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I’ve heard this question too many times “are all crossbow bolts the same” and I want to clear up some misconceptions about it. In this article, I want to explain to you how sizes, nocks, and materials of the bolt can affect its performance and help you choose proper ones.
Let’s see how not all crossbow bolts are the same and why it matters so much.
Knowing what bolt to choose for your crossbow can be critical to your accuracy and sometimes to your safety too. With so many options and so much misinformation out there, it can be hard to make the right choice.
Contents
Are All Crossbow Bolts The Same Length?
In case you are wondering are all crossbow bolts the same length, the answer is no. There are actually four different standard bolt sizes: 16”, 18”, 20” and 22”.
Don’t underestimate how important it is to choose the right bolt length. Short bolts may not fire properly and can cause damage to your crossbow or even worse, injure you.
The bolt should either be the same length as the crossbow or 2 inches longer. The longer the arrow is, the more stability you’ll have and you can get a stronger impact on the target.
The best option is to check the specifications stated by the crossbow manufacturer. Most of the high-end brands will give advice on what kind of bolts to buy, otherwise just stick to the length rule above.
To help you out with this, I’ve made a neat crossbow bolt size chart so you can take a look at it for more useful information.
Are All Crossbow Bolts Made From Same Material?
Even though they all look similar at first, not all crossbow bolts are made from the same material. Bolt materials need to be strong to endure the shots, but still light and flexible enough to be accurate.
People probably wonder are all crossbow bolts made from the same material because nowadays most of them are either made from aluminum or carbon. You can probably find wooden ones too if you want them, but they are not that common.
The bolts come in various stiffness degrees, which decide how much the bolt you choose will bend. Most of the manufacturers will specify this rating.
Both aluminum and carbon are very lightweight, but you can still see the weight of your bolts by checking the GPI (grains per inch) specification by the manufacturer.
The fewer grains, the lighter the bolt.
Who Makes The Best Crossbow Bolts?
If you have a choice, you should always, always invest in high-quality crossbow bolts. In the long term, you will spend much less since they will last you way longer than a couple of sets of cheap bolts.
If you just want to get the cheapest option, you are free to do it, but you usually get more value from more expensive crossbow bolts. Here are 5 most popular brands that make top quality crossbow bolts for good performance:
- Barnett
- Carbon Express
- Lumenok
- TenPoint
- Eaton
If you get bolts made by these brands, you can be sure that you’ve got yourself a top-quality product. You can also check out my reviews for crossbow bolts to see who makes the best crossbow bolts right now.
I’m sure that you won’t make mistake with any of these.
Where to Buy Crossbow Bolts?
Good crossbow bolts are not as hard to find as they used to be back in the days. We are lucky to live in a period where we can easily find everything we want to.
Local archery, hunting, army or sports shops will have a good option or two if you need some basic bolts for your crossbow.
During the last couple of years, I started switching to online more and more. I don’t have to drive to the store or settle for some crossbow bolt that isn’t good enough.
The good thing about buying online is that I get to see the reviews, have much more choice and can get better deals for my money.
My favorite place of all is probably Amazon, there’s so my choice and I stumbled upon some incredible discounts several times. Most of my latest bolts were ordered there.
Make sure to check the links and see more information on how to choose the proper crossbow bolts. I hope that you will now be able to answer correctly when someone asks are all crossbow bolts the same.
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