Best Crossbows Under $1,000

Do you ever feel like the hunting season never seems to be long enough? We tend to agree. And that's one of the many reasons why we love bowhunting! 

Now, if you're not a bowhunter, that's okay, you can still get in on the action and enjoy the longer seasons given to bowhunters. The answer here is to get yourself a crossbow. 

Crossbows require a much lower learning curve than the typical bow used by bowhunters and can be a lot of fun as well. Yes, some dedicated bowhunters frown upon this, and surely this is not to diminish those guys and gals, but crossbows are here to stay and it's a great way for guys to get some more time in the woods. 

If you can spend some time learning your crossbow, the function of your crossbow, the fundamentals of zeroing in the scope and shooting your crossbow, then you can do a lot more damage than you may think. This is bad news for all the deer in your area and you'll be off to bagging more deer this season than ever before. 

The good part is that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to start hunting with crossbows either. Sure, you can spend upwards of $3,000 - and hey, if you've got it, go for it, that will take your crossbow hunting to another level - but it's not totally necessary.  

If you want to see our top picks for high-end hunting crossbows, click the link HERE!

You can start off with a crossbow under $1,000 and do plenty of damage that way. This is a great way to get into crossbow hunting and see if it's something you even like. And hunting crossbows under $1,000 by no means signify a poorly crafted killing machine. Many a deer have fallen at the hands of these crossbows. Here's a look at some of our favorite crossbows under $1,000. 

You can start off with a crossbow under $1,000 and do plenty of damage that way. This is a great way to get into crossbow hunting and see if it's something you even like. And hunting crossbows under $1,000 by no means signify a poorly crafted killing machine. Many a deer have fallen at the hands of these crossbows. Here's a look at some of the best crossbows for the money! 

Our full list of available crossbows is located here!

Best crossbow for the money - Bear X Constrictor Crossbow

Best crossbow under $1,000 - Killer Instinct SWAT XP                                                                            

 

Best Quality Crossbow

TenPoint M1 Crossbow

The TenPoint Titan M1 crossbow is an excellent starting place when looking for a crossbow under a $1,000. It’s got power, speed, and overall great quality.

At only 6.4lbs, the Titan M1 crossbow is one of the lightest TenPoint crossbow options! This can be attributed to the Titan M1’s aircraft-grade aluminum that is both lightweight and durable. It is also one of the cheapest options from TenPoint!

The Titan M1 measures 14” wide uncocked and 9” wide cocked which doesn’t make it the most narrow of all TenPoint’s crossbows, but you’ll still be happy with its ergonomic design and will feel safer when shooting with your limbs closer to the tree. The VX-5 inverted cams on the Titan M1 allow for an elongated power stroke of 14 inches while also increasing rotation.

When you first receive your Titan M1 crossbow, you’ll have to assemble it yourself. This differs from most other TenPoint crossbows, but overall, assembly is a simple and quick process. Pretty much, if you can read and follow instructions all right, you’ll have this crossbow assembled in roughly 10 minutes!

Scope

The scope that TenPoint chose for the Titan M1 is the TenPoint 3x Pro-View 3 Scope. The scope features 3 cross hairs and four dots calibrated for 20-50 yards. It also helps that the scope is already installed and sighted in by TenPoint (the scope will still require slight dialing in to be deadly accurate).

Shooting

When cocking, the standard Titan M1 comes with a rope sled, but bumping up to the ACU draw will do a lot of the hard work for you. We recommend that if you can afford the bump in price, do it – you’ll save yourself from some hard work and it’s just a better and safer method to cock your crossbow.

We really liked how powerful and accurate the Titan M1 is and you will be impressed by how light and quiet it is as well. Overall shooting is nice and feels natural – it’s very smooth and you can feel the quality that TenPoint puts into all of its products when you shoot this crossbow.

Overall

The TenPoint Titan M1 crossbow is a great option that shoots fast and hard. It’s lightweight, yet durable. The Titan M1 is deadly accurate and you can expect very tight groups when truly sighted in. And at its pricepoint, it’s the cheapest option for a TenPoint crossbow.

Pro Tip 

• Sight the crossbow in with one bolt and then after sighting that in, you can double check to make sure the other bolts shoot the same as your sight-in bolt.
• Match it with the Pro Elite Bolts

 Specs

• Velocity: 370 FPS
• Power Stroke: 14”
• Draw Weight: 180 lbs.
• Kinetic Energy: 116 ft.-lbs.
• Axle to Axle Width: 9”/14.25”
• Overall Length: 32.5”
• Weight: 6.4 lbs.

Want a $50 credit on this purchase? This isn't a joke, this isn't a scam, it's $50 back in your pocket with your purchase of this crossbow. Hit the chat box to start talking with us on how to get yourself a deal here.

What we like: Fast, powerful, and accurate, Very light and quiet, Narrow and balanced feel overall, Shoots very smooth and comfortably, De-cocking bolt is handy

What we dislike: Wish that standard ACU draw was as quiet and fast as the ACU Pro draw, Trigger has a bit too much travel and pull, Safety is loud to turn off

For latest prices, and more information click here!

Most Accurate Crossbow

Excalibur Mag 340 Crossbow

The Excalibur 340 crossbow is an accurate, powerful and reliable crossbow that’s meant to not break the bank. The Excalibur 340 crossbow is a part of the micro-series lineup and simply means exactly what it sounds like – it’s smaller and less powerful than other options from Excalibur.

With a smaller size, that also means for a lighter weight. The Excalibur 340 crossbow comes in at 5.5 lbs.! The frame is aluminum with Gen II re-curve limbs that, although on the shorter side, can shoot an arrow at 340 feet per second. With this kind of speed, you’ll be able to bag plenty of deer and other big game animals. The draw weight comes in at 270 lbs.

Comfort-wise, the Excalibur 340 crossbow exceeds expectations and has an ergonomic design that feels great to hold and shoot. It’s simple to assemble and can be fully zeroed in very quickly as well.

Scope

The Dead Zone Scope included on the Mag 340 is a lightweight and non-illuminated scope, which is easy to sight in, and great for beginners.

Shooting

When cocking, the rope cocker is absolutely essential here and with T-handles the draw weight is reduced by 50% meaning you’ll need about 135 lbs. of force to rope-cock it. We found the rope cocker to be made of high quality materials good for durability and comfort. If you want to upgrade, Excalibur has made this crossbow compatible with the Charger EXT Crank, which would reduce the effort needed for cocking down to 12 lbs.

Excalibur did a good job with their re-curve 340 crossbow by adding a silencing kit to help with the noise that’s usually a problem seen in re-curve crossbows. As far as re-curve crossbows go, the Excalibur 340 is very quiet, lightweight, and compact.

The solidly built Mag 340 feels great to shoot and we really liked the trigger and found it to break exceptionally clean. Overall, this crossbow feels smooth to shoot and is quite accurate and powerful!

Overall

The Excalibur Mag 340 is a fine option that has a lot going for it. Sure, cocking it wasn’t our favorite, but you can step up to a cranking device if necessary. This crossbow may not shoot the fastest on this list, but you’ve got to really consider what you’re actually hunting and realize that this may be plenty enough for you – it is for most. Overall, the Excalibur Mag 340 is a solid built crossbow and you won’t be disappointed with your purchase.

Specs

• Velocity: 340 FPS
• Power Stroke: 13”
• Draw Weight: 270 lbs.
• Kinetic Energy: XXXX
• Axle to Axle Width 22” / 25”
• Overall Length: 31.75”
• Weight: 5.5 lbs.  

Want a $50 credit on this purchase? This isn't a joke, this isn't a scam, it's $50 back in your pocket with your purchase of this crossbow. Hit the chat box to start talking with us on how to get yourself a deal here.

What we like: Compact design and lightweight, Great trigger that breaks clean, Very comfortable design and grip, The anti-dry fire is a nice touch, Accurate and fast enough, Solid construction, Easy assembly

What we dislike: Cocking this crossbow can be a little much (would recommend a cranking device)

For latest prices, and more information click here!

Most Powerful Crossbow

Barnett TS380 Crossbow

The Barnett TS380 Crossbow packs a powerful punch with powerful limbs, high-energy cams, a 12.625” power stroke and 201 lbs. draw weight in order to produce the 380 feet per second shots it can fire off.

For a relatively cheap crossbow, the Barnett TS380 has some great features. First and foremost is the crossbow’s TriggerTech technology. This is a frictionless release trigger that has a smooth, zero-creep 3 lbs pull. This is a great feature that can run quite expensive even on its own – for it to be added on here is an awesome upgrade and it truly is one of the best triggers you can have on your crossbow. Also, the anti-dry fire safety features and nock sensors are a nice touch too.

The Barnett TS380 also features a butt stock with an adjustable length of pull (LOP) along with a pass through fore-end to make this crossbow easy to fit for just about anyone.

The TS380’s size was also a plus coming in at a compact 32.375” long (extendable by 2” with the adjustable butt stock) and 16.75” un-cocked and 13.25” cocked. This helps retain a compact and maneuverable profile in the woods. The weight of the Barnett TS380 isn’t bad either – 6.9lbs.

Assembly of the Barnett TS380 is super simple as most of it comes from Barnett already assembled for you. It’s pretty much a simple one-bolt assembly and shouldn’t cause any trouble for even beginners.

Scope

Barnett chose to equip the TS380 with a 4 x 32 Multi-Reticle Scope. Overall, the scope is more than sufficient and does a good job of reducing glare and reflection while maintaining a really clear image. The downside we found to the TS380’s scope is that it isn’t fog-proof. This isn’t a problem if you’re hunting in warmer weather, but in colder weather this could be an issue.

Shooting

When it comes to shooting, the crossbow has a great feel to it. It’s rubberized pretty much everywhere you’d like to have your hands and is really nice to hold. The pass-through fore grip may be one of the nicer options on the market and is rubberized as well.

Cocking the Barnett TS380 presents you with two options; you can get the crossbow with a cranking device or with the standard rope-cocking device. The cranking device goes a long way with making the job easier and is highly recommended. With it, the draw weight is reduced by 93%! Plus, the cranking device can be used both right-handed and left-handed.

One issue with the cranking device is that it creates some noisiness. With all the clicking noise you can hear when cranking the device, it’s probably not a good idea to use the crank while you’re out in the field hunting. Now, if you can get past that, or if you opt for the rope cocking option, you’ll find that it’s a very quiet shot. The anti-vibration foot-stirrup, the rubberized stock, fore grip and track-mounted string dampeners, provide for only a low thump sound.

Overall

Though we like several of the features and comfort that this crossbow possesses, there are definitely better options if you want a crossbow with a higher quality crank-cocking device - TenPoint and Excalibur both beat our Barnett here. That said, this crossbow is on the lower end of the pricing spectrum and for the low money it costs, you’re getting yourself a good deal.

Specs

• Velocity: 380 FPS
• Power Stroke: 12.625”
• Draw Weight: 201 lbs.
• Axle to Axle Width 13.25” / 16.75”
• Overall Length: 32.375”
• Weight: 6.9 lbs.

Want a $25 credit on this purchase? This isn't a joke, this isn't a scam, it's $25 back in your pocket with your purchase of this crossbow. Hit the chat box to start talking with us on how to get yourself a deal here.

What we like: The rubberized grips for both comfort and sound deadening effect, TS380’s trigger is one of the best on the market, Adjustable butt stock is a nice touch and helps with varying hunting gear layers used throughout the season, Solid, quality feel to the crossbow, Balance, comfort, low sound

What we dislike: Loud crank device when cranking – not great for if you’re out hunting, The scope in colder weather isn’t great

For latest prices, and more information click here! 

Best Priced Crossbow

Bear X Constrictor Veil Stoke Crossbow

Bear Archery does a great job of producing high quality crossbows with the budget-conscious hunter in mind. The Bear X Constrictor fires arrows out at 410 fps and the crossbow arrives pretty much ready to shoot! We really liked some of the more unique functions included with this crossbow such as the ambidextrous top mounted 5-arrow quiver.

You’ll find the Bear X Constrictor crossbow to be quite comfortable and it helps that you can adjust the cheek-pad and stock. This is always great if you have several layers you want to wear throughout the season or if you’ve got another hunter looking to use it as well.

The Bear X Constrictor comes in at 32” long and weighs 7.8lbs. It measures only 14” wide un-cocked and 10” wide cocked making it very compact anywhere you want to hunt with it. One thing you won’t have to worry about will be your profile and maneuverability while in a blind or tree stand!

Scope

Bear equipped the X Constrictor with an illuminated 4x32 scope that works really well! As was mentioned earlier, you can take this crossbow right out of the box and start shooting as it will require little to no adjusting. Nailing your target from 50-60 yards out shouldn’t be a problem at all!

The only thing we don’t like about the scope is that it doesn’t match the speed of the crossbow. A more powerful scope that can magnify farther out could have you hitting targets at 100 yards out.

Shooting

Some of the better features that Bear included on this crossbow are the pre-installed string dampeners and the anti-vibration pads on the foot stirrup. This is great for keeping the noise to a minimum when shooting!

The Bear X Constrictor comes with pretty large stirrups but we found this helpful when you’ve also got on large hunting boots. The only downside is that it added some top-heaviness to it. Cocking overall isn’t too much of a struggle at 190lbs of draw weight for the experienced hunter and the extra broad foot stirrup should help here. This also means you’ll get a solid bit of recoil when shooting.

The Bear X Constrictor may be small in size, but it’s big on power. With a capability of 410 FPS, this crossbow has all the firepower you’ll need for hunting large game from deer to moose! Also, we loved the 3 Bear X TrueX arrows that come with the crossbow. Exclusively designed for Bear crossbows, these arrows will give you great accuracy and super high speeds.

When actually shooting, you’ll find that the Bear X Constrictor is very smooth and that the trigger breaks very nice. With 3” of pull adjustment, this trigger should work for any hand size.

Again, the scope comes pretty much dialed in – you should only need to make a small few adjustments, if any at all.

Overall

This is one of our favorite crossbows in the price range. The Bear X Constrictor’s design is very compact, it’s a highly accurate crossbow, and it’s super powerful sending bows shooting at 410 feet per second. The adjustable stock makes it easy to adjust to your size and set it up how you would like. At this price, and with what you’re getting, you really can’t go wrong here.

Pro Tip

Stick with the Bear X TrueX arrows! They’re great arrows and come with the TrueX nocks. The TrueX nocks have a deeper groove allowing for a more consistent and ultimately accurate arrow flight. If you do end up using different arrows, especially if they’re cheaper, I would switch out the nocks to the TrueX ones.

Specs

• Velocity: 410 FPS
• Power Stroke: 12.7”
• Draw Weight: 190 lbs.
• Axle to Axle Width 14”/10”
• Overall Length: 32”
• Weight: 7.8 lbs.

Priced too high? Want a $25 credit on this purchase? This isn't a joke, this isn't a scam, it's $25 back in your pocket with your purchase of this crossbow. Hit the chat box to start talking with us on how to get yourself a deal here.

What we like: Super fast & hard hitting, Very accurate crossbow, Solid build & compact design, Minimal noise

What we dislike: A bit heavy in the front, Wish there was a case available for it

For latest prices, and more information click here! 

Best Overall Crossbow

Killer Instinct SWAT XP Crossbow

Much like the Bear X Constrictor crossbow, the Killer Instinct SWAT XP crossbow is a very compact crossbow with the capability of shooting arrows at a whopping 415 feet per second.

The SWAT XP is very small – this super compact crossbow comes in at a length of 27”, with an axle-to-axle width of 14.25” uncocked, and narrow 9.125” cocked. Some may argue that the weight, 7.2lbs, is a bit on the heavy side for such a small crossbow, and they’re not totally wrong, but we found that the crossbow’s impressive balance offset that weight and it’s a nonissue. This is because pretty much everything is in the center of the crossbow. The cams, stroke, trigger, and grip are all in the center of the XP’s compact frame. This type of design addresses the heavy nose feel and provides for a better overall balance leading to improved control and steadiness when shouldered.

Scope

The SWAT XP comes with the 1.5-5x32 IR-E Crossbow Archery scope. Killer Instinct opted for this scope as they are clearly trying to set this crossbow apart from other competitors. It is a very high-quality scope with a speed ring adjuster that makes it easy to match any crossbow shooting between speeds of 270 fps and 450 fps.

The LUMIX optic provides for exceptional clarity and a clean field of view. The scope is also 100% waterproof, fog proof, and shock resistant.

When you take your SWAT XP crossbow out of the package for the first time, you’ll notice that it is fully assembled. And sighting it in takes no time at all with just a few shots needed.

Shooting

The SWAT XP crossbow is an absolute beast and is meant for hunting big game. A draw weight of 200lbs, coupled with a high-energy stroke utilizing the entire length of the bow, the SWAT XP delivers speeds of 415 fps. This is more than enough to take down whatever big game you are hunting!

Add in the SWAT XP arrows that are included and you’ve got yourself a weapon made for mass big game destruction. The SWAT XP arrows are 22” long and have a diameter of 0.346”. The spine is carbon and they weigh 400 grain with 100-grain field points. With the heavier weight, these arrows have 3.0” vanes and pre-installed nocks. These arrows deliver max penetration with high knock down power and are definitely meant for hunting the largest game out there. The mountable quiver included is high quality and can hold up to five arrows.

When cocking, the DSC Dead Silent Crank truly is deadly quiet. It can be mounted to work for left or right-handed shooters.

The pull of the trigger on the SWAT XP is very smooth and with no creep. The safety switch on the trigger is ambidextrous and there is an auto dry fire.

Again, the ultra-compact design of the crossbow makes it comfortable to hold and easy to control. The balanced center completely offset the “heavier nose” of this crossbow and we found it to be a non-issue.

Killer Instinct’s Accutac Barrel System provides for superb accuracy and is the defining feature on this crossbow. It is able to provide excellent guidance and support due to the enclosed 360-degree design and this also helps with reducing the amount of cross-bolt oscillation as well as improved high-speed flight of the broadhead.

We liked that they designed the string to be free-floating between the two barrels – this ultimately helps with the amount of wear on the string and improves its lifespan. Another nice touch is the cage at the end of the barrel trapping the broadhead within the riser – this is a good safety measure and prevents the arrow from falling.

The SWAT XP is highly accurate and the scope allows you to shoot with confidence up to 100 yards! With this bow, you can be deadly at both the quick, short-range, and feel good shooting at those longer distances up to 100 yards.

Overall

We simply can’t get enough of this crossbow. And though it is on the pricier side of this list, the Killer Instinct SWAT XP crossbow is well worth the price. You won’t find a more compact crossbow with this kind of power! It’s comfortable, accurate, well balanced, and packs a mean punch - you really cannot go wrong with this choice!

Pro Tip

You can buy a Plano Spire crossbow case for your SWAT XP. It’s a quality hard-case and will fit your SWAT XP.

Specs

• Velocity: 415 FPS
• Power Stroke: 16.25”
• Draw Weight: 200 lbs.
• Axle to Axle Width 14.125”/9.125”
• Overall Length: 27”
• Weight: 7.2 lbs.

Priced too high? Want a $50 credit on this purchase? This isn't a joke, this isn't a scam, it's $50 back in your pocket with your purchase of this crossbow. Hit the chat box to start talking with us on how to get yourself a deal here.

What we like: The bow is an absolute rocket!, Extremely accurate for short and long-range, Narrow profile, Solidly built, Comfortable, Unique and balanced design

What we dislike: Would like to have seen a specific case for this crossbow.

For latest prices, and more information click here! 

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