Best Crossbow Target in 2026: Foam vs Bag Targets That Last

My Verdict: Buy One Target Rated Above Your Bow’s Speed

I have been deer hunting with crossbows for eight seasons, and the most expensive lesson I learned had nothing to do with a bow. It was a $60 archery target that a 380 fps bolt blew clean through on my fifth shot, sending the bolt skidding across my gravel driveway and snapping two vanes. The box said “archery rated.” It did not say crossbow rated, and my bow did not care.

Here is the honest rule I now give every hunter who asks: your target’s FPS rating must meet or exceed your crossbow’s actual speed, with some margin to spare. Everything else, foam versus bag, face count, arrow removal, is secondary to that one number.

After seasons of sighting in new bows, tuning broadheads before opening day, and pounding hundreds of practice bolts into every type of target, here are the six that actually hold up to modern crossbow speeds. My top pick is the BLOCK Infinity Crossbow 16: it stops bolts to 520 fps, handles field points and broadheads, and the layered foam releases arrows without a fight.

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Best Crossbow Targets at a Glance

Target	Type	FPS Rating	Broadheads?	Faces	Best For
BLOCK Infinity Crossbow 16	Layered foam	Up to 520 fps	Yes	6	Best overall: one target for everything
Morrell Double Duty 450 FPS	Bag	Up to 450 fps	Yes, dedicated side	4	Best bag: field points + broadheads
Rinehart 18-1	Self-healing foam	Crossbow approved (up to ~500 fps)	Yes	18	Best broadhead practice target
BIGshot Iron Man Kinetic 650	High-compression bag	Up to 650 fps / 250 ft-lbs	No, field points only	95 aim points	Best for 450+ fps speed bows
Field Logic Hurricane H-21	Bag	Up to 520 fps	No, field points only	2	Best portable budget bag
Morrell Yellow Jacket YJ-425	Bag	Up to 425 fps	No, field points only	2	Best value for 400 fps class bows

Foam vs. Bag: The Honest Tradeoff

Every crossbow target is either foam or a bag, and each has real strengths. Picking the wrong one for your shooting style is the second most common mistake I see after under-rated targets.

Foam block targets use layered or solid foam to grip the bolt. They stop harder, last longer, and the good ones are rated for broadheads. The price for that is weight, a louder impact thump, and sometimes stubborn arrow removal when the foam is new and tight. If you hunt and need to verify broadhead flight before season, foam is where you live. My broadhead guide pairs with this: you cannot confirm a hunting head’s flight on a bag target.

Bag targets are a tough woven shell packed with compressed synthetic fiber. They are lighter, cheaper, quieter, and arrow removal is genuinely easy, usually a smooth two-finger pull. The hard limit: broadheads shred the internal fibers, so nearly every bag is field points only. They also wear faster in one concentrated spot than foam does.

My practical take after years of both: if you shoot one bow, practice mostly field points, and want easy shooting sessions, get a quality bag rated for your speed. If you need broadhead practice or shoot a 450+ fps speed bow, get foam. Plenty of serious shooters, myself included, eventually own one of each.

Best Overall: BLOCK Infinity Crossbow 16

FPS Rating: 500 fps  |  Price: ~$150  |  Type: Layered foam block

The BLOCK Infinity is the target I recommend when someone asks for one target that does everything. Field Logic builds it around PolyFusion layered foam: a high-density inner core wrapped in an exterior foam wall. The outer wall slows the bolt, the inner layers stop it with friction rather than brute force, and that is why arrows pull out cleanly even after a hard stop.

The numbers that matter: it is guaranteed to stop standard-diameter bolts up to 520 fps, and it is rated for field points, fixed-blade broadheads, and expandables. Six shooting faces with offset aiming points mean you can rotate the target as zones wear out instead of buying a new one. It comes in 16-inch and 20-inch sizes, both with a built-in carry handle.

Who it is for: the hunter who wants one target for sighting in, field point practice, and broadhead tuning. If you are buying your first real crossbow target and your bow shoots 400 fps or more, start here.

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Best Bag Target: Morrell Double Duty 450 FPS

FPS Rating: 450 fps  |  Price: ~$85  |  Type: Bag target

This is the bag I hand to beginners, and the name tells you why: it does double duty. One side is built for field points, the other is a dedicated broadhead side with a reinforced floating center. It is the only bag on this list that handles broadheads without destroying itself, which means one target covers your practice and your broadhead tuning instead of two.

It stops bolts up to 450 fps, which covers most hunting crossbows short of the flagship speed-bow class. Morrell’s famous two-finger arrow removal claim holds up better here than on most bags I have used: the Nucleus center and layered fill grip the bolt enough to stop it dead, then release with a smooth pull instead of a wrestling match. It is fully weatherproof, which matters if your target lives outside all season like mine does.

The limitation is the broadhead side itself. Broadheads are limited to their dedicated side, and if you use the wrong side you will chew up the fill fast. And 450 fps, while generous, does not leave headroom for 460-plus fps flagship bows. Respect the rating and the sides, and this is the most versatile bag under $100.

Bottom line:The one-target solution for most hunters. Field points on one side, broadheads on the other, easy removal, weatherproof, under $100. Just keep it paired with a bow at or under 450 fps.

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Best Broadhead Practice Target: Rinehart 18-1

FPS Rating: 500 fps  |  Price: ~$190  |  Type: Self-healing foam

If broadheads are your whole practice routine, this is the target. The 18-1 is a 15-inch cube of Rinehart’s solid self-healing foam, not layered foam, so there are no layers for blades to separate. The foam closes back around the shaft after every shot, which is why these targets famously last for thousands of broadhead impacts.

Eighteen shooting faces with vivid target zones mean you almost never shoot the same spot twice, and Rinehart backs it with a full one-year warranty, which tells you how confident they are. It is crossbow approved and widely rated to handle bolts up to about 500 fps. At roughly 11 pounds with a carry handle, it is also one of the easiest foam targets to haul to the range.

Who it is for: bowhunters who shoot fixed-blade or mechanical broadheads regularly and want a target that survives season after season. Read my broadhead picks first so you are practicing with the head you will actually hunt with.

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Best for Ultra-High-Speed Bows: BIGshot Iron Man Kinetic 650

FPS Rating: 650 fps  |  Price: ~$190  |  Type: Broadhead-rated foam

When your bow pushes past 450 fps, ordinary targets become consumables. The Iron Man Kinetic 650 is built for that exact problem: a five-stage multilayered aramid core rated to stop bolts up to 650 fps and 250 foot-pounds of kinetic energy, the highest rating on this list by a wide margin. If you shoot a flagship speed bow, this is the only target here that will not be destroyed by it.

Despite the extreme rating, BIGshot’s high-compression Iron Man stuffing keeps arrow removal easy instead of the death-grip you get from cheap high-speed targets. The 95 printed aiming points are the best wear-spreading design here: they force you to move your aim across the 20×20-inch face instead of drilling one spot into oblivion, which is what kills most targets prematurely.

Two honest caveats. It is field points only, so you still need a foam target for broadhead work. And at over 40 pounds it is a leave-it-where-it-sits target, not a toss-in-the-truck one. At around $190 it is also the priciest pick here, but it is cheaper than replacing a $80 bag three times a year.

Bottom line:Mandatory equipment for flagship speed-bow owners. Nothing else here will survive 500-plus fps, and the aiming-point system makes it last. Buy once, stop thinking about targets.

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Best Portable Budget Bag: Field Logic Hurricane H-21

FPS Rating: 400 fps  |  Price: ~$70  |  Type: Portable bag

The H-21 is the target I recommend when someone wants cheap, light, and fast-rated all at once. It is a 21-inch bag built on Tri-Core compressed fiber technology, currently rated to stop crossbow bolts up to 520 fps, and it sells for around $70. That combination of speed rating and price is genuinely hard to beat anywhere in archery.

The front face has high-visibility aiming points you can see at 40-plus yards, and the back carries off-center deer vitals. The vitals being offset from the front bullseyes is a smart design touch I wish more targets used: your shots spread across two different zones instead of stacking in the middle, which noticeably extends the target’s life. At roughly 15 pounds with a heavy-duty handle, it is easy to carry to the range, and the woven shell is built to live outdoors.

The limits are what you expect at $70. Field points only, since broadheads will destroy the fiber fill, and with only two shooting faces you must rotate the target and move your aim point to make it last. Do that, and this $70 bag will outlast targets costing twice as much.

Bottom line:The best $70 you can spend on practice. It stops fast bolts, carries easy, and the offset vitals show real design thought. Rotate your aim points and it will serve you for seasons.

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Best Value for 400 fps Class Bows: Morrell Yellow Jacket YJ-425

FPS Rating: 425 fps  |  Price: ~$65  |  Type: Bag target

The YJ-425 is the workhorse bag of the crossbow world, and it earned that title the hard way. It stops bolts up to 425 fps, uses Morrell’s Nucleus center for easy two-finger removal, and has a documented track record most targets can only dream of: one long-term field test put over 2,000 shots into a YJ-425 left outdoors for six straight months, and it was still stopping bolts at the end. That is not marketing, that is a target that refuses to die.

This is the honest middle ground of the bag world. If your bow shoots 400 fps or under and you practice with field points, the YJ-425 gives you a proven, weather-resistant target for around $65 that will last seasons of regular shooting. The Nucleus center really does make removal a two-finger job instead of a full-body workout, which matters more than it sounds when you are shooting dozens of bolts in a session.

Just respect the 425 fps ceiling. Pair this with a 440-plus fps bow and you are asking for pass-throughs and a ruined target. It is field points only, and at 32 pounds it is heavier than it looks for a bag. Stay within its limits and it is the most proven $65 target in crossbow archery.

Bottom line:The set-it-and-forget-it target for mid-speed bows. If you shoot 400 fps or under with field points, buy this and stop shopping for targets for the next several years.

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How to Choose: Match the Rating to Your Bow, Then Your Shooting Style

1. Start with your bow’s real speed, and buy margin

FPS ratings are not conservative. A 425 fps bolt hitting a 425-rated target at 20 yards penetrates deeper than the same shot at 40, because the bolt has lost less energy. My rule: your target’s rating should exceed your bow’s advertised speed by at least 25-50 fps. Shooting a 400 fps bow? A 450-rated target gives you real safety margin. Shooting a 460+ fps flagship? You need 500+ rated foam or the Iron Man 650.

2. Decide broadheads now, not later

Only shoot broadheads into targets explicitly rated for them. A broadhead through a standard bag target shreds the internal fibers, and the bag is ruined in a dozen shots. On this list, only the BLOCK Infinity, Morrell Double Duty (its broadhead side), and Rinehart 18-1 accept broadheads. If you hunt, you need one of those three, period. Fixed-blade heads are the hardest on targets; mechanicals with practice heads are gentler but still belong on broadhead-rated foam.

3. Make arrow removal easy on yourself

Hard pulls come from four things: a bow faster than the target’s sweet spot, dense new foam, bolts buried at close range, and shooting the same bullseye until the core packs down. Fix all four and removal stays easy. Spread your shots across the face, back off to 30+ yards for practice when you can, and keep a purpose-built arrow puller in your range bag. Lubricant-style arrow wax on field points also helps on tight foam.

4. Rotate faces and move your aim point

This is the single biggest longevity factor, and it costs nothing. Morrell’s own care guidance says to rotate bag targets every 75-100 shots and keep changing which bullseye you shoot. Foam targets with multiple faces (the 18-1’s 18 faces, the Infinity’s 6 offset faces, the Kinetic 650’s 95 aim points) exist precisely so you can do this. A target shot in one spot dies in weeks; the same target with rotated faces lasts seasons.

5. Be honest about how long a target lasts

Manufacturers advertise “thousands of shots,” and with perfect rotation that can be true. In real backyard practice, expect roughly this: a quality foam block with rotated faces, 1,000+ field point shots; a quality bag with rotated faces, 300-500 field point shots before the center packs down; any bag shot with broadheads, under 20 shots before it is ruined. Sun and weather are the silent killers: UV fades woven shells and bakes foam brittle. If the target lives outside, a simple cover or shaded spot doubles its life.

6. Think about noise and placement

Dense foam blocks hit with a sharp thwack that carries; bag targets thud quietly. If you practice at dawn with neighbors close by, a bag keeps the peace. Placement matters for safety too: set foam blocks on the ground or a low stand, and hang bag targets from their grommets or handles so they swing and absorb impact. Always know what is behind your target, and review my crossbow safety guide before your first session, including how to safely discharge your bow at the end of a hunt.

Frequently Asked Questions

What FPS rating do I need for my crossbow target?

Your target’s FPS rating must meet or exceed your crossbow’s advertised speed, and I recommend 25-50 fps of margin on top. A 400 fps bow belongs on a 450-rated target; a 460+ fps speed bow needs 500+ rated foam or a 650-rated bag like the Iron Man Kinetic 650. An under-rated target risks pass-throughs, ruined bolts, and a bolt leaving your property.

Can I shoot broadheads into a bag target?

No, with one exception. Standard bag targets use compressed fiber fill that broadhead blades shred, destroying the target in a dozen shots or fewer. The only bag on this list that handles broadheads is the Morrell Double Duty 450 FPS, and only on its dedicated broadhead side. For regular broadhead practice, use a foam target explicitly rated for broadheads like the Rinehart 18-1 or BLOCK Infinity.

Why are my crossbow bolts so hard to pull out of the target?

Hard pulls come from speed exceeding the target’s sweet spot, dense brand-new foam, close-range shots that bury the bolt deep, or a core packed down from shooting one spot. Spread your shots across the face, practice at 30+ yards when possible, rotate the target regularly, and carry an arrow puller. Arrow wax on field points also reduces friction on tight foam.

Foam or bag: which type lasts longer?

Foam lasts longer, but the gap closes with good habits. A quality foam block with rotated faces can take 1,000+ field point shots; a quality bag with rotated faces typically gives 300-500 before the center packs down. Bags win on weight, price, noise, and arrow removal ease. Foam wins on longevity and broadhead compatibility. Rotate faces every 75-100 shots either way.

Can I leave my crossbow target outside?

Most quality targets claim weather resistance, and Morrell and Rinehart targets genuinely sit outside 24/7. But UV is the enemy: it fades woven shells and makes foam brittle over time. If your target lives outdoors, place it in shade when possible or throw a cheap cover over it between sessions. That one habit can double its lifespan.

Can I use a regular archery target for my crossbow?

Only if it is explicitly crossbow rated. A compound-bow target rated to 300-350 fps will not reliably stop a 400 fps crossbow bolt, and the result is pass-throughs, broken bolts, and a serious safety problem. Always check the FPS rating against your bow’s speed. Crossbows hit harder than their fps number suggests because the bolts are heavy.

How should I set up my target for safe shooting?

Place foam blocks on the ground or a low, stable stand. Hang bag targets from their grommets or handle so the bag swings and absorbs impact instead of taking it rigidly. Always confirm a safe backstop behind the target, never shoot toward roads, trails, or neighboring property, and keep the area behind the target clear. Full details are in my crossbow safety guide.

The Bottom Line

The right crossbow target is the one rated above your bow’s speed, matched to the points you shoot. For most hunters, that means the BLOCK Infinity Crossbow 16: 520 fps, field points and broadheads, easy arrow removal, six faces to rotate. On a budget, the Morrell Double Duty 450 FPS is the smartest bag buy, and speed-bow owners should look at the Iron Man Kinetic 650.

Whatever you choose, rotate the faces, move your aim point, and keep it out of the sun between sessions. Do that and a good target will outlast several hunting seasons. Now get your bow dialed: my sighting-in guide walks through the whole process, and if your bolts are not grouping, check that you are shooting quality crossbow bolts before you blame the target.