Targets & Cases
Will a crossbow shoot through a target?
Yes, if the target is not rated for your bow. Here is what the rating measures, why it fails, and what is behind the target when it does.
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Ranked
Quick picks
| # | Product | Speed rating | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 1 | Rinehart 18-1 | Up to 500 fps | 9.0 | $159.99Amazon |
| Rank 2 |  SpyderWeb 20XL No Speed Limit | No speed limit | 9.1 | $219.99Amazon |
| Rank 3 |  Hurricane H28 | Up to 425 fps with standard-diameter arrows | 8.2 | $46.50Amazon |
| Rank 4 |  Morrell Yellow Jacket YJ-425 | Up to 425 fps | 8.3 | $69.99Amazon |
| Rank 5 |  Block 6x6 Poly Fusion | Up to 400 fps | 8.2 | $99.95Amazon |
Yes. A target rated for a compound bow will not reliably stop a crossbow bolt. Archery targets carry a published fps rating — most bag targets stop at 400 to 425 fps — and a 430 or 470 fps crossbow exceeds it, so the bolt either passes through or buries unrecoverably.
This is the most common and most expensive new-crossbow-owner mistake, and the part people do not think about is what is behind the target when the bolt goes through.
What the fps rating actually means
The rating is the maker's statement of the arrow speed the target is designed to stop, usually assuming a standard-diameter arrow of typical weight. Hurricane publishes its 425 fps figure explicitly for standard-diameter arrows, which is the most precise phrasing on this site and a reminder that the rating is a system claim, not a property of the foam.
Three things make a real shot harder than the rating assumes:
- A small-diameter arrow concentrates the same energy into less frontal area, so it penetrates further. Barnett's HyperFlite .204 in shafts claim 25 percent deeper penetration in an animal; the same physics applies to your target.
- A heavier arrow carries more kinetic energy at the same speed.
- A broadhead cuts rather than pushes, which bypasses the friction mechanism a bag target relies on entirely.
The energy involved
Kinetic energy scales with mass and with the square of velocity. A 400 gr arrow at 470 fps carries considerably more energy than the same arrow at 350 fps — the velocity term squares. The published kinetic-energy figures on this site run to 152 ft-lb.
For comparison, commonly cited guidance puts whitetail deer around 25 ft-lb. Your target is being asked to absorb five or six times what the animal requires, repeatedly, from a few yards away. See crossbow kinetic energy.
In detail
Targets with published ratings
Rinehart 18-1
Eighteen shootable faces of self-healing foam, broadhead capable, rated to 500 fps and explicitly crossbow approved. This is the one target on the site that handles the two hardest things at once: a 470 fps bolt and a fixed broadhead. 15 inches a side and light enough to carry by the handle.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed rating | Up to 500 fps |
| Faces | 18 |
| Dimensions | 15 x 15 x 15 in |
| Broadhead capable | Yes |
| Foam | Signature series self-healing |
| Crossbow approved | Yes |
| Carry | Easy-carry handle |
What it does well
- 500 fps and broadhead capable together, which is rare
- Eighteen faces means you rotate rather than shooting out one spot
- Self-healing foam closes the hole behind the arrow
- Light with a carry handle
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 9.4
- 8.6
- 9.0
- 9.4
- 8.0
SpyderWeb 20XL No Speed Limit
SpyderWeb sells this one on the absence of a rating: no speed limit, built on a woven Spylar Mesh structure that absorbs and releases rather than gripping. If you own a 430 or 470 fps bow, the usual 400 to 450 fps bag ratings are a problem and this is the clean answer. Over 200 aiming points and handmade in Michigan.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed rating | No speed limit |
| Construction | Spylar Mesh woven structure |
| Aiming points | Over 200 |
| Arrow removal | Designed for easy pull |
| Weather | Weather resistant |
| Origin | Handcrafted in St. Joseph, Michigan |
| Dimensions |
What it does well
- No published speed ceiling, which no bag target here can match
- Easy arrow pull is the design goal, not an afterthought
- Over 200 aiming points spreads wear over the whole face
- Built for high-volume practice
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 9.8
- 9.6
- 7.6
- 9.2
- 7.6
Hurricane H28
28 by 28 by 12 inches for under fifty dollars, rated to 425 fps with standard-diameter arrows, with deer vitals on the back offset from the front aiming points so the two sides wear in different places. Tri-Core technology is the stopping structure. The largest face on this page by a wide margin.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed rating | Up to 425 fps with standard-diameter arrows |
| Dimensions | 28 x 28 x 12 in |
| Faces | 2 |
| Back face | Deer vitals, offset from the front aiming points |
| Technology | Tri-Core |
| Carry | Strap handle |
| Compatibility | Compound and crossbow |
What it does well
- A 28-inch face is the biggest here and the cheapest per square inch
- Offset front and back aiming points extend target life
- 425 fps rated
- High-contrast aiming points readable at distance
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 8.0
- 8.8
- 7.0
- 7.8
- 9.4
Morrell Yellow Jacket YJ-425
20 by 15 by 20 inches, 32 pounds, two shooting sides and ten bullseyes, rated to 425 fps and approved for crossbows. A big soft face is the right thing to sight a new bow into: you want every shot to land in something, including the first one that lands eighteen inches left.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed rating | Up to 425 fps |
| Dimensions | 20 x 15 x 20 in |
| Weight | 32 lb |
| Faces | 2, with 10 bullseyes |
| Technology | MLDD and IFS |
| Weather | Weatherproof surface |
| Crossbow approved | Yes |
What it does well
- A big face catches the shots a new setup throws
- 425 fps rated and crossbow approved
- Easy arrow removal, which matters when a whole family is shooting
- Carry handle despite the 32 pounds
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 8.2
- 9.0
- 6.8
- 8.0
- 9.0
Block 6x6 Poly Fusion
Six-sided, 400 fps rated, 18 by 18 by 16 inches, and the listing states it handles everything from practice tips to broadheads. Poly Fusion bonds the layers to the inside walls, which is Block's answer to the classic layered-target failure of the stack pulling apart.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed rating | Up to 400 fps |
| Dimensions | 18 x 18 x 16 in |
| Faces | 6 |
| Technology | Poly Fusion multi-layer bonded to the inside walls |
| Arrow types | Practice tips through broadheads |
| Carry | Built-in handle |
What it does well
- Handles broadheads and field points on the same target
- A large 18-inch face, which suits sighting in
- Bonded layers resist the stack separating
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 8.0
- 8.4
- 7.8
- 8.4
- 8.6
The two failure modes
Pass-through
The bolt exits the back of the target and keeps going. It will have lost energy but not all of it, and a crossbow bolt has serious residual range. This is the dangerous failure.
Unrecoverable burial
The bolt stops inside, with the fill or foam clamped along the whole shaft rather than the front few inches. Pulling it out tears the target and frequently the vanes, and twisting it damages the shaft. This is the expensive failure and it is far more common.
How to check your setup
- Find your bow's published speed. If the listing does not publish one, treat the bow as faster than you think and buy a target with margin.
- Find the target's published rating. Not the size, not the brand reputation — the number.
- The target's rating should meet or exceed the bow's speed, and a step above is cheap insurance.
- If you shoot small-diameter arrows, add more margin.
- If you are shooting broadheads, the target must state broadhead compatibility separately. See broadhead targets.
The backstop, which is the part that matters
Set the target with earth or a solid backstop behind it and know what is beyond that. A pass-through is a possibility on any shot, not just a mis-rated one — a worn face stops arrows less well than a new one, and a cold morning changes how foam behaves.
- Earth bank or hillside is the ideal backstop.
- Never a fence line with anything beyond it you cannot see.
- Never the ground at a steep angle alone — a bolt can skip off hard or frozen ground.
- Know the bolt's range. A crossbow bolt travels much further than your shooting lane.
The full treatment is in crossbow safety.
Signs your target is finished
- Bolts going in further than they used to at the same distance.
- A visible crater or compacted area in the face.
- Arrows coming out with the fill or foam attached.
- On a layered target, visible separation of the layers.
- Any pass-through at all. One is the end of the conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Will a crossbow shoot through an archery target?
What does the fps rating on a target mean?
Do small-diameter arrows penetrate targets more?
What should be behind an archery target?
How do I know when a target is worn out?
Sources
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