. They don't have to play by that laying in the weeds, tactic. They can just come out blazing with models that make the modest performaing crossbows look silly and inadequate.
Pure crossbow manufacturers HATE this because they don't want to raise their performance to keep up (even though they could) because again it is counterproductive to getting into new states and markets.
They have a model they follow by keeping things low key and downplaying what crossbows can and will do.
So don't believe for a second your thinking applies to all of them because it isn't even close.
Hell the TAC-15, Stryker or Strike Force have around 10-16% MORE energy at 100yds than the fastest Airborne 82nd compound does right at point blank.
Think about THAT and your thoughts of ballistics. [:-]