Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

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dwilley
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Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by dwilley »

I was over at ArcheryTalk and a member there was making a big deal because a newbie posted asking what bolts to use with his crossbow. He was informed in no uncertain terms that crossbows shoot arrows, not bolts. I'm a newbie to crossbows too. What is the difference between a bolt and an arrow? Is it that bolts are much shorter and made from solid metal? Thanks for any clarification offered,
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David
P.S. my apologies if this has already been done to death...........
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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by Normous »

Bolts are less than 5 inches. Crossbows shoot arrows.
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wheelie
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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by wheelie »

Bolts are ment for nuts!!!! Crossbows shoot arrows! :) :)
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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by bdog »

ARROWS........
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one shot scott
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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by one shot scott »

Its not something to start wars over but they shoot arrows. The only time it matters is when our vertical brethren say we are not archery because we shoot bolts. They are nuts.
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Old Jim
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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by Old Jim »

In the old days in Europe the crossbow shot a bolt. This was a short projectile,usually iron or steel, very heavy, and could have grooves in the back to help stabalize. When the modern crossbow came about, some uninformed people carried down the term bolt instead of arrow. Their thinking was, if it's a crossbow, then it must shoot a bolt. They did in the 1500's. Well this is the 21/st century and we have modern crossbows that shoot ARROWS. An Arrow is a lightweight shaft with feathers or vanes and an arrowhead. To recap: An ARROW goes in the groove of a modern day crossbow. A Bolt goes in a bin in a hardware store.
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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by Tom »

As was mentioned above a crossbow bolt is very short in nature. I am not sure of the exact size but they are about 5-8 inches, metal and no veins or fletching. This definition comes from hundreds of years ago. In the 1970's there came about another definition of the crossbow bolt and that had a 14 inch limit on the size, but it did have veins or fletching like a regular arrow.

Hope this helps you.
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Limbs and Sticks
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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by Limbs and Sticks »

Depends on who you buy your supplies from, some advertise bolts some arrows, I call mine what ever bolts, arrows or sticks they all kill :)

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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by Old Jim »

The verical bow shooters use arrows. No questions asked. If I take one of their arrows and cut 8" off, I still have an ARROW. I suppose that I could shoot one of their 28" arrows from my crossbow, but 20" works better. Point is: one is a long arrow and one a short arrow. BOTH ARE ARROWS.
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Stash
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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by Stash »

You can call them whatever you like, and don't let anyone intimidate you into insisting they must be "arrows" or must be "bolts".

I think they're "bolts", and so do ALL of the major crossbow bolt manufacturers.

Excalibur calls theirs Firebolts
Easton calls theirs Powerbolts
http://www.eastonarchery.com/products/hunting_bolt
Carbon Express calls theirs Crossbolts
http://www.cxcrossbows.com/cms/content/crossbow-bolts
Gold Tip calls theirs bolts:
http://www.goldtip.com/category.aspx?catid=13
Victory calls theirs Xbolts
http://www.victoryarchery.com/XBolt.aspx

Draw your own conclusion. :D
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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by crazyfarmer »

i hear both terms used and it really doesnt matter which since we all know what they are referring to. Those that complain because someone calls it a bolt are bored and have nothing better to do with their time HAHAHAHA....

bolts or arrows... they fly straight and kill deer :lol:
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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by Old Jim »

Does a vertical archer shoot a long bolt? They are both constructed the same except for length.
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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by cevans »

i beg to differ as we put long overdraws on bows, and shortened the arrows to 20-22 inches so the vertical bows could gain speed. All I care about is the accuracy, ease and killing power, and they can call them what ever they like. The proof is in the kill and that is the reliazation of a crossbow. :D
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Limbs and Sticks
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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by Limbs and Sticks »

Stash wrote:You can call them whatever you like, and don't let anyone intimidate you into insisting they must be "arrows" or must be "bolts".

I think they're "bolts", and so do ALL of the major crossbow bolt manufacturers.

Excalibur calls theirs Firebolts
Easton calls theirs Powerbolts
http://www.eastonarchery.com/products/hunting_bolt
Carbon Express calls theirs Crossbolts
http://www.cxcrossbows.com/cms/content/crossbow-bolts
Gold Tip calls theirs bolts:
http://www.goldtip.com/category.aspx?catid=13
Victory calls theirs Xbolts
http://www.victoryarchery.com/XBolt.aspx

Draw your own conclusion. :D

What he said :)

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Re: Do crossbows shoot bolts or arrows?

Post by MADMAX2 »

Call them what you want just make sure you have one in place before you shoot cause that is called a dry fire!! :lol:
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