Survival Crossbow

It was only a matter of time before everyone jumped on the crossbow bandwagon (Thanks “Walking Dead”). While bandwagoners everywhere are getting their feelings hurt, they might cheer up when they read that becoming proficient with a crossbow may not be a bad idea, even if it is a bit “bandwagony.”The first thing that’s great about a crossbow for survival is that it’s quiet. Whether you’re trying not to scare away potential prey or trying to avoid detection by hostile people, being quiet is usually a pretty good tactic. As much as we all love guns, nothing says “Hey here I am come find me” quite like a loud bang from a firearm. The echoes alone can travel for miles alerting anyone or any animal that you’re hanging around. A crossbow, however, maybe not as quiet as a church mouse, but still pretty damn quiet. Remember, nothing will come looking for you if they don’t know you’re there.Another signature element of the crossbow is how the ammo is reusable. Unless you plan on carrying around a complete reloading kit in your rucksack, and even then you still need replacement supplies. Things like extra primers, and powder and projectiles. With a crossbow, as long as you’re accurate and maintain it, one bolt could last you forever (we know you’ll carry more, we’re just saying).

Shooting a crossbow is actually pretty easy to pick up and get proficient at in a short amount of time. The principles are all the same as firing a rifle, just no loud bang and no recoil. It’s a fairly simple machine and doesn’t take in-depth knowledge to work it like subject matter expert (it wouldn’t hurt if you did a little reading on your specific model though).Some people will say that it’s bulky and difficult to conceal. Ok, well this is a survival mode, not super Delta-Ranger-SEAL Space Shuttle Door Gunner mode where you need to be all ninja’d out. In a survival mode, you want your weapon ready and available. A rifle would be just as bulky, plus the ammo would definitely weigh you down as well. Ever try to conceal a Remington 700 (obviously pistols are easy to conceal, but we’re not hunting deer with a 9mm compact carry, are we)? Add in the fact that a crossbow is made mostly of synthetic materials with very few heavy parts, means it’s much lighter and can be carried for longer distances without fatigue.

If you’re smart enough to carry replacement items for your crossbow, then you might be able to use some of those items to help set up a shelter or make traps, who knows? Use your imagination, for starters though a replacement drawstring could provide any number of re-useable uses while in the wilderness. One tool, many uses is what we’re shooting for here and we think we’ve nailed it on the head.There will never be a perfect survival tool that meets all survival needs (I’m not seeing a crossbow that turns into a stove and tent), but the crossbow is definitely something you should take another look at given the many practical applications we listed here.Read more Outdoors articles here.