If you’ve purchased a crossbow, you are either a very serious prepper or someone who enjoys hunting. It should be noted at the beginning of this post, that what you’re looking for are not technically arrows. They’re shorter in length than regular arrows, and are technically referred to as “bolts” or “quarrels”. Most people just call them “arrows” though. The average length of traditional arrows is customizable based on how far back you can draw the bow, but 30-31 inches is pretty standard. Crossbow quarrels or arrows typically range in length from 18-22 inches.
One of the primary reasons I got a crossbow was on the chance I might have to bug out and leave my home for safety reasons. The crossbow is a potential weapon for me, but I see it more as a way to keep my mind occupied and hopefully shoot an animal worth eating that tastes better than the survival food I managed to bring with me in my bug out bag. If nothing to hunt is around at the bug out location, I can still practice my hunting skills with some archery shots. Passing time and keeping your mind occupied will be more important than most think. Sadly, many people will have mental breakdowns from all the stress and anxiety.
If I lived in a country where procuring a firearm was next to impossible, the importance of the crossbow as a weapon would go up exponentially for me. That would make it a must have, and with the automatic function of a crossbow, I would want to pick up lots and lots of arrows too.
How Many Arrows Do You Need For Your Crossbow?
This happens to be a personal preference, but at a bare minimum I would advise having at least 18 arrows to go with your crossbow. That’s if you own firearms and have a crossbow as a backup or more or less for fun. If you are depending on a crossbow as your primary weapon, you need as many as possible. This is your ammunition and you need a lot of it.
Many times when you fire an arrow from your bow the arrow will be retrievable, so the number of arrows you’ll need will pale in comparison to the number of bullets you will ideally have if you are equipped with a firearm. I picked up a few dozen arrows after I got my bow, and I don’t really feel a need to purchase more until the number gets low. I’m not able to retrieve every arrow I shoot, but it happens often enough that I don’t have to replenish often.
Where To Find Good Arrows
As mentioned before, arrows are luckily very affordable and won’t break the bank. I’ve been very satisfied with these ones below which I have gotten from Amazon. So far I have only used them for target practice as I sharpen my archery skills, but these arrows will sustain me for use during a grid down scenario. I feel really good about knowing that my bow and arrow needs have been met and that I can focus my attention now on other preps.
If you’ve bought a crossbow, you are obviously serious about self defense in a SHTF scenario and you like having options that go beyond a gun or a sharp object like a sword or knife. A crossbow is definitely an intimidating weapon that can also double as a way to hunt deer and other animals for meat if that becomes necessary.
Truth be told, if you have adequate storable food and you don’t plan on doing any hunting, you really only need one or two arrows. More is better though and you should probably plan on having at least half a dozen if not more.
