I have always made it a habit to discard the bolt and broadhead that I have used to take a deer (or keep as a trophy). It is probably an unnecessary precaution, but I look at it as a $30 insurance fee. Really, I spend a ton more than that every year to hunt and shoot a deer or two.

 

We don’t hunt for “budget” meat. It gets pricey!

 

I've reused xbow bolts many times after shooting a deer. I treat it like a piece of reloading brass. Clean, inspect, and either put back in service, or discard if questionable.

 

^ I think this is probably a very reasonable answer despite my practice of doing otherwise.

 

I have the carbon fiber cross bow arrow I used last year to kill a hog.

In the olden days when I used XX75 aluminum arrows with my compound bow, an arrow recovered from an animal was unusable. They were always tweaked and bent some how.

This cross bow arrow seems just fine. No damage, no runout. Fletching and nock are just fine. I for sure will no longer use this arrow for hunting.

But can I trust it even as a practice arrow? Or. should I just destroy it, better safe than sorry?

For me, a bolt used on a deer will typically lose at least one vane or get broken, so it gets discarded. However, I’ve had a couple bolt/broadhead combos that came out undamaged and have been used to take as many as three deer, but in all my years of crossbow hunting, it’s only happened a couple times.

My theory is if the bolt still shoots accurately at a target it’ll still good enough to use on a deer.

 

I’ve reused so many carbon fiber bolts that I can’t count them all.
They lose fletching, but bought a re-fletcher that does three at a time. Takes about 10 minutes per bolt to refletch.
I do replace the broadhead as I use the Excalibur 150 grain broadhead as the inserts get messed up on bone, but found who supplies them to Excalibur.
They said they couldn’t sell me anything but the inserts, so bought a lifetime supply.
I’ve also been known to put a whetstone to the main blade edges to get them sharp to my liking.

 

I think my biggest concern on this subject was the bolt disintegrating in the bow when fired.

Thinking on that, if the bolt has no damage and is still straight, why would it do that. I mean I fire the practice arrows over and over with out concern. Practice arrow certainly are subjected to more stress than a hunting arrow.

Something to think about anyway, while I am home bound...

 

I think my biggest concern on this subject was the bolt disintegrating in the bow when fired.

Thinking on that, if the bolt has no damage and is still straight, why would it do that. I mean I fire the practice arrows over and over with out concern. Practice arrow certainly are subjected to more stress than a hunting arrow.

Something to think about anyway, while I am home bound...

I don’t remember what crossbow you’re shooting, but if it’s one of the expensive super fast ones, I probably wouldn’t chance using a “used” bolt. It’s generally pretty easy to tell if there’s significant enough damage to a bolt to make one possibly dangerous.

I’m sure I do a lot of things that others wouldn’t, and this is one of those decisions you’re going to have to feel comfortable with yourself.

 

A block target stops your arrow, and it and the arrow absorb the kinetic energy. A deer, unless you hit a bone, usually has a pass through, and the ground behind the deer absorbs most/the rest of the energy. If your logic is not to shoot an arrow you've killed a deer with, then you'd be safer not ever shooting an arrow at your block target more than once.

Just one man's opinion, and you know what they say about those.

 

A block target stops your arrow, and it and the arrow absorb the kinetic energy. A deer, unless you hit a bone, usually has a pass through, and the ground behind the deer absorbs most/the rest of the energy. If your logic is not to shoot an arrow you've killed a deer with, then you'd be safer not ever shooting an arrow at your block target more than once.

Just one man's opinion, and you know what they say about those.

After a couple post on this subject that was how my mind was working...then I thought back to those XX75 aluminum arrows I used to shot with my Compound bow. Shot them a lot at targets, no problem. Pull them out and shoot them again. Shoot a deer with one of those and it was done. Always warped or bent. Never reusable...

That was the premise for my original question. These carbon fiber arrows have gone through the same stresses that damaged aluminum arrow, showing no damage. Could there be internal, not visible damage?

Interesting discussion...runs my post count up.

 

I used one of the Yellow Jacket blocks. Supposed to be X bolt compatible. My Excalibur Equinox would almost punch right them, hence the need to b buy a refletching jig.

 

The newer xbows are way more powerful. My 'old' xbow, a horton tacoma 150, would stick a 20-in bolt halfway into a target. I just got a WIcked Ridge that shoots something like 360 fps, and that thing buries the bolt, and it's sticking 10 inches out of the back side of the block target. Haven't hunted with it yet, but interested to see the difference on a deer.

 

My yellow jacket block is supposed to be Xbow rated but the Excalibur Equinox sends the bolt about the same distance yours is and rips off the fletching.
That is why the refletching tool was bought.

 

I shoot a 363gr bolt and broadhead at 387FPS through and Excalibur Suppressor 400TD. Each time I have contacted bone, the broadhead's ferrule has deformed a little... nothing massive, but doesn't pass the spin test. My fault for using mechanicals, and I am not totally sold on them despite 100% success so far (knock on wood).

Again, I am in the camp that my bolts have probably not sustained enough damage to consider them unsafe. I just keep them with the broadhead as part of the trophy.

I am sure that velocity and subsequent kinetic energy transfer at the moment of impact can play a bit of a role in shaft durability. I'm just not smart enough to figure out the threshold, or anything other that the obvious 'how's it look and spin' test.

^ But I know that they look awesome on my shop wall...

 

EDIT*** It is 382FPS out of my crossbow. I just looked at my dial when I swung back home (between 380 and 385). I was off. My apologies.