Fastest
The fastest crossbows, and what they cost you
Speed buys a flatter trajectory and forgiveness on range. It also constrains your target, your broadheads and your nocks. Five fast bows, with the bill attached.
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Ranked
Quick picks
| # | Product | Speed | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 1 | Ravin R470 | 470 fps | 8.5 | $2,424.51Amazon |
| Rank 2 |  Ravin R29X | 450 fps | 8.7 | $2,299.99Amazon |
| Rank 3 |  CenterPoint Wrath 430 | 430 fps | 8.9 | $749.99Amazon |
| Rank 4 |  Barnett Hyper Raptor GTX | 425 fps | 8.2 | $1,199.99Amazon |
| Rank 5 |  TenPoint Turbo X | 415 fps | 8.8 | $1,399.99Amazon |
Here is the thing nobody selling a fast crossbow mentions: above about 400 fps, speed starts spending your money somewhere else. Your target has to be rated for it, which rules out most bag targets. Your broadheads have to be rated for it, which rules out a lot of mechanicals. Your nocks and bolt straightness matter more. None of that makes a fast bow a bad buy — it makes it a bigger purchase than the price tag.
In detail
Five fast bows
Ravin R470
470 fps from an 8.4-pound frame with the Versa-Draw crank built in. It is the fastest figure any listing here publishes. Understand what you are buying: at 470 fps your bolt, nock, broadhead and target all have to be rated for it, and almost no bag target is.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed | 470 fps |
| Weight | 8.4 lb |
| Cocking aid | Versa-Draw crank, integrated |
| Cam system | Helicoil, 340-degree cam rotation |
| Arrows | Three Ravin .003 R500 Series arrows, 400 gr total |
| Scope | 100-yard illuminated, rated to 550 fps |
| Cocked width |
What it does well
- 470 fps published, the highest here
- The integrated crank keeps cocking effort low despite the power
- The scope is rated past the bow's own speed, so the speed dial has headroom
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 8.8
- 10.0
- 8.2
- 8.0
- 6.8
- 6.0
Ravin R29X
450 fps at 6.75 pounds with the same stop-anywhere silent cocking as the R26X. If you want speed and a quiet draw in one bow and the budget is not the binding constraint, this is where those two requirements meet.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed | 450 fps |
| Weight | 6.75 lb |
| Cocking | Silent, stop mid-cycle |
| Cam system | Helicoil, 340-degree cam rotation |
| Arrows | Three Ravin .003 arrows, 400 gr total |
| Scope | 100-yard illuminated |
| Cocked width |
What it does well
- 450 fps is the second-fastest figure published on this site
- Silent, stoppable cocking at that speed is rare
- Still under 7 pounds
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 9.0
- 9.6
- 9.2
- 8.6
- 8.8
- 6.2
CenterPoint Wrath 430
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
Our rubric
- 8.6
- 9.4
- 8.6
- 9.4
- 7.4
- 8.8
Barnett Hyper Raptor GTX
425 fps and 152 ft-lb of kinetic energy through .204-diameter HyperFlite arrows, with a laser rangefinding scope in the box. Barnett claims over 25 percent deeper penetration than a standard-diameter arrow. 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 |
| 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 X-Factor laser rangefinding |
What it does well
- 152 ft-lb is the highest published kinetic-energy figure here
- A rangefinding scope is included, which is normally a several-hundred-dollar add
- 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
Our rubric
- 6.4
- 9.2
- 8.0
- 8.0
- 7.8
- 7.8
TenPoint Turbo X
415 fps, 6.9 pounds, and an ACUslide that cocks and de-cocks silently. This is the bow to look at when you want the easy-cocking, safe-unloading package but are not willing to drop to 400 fps to get it. Outdoor Life's independent 2025 testing recorded a 1.23-inch average group at 50 yards across four three-shot groups, which is a claim we can point at rather than make.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed | 415 fps |
| Weight | 6.9 lb |
| Cocking aid | ACUslide, integrated |
| De-cocks | Yes, backwind and stop anywhere |
| Trigger | S2 zero-creep, with dry-fire prohibitor |
| Scope | 100-yard RangeMaster 100, illuminated |
| Independent accuracy | 1.23 in average group at 50 yd (Outdoor Life, 2025) |
What it does well
- Silent cocking and safe de-cocking from the same integrated system
- 6.9 pounds is light for a 415 fps bow
- A two-cable bow assembly is the simplest thing to maintain in TenPoint's line
- The accuracy claim is third-party, not the maker's own range day
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 9.4
- 9.0
- 8.8
- 8.2
- 8.6
- 7.4
How we picked
Ranked on published speed, then adjusted for the practical consequences: what you have to buy to shoot it safely, and what it weighs on the walk in. See our methodology.
Speed, and the bill that comes with it
| Model | Speed | Weight | Target rating needed | Cocking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravin R470 | 470 fps | 8.4 lb | 500 fps class | Versa-Draw crank, integrated |
| Ravin R29X | 450 fps | 6.75 lb | 450 fps minimum | Silent, stop mid-cycle |
| CenterPoint Wrath 430 | 430 fps | 450 fps recommended | Silent crank included | |
| Barnett Hyper Raptor GTX | 425 fps | 425 fps minimum | Rope cocking device | |
| TenPoint Turbo X | 415 fps | 6.9 lb | 425 fps minimum | ACUslide, integrated |
What speed actually buys
A flatter trajectory, which forgives a misjudged range
This is the real benefit and it is worth having. A faster bolt drops less between 30 and 40 yards, so being ten yards wrong about the distance costs you less vertical error. Given that misjudged range is the most common cause of a missed crossbow shot, that is a genuine advantage — though a rangefinder solves the same problem for less money.
More kinetic energy, which you probably did not need
Barnett publishes 152 ft-lb for the Hyper Raptor, the highest figure on this site. Commonly cited guidance puts whitetail deer around 25 ft-lb. Speed is not buying you lethality you were missing. See crossbow kinetic energy.
What speed costs
- A target that can stop it. Most bag targets stop at 425 fps. Above 450 fps you need the Rinehart 18-1 (500 fps) or the SpyderWeb 20XL (no stated limit). See targets for fast bows.
- Broadheads rated for the speed. Crossbow velocity is what opens mechanical blades in flight. Grim Reaper publishes a 400 fps rating; most makers publish none. See broadheads for 400 fps bows.
- Tighter bolt tolerances. A small initial error has more flight time to grow at higher speed. Straightness goes from a nicety to something worth paying for.
- Noise. More energy means more to dissipate after the shot. See crossbow noise.
- Weight, sometimes. The R470 is the heaviest bow on this site at 8.4 lb.
Our pick
The Turbo X at 415 fps, because it is the fastest bow here that does not force a new target, weighs 6.9 lb, and cocks and de-cocks silently at low effort. If you genuinely want the top of the range, the R29X at 450 fps and 6.75 lb is the better buy than the R470: 20 fps slower, 1.65 lb lighter, and considerably cheaper.
