How Far Can a 400 FPS Crossbow Shoot?

The short answer

A 400 FPS crossbow can send a bolt a very long way if it is angled upward, far beyond any distance where you could aim accurately. That maximum distance is not useful for hunting. What matters is effective range, the distance at which you can consistently place an arrow in the vital zone.

For most hunters with a 400 FPS class crossbow, that effective range is roughly 30 to 40 yards for deer, and some skilled shooters with good optics and practice extend to 50 yards or more on targets. Your own limit depends on practice, conditions and equipment.

Energy at 400 FPS

With a 400 grain arrow, a 400 FPS crossbow produces about 142 ft-lbs of kinetic energy and about 0.71 slug-ft/s of momentum at the muzzle, using the formulas KE = grain × FPS² ÷ 450,240 and momentum = grain × FPS ÷ 225,218.

A common guideline suggests at least 42 ft-lbs for deer sized game. Arrows lose speed downrange, but a 400 FPS bolt keeps far more than that guideline across typical hunting distances. So energy is rarely what limits range. Accuracy is.

What actually limits your range

• Range estimation. Arrows drop more with distance. A small misjudgment at 50 yards costs far more than at 20. A rangefinder or rangefinding scope helps.
• Trajectory. Faster bows drop less. A 450 or 505 FPS bow is more forgiving of range errors than a 380 FPS bow.
• Wind. Crosswind pushes arrows more at longer range.
• Animal movement. A deer can move in the time an arrow takes to arrive. Longer shots give more time.
• Your skill. Consistent groups at a distance in practice are the real limit.

How to find your own effective range

1. Zero your scope at 20 yards. See how to sight in a crossbow.
2. Confirm each reticle mark at its listed distance.
3. Shoot 3 arrow groups at 10 yard steps.
4. Your effective range is the farthest distance where every arrow lands inside an 8 inch circle, from a hunting position.
5. Set your personal limit slightly inside that distance.

400 FPS class bows we review

Bows near 400 FPS in our lineup include the TenPoint Titan 400 (400 FPS), Wicked Ridge RDX 410 and Fury 410 (410 FPS), and the TenPoint Venom X and Wicked Ridge Rampage XS (390 FPS). For more speed, see Nitro 505 vs Flatline 460 vs Stealth 450.

How arrow drop changes with distance

Crossbow bolts start dropping the moment they leave the rail. Gravity pulls on the arrow the same way at any speed, so a faster arrow simply spends less time in the air before it reaches the target, and therefore drops less. That is why a 400 FPS bow needs noticeably more holdover at 50 yards than at 20, and why a 505 FPS bow is more forgiving at longer distances.

This is also why scopes for crossbows use several stacked reticle marks. Each mark corresponds to a distance for a specific speed. If your arrows are slower or faster than the scope assumes, the marks drift away from their labels as range increases. Setting a speed dial correctly, or choosing a scope matched to your bow's FPS range, keeps those marks honest. Our scope guide lists the speed ranges of each scope we track.

Real hunting conditions shrink your range

Range numbers from a bench on a calm afternoon rarely survive the field. At first light you may be shooting from a seated position in a stand, with cold hands, a racing pulse and a deer that is quartering or partly screened by brush. Each of those factors adds a little error, and small errors stack.

• Practice from the same position you will hunt from, including seated and from a stand if possible.
• Practice at dawn and dusk to learn how your reticle looks in low light.
• Pass shots at moving deer, and wait for a broadside or slightly quartering away angle.
• Range landmarks when you settle in, so you already know distances when a deer appears.

Hunters who follow those habits usually find their confident range settles a little inside their best range on paper, which is exactly where it should be.

Do heavier arrows change the answer?

Heavier arrows leave the bow slower but hold momentum well, while lighter arrows are faster with a flatter path close in. For whitetail inside typical distances, either works when matched to the bow's approved spec. The bigger point is consistency: pick one arrow and point weight, zero with it and practice with it. Always use arrows your manufacturer approves, since too light an arrow can damage a crossbow. See best crossbow arrows.

Choosing a bow with range in mind

If longer shots matter to you, the scope and your practice routine matter as much as the speed number. A bow like the TenPoint Stealth 450 ships with a 100-yard EVO-X Marksman Elite scope according to our product data, while the Wicked Ridge RDX 410 comes with a Pro-View 400 scope. Neither fact makes a long shot ethical on its own. They simply give you more reference points to work with at the range.

Compare speed, scope and price side by side in our crossbow comparison tool, or read Nitro 505 vs Flatline 460 vs Stealth 450 for the fastest TenPoint models. Whatever you pick, a consistent arrow weight helps. Our crossbow arrow guide covers the 400 grain options sold for these bows.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Speed and energy calculator
• Best crossbow for deer hunting
• Best crossbow scopes

CrossbowReport is research-based. We do not claim hands-on testing. How we review.