The World’s Fastest Crossbow In 2023

Hunters are always looking for an additional challenge when hunting - it’s what makes it fun.

So, it’s perfectly natural if you ever catch yourself looking to upgrade to a more powerful crossbow.

That’s why we’ll show you the fastest crossbow today. We are talking speeds of over 400 FPS, by the way!

So, keep reading if you are looking for the world's most powerful crossbow.  We have included detailed reviews to help you pick!

Fastest Crossbows On The Market:

Fastest Crossbow Brands Reviews:

1. Ravin R500:

The Ravin R500 is the fastest crossbow on the market today. It gives the hunter so much speed of 500 fps.

And it is super fun to use and hunt with, too!

By far, this is the most powerful crossbow of all, thanks to the HexCoil Cam System. There are four models of this crossbow:

Being the fastest crossbow ever made, going over 500 FPS, it’s genuinely no surprise it made it into our list.

Along a 400-grain arrow and the 300-pound draw weight, this bow is unstoppable!

Ravin R500

R500 is the most basic model, and it’s whisper-silent when operating.

It features the new R500 handle, which you can upgrade with the additional Electric Drive kit to make it an R500E model.

Then, it features the VersaDrive cocking system, which moves the Trac Trigger Firing System back and forth along with the internal drive.

With the VersaDrive System, we have an internal clutch alongside it, ensuring that you don’t overcock the bow.

Also, it allows for the cocking and the uncocking to be stopped at any point too.

So, if you change your mind or the moment is simply not suitable for shooting, you can easily uncock your bow without any damage to the string.

Ravin R500E

The R500E comes with the Ravin Electric Drive system, making it easy to cock or decock with a single button. You can also load the bow with the Draw Handle.

The Drive system is powered via a single 12-Volt battery and an easily detachable motor for storage or charging purposes with the included charging dock.

Ravin R500 Sniper

The R500 Sniper is an updated model thanks to the Ravin Adjustable Turret Scope, enabling the hunter to add yardage easily, with a slight turn of the elevation turret.

The scope is fantastic, and it ensures perfectly balanced shots.

Ravin R500E Sniper

The R500E Sniper is the best version of them all. It comes with a complete set of features and accessories designed to make your life easier and better.

A great choice - without a doubt!

This crossbow is an excellent buy because it comes fully assembled, compact in width and length, safe to use, and easy to cock.

However, it can be a bit too heavy since it weighs over 8 pounds.

What’s more, it comes with .003 Premium Arrows that are average stiffness and won’t ensure consistent flight.

Pros:

Cons:

2. TenPoint Vapor RS470:

TenPoint is a household name in the world of hunters since they have been making crossbows for a long time now.

Their experience in this industry has allowed them to make one of the fastest reverse limb crossbows out there, the Vapor RS470!

High Speed

The speed of this crossbow is what makes it a genuinely good buy.

The Vapor RS470 has a maximum speed of 470 FPS when shooting with 370-grain arrows, which is over the top for whatever you’re trying to hunt, big or small game.

TenPoint’s goal was to maximize the power in one crossbow, and they achieved just that with a combo of a few technologies.

The crossbow features RX-7 cams that rotate 404 degrees during the drawing to increase the energy and boasts a 225-pound draw weight.

Powerful Design

The RS470 features the reverse draw design, which allowed this crossbow to have a longer power stroke of 17 inches.

The limbs are DUAL-FLEX and are aimed away from the shooter, placing the cams and the string at the end of the rail - and enabling that super-fast speed of the crossbow.

Safety Features

Of course, along with shining features regarding hunting, this crossbow comes with amazing safety-oriented features.

It comes with a new ACUSlide system for cocking and decocking of the crossbow.

This system is so great because it’s completely silent when cocking the string, thanks to a ratchet strap fixed at the back of the trigger box.

S1 Trigger

The S1 trigger is just one of the many impressive features in the RS470. You need only 3.5 lbs to trigger pulling.

The trigger has an audible click to let the hunter know the crossbow is drawn, improving the accuracy by almost 50%.

The latch catches the trigger box and keeps it in its place as long as you need it.

It also improves the hunter’s safety because the trigger box is unable to disengage by accident.

Accessories

What makes this crossbow such a great buy are the high-end accessories it comes with out of the box.

The most notable ones are the EVO-X Marksman Elite, which has a high-end scope and gathers light in dim conditions.

The 6 Lighted Evo-X CenterPunch Premium carbon arrows might be light but still very stiff at hunting down the game.

The only actual flaw of this otherwise great crossbow is the weight.

The bow is advertised as 8 pounds, but when you add all of the accessories, you’ll find that the crossbow weighs over 10 pounds.

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Cons:

3. Scorpyd Aculeus Crossbow:

The Scorpyd Aculeus crossbow is one of the fastest crossbows in the world right now.

With the top speed of the shot measuring at 480 FPS, it goes faster than most commercial crossbows out there!

Reversed Draw Design

The Aculeus features reverse draw technology, which enables crossbows to have more power while staying relatively compact.

It comes with a short brace height, allowing a longer power stroke of astonishing 18.5 inches - and, therefore, a greater speed.

The construction is rather sturdy - but without the higher weight that it’s usually associated with.

The bow weighs only 7 pounds, making it a good option even for women with more petite frames.

It comes with an ACUdraw rope cocking device, which takes off half of the initial 180-pound draw weight.

Speed

As for the speed, we’ve already mentioned this crossbow shoots at 480 FPS.

And thanks to the relatively long power stroke, it can reach incredible speeds and give you the best experience hunting.

Please note that if you want to reach the speed of 480 FPS, you will need to opt for the 370-grain carbon arrows.

Top-Quality Gear

The Aculeus comes with 12 Scorpyd SPEC Black Eagle .001 arrows to help you get maximum penetration.

To top it off, the package includes a Hawke 1.5x5x32 IR illuminated scope to improve your image clarity during your hunting weekends.

Lastly, you can pick out the optional ACUdraw Pro cocking mechanism, which takes most draw weight. It is neat, but it’s not necessary.

Safety & Trigger

Another fantastic thing about this crossbow is the Kempf 2.5-pound adjustable trigger with two positions.

One position enables a smooth creep-free pull, and the other position has a heavier pull - creep-free, as well.

The safety features regarding the Kempf trigger are excellent, too.

It comes with the anti-dry-fire system, a standard feature for crossbows these days, and an ambidextrous lever.

The lever is there to keep you safe - as well as everyone else around you - and it’s positioned over the grip.

Drawback

What we didn’t like as much is that the crossbow doesn’t come pre-assembled, though.

It is easy to assemble, but it could certainly come ready for use, allowing you to waste no time before you take it to the shooting range.

That said, the instruction manual is well-written.

Pros:

Cons:

4. Excalibur Matrix Bulldog 440 Crossbow:

Excalibur is a well-known brand name for making extremely powerful and robust crossbows.

One of their fastest recurve crossbows, the Matrix Bulldog 440, has a lot to offer, and top speed is just one of them!

Fastest Lightest Crossbow

The Matrix Bulldog can reach the exquisite speed of the shot measured at over 440 FPS.

It isn’t the fastest crossbow in the world - but it certainly is the lightest crossbow on our list.

We recommend you use heavier bolts to shoot with this crossbow, as it will still manage to reach the speed of 440 FPS when shooting with 350-grain arrows.

It also has a great draw weight of 300 pounds, which among other things, enables this crossbow to be this fast.

Design

The design features recurve technology, which comes with a few different advantages.

Thanks to the long limbs, the crossbow is more powerful, and it has a more straightforward design so that the hunter can hunt easier.

In general, the Bulldog 440 is a giant crossbow, dimensions-wise. So it’s not suitable for ladies or kids who have more petite frames.

Because of that, you’d expect the crossbow to be rather heavy, but it isn’t. It weighs only 6 pounds.

Anyone can use it - and it’s perfect for carrying long-distance or stalking.

Cocking Mechanism

The cocking mechanism of the Matrix Bulldog 440, the Charger EXT, is fantastic.

It makes the crossbow an even better buy.

The mechanism is easy to use, silent and straightforward.

It allows the hunter to safely cock and decock the crossbow with only 15 lbs of draw effort.

Pro-Shot ACP Trigger

The trigger is something we liked a lot about this crossbow. This 3-pound trigger will make the hunter feel like he’s using a shotgun.

It has two stages which are light, adjustable, virtually frictionless, and creep-free!

Quiet

The Matrix Bulldog is extremely quiet when operating, ensuring you will stay hidden when hunting your prey.

The Sound Deadening System is something we liked a lot about this crossbow - along with the R.E.D.S. Suppressors.

Suppressors reduce the vibration of the string, which can potentially spook the bucks.

The Scope

The included scope is a TACT-100 illuminated scope, which is not bad nor great scope.

The variable power system allows you to magnify easily and improve the accuracy of your shot, ensuring success up to 100 yards away (shooting-range only).

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5. Barnett Predator Crossbow:

Barnett has made many high fps crossbows over the years, but still, the Predator has stunned us.

This crossbow has so much to offer - not just fantastic speed!

High Powered Speed

Before all else, we ought to talk about the speed and the power of this crossbow.

The maximum speed of the Predator’s shot is 430 FPS, which means you have to be careful about your choice of archery range - because you can ruin some targets.

At 30 yards, it’s perfectly possible to deliver ethical killer shots, with grouping within one inch.

Strong draw weight

The draw weight is 190 pounds, but the bow only comes with a rope cocker, making cocking the bow a problem for some people.

If you consider that it comes with a power stroke of more than 16 inches, this crossbow is something else compared to any other bow in this list.

Lightweight Design

As for the design, we liked that the crossbow is made out of aluminum and composite, making it durable and relatively lightweight - clocking in at 7.6 pounds.

Furthermore, the Predator is, as its name suggests, very quiet, thanks to string dampeners and a CNC-machined flight track to make the experience whisper quiet.

The crossbow is somewhat bulky - but not beefy enough to make those with a more petite frame unable to use it.

It also comes with a RUCS system to give the hunter a better feeling of steady and balanced when shooting.

Safety & Trigger

The Predator comes with plenty of safety features and will keep the hunter unharmed during a session.

First of all, it boasts a Nock Sensor and an anti-dry-fire system to eliminate dry fires, which are dangerous for the hunter and the crossbow.

Also, it comes with finger guards and finger safety reminders, which are a nice touch.

The trigger comes with an intelligent Trigger Tech system that provides zero creep and a quiet experience.

The release is frictionless, and it moves so smoothly, giving the over-the-top hunter precision.

Accessories

Besides the rope cocking device, the crossbow comes with:

We salute the decision to include the lube wax because the manufacturer states the string needs to be waxed every 10 shots.

What we liked is that the crossbow comes pretty much assembled.

You might only have to place some accessories yourself - if you need them, that is. Otherwise, the crossbow is ready to go!

Pros:

Cons:

6. CenterPoint Wrath 430 Compound Crossbow:

CenterPoint made the Wrath 430 compound crossbow - and it’s undoubtedly the most compact bow they’ve ever made.

Despite the size, though, this crossbow is packing power and exquisite features!

High Velocity

The Wrath 430 comes with the maximum speed of the shot measured at 430 FPS.

The speed is enabled with 165 pounds of kinetic energy and 200 pounds of draw weight.

The draw weight is easier to cock, thanks to the rope cocking mechanism, but it could still be too heavy for some hunters.

If that is the case with you, consider investing in a crank-cocking tool to make it more manageable for yourself.

Compact Design

The design of the Wrath 430 comes with some great details, like a folding stirrup - which you can use as bipod support for your crossbow.

Adjustable foregrip

It also has an adjustable foregrip to help you fine-tune everything according to your liking.

The crossbow is pretty tiny - making it the perfect option for someone with a more small frame.

Great for tight space

Even more so, it’s very narrow, so you can easily use it in a ground blind, tree saddle, or a small tree stand

And it comes with rail-mounted stops to help you remain quiet when hunting.

Lightweight

The crossbow is made out of aluminum and composite material, making it highly resilient.

And it weighs just over 8 pounds, which is decent and not too heavy for most hunters.

Bullpup Design

The excellent bullpup design provides the crossbow with a few unique benefits.

The release of the trigger is behind it, enabling a far longer power stroke, and therefore, more power.

Because of that simple change, this crossbow is very fast - and oh-so-powerful.

Safety Features

As for the safety features, this crossbow comes with the standard anti-dry-fire system, as well as auto-safety.

One of the most excellent touches would be the oversized finger guards that ensure your fingers are not harmed while hunting.

Accessories

The Wrath 430 comes with a few accessories that make this package an even better buy.

One of them is the detachable quiver - which doesn’t add too much length to your crossbow, by the way.

Then, you’ll get a rope cocking mechanism to take off some of the draw weight and the 4x32 illuminated scope.

What is great, too, is that you’ll get three-carbon 400-grain arrows to help you get started hunting immediately.

And some string wax, which should last you a while!

Pros:

Cons:

7. Ravin R29x Predator Crossbow:

Ravin makes fantastic crossbows; that is no secret by now.

However, the R29x Predator is truly something else with all the fine details and pieces of technology that make hunting not only easy but fun!

Fast Shooting Speed

The Ravin R29x Predator comes with many pros - and speed is just one of them.

With the top speed of 450 FPS and kinetic energy of 180 pounds, delivering kill shots has never been easier!

The power stroke is only 12 inches, but extreme power is possible thanks to the significant draw weight of 300 pounds.

Luckily, the crank mechanism reduces that draw weight to something easier to pull.

Compact size

The R29x comes with a Predator Dusk Camo finish, giving the crossbow an attractive look.

It’s also super lightweight thanks to the quality materials - weighing under 7 pounds.

Thanks to that lightweight feel, this crossbow is the perfect choice for anyone with a shoulder injury or simply a more petite body frame.

The Predator is also relatively small in size, with the width of 6 inches cocked and 10 inches uncocked.

It is very narrow, making it a suitable choice for hunting from ladders or treestands.

Balance Design

This crossbow has several notable features, one of them being the HeliCoil technology.

This technology coils the cables from the top and bottom of cams to keep them balanced.

The cams remain level as they rotate up to 340 degrees, ensuring great accuracy and perfect performance.

Also, the Frictionless flight system is a system unique to Ravin crossbows. It allows the arrow to float above the rail without any friction to ensure accurate shots.

Accessories

The R29x comes with plenty of accessories:

The cocking mechanism is of such high quality that it makes cocking the crossbow a piece of cake - reducing the draw weight to a meager 12 pounds!

New Cocking System

One of the things that make the R29x Predator stand out is the novel silent cocking system.

This system enables you to cock and uncock the crossbow without so much as a peep while in the woods.

Plus, you can easily do it in small spaces like a ground blind or a treestand, as well.

Drawback

The only flaw of this otherwise incredible crossbow is the cost.

Unfortunately, the price tag matches the quality of the crossbow - and it certainly goes over the average hunter’s budget.

Pros:

Cons:

8. TenPoint Havoc RS440 Crossbow:

TenPoint has made Vapor, one of our top picks - and Havoc, yet another fastest Ten Point crossbow designed to grab your attention.

It goes fast, attractive, and here for you to take your deer down.

Ultra-Fast Speed

The Havoc certainly doesn’t fall behind other crossbows in this article since it has a top speed of 450 FPS when shooting with 400-grain arrows.

Like in most crossbows featured here, the Havoc also has a reverse draw design.

The reverse draw enables a longer power stroke, along with a better balance.

Since the riser is placed in the middle of the bow, that makes the bow easier to hold, improving accuracy.

Reversed Draw Design

The idea behind the Havoc RS440 is to make a small but powerful crossbow.

It’s only 26 inches long and only 7.5 inches wide when cocked - but it certainly packs a punch despite the tiny size.

The Tec-Tactical stock is molded with polypropylene to give the crossbow strength and durability.

However, the crossbow isn’t lightweight - weighing 8 pounds without accessories, it can be over 11 pounds when fully equipped.

However, it’s a pain to carry all day if you love to spot and stalk because of heavy weight.

Newest AcuSlide System

The AcuSlide cocking system is something we have mentioned before in this article, and it’s also featured in the Havoc RS440.

With this intelligent system, you can forget about the manual pullback as it needs only 5 lbs to draw.

This system is entirely silent when cocking and decocking the crossbow. So worry-free of spooking the big bucks.

It also goes extremely smooth even with decocking.

And there’s no need to worry about potential damage to the crossbow because you don’t need to fire the bolt to unload!

Accessories

The most notable accessory of the Havoc would have to be the Garmin Xero scope.

The Xero x1i sighting system is a standard on the Havoc and can sight in within milliseconds automatically.

There’s no more gap shooting between the lines - since this scope features a single aiming point to help you out.

Other included accessories are the six 16-inch arrows and a Tech Quiver designed to hold those six arrows.

Each one is a 400-grain, and it allows you to push your crossbow to the top speeds.

The Quiver is much larger than we anticipated since most quivers will hold four arrows max.

Pros:

Cons:

9. Barnett Hypertac Pro 430 Crossbow:

Barnett has made the Predator - one of their fastest hunting crossbows - but they certainly didn’t stop there.

They have also created the Hypertac Pro 430, and it stands shoulder-to-shoulder to the Predator!

Powerful and High FPS

This crossbow has a top speed of 430 FPS when using 380-grain bolts, which might be slightly lower than most crossbows on this list.

However, the Hypertac Pro is still much faster than most crossbows on the market today.

It has a 230-pound draw weight, which alongside a long power stroke of 14 inches, makes this crossbow a potent bow.

Now, cocking a 230-pound crossbow could be very hard, but Hypertac Pro comes with a crank cocking mechanism to enable the hunter to cock the crossbow easily - and without breaking a sweat.

Steady Design

The size of the crossbow is “medium,” catering to most hunters.

The design was carefully thought out to make your life easier: from the Soft Lok floating arrow retainer to the pre-installed string dampeners to ensure your hunt is quiet and unnoticed.

One of the great things about Barnett crossbows is that they’re customizable to your liking.

This crossbow comes with 3 Picatinny tails, allowing you to add on accessories as needed.

Plus, it has a micro-adjustable buttstock and cheekpiece to fine-tune everything the way you want to.

Safety Features

The Hypertec comes with the standard anti-dry-fire to prevent damage to the hunter and the crossbow.

Also, it features a metal injection molded trigger that’s silent and easy to use, improving your precision as you hunt down your turkey.

This 3-pound trigger has zero-creep, no friction, and the release technology is perfected to give you the best accuracy.

High-quality Accessories

Among other things, this crossbow comes with:

In general, the accessories are high-quality and should keep you set for the first few hunting weekends with this crossbow.

We liked that the crossbow comes fully assembled, so you don’t need to waste time reading the instructions manual.

Once the crossbow arrives at your doorstep, you can start hunting!

Drawback

This crossbow weighs around 9 pounds without accessories, meaning it weighs over 11-12 pounds with accessories.

If you have a more petite frame or plan to carry it to your stands, keep this in mind.

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Cons:

Advantages and Disadvantages Of a Faster Crossbow:

The faster crossbows are almost exclusively more popular than those that fall back regarding speed. It seems like faster is always better.

Let’s find out…

Advantages:

Better Technology

The faster crossbows come with the novel yet-unseen technology to give them that maximum speed boost.

The faster crossbows can remain perfectly accurate at distances over 100 yards - but only when shooting a target.

However, shooting at your prey from 100 yards away is still not ethical, and it takes away the fun out of hunting.

The point is to get as close as possible without being seen or heard by your prey.

So, when it comes to the technology of the faster bows, it’s an advantage.

More Broadhead & Bolt Options

The faster crossbow will require some light bolts if you want to get the maximum out of your crossbow.

The advantage is, you can easily use lighter bolts with faster crossbows because they will achieve success even with lower grainage.

That enables you to save up on rather heavy broadheads and bolts.

You can use whatever you have at home, but we advise you to try out a few different things before you settle for a certain kind of bolts or broadheads.

However, do note that if you choose too light arrows, you will lose on penetration, resulting in a non-ethical shot.

Longer Draw Length

Draw length, also referred to as the power stroke, makes the crossbow go ultra-fast.

The longer the power stroke, the better - meaning it’ll give your crossbow a good speed without the excessive draw weight.

That’s where the longer draw length comes up as an advantage.

You can still get a 400+ FPS crossbow with lower draw weight, and it doesn’t take a solid upper body to cock!

Disadvantages:

More Costly

Regarding the costs of a speedy crossbow, it’s undoubtedly a disadvantage.

The maintenance of a faster crossbow will generally put a dent in your crossbow-dedicated budget.

Horizontal rigs that enable your crossbow to shoot extremely fast have to be checked constantly for string wear or even cracked limbs.

Some companies that make faster crossbows generally recommend doing a full refurbish once every 200-300 shots.

Having a speedy crossbow that serves you well for a long time will cost you. It costs a lot, and so does the maintenance, usually falling in a couple of thousands of dollars price range.

Heavier Draw Weight

With the extreme speeds of the crossbow comes a significant draw weight.

All that means your crossbow could be rather challenging to cock - at least without a crank mechanism.

Using a rope cocking device only takes away half of the draw weight, which could still be far too heavy for you to pull.

Stress on limbs

Another disadvantage of the heavy draw weight is that it puts enormous stress on the limbs and the crossbow in general.

Because of that, you will find that some of the manufacturers don’t recommend keeping the crossbow cocked for more than 20 minutes.

Also, most crossbow companies advise against leaving the crossbow cocked overnight - let alone longer.

Now that we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of faster crossbows, we can safely say it has more advantages than disadvantages.

What’s Next?

There are a few options for a superfast crossbow on the market. We have found our top 9 picks - and we’ve loved testing them out for you!

However, only one can be the fastest crossbow for the money out there, and that would be the TenPoint Vapor RS470.

Editor's choice:

It’s fast, powerful, quiet, durable, easy to cock and decock - and comes with a fantastic trigger!

What’s your pick when it comes to the highest fps crossbow? Which one’s your favorite? Let us know in the comments!