[quote=@gcold]
-Crossbows are rare tech on Tamriel. A band of "merry hunters" are not likely to have one, and even if they do, ammo is gonna be another problem. I advise switching to bow, or downgrading it to a semi-functional piece with less than 10 bolts. 
[/quote]

They used to be pretty commonplace in Morrowind. But I guess being chronologically 200 years in the past doesn't help.