The best crossbows for hog hunting

Hog hunting breaks most of the assumptions a deer-oriented buying guide is built on. The animal is usually inside 30 yards, frequently in thick cover or over bait or a feeder, and almost never alone. Boars carry a cartilage shield over the shoulder that thickens with age and turns a marginal setup into a tracking job. And the whole encounter is over in a second or two, which means the question nobody asks in a crossbow review is the one that decides a hog hunt: how long does it take you to put a second bolt on the rail?

So this page is ranked differently from our elk roundup, which sorts purely on published kinetic energy. Here energy is a floor rather than the ranking - every bow below publishes 400 fps or more - and the order is set by reload speed first, then penetration, then whether the bow arrives with an illuminated scope, because a lot of hog hunting happens in the last twenty minutes of light.

In detail

Five bows for a sounder in thick cover

01Penetration from a small-diameter arrow

$999.99/Amazon

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Barnett Hyper Raptor GTX

Barnett

8.2/ 10

425 fps and 152 ft-lb of kinetic energy from a 220-pound draw and a 13.5-inch power stroke, through .204-diameter HyperFlite arrows. Barnett claims over 25 percent deeper penetration than a standard-diameter arrow, and publishes 7.5 inches axle-to-axle cocked. Note the cocking aid: it ships with a rope cocker, not a crank, so budget for one if that is why you are here.

Published spec	Value
Speed	425 fps
Kinetic energy	152 ft-lb
Draw weight	220 lb
Power stroke	13.5 in
Cocked width	7.5 in axle-to-axle
Arrow	.204 HyperFlite, 20 in
Cocking aid	Rope cocking device
Trigger pull	3 lb
Trigger	TriggerTech frictionless, anti-dry-fire nock sensor
Scope	BUK OPS Cycloptic-X, PrimeTime Color Vision, with Scope Armor cover

What it does well

• 152 ft-lb is the highest published kinetic-energy figure here
• 7.5 inches axle-to-axle cocked is the narrowest figure outside the Ravin line
• The TriggerTech release is the crispest trigger spec in Barnett's line
• Pivoting limb pockets and an adjustable buttstock help fit

Where it falls short

• Rope cocker only; a crank is an extra purchase
• Small-diameter HyperFlite arrows are proprietary and cost more per dozen
• A 220 lb draw is the heaviest here, which makes the rope a real lift

Our rubric

Cocking effort

6.4

Speed

9.2

Noise

8.0

Blind fit

8.0

Carry weight

7.8

Value

7.8

02415 fps with a crank upgrade path

$319.99/Amazon

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Killer Instinct Burner 415

Killer Instinct

8.2/ 10

415 fps, a 3.5-pound KillerTech trigger, a 6-position stock, and explicit compatibility with Killer Instinct's DSC Dead Silent Crank. That last point is the reason to pick it over a cheaper bow: the crank is a documented upgrade, not a gamble.

Published spec	Value
Speed	415 fps
Trigger pull	3.5 lb
Stock	6-position with adjustable X-Lok foregrip
Cocking aid	Rope cocker included; accepts DSC Dead Silent Crank
Scope	Lumix 4x32 IR-W
Included	String suppressors, 3-bolt quiver, three HYPR Lite bolts, rail lube
Cocked width	Not published

What it does well

• 415 fps for under three hundred dollars
• Documented crank compatibility, so the effort problem has a known fix
• Micro-Lite barrel and a 3.5 lb trigger

Where it falls short

• The crank is sold separately
• No cocked width or weight published

Our rubric

Cocking effort

6.6

Speed

9.0

Noise

7.8

Blind fit

7.2

Carry weight

8.2

Value

9.2

03Narrowest full-power bow under a thousand

$749.99/Amazon

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CenterPoint Wrath 430

CenterPoint

8.9/ 10

A 9-inch cocked bullpup that shoots 430 fps off a 200-pound draw, with a silent crank in the box. That combination — tight blind geometry, real speed, and a crank you do not have to buy — is why this bow keeps turning up in the answer to the ground-blind question.

Published spec	Value
Speed	430 fps
Draw weight	200 lb
Cocked width	9 in
Cocking aid	Silent cranking device, included
Design	Bullpup, full-bearing cam compound
Scope	4x32 illuminated
Included	Three 20 in 400 gr carbon arrows, detachable quiver, rope cocker

What it does well

• A 9-inch cocked width with 430 fps behind it
• A silent crank and a rope cocker both included
• CNC-machined aluminum rails and cams
• 400-grain arrows included, which suits the speed

Where it falls short

• A 200-pound draw means the crank is not optional for most shooters
• Bullpup balance takes getting used to if you are coming off a rifle stock
• At 430 fps your target needs a high rating

Our rubric

Cocking effort

8.6

Speed

9.4

Noise

8.6

Blind fit

9.4

Carry weight

7.4

Value

8.8

04Published cocked and uncocked width

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Bear X Constrictor LT

Bear X

8.5/ 10

415 fps off a 200-pound draw, 10 inches cocked and 14 uncocked, with an aluminum cocking sled, a 1-5x24 illuminated speed-comp scope and a 5-arrow quiver. Bear publishes both width figures, which is more than most makers do, and both are good.

Published spec	Value
Speed	415 fps
Draw weight	200 lb
Cocked width	10 in
Uncocked width	14 in
Cocking aid	Aluminum cocking sled, included
Scope	1-5x24 illuminated speed comp
Included	Three TrueX Max 425 gr arrows, 5-arrow top-mount quiver, sling, lube

What it does well

• Both cocked and uncocked widths published, and both are narrow
• A variable 1-5x scope with a speed dial rather than a fixed 4x32
• Sling and aluminum sled included
• Ambidextrous top-mount quiver

Where it falls short

• A 200-pound draw with a sled, not a crank, is still a real pull
• 425-grain arrows are heavy if you want maximum speed
• Mid-range price with no crank

Our rubric

Cocking effort

6.8

Speed

9.0

Noise

8.2

Blind fit

9.0

Carry weight

7.8

Value

8.6

05Adjustable fit at a budget price

$299.99/Amazon

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Killer Instinct Boss 405

Killer Instinct

8.1/ 10

405 fps, 134 ft-lb, 6.7 pounds, and a 6-position stock with an adjustable foregrip so the bow actually fits you. The 14.75-inch cocked width is the limitation. For a shooter between sizes — a smaller adult, a teenager still growing — the adjustability is worth more than two inches of width.

Published spec	Value
Speed	405 fps
Kinetic energy	134 ft-lb
Weight	6.7 lb
Cocked width	14.75 in
Overall length	33.5-36 in, adjustable
Cocking aid	Rope cocker, included
Included	4x32 IR scope, quiver, three HYPR Lite bolts, rail lube, string dampeners

What it does well

• A 6-position stock and X-Lok foregrip fit a wide range of shooters
• 134 ft-lb published at a budget price
• 6.7 pounds with a Micro-Lite aluminum barrel
• Limited lifetime warranty on non-wearable parts

Where it falls short

• A 14.75-inch cocked width is wide for a tight blind
• Rope cocker only; the DSC crank is a separate purchase

Our rubric

Cocking effort

6.4

Speed

8.6

Noise

7.8

Blind fit

6.8

Carry weight

8.8

Value

9.2

How we picked

Cocking system first: a rope cocker or a sled can be used again in a few seconds, where an integrated crank takes considerably longer and is the wrong tool when a second pig is standing still forty feet away. Then published energy and arrow diameter, because the shield is the real obstacle. Then the included optic. Our scoring axes are on the methodology page.

The reload table

Why the shield changes the arrow, not just the bow

A mature boar's shield is layered cartilage over the shoulder, and it is the reason hog hunters talk about penetration the way elk hunters talk about energy. Two things get you through it: mass, and a small strong head. The Hyper Raptor's case rests on the first half of that - Barnett quotes .204 in HyperFlite shafts and credits the smaller diameter with deeper penetration - and it is the most convincing version of that argument on this site. The trade is permanent: those shafts are proprietary, cost more per dozen, and are the only arrows that bow should ever shoot.

Everything else here should be shooting the heavy end of its published arrow range. The arithmetic for why a heavier shaft carries more energy to the animal than a faster light one is worked through on crossbow bolt weight, and the Bear X Constrictor LT is worth noting because its included TrueX Max arrows are 425 gr, which is already at the right end of that range.

Fixed heads, for the same reason

A mechanical head spends energy opening at precisely the moment you want it driving forward, and shield cartilage is the worst possible place to ask it to do that. For hogs we would take a thick-bladed fixed head with a strong one-piece ferrule every time. Best fixed blade broadheads ranks on blade thickness and ferrule construction, best broadheads for hogs narrows that to the heads we would actually put behind a shield, and mechanical vs fixed blade sets out the trade without pretending it is one-sided.

What the top three are each for

Barnett Hyper Raptor GTX

152 ft-lb, 425 fps, 220 lb of draw weight and a 3 lb TriggerTech trigger, with 7.5 in between the axles cocked. It wins here on the combination of published energy and the small-diameter arrow argument, and because a rope cocker means your second shot is limited by your hands rather than by a gearbox. Note that the standard Barnett rope cocking device does not fit it - that detail is on Barnett crossbow accessories.

Killer Instinct Burner 415

415 fps, a 3.5 lb trigger, a six-position stock and a Lumix 4x32 IR-W scope in the box. The reason it sits this high is that it ships with a rope cocker and still accepts the DSC Dead Silent Crank, so you can run the rope through a feeder sit and fit the crank on the days when your shoulder is the problem. That is a genuinely useful pair of options on one bow.

CenterPoint Wrath 430

The fastest bow here at 430 fps from a 200 lb bullpup, 9 in cocked, and the only one that includes both a silent cranking device and a rope cocker. If you hunt hogs from a fixed blind over bait, the crank is the better tool and the 9 in front end clears the window. CenterPoint does not publish an energy figure for it, which is why it sits behind two bows that do.

Our pick

The Hyper Raptor GTX, for the published energy and the penetration argument, accepting the proprietary arrow cost as the price of entry. The Burner 415 is the pick if you want the choice between a rope and a crank on the same bow. The Boss 405 is the honest budget answer: 134 ft-lb, 6.7 lb, 14.75 in cocked and a rope cocker, which is enough bow for a 25-yard pig and leaves money for broadheads, which matter more here than the last 20 fps.

What we would not buy for hogs

• An integrated-crank-only bow. Excellent for a single deliberate shot, slow when there are six pigs at a feeder. If cocking effort is your binding constraint that is a different purchase - see best crossbow for a shoulder injury.
• A wide mechanical head. The shield is the exact wrong place for blades that have to deploy.
• A light bolt. Bottom-of-range arrow weight is the wrong end for cartilage and heavy bone.
• A non-illuminated scope. Hogs move at last light. A lit reticle is not a luxury here.
• A bag target rated to 350 fps. Every bow on this page will go through it. Best targets for high-fps crossbows has the rated list.

Set the bow up for a close, fast shot

Zero at 20 yards and confirm at 30, because that is where the shot will happen. A 100-yard reticle is not useful to you, and a bow sighted for 50 will shoot high at 15. Practice from the position you will actually shoot from - seated in a blind, or kneeling behind cover - and with the broadhead weight you will hunt, not a field point. How to sight in a crossbow covers the zero procedure and how to sight in a crossbow with broadheads covers the part most people skip.

One last thing that is specific to hogs: they are loud, they are usually in a group, and they do not tolerate a missed shot the way a single deer sometimes does. A quiet bow buys you the second shot that a fast reload makes possible. Crossbow noise lists the cheap fixes - string silencers and limb dampeners cost a few dollars and do more for a sounder than 20 fps ever will.