Any Youtube videos or any crossbow gurus have any videos that show the basics of shooting a crossbow? I used to hunt with a compound bow, but never a crossbow and was wanting to know if there are any how to info out there to help someone safely learn the way to use a crossbow.

Death by Bunjie on Youtube plus his book The Death By Bunjie Crossbow Method are good. He does a good job of describing what he does for his particular situation, and then prompting you to think about what is the best thing for you to do for your own unique situation, and come up with your own crossbow method so to speak.

I am a long time crossbow shooter, and I do not see the point of this question, unless you are completely unfamiliar with shooting a gun.

for me, shooting the crossbow is exactly like shooting a gun, just at much closer range and you have to be mindful of the support hand and keeping the fingers below the strings. Everything else is nearly identical

Other than that, what is it that you are looking for?

Come on TxBuc. I’m surprised you would discourage anyone from asking any question.
It is very similar to shooting a rifle but it’s different enough to inquire about differences.
I’ll chime in with a few when I get time unless someone beats me to it.

BenBob, I did a quick google and the first one that came up covered most of the "basics", from what I know.
"knetters crossbow basics for beginners". Ive never looked at much stuff like that so I dont know if there are others that are better. It seems that guys youtube channel has other videos that go beyond the basics but I dont know.

This is who I would recommend.

Just rather be safe than sorry. I guess that is the point of this question.

Certainly wasn't discouraging any questions, I simply did not understand what was being asked. And I clarified that in my post. Sounds like he is looking for safety issues based on his f/u post above

From a safety standpoint, the crossbow has only one real difference than a gun, and that is keeping your support hand out of the way of the strings. If you have a finger(s) in the line of the strings when it fires, you are losing a finger(s). Most modern xbows will have some sort of guard that "prevents" your hand from getting too tall on the stock to help remind you to keep your fingers down. I know some shoot rifles with their fingers extended while cupping the stock in their palm....DO NOT do that with a cross bow.

Other than that, every crossbow I have handled (small number mind you) has a built in safety for trigger that auto clicks to "safe" when you load the strings. Many will have some sort of dry fire prevention that only allows a shot to be fired with a bolt loaded.

The biggest thing is remembering it is a loaded weapon that will kill if pointed in the wrong direction and can really disable you if your hand or fingers are in the line of the string when it is fired.

Anything else is just basic weapon handling 101. You want to make sure the weapon is properly assembled and parts are in good working order before using it. I look over the strings a couple times during the hunting season but have only replaced my strings once in about 7 years of ownership. I try not to shoot it excessively for target practice once it is sighted in, just to preserve the string life, but have no problem having people shoot it to give them the feel prior to using it with me, and I never have let someone use it without me there initially. I am a little anal about weapon safety though, I know some are not as uptight about it as I am.

Once sighted in its incredibly accurate out to 40 yards and needs less range time than a compound bow
Get a good steady rest.
Keep fingers off the rail
String lubed a cpl of times a year
Once cocked and loaded treat it like a loaded gun, safe and fire similar to a gun
Dry fire safety should be inbuilt and is a no just like a compound bow
Shoot practice broad heads and field points to determine impact points
Centerpoint, wicked ridge make great entry level sub $400 ready to hunt w arrows and scope

-There are cranks you can use but I think most use a cocking rope. The ropes are likely all adjustable in length and I suggest adjusting it so that its a length that will stay on the bow when not in use. That rope is just too important to accidentally leave in the truck.
-To help with accuracy you should pull back equally from both sides to keep the tension equal.
-Lubing the strings has been mentioned but you should lube the "rail" somewhat frequently.
-My bow shop recommends replacing the string based on shots fired or every year or two. Seems like a lot but my shop is good and never over sell at all.
-Allow room outside the space the limbs take up cause they will open up when fired. Thats part of my mental checklist every single time I fire. Even a cushiony padded rest could have the opening limb rub against it. I found out the hard way when I had a $1000 camera set up to record too close to the bow.
-Normally most bows need to be in the "fire" position in order to be cocked. Then they normally always go on "safe" automatically as its cocked.
-When loading the arrow(after cocking) be sure to push it all the way back. Dont have to push hard but it needs to be all the way back. They have an "automatic anti dry fire" built in so if it doesnt "feel" the arrow being seated then it thinks its unloaded and wont fire.
-When loading the arrow(bolt) try to hold it towards the end so your fingers NEVER get in the area where the string could go off and get em.
-One of the three fletchings will be a different color and it should go down in the rail.
-When shooting insure your non trigger hand is not where the strings can hit them.
-I would try to always use a rest just like a rifle.
-Im not sure how long a bow should stay in the cocked position but it seems "all day" is ok.
-If you have cocked but not shot an arrow then at some point you need to "uncock". Some bows will allow you to do this without firing but often firing an arrow(not dry firing) is needed. After hunting all day with my bow cocked I like to shoot it into a target to uncock it cause it doubles as a way of insuring still sighted in. There are also special arrows that allow you to easily shoot into the ground to uncock.


>>>Accuracy. This may be beyond "basics" but may be good to know.
-Most use scopes on xbows and they are similar to a rifle(far as I know.) My scope has a clicking sighting in adjustment just like a rifle which means they are set up for "100 yards". Most bows are sighted in closer to 25 yards so you would have to click 4 times as much.
-Some bows will have a level and you should insure it is level as you shoot.
-Many similarities to a rifle on acquiring a sight picture, breathing and trigger pull.
-Crossbows can shoot a long ways but I dont shoot them at deer much further than I would a compound. I would especially recommend this until you gain a lot of confidence(experience.) A huge advantage over a compound is the greater arrow speed allows impact before they have time to react. This only holds true for a certain distance and then the louder xbow and greater distance could give the deer time to react/move.
-Most all will disagree with me on this one but I do not use the hash marks on the scope for various distances. I sight it in dead on at 25 yards and just hold a little higher at various distances out to 30. Im still new to xbows so as I consider shooting longer than this I may adjust. There is simply too much to consider as a deer constantly changes range as he moves into a good shooting position to think about those hash marks.
-I saved the best for last on accuracy. Ive been known to go overboard on accuracy so take that into consideration. Mark and identify each and every one of your arrows and keep a record of how each individual arrow shoots. Some arrows will group inside an inch at 25 yards while others will group 3 or 4". These are arrows that are supposed to be identical. Save the ones that do not group and use for an unimportant target. Out of the ones that group tight you have to find a few that group tight "at the same spot". Once you find some that group tight AND at the same spot, then you adjust your scope so they hit the bull. Its quiet time consuming but it really helps if you think accuracy is important.
-Making it even more time consuming, you would normally do most all this shooting with field tips. Broadheads may shoot similar but not similar enough in my set up for me. So, at some point I go through this testing again with broadheads.
--I wont get into broadheads cause Im not expert at all. I will just say that most all research ive done on xbows(not compound) is that mechanicals are recommended. If you notice an arrow flies different than it used to then check the broadhead. The ones I use(most I think) have a way to keep them closed and sometimes after use that fails. On mine you can tell that they are loose and not staying in snug by pulling outward on them a little.

I may come up with some more but thats more time than I wanted to put into this.

Some good stuff above. For safety Buckeye and Freerange covered it pretty well.


Sent ya a PM with number if you want to talk about it. Worked archery for about 5+ years might help out a shop again this year for the busy season if they want. Have been hunting with a crossbow since they became legal in Texas for non handicap

kmon11 knows a TON more about any bow than me so definitely listen to him.

One thing I have found with crossbows is broadhead tuning is more difficult on most. Basically broadheads and fieldtips don't fly the same. I quit using fieldtips all together and only sight in and practice with one style of broadheads.

Chris. That happens on some more than others but often is as simple as timing the bow but I never bothered doing that unless they were a ways off that I could easily see or requested. Ravin crossbows with their fully served cables you have to test select cables to get on in time as best as you can.

Part of why I didn't bother with it is the volume of bows I we sold and if using cocking ropes how often is one drawn the exact same on each side while cocking it.

Not saying that is what you have experienced but happens quite often.

Lots of good info but just going to stress again, keep your fingers below the guards or you will lose them. If you want motivation, google hand injury from crossbow.

Having worked on more that a few crossbows, the biggest issues we see are putting the bow on safe like you would a gun, when it isn't cocked. The only time a crossbow should be on safe is when it is cocked. The only time you should move the safety is when you are ready to fire or you decided not to fire. Putting the crossbow on safe when it isn't cocked will cause many to refuse to seat the arrow. You'll have to manually reset the trigger (not a big issue if you know how).

The second issue is just wear and tear on the pins, strings, cams and cables. Keep a close eye on strings. Don't leave the crossbow in the shed in 110 degree heat. Wax the rail periodically. Wax the string, but not the serving.

A hand drawn crossbow is about 3 times faster to [censored] than a crank. If you have trouble cocking a hand drawn bow, shorten the cocking rope as much as you can. It should engage the trigger when the handles get just above waist high.

Different crossbows have different draw lengths. Just because you couldn't hand [censored] your friends crossbow doesn't mean there isn't one out there you can [censored]. Personally, I thing cranks are fussy and a PIA. But I understand if you have shoulder, elbow or grip issues why you would want to use one. If you are healthy, choose one without the crank. It's lighter and you don't have to deal with those pesky cords. Plus, as I said, it's way faster. I can hand [censored] a crossbow in about 8 seconds when I'm not rushing. I can crank one in about 20-30 depending on the model.

Pick up a 500 dollar crossbow and then pick up a 2500 dollar crossbow and you will feel the difference. You'll want to carry around the cheaper one but the more expensive one is built better. That being said, if you shoot it 5 time a year like your 30-06 the cheaper one should last a decent amount of time as long as you store it properly.

Crossbow cams need to be timed. Many have timing marks on the cams. We have taken to marking the cams when they are in time so that it will be visual to the user if they get out of time. If your cams are out of time take it somewhere with a decent press. This isn't the time to use straps and a come-a-long, although I've heard it being done in an emergency. But personally, the only emergency I'd do that would be in a zombie apocalypse.

Give them respect. They're under tremendous pressure whether they are cocked or not.

Good luck and good shooting.

Only have to do it once. For me was 10 or 15 years ago. Didn't come off but sufficiently damaged i still don't have full feeling in my thumb and still have a hard time opening jars with that hand:

Ouch!