Editing Crossbow bolt (section)

== Parts of the bolt ==
=== Point ===
{{Main|Arrowhead}}
The point, also called the ''head'' or the ''tip'', is the pointed and weighted front end of the bolt, which is sharp and hard so that it can penetrate the target.

=== Shaft ===
The [[arrow#Shaft|shaft]] is the main body of the bolt to which other parts of the bolt are attached. In modern times it is normally made of [[Carbon fiber reinforced polymer|carbon fibre]] or [[aluminium alloy]] (or sometimes both aluminum and carbon fibre are used), and is very lightweight for its [[Strength of materials|strength]]. Shafts come with varying degrees of [[stiffness]] — referred to as the "[[Arrow#Spine|spine]]" of the bolt. The more resistant to bending a bolt is, the more "spine" it is said to have, and a crossbow with higher [[Bow draw|draw]] weight ideally needs to be paired with a heavier bolt point and higher spine specifications. The weight of a shaft is usually in [[Grain (unit)|grain]]s, and product descriptions may provide the total weight in grains, or in [[grains per inch]] (GPI), for which the total weight of shaft can be calculated by multiplying the GPI value with length of shaft in inches.

=== Fletching ===
{{main|Fletching}}
Fletchings, also referred to as ''vanes'', are [[fin]]s located at the rear end of the shaft just before the nock. The fletching is typically made from soft light materials such as [[feather]]s, [[plastic]] or [[silicone rubber]]. They stabilize the trajectory of the bolt via three different means: resisting [[Pitch (aviation)|pitch]]ing and [[yaw (rotation)|yaw]]ing of the shaft by acting like a [[stabilizer fin]] (fin-stabilization); reducing deviation from the [[Flight control surfaces#Longitudinal axis|longitudinal axis]] by creating a back-pulling [[Center of pressure (fluid mechanics)|center of pressure]] behind the bolt's [[center of mass]] ([[Drag (physics)|drag]]-stabilization); and in some particular cases, creating a [[rotation]] around the longitudinal axis (spin-stabilization) by having the fletchings mounted at a slight [[angle of attack]].

There is no rule or formula for determining the length of fletching needed — generally the longer the shaft is, the longer the fletching needs to be, and vice versa.

=== Nock ===
A [[Nock (arrow)|nock]] is a small notched piece that is attached to the rear end of the shaft, for engaging and receiving the propulsive push from the [[Bowstring|string]] during shooting. Nocks are made of either plastic or aluminum.