5 Outstanding Crossbows For Young Shooters – Always Hit The Target

You might be a lover of archery yourself or want to show your kid a gun-free way of hunting. Investing in the best youth crossbow can help be that starting point for you and your kid to not only start a new sport but also a bonding experience—especially one safe for them at a young age. Shooting practice with the crossbow can also provide a ton of different development benefits for accuracy and kinetic motion in your child’s body. They will learn about control, as well as so many other tactical and technical skills.

In our review, we’ve highlighted the various features we consider important in our review and why they are important to be able to pick out the best ones. Some more crucial features include the overall weight, draw weight, speed and kinetic energy, and warranty information.

Our article is developed in a way to help you best read on about a guide to crossbows—especially for beginners. We’ve spent hours on not only researching crossbows but also making this guide to help you pick out the best crossbow. With an in-comparison review table with the products side-by-side and rated, in-detail reviews of each product to help break down each feature the products have, and a buying guide to help you choose the best youth crossbow for your child so they can not only develop the skills they need to practice and engage in the sport but also have a piece of equipment sturdy enough and high-quality that it can grow as your child grows in the sport.

Top 5 Youth Crossbows Review 2021

Is it safe to give your child a crossbow?

Since you’re already here on this article, you should probably know that giving your child a crossbow comes with various precautions.

For a child, an upper limit of 200 lbs is standard. You should also realize that you can set the crank to make it easier for the kid to hold and carry. Normally, the actual weight of the crossbow will be from 8 to 13 lbs. However, some crossbows, like our budget pick—the Manticore SAS Crossbow with Scope—is seven lbs. So if you have a smaller kid looking to start out, that one is probably your best option.

Types of crossbows explained

Before you buy, you should familiarize yourself with the various crossbows available with all the different types. There are different styles of modern crossbows, each coming with its own unique characteristics.

Here are some of the more common styles:

• One- and two-handed crossbows
• Compound Crossbows
• Recurve Crossbows
• Reverse limb crossbows
• Reverse draw technology (RDT) crossbows

Tips on shooting the crossbow for beginners

Bottom line: you’re searching for a child’s crossbow. What can we assume? He or she most likely won’t be at the professional level just yet.

Knowing a few tips and tricks for shooting the crossbow for beginners can definitely help the learning curve go a bit smoother:

There are four steps you should follow.

1. Cock the bow. You can do this step manually or crank-operated. A crossbow crank will much easier to use.

   Load the bow. This is the easy part—simply load an arrow in the barrel of the bow. Make sure it is securely in place.

   Aim the bow. When aiming, make sure your thumb is NOT wrapped around the crossbow forearm. You can aim through the optical scope or the mount scope.

   Take your shot. Just like a gun or rifle, squeeze the trigger and keep your target aligned.

   Price tag

   Especially since your child will probably outgrow the crossbow in a few years (unless they have a huge growth spurt) or they may even change their interests at the drop of the hat, you’ll definitely not want to go spending a huge chunk of change on your crossbow.

   Investing in a quality crossbow that is targeted at the youth level will not only be good for your kid to grow quality-wise, it will also be beneficial for your budget.

   Consider the following features to choose the ideal youth crossbow

   Before you choose and buy, consider the following features that each youth crossbow may have:

   Size and weight

   Especially since your child is probably not a professionally-rated bodybuilder, they might not be able to hold the crossbow, which is over twice the weight of a conventional bow.

   A great tip would be to have your child hold random household objects and see how heavy the various objects are and how comfortable they feel. Your local bow shop that also stocks youth crossbows can be of assistance, as well. See if they will let your child hold one on a target without an arrow. Your child should be able to hold the bow steady for at least eight seconds.

   Safety

   Especially since your children are involved, you will want to invest in the safety of the product more than the quality. Safety is generally pretty high on the priority list with crossbows—but it is especially for those which are more for children than anybody else.

   These crossbows will have a built-in firing mechanism which makes it so that the crossbow has to be physically disengaged before firing.

   When it comes to safety, however, you’ll definitely want to educate your children on the proper protocol and safety precautions before letting them use a crossbow.

   Draw weight and power

   On a child’s crossbow, the most important thing on it is the weight. You have to make sure that the bow fits the child and he or she is able to draw the weight (normally around 150 lbs).

   String and speed

   The string of the crossbow has a direct correlation of the speed. You can either choose your strings to be customized, stock bowstrings, cables, and so much more.

   The speed is normally measured in FPS, which stands for feet-per-second.

   Hunting perks

   When you want to get a crossbow to hunt, this will help your child reach certain arrow speed and power that you just can’t get with a regular bow.

   With the mechanical advantages available in the crossbow, your child will be able to use his or her strength and draw a ton of power in the crossbow.

   Warranty

   Most of the crossbows on this guide are backed by a warranty of 5 years. It’s great to have a few years warranty guaranteed in the crossbow because of a few reasons.

   For one—it’s for your kid. With children, you can never be too careful (because they usually are not). Another great reason to have a quality warranty is the fact that the crossbow should grow with your kid—and with his or her evolving skill level.

   Crossbow maintenance tips

   Since you already made an investment, you might want to make sure that you know how to properly maintain your crossbow.

   Here are some tips that you should follow:

   Make sure the string and cables are waxed. With the package, you’ll normally have access to a tube of wax. Waxing the string and cables should be done on a regular basis—however, if you have questions about how often, check the instruction manual.

   The wax should be applied length-wise to the string.

   Make sure the rail is lubricated. You’ll be able to have smoother traction of your bolt, which will help in the accuracy of your shot.

   Always give your crossbow and arrows a thorough inspection before shooting. Look for cracks, twisting, splintering or bending in the arrows, shafts, and limbs. You can also clean the scope lens from time to time.

FAQ

For your most frequently asked questions, here are a few answers:

Our Verdict

If you’ve decided to skip out on all the detailed product reviews and comparison we’ve mentioned above, here is a quick look:

The Barnett HyperGhost 425 is our Editor’s Choice for the best all-around crossbow. As a composite-style crossbow, it is extremely lightweight, measured only at 6.4 lbs. It has a draw weight of 100 lbs and reaches a speed of 256 fps. Backed by a 5-year limited warranty, it also contains features like a 12.5’’ power stroke, arrows, an arrow holder, and a rope cocking device.

The Wicked Ridge by TenPoint Lady Ranger is our Runner-Up best youth crossbow. As a compound-style crossbow, it weighs even lighter than the Barnett—only 5.9 lbs! It still has a draw weight of 150 lbs and is even faster than the Barnett, with a speed of 300 fps! It is also backed by a 5-year limited warranty.

The Manticore SAS Crossbow with Scope is our Budget Pick for a quality crossbow at an affordable price. Weighing only 7 lbs with a draw weight of 150, you can still reach a high speed of 210 fps. This crossbow also features an auto safety cocking mechanism and a fiberglass limb.

We hope that this guide has helped you pick out the best youth crossbow for your child or for a young hunter you know!