First lets start off with a few words about the origin of the crossbow. The crossbow played an important role in the late Medieval period. The history of the crossbow dates back to China in the year six hundred B.C. It was specially designed so that it could be used by an untrained soldier to injure or kill a knight in plate armor. The most powerful crossbows could penetrate armor and kill at 200 yards.

Crossbows are easier to aim than longbows because the crossbowman does not have to use a hand to hold the string back while aiming. This allowed for better stability and more accurate aim. The crossbow could be loaded very quickly once the user became proficient with the mechanism. The most modern type of crossbow, say like the Barnett demon crossbow, requires less upper body strength to place the arrow in position. This is because the pulley section of the bow is especially designed to give quick load and ease of firing. Crossbows do, of course, come with a price. That price is in efficiency and in the firing rate.

Now, one must realize that no bow is perfectly efficient, but in comparison to crossbows designed say about twenty years ago the advances are incredible. Manufacturers have analyzed and studied the mechanisms of the crossbow for many years and are still coming up with ways to improve the efficiency and speed of use without losing accuracy. The crossbow as a sporting weapon is one of the most sought after on the market today.

Crossbows are regarded by professional archers as well as amateur archers as one of the finest methods for hunting and sport ever designed. The reason for this is because of the speed and velocity it can release the bolt. It can shoot an arrow at the speed of two hundred and sixty miles per second. The crossbows equipped with the red dot scope are the most accurate that one can use today. For the person who enjoys hunting, there is no better way to test ones skills than with a crossbow. They are the ultimate weapon. Quick, silent and deadly.