Crossbow

The Crossbow is a powerful sniping weapon that can easily kill with a head shot. The diverse ammunition makes it a different weapon in each encounter. The normal bolts can occasionally be recovered, with a greater chance when it's upgraded. In the Xbox 360 version incendiary bolts set the enemy on fire. Trap bolts are unique weapons. When shot at a wall or target, the bolt launches an electrified line that branches off in the direction of the player. They are easily obtained by inventing them, and are incredibly effective weapons. They can easily kill splicers, bots and a couple placed in a Big Daddy's path will bring one down. They can be dodged by ducking under, jumping over, tossing things into the line with Telekinesis, shooting the bolt with the pistol (wrenching it will not work!), zapping it with a plasmid like Electro-Bolt, or even moving the bolt with Telekinesis. Ammunition isn't as common, but it's a powerful weapon overall.

It appears that the crossbow is fashioned from a bent ruler (the inch marks are clearly visible), with the ammunition boxes made of Marquis d'Epoque cigar boxes. While most FPS games place a bolt-action sniper rifle in the long-range niche, Bioshock's abundance of weapons cobbled together from spare parts makes the crossbow a more convincing addition to Jack's arsenal.

The first crossbow you get is in Fort Frolic, where Sander Cohen rewards you with a crossbow for posting Kyle Fitzpatrick's photo in the quadtych.

Stats

 * Ammo: Bolts
 * Clip Size: 5 bolts
 * Damage: Very High
 * Max Ammo: 48 steel-tipped bolts, 24 incendiary bolts, and 24 trap bolts
 * First given to you as a gift by Sander Cohen after posting Fitzpatrick's photo in the quadtych.
 * Ability to zoom in('z' on PC, press right analog stick on 360) for increased precision.

Ammo
 * Standard Bolt - A standard crossbow bolt. Can kill most splicers with one head shot.
 * Incendiary Bolt - Deals a large amount of heat damage. Deadly against splicers.
 * Trap Bolt - Creates an electric wire which when triggered, does a large amount of electrical damage. Particularly useful against Big Daddies since they can blindly charge through them. Must be used carefully; can be tricky to set if you're 'new' to using them. Completely unrecoverable.

Upgrades at Power to the People
 * Bolt breakage reduced, increasing the chance Jack can recover a bolt.
 * Increased damage.