Lightest
The best lightweight crossbows
Six pounds against eight is the difference between a mile and a quarter mile. Five bows ranked on published weight, with what light costs you stated.
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Ranked
Quick picks
| # | Product | Weight | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 1 | TenPoint Titan 400 | 6 lb | 8.9 | $799.99Amazon |
| Rank 2 |  Ravin R18 | 6 lb | 8.6 | $1,999.99Amazon |
| Rank 3 |  Barnett Wildcat CRX | 6.1 lb | 7.2 | $239.99Amazon |
| Rank 4 |  Ravin R26X | 6.5 lb | 8.7 | $1,999.99Amazon |
| Rank 5 |  Killer Instinct Boss 405 | 6.7 lb | 8.1 | $299.99Amazon |
Weight is the specification you notice least in a shop and most at four in the morning. The bows on this site run from 6 lb to 8.4 lb before you add a scope, a loaded quiver and a sling — and realistically that is another pound and a half. Two pounds of difference across a mile, on one shoulder, in the dark, is not a detail.
In detail
Five light bows
TenPoint Titan 400
The same 5-pound cocking effort as the Titan X, the same 9.75-inch front end, 6 pounds on the sling, and no de-cocking. If you never planned to unload the bow without shooting it, this is the cheaper half of the Titan decision.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed | 400 fps |
| Cocking effort | 5 lb |
| Cocked width | 9.75 in |
| Weight | 6 lb |
| Cocking aid | ACUdraw Silent, integrated |
| De-cocks | No |
| Scope | Pro-View 400, illuminated, aim points to 70 yd |
What it does well
- 5 lb cocking effort at the lowest price TenPoint publishes it at
- 6 pounds is light for a full-size bow with an integrated crank
- A built-in crank cannot be left at home
- Arrives assembled and pre-sighted
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 9.5
- 8.4
- 8.4
- 9.0
- 9.0
- 8.8
Ravin R18
Ravin's Verticoil cams coil the string over 720 degrees, which collapses the cocked height to 1.3 inches. Nothing else on this site is close. At 6 pounds with a Versa-Draw crank built in, it is the bow for a tight blind window or a mobile saddle setup, and the price is the reason most people do not end up with one.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Cocked height | 1.3 in |
| Weight | 6 lb |
| Cocking aid | Versa-Draw crank, integrated |
| Cam system | 720-degree Verticoil |
| Arrows | Three 16 in .003 R18 arrows, 350 gr total |
| Sight | Ravin 3-dot reflex |
| Speed |
What it does well
- A 1.3-inch cocked height makes blind-window geometry a non-issue
- Ravin's shortest and lightest model at 6 pounds
- The Versa-Draw crank is integrated, so the cocking aid is never forgotten
- The Frictionless Flight System keeps the arrow off the rail
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 9.0
- 7.5
- 8.4
- 9.8
- 9.2
- 6.8
Barnett Wildcat CRX
280 fps at 6.1 pounds with a red dot, three arrows, broadheads, a quiver and a cocking device in the bundle. It is the least bow on this site and it is priced like it. Buy it to learn on, or if your season opens in three days and you have two hundred dollars.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed | 280 fps |
| Weight | 6.1 lb |
| Cocking aid | Cocking device included; Rope-Hold technology |
| Sight | Red dot |
| Included | Three 20 in Headhunter arrows, broadheads, side-mount quiver |
| Safety | Anti-dry-fire, finger safety reminders, pass-through foregrip |
| Cocked width |
What it does well
- Complete and shootable out of the box, broadheads included
- 6.1 pounds with the quiver on
- Anti-dry-fire on a budget bow
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 6.4
- 5.4
- 6.6
- 7.8
- 9.0
- 9.2
Ravin R26X
5.75 inches axle-to-axle cocked, 6.5 pounds, and a cocking system you can stop mid-stroke without the bow fighting you. The one-way bearing is the feature that matters on a cold morning in a blind: you can cock in stages, quietly, instead of committing to one noisy pull.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Cocked width | 5.75 in |
| Weight | 6.5 lb |
| Cocking | Silent, stop mid-cycle; Trac Trigger and one-way bearing |
| Cam system | Helicoil, 340-degree cam rotation |
| Arrows | Three Ravin .003 arrows, 400 gr total |
| Scope | 100-yard illuminated |
| Speed |
What it does well
- Stop-anywhere cocking is the quietest draw stroke published here
- A 5.75-inch cocked width beats every non-Ravin bow on this site
- A 100-yard illuminated scope is included rather than an upsell
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 9.2
- 8.0
- 9.4
- 9.6
- 9.0
- 6.6
Killer Instinct Boss 405
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
Our rubric
- 6.4
- 8.6
- 7.8
- 6.8
- 8.8
- 9.2
How we picked
Ranked on published bow weight. Bows whose listings do not publish a weight are excluded, which rules out several otherwise strong candidates. See our methodology.
The weight table
| Model | Weight | Cocking | Speed | Cocked width |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TenPoint Titan 400 | 6 lb | ACUdraw Silent, 5 lb | 400 fps | 9.75 in |
| Ravin R18 | 6 lb | Versa-Draw crank, integrated | 1.3 in (height) | |
| Barnett Wildcat CRX | 6.1 lb | Cocking device included | 280 fps | |
| Ravin R26X | 6.5 lb | Silent, stop mid-cycle | 5.75 in | |
| Killer Instinct Boss 405 | 6.7 lb | Rope cocker | 405 fps | 14.75 in |
What light costs you
Steadiness off-hand
A heavier bow damps your own shake. Shooting off-hand at 40 yards, a 6 lb bow moves more in your hands than an 8 lb one does. In practice almost every crossbow shot is taken from a rest — a blind window frame, a shooting stick, a stand rail — which removes most of this. If you genuinely shoot unsupported, weight is your friend.
Nothing else, really
This is the unusual case where the light option is not a compromise. The Titan 400 is 6 lb, publishes 5 lb cocking effort, 400 fps and 9.75 in cocked. A heavier bow does not buy you more of any of those.
Where the rest of the weight goes
The bow is about two thirds of what you carry. The rest:
- Scope. 11-20 oz depending on tube size. A 30 mm tube passes more light and weighs more.
- Quiver and three bolts. TenPoint's detach quiver publishes 4.75 oz empty; three 400 gr bolts are about 3 oz between them, plus broadheads.
- Cocking aid. An integrated crank is already in the bow weight. A detachable crank — the Excalibur Charger EXT — comes off and goes in a pack.
- Case. A soft backpack case is 2-4 lb and moves the whole load onto both shoulders, which is better than a lighter sling for a long walk.
Our pick
The Titan 400. 6 lb, 5 lb to cock, 400 fps, 9.75 in cocked — the lightest bow on this site that gives nothing up to get there. The R18 matches the weight and is dramatically narrower, at roughly three times the money and with no published speed figure.
