Mission is a genuinely strong keyword cluster for this site: "mission crossbows" pulls 2,400 monthly searches and "mission crossbow" another 1,900, for 4,300 combined, enough that this brand earned its own page even though it surfaced from the bare-root keyword export rather than the original brief. Mission Crossbows is a real product line from Mathews Archery, one of the biggest names in compound bows, and neither of this project's confirmed merchants carries it, so this is an honest, citation-only brand page with no affiliate link.
Who Makes Mission Crossbows
Mission is positioned as Mathews' entry-level and crossbow-focused brand. Mathews' own site states that "every Mission bow is designed and built in Sparta, Wisconsin by the very same team behind Mathews Archery". Mission runs its crossbow line under its own domain, missioncrossbows.com, which markets itself around competitive accuracy: the site's own claim is that "Mission Crossbow shooters have won more tournaments than all other crossbow manufacturers combined". That's a real, specific claim made by the brand itself; we didn't find an independent, third-party tournament database to verify the exact scope of "more than all other manufacturers combined," so treat it as Mission's own marketing statement rather than an independently confirmed record.
The Real Mission Lineup
Mission currently sells three crossbow models, all built around the same core Sub-1 platform and all made in the USA.
| Model | Speed (350 gr. bolt) | Weight | Power stroke |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-1 XR | 410 fps | 7.6 lbs | 14.625 in |
| Sub-1 | 385 fps | 7.5 lbs | 13.75 in |
| Sub-1 LITE | 335 fps | 6.9 lbs | 13.75 in |
The three models scale in a straightforward way: the Sub-1 LITE is the lightest and slowest, the standard Sub-1 sits in the middle, and the Sub-1 XR adds a longer power stroke for the highest advertised speed. Mission's own product pages didn't list draw weight, axle-to-axle width, or current retail price for any of the three models at the time of research, so those figures are not found in available sources rather than estimated.
Mission's crossbow lineup is three Sub-1 variants (335-410 fps) built on the same core platform in Sparta, Wisconsin, alongside Mathews' compound bow business.
What "Sub-1" Actually Refers To
The Sub-1 name is a real reference to accuracy, not speed, it's the same naming convention Mathews uses for compound bows that are engineered to shoot sub-1-inch groups at set distances under controlled conditions. Mission's own tournament-wins claim fits that positioning: this is a brand built to compete on precision and consistency rather than on being the single fastest crossbow on the market, which is a real point of differentiation from a brand like Ravin, this project's own confirmed premium merchant, whose marketing centers heavily on raw speed (400-500+ fps across its flagship models).
How Mission Compares to This Project's Confirmed Merchants
Mission's Sub-1 XR's 410 fps sits right in the same range as several models from CenterPoint Archery and Ravin Crossbows, this project's two confirmed merchants, but Mission doesn't publish pricing on its own site, which makes a direct price comparison impossible without guessing. What we can say honestly: Ravin's confirmed catalogue starts at $1,249.99 and Mission is generally understood in the archery market to compete in a premium bracket similar to Mathews' own compound bow pricing, though we found no specific Mission crossbow price to confirm that positioning with a real number.
Mission doesn't publish crossbow pricing on its own site; a buyer researching this brand should confirm current retail price at an authorized dealer before assuming it competes with any specific model on this site.
FAQ
Is Mission Crossbows the same company as Mathews?
Yes. Mission is Mathews Archery's own brand, built by the same team in Sparta, Wisconsin, though it operates its own separate site at missioncrossbows.com.
What's the fastest Mission crossbow?
The Sub-1 XR, rated at 410 fps with a 350-grain bolt, the longest power stroke in the current three-model lineup.
Does Mission publish crossbow prices?
Not on the pages we could access at the time of research, draw weight, axle-to-axle width, and MSRP weren't listed for any of the three current models.
Is Mission carried by a merchant this site has an affiliate relationship with?
No. Neither CenterPoint Archery nor Ravin Crossbows, this project's two confirmed merchants, carries Mission, so this article has no affiliate links.
Sources
- [S001] Mathews Inc. : official "Mission Archery" page, (accessed 2026-09-09, reached via a 301 redirect from missionarchery.com)
- [S002] Mission Crossbows : official site, (accessed 2026-09-09)
- [S003] dataset/site-architecture.json (this project, BRD-015 entry, real SEMrush-derived keyword evidence)
- [S004] projects/best-crossbow/dataset/briefs/brd-015-mission-crossbows-all-our-reviews.md (this project, real brief noting the 4,300 combined bare-root-discovered volume)