New Budget Bows & Crossbows for 2021

If you're looking to upgrade without breaking the bank, these quality rigs will get the job done.

January 15, 2021 By Tony J. Peterson

Barnett Hypertac 420

This crossbow is on the upper end of what might be considered budget, but when you compare it to some of the other options in the market, it’s a steal. Weighing only 7.9lbs and generating arrow speeds of up to 420fps, this new-for-21 offering is an excellent choice for anyone who is serious about hunting and wants moose-killing performance in the field. The Hypertac 420 comes standard with a speed compensating scope, three picatinny rails, and is compatible with HyperFlite .204 small diameter arrows. This crossbow also features the TriggerTech 3lb Zero Creep Release Technology, which helps produce vane-shaving groups through its custom feel.

$800 | barnettcrossbows.com

Bear Archery Legit RTH

Few bow manufacturers have addressed the budget bow market as well as Bear Archery has over the last five years. Their offerings not only carry a sweet price, but are designed for a one-stop shopping experience that’ll take you from the dealer to the woods. That’s definitely the case with the new Legit RTH package. The 3.6lb Legit offers 14 to 30” of draw length adjustment, a 10 to 70lbs draw-weight range, and can achieve arrow speeds of up to 315fps. The RTH part of this package means that the Legit comes standard with a D loop, peep sight, Whisker Biscuit rest, Trophy Ridge 4-pin sight, a quiver, and a whole lot more.

$520 | beararchery.com

Bowtech Amplify

One of the best deals in the 2021 bow market is the new Amplify from Bowtech. Designed with Synchronized Binary Cams, PowerShift technology, Orbit Dampeners, and a host of other high-end goodies, you’d expect this bow to anchor a flagship line. It could, but it was built to provide a cost-effective option to folks of all shapes, sizes and experience levels, which is evidenced by the draw length and draw weight spreads. Pull anywhere from eight to 70lbs, at 21 to 30” with this 4lb rig, which is capable of giving a newbie a head start on archery or allowing a seasoned veteran to deflate the lungs of a monster bull elk.

$600 | bowtecharchery.com

Diamond Edge 320

Anyone looking for a lot of bow for a little money need look no further than Diamond Archery’s offerings. Their 3.6lb Edge 320 is capable of generating arrow speeds up to 320fps, measures 32” between axles, and offers an effective letoff of 85-percent. To accommodate nearly anyone with an interest in flinging some carbon downrange, this bow is insanely adjustable. Draw lengths of 14 to 31” are possible, along with draw weights of seven to 70lbs.

$449 | diamondarchry.com

Hoyt Torrex

It wasn’t that long ago that if you wanted a bow that produce chronograph readings of 327fps and that was outfitted with custom strings and a revolutionary cam system, your bill would have been well north of a grand. Today you can have that in the 3.8lb Hoyt Torrex, and still have enough money left over to buy a nonresident whitetail tag in most states. Measuring just under 31” between pins, the Torrex is offered in draw lengths of 26 to 30” and draw weights of 30 to 70lbs (in 10lb increments). One-stop shoppers can upgrade their bow to the Torrex XT package to end up with a hunt-ready rig.

$599+ | hoyt.com

PSE Drive NXT

From its swappable ComfortGrip System to the ZF QuadTrack Cam System, PSE’s Drive NXT operates like a flagship offering, but costs much less. This 4.3lb rig is capable of generating arrow speeds up to 330fps, offers a draw length range of 24 to 31”, and can be had at peak draw weight of 60 or 70lbs. It also tapes out at 33” axle-to-axle length and can be bought as a bare bow, or in the Ready To Shoot Package, which contains the Torment Quiver, Phantom Drop-Away Rest, a stabilizer, wrist sling, nocking loop, peep sight, and the Sierra Micro 5 Pin Sight.

$700 | psearchery.com

If you’re heavy on hunting desire but light on disposable income, check out Wicked Ridge’s latest offering, the Blackhawk 360. This American-made package deal comes standard with a quiver, Wicked Ridge XX75 bolts, and a multi-line scope. The crossbow, which measures just 15” between axles when cocked, is capable of generating bolt speeds up to 360fps (112FP KE). With a bare weight of only 6lbs, this is the perfect option for crossbow hunters of all sizes and experience levels.

$400 | tenpointcrossbows.com

Rocky Mountain RM-415 Crossbow Kit

If you have a heart condition and are frugal by nature, don’t look at the price tags on some of the crossbows hitting the market this year. Prices have blown through the $2000 mark and aren’t showing much sign of slowing down. Fortunately, not every manufacturer is pricing out the average hunter. Evidence of this can be found in Rocky Mountain’s lineup, which includes the RM-415 Crossbow Kit. This lightweight, 415fps crossbow comes with bolts, field points, a 4x32 illuminated scope, rope cocker and more.

$350 | feradyne.com

Mathews Launches 2025 Bow and Accessory Lineup

Gear

Mathews Launches 2025 Bow and Accessory Lineup

It's launch day 2025 for Mathews and Editor-In-Chief Christian Berg gives you a first look at the brand new LIFT X. The new flagship model builds on last year's top-selling LIFT platform. Available in two versions — the LIFT X 29.5 and LIFT X 33 — both incorporate a trio of new features. They include Limb Shift Technology, ARC7 Limb Technology and BOND grips, and Berg touches on each of them in this video.

Bowhunting

Think Differently When Hanging Treestands

Bowhunting

Think Differently When Hanging Treestands

How often do we consider the wind when hanging our treestands? Almost always! That's a good strategy, except for the fact that we're not hunting the wind — we're hunting deer. With the benefit of Ozonics, it gives us the opportunity to think about where we need to be in order to best hunt our target bucks, even if that means we're not in the perfect place for a particular wind.

Bowhunting

Hunting the Right Way

Bowhunting

Hunting the Right Way

The right stand, on the right day, with the right wind — that's when success tends to occur. But what if you only have a few select days to hunt because of work, family activities, life events, etc. and the wind is all wrong? That's where Ozonics can come into play. Bowhunters can do more than good if they hunt certain stand sets in the wrong wind. An Ozonics unit, however, is just what the doctor ordered to continue hunting the “right way” — even at the wrong time!

Bowhunting

How to Hunt Small Acreage All Season

Bowhunting

How to Hunt Small Acreage All Season

When it comes to hunting small properties, our success can be boiled down to how much pressure we put on it. And most of the pressure, Cole Tanner explains, is the scent that we produce — and leave behind — in the field. While we're constantly trying to pattern deer, these odors actually allow the deer to pattern us. On smaller properties, our margin of error is razor-thin, so we need to adjust our strategy accordingly.

Gear

Do Animals Smell Ozone?

Gear

Do Animals Smell Ozone?

Ozonics' Cole Tanner tackles one of the most frequently asked questions the company receives. His in-depth answer is that while animals can indeed smell ozone, there's a very limited opportunity to do so. In our experience, even if deer do recognize that something is a bit different, they simple won't see it as a threat. Our entire staff has trusted Ozonics on our hunts for many years, and we can't begin to tell you how many swirling wind situations their units have guided us through.

Bowhunting

Baseball & Bowhunting with Ben McDonald

Bowhunting

Baseball & Bowhunting with Ben McDonald

Sr. Digital Editor Drew Pellman talks bowhunting — and a little bit of baseball — with Ben McDonald, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 Major League Baseball draft by the Baltimore Orioles. McDonald, who is a diehard bowhunter, currently serves as a color commentator for the Orioles on MASN. Inside the hunting community, he has a longstanding relationship with Realtree and has enjoyed many hunts with Bill Jordan and family for many years.

Gear

30 Years of TenPoint Crossbows!

Gear

30 Years of TenPoint Crossbows!

TenPoint Crossbows reached a significant milestone recently — 30 years in business! With over one million crossbows shipped since 1994, TenPoint has always been at the forefront of crossbow innovation, and the company shows no signs of altering that path anytime soon.

Gear

APX — The Newest Pattern From Realtree

Gear

APX — The Newest Pattern From Realtree

Jim McGinn, VP of Marketing at Realtree, shows off the latest camouflage pattern from this industry giant. The new APX pattern is an all-purpose pattern that will help you blend into your surroundings whether you're in a treestand hunting whitetails, or bellycrawling your way into range of a mule deer out West. It took years to develop APX, a pattern that met the strict standards of Realtree Founder, Bill Jordan, and it will meet your standards as well.

Gear

Buck Commander Releases New Buk Ops Technology

Gear

Buck Commander Releases New Buk Ops Technology

Ryan Busbice from Buck Commander introduces a brand-new technology they call Buk Ops. This is an optical viewing device that does not use infra-red or thermal technology. It maximizes available light to give the user an enhanced view of their surroundings. It's not a targeting device either, but a tool for scanning fields in low light, or even walking into your stand or blind without a flashlight. This is one-of-a-kind technology that holds many uses for all types of hunters.

Gear

Easton's Sonic 6.0 a Versatile Arrow Shaft

Gear

Easton's Sonic 6.0 a Versatile Arrow Shaft

Bowhunter TV Host, Curt Wells, talks to Easton Marketing Director, Gary Cornum, about the Sonic 6.0, a highly versatile arrow shaft that gives the bowhunter multiple options. Wells explains how he's able to convert his Sonic 6.0 arrows to different weights based on the species of big game he's hunting.

Gear

Easton Introduces the Match Grade Pro Series Arrow

Gear

Easton Introduces the Match Grade Pro Series Arrow

Gary Cornum, Marketing Director at Easton, explains to Bowhunter TV Host, Curt Wells, the virtues of Easton's newly released Match Grade Pro Series Arrows. From front to back, Easton has built their latest technologies into these arrows, which are only available from Easton dealers. Everything from high-end inserts and vanes combine with a five-point straightness standard to make the Pro Series arrows the best a bowhunter can buy. It's no longer necessary to build-your-own to achieve the highest quality arrow you demand.

Gear

Primos Double Bull Delivers New Raised Hunting Ground Blind

Gear

Primos Double Bull Delivers New Raised Hunting Ground Blind

On the surface, it would seem almost impossible to keep improving the Double Bull ground blinds manufactured by Primos. But as Raised Hunting founder and television show host David Holder explained to OSG's Lynn Burkhead, this year's new Raised Hunting Double Bull blind raises the standard of ground blind excellence even higher, whether you're chasing elk, mule deer or pronghorn antelope out west in Montana or big record book whitetails living in the Midwestern whitetail paradise of Iowa.