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Hunters Pick The Best Crossbow Bolts & Arrows In 2021

While it’s not the most glamorous tool of the trade, choosing the right crossbow bolt can mean the difference between a punched tag and going home hungry.

Accuracy plays a hugely important part of harvesting a deer or other game animal with an xbow. You have to be able to hit the vitals, and that requires a straight shooting and fast projectile.

With so many choices available, picking the correct crossbow bolts and arrows can be challenging so we have compiled a list of what we think are the best Crossbow Bolts and Arrows currently for sale.

This way, you can spend less time shopping and more time preparing your archery gear for bagging that booner this fall!

As a general rule when shopping for the best-rated crossbow bolts and arrows, keep in mind that shorter arrows travel faster than longer arrows, but longer arrows are usually heavier, will hit harder, and retain more kinetic energy and penetrating power at longer ranges.

Top-quality crossbow bolts will have these qualities:

  • Be super straight with +/- 0.004″ measured straightness;
  • Offer extreme durability;
  • Be at least 18″ – 20″ long for increased kinetic energy;
  • Have 4″ vanes for extreme stability;

best selling crossbow bolts

Here is our list of top-rated crossbow bolts we have reviewed:

1. Carbon Express PileDriver Fletched Carbon Crossbow bolt

The Carbon Express is a bit on the heavy side, this allows the bolt to reach a very high kinetic energy, and because of it, it will have great knock-back power. This cross bolt is fletched with 4″ vanes, its 20″ in size, the weight is about 442 grains. the diameter is at .348″, and its precision sorted for straightness +/- 0.004″.

In the pack, you will find 6 of them together with six universal flat nocks. These durable arrows can really push crossbow broadheads hard and give them extra penetrating power.

2. Easton XX75 Magnum Bolt

Made with magnum 7075 aerospace alloy, these cross bolts offer a great quiet shooting experience. Just like the previous bolt, this also has 4″ vanes and comes at 20″ in size. The half Moon nocks are already installed on it, so you don’t have to worry about that.

It also comes with a hard-anodized finish, which makes it look even better. These are normally sold in a pack of six.

3. Barnett 16076 Outdoors Carbon Crossbow Arrow

Unlike the first two options that we have presented above, this bolt is different in a few aspects. One of them it’s the size, this one is 22″, and it comes in packs of 5. With it, there included 24F field points and moon knocks.

This bolt is compatible with Quad 400, Quad AVI, Predator, Revolution AVI, and Buck Commander crossbows. The Barnet is a lightweight carbon shaft, with improved wall thickness, this allows the bolt to have more stability. As for the weight, it’s 13.78 grains per inch.

4. Barnet 16075 Outdoors Carbon Crossbow

The difference between 16079 and 16075 is small and barely noticeable. The main difference is they are smaller in size, with 16075 being at 20″. Most of the other things such as weight are very similar. Both these bolts weight around 13.78 grains per inch. This one is compatible with Ghost 350, Penetrator, Wildcat C-5, Jackal, Whitetail hunter II, Raptor FX3 crossbows, and other models that take a 20″ arrow.

5. BloodSport 20″ Crossbow Bolts

These 20″ bolts well suited for a high-speed crossbow. Its precision sorted for straightness to +\- 0.003″, this makes it the perfect bolt for anyone.

The weight can range from 299.2 grains, and all that weight has an excellent distribution, so your shooting experience won’t be impacted by it. While a complete bolt can weight up to 325 grains. You can usually get them in packs of 6.

6. Guide Gear Trophy Hunter Pro 20″ Lighted Crossbow Bolts

Just like the BloodSport, these bolts are precision sorted for straightness to 0.003″. The materials used for these bolts are 100% standard high modulus carbon, and they are coated with Victory ICE.

Their weight is at around 349 grains. Together with the bolts, you will have some red-lighted half-moon nocks. As for the vanes, these bolts have the 3″ Bohning’s in an X shape. Unlike the rest of the list, these ones come in a pack of three.

7. Barnett Outdoors Carbon Crossbow 20″ Arrows

With a 13.78 grain per inch, these arrows offer great stability. Included with them, you will find Field Points and Moon nocks. As for the quantity, you will have five of them in a pack.

Because of their weight, they also offer outstanding accuracy and maximum penetration. This will depend on how good of a shooter you are of course.

8. Tenpoint Pro Lite 20″ Carbon Crossbow Arrows

The Tenpoint Pro joins the 20″ club, like most of the arrows in our list. Their diameter is at 22/64″. And as for their weight, they are at 370 grains. These arrows are fitted with a 25-grain aluminum insert and a neon green SuperBrite Omni-nock, which has six micro-grooves.

These are there because they help eliminate the indexing problems with a moon and capture nocks. Its precision sorted for straightness to 0.003″, it also has a weight toleration of around two grains per dozen.

They are balanced at 10% in the front center. As for the vanes, they have them slightly offset, and they are the AAE EP-40 Elite 3 to 7/8″ in green color.

9. Ravin R138 Carbon Crossbow Bolts

Another addition to the 20″ club is the Racin R138 Carbon Crossbow Bolts. These come in a weight of 400 grains. As for the canes these one use 2″ ones. Inserts and nocks are included with a pack of six bolts. The precision sorted for straightness is at 0.003″ like the rest of them. These also come in packs of 6.

10. Black Eagle BE-EX-B-6 Executioner

You can find these blots in three sizes 18″, 20″, and 22″. For the 20″ and the 22″ versions, you will have” Boning X vanes, while for the 18″ ones, you will have 2″ Blazer vanes. As for nocks, you will have two types half-moons and flat ones.

The weight of the arrow including a brass insert that was built for maximizing accuracy and at no loss of speed or kinetic energy thus making this bolt a deadly combination in any crossbow. These come at packs of six as well.

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Conclusion

As we can clearly see, there are many bolts and arrows choices for any crossbow that you might be using. And from what we have reviewed, I’m confident you can find the perfect one for your setup.

Most of the options we mentioned here are 20″ in size. You can also find smaller ones or bigger ones, but we feel that these work better as they offer a good combination of weight and speed.

With these kinds of things, you need to think about what you are going to hunt before making the choice of the bolts and arrows. In the end, all of them are excellent options, and ultimately you can’t go wrong with any of the options that we have showcased. Do the proper research of which animals are you hunting and then make the right choice.

Written by Mark Metzlov

A certified "Crossbow Guru," with over 35 years of bowhunting experience Mark loves to test new crossbow models at the range, and in the woods during hunting season. Mark is also a top-notch wild game chef who can cook up a wicked venison burger on a moment's notice!

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