Yesterday I purchased a Barnett Whitetail Hunter PRO STR. This crossbow has the 187 pound draw weight limbs, trigger tech, brush arrow retainer and string stops. It is advertised to shoot a 380 grain arrow-point combination at 400 feet per second. It is supposedly compatible with the Barnett Crank Cocking Device.
This crossbow trigger tech system has zero trigger creep, the same as my other Barnett crossbows have with the old style trigger. No gain here.
One cam was out of time a wee bit, plus the cams needed leveling in the cocked position. No problem, being I have my own bow press. Tuning the crossbow, I got it to shoot a 410 grain arrow-point combination at 387, 388, 389 and 387.
Problems that I encountered and some can not be corrected:
1)installing the riser to the rail-stock. The string dampener system is part of the riser with no adjustments. It is a molded assembly with pipe tubing for the grooved rubbers. The groove in the rubbers sit high and do not center with the bowstring.
I am not able to use my Ten Point String Dampening System as the cables are too close to the riser in the uncocked position. The rail-stock is predrilled for Barnett's other string dampener system.
2)the scope rings are not the cap design, but are vertical. Making any scope adjustments when loosening the rings, throws the scope out of adjustment. These could be replaced with the cap style rings.
3)using my Bushnell AR223 3 x 12 x 40 Drop Zone scope with the side parallax, I ran out of adjustment trying to lower my shots shooting 17 1/2 feet in my shop. The crossbow is mounted in a high quality rifle jig with level bubbles on it. When I installed the crossbow in the jig, I put a level across the riser. The level was previously checked, swapping it end to end to see if I received the same reading which I had. A properly built level gives the same reading.
I removed the scope and put the level on the rail-stock. It was level. Next I put the level on the scope picatinny rail. Using the 9 inch level, the front of the picatinny rail was 3/8" lower than the back. Due to this, when I looked through the scope, my crossbow was tilted too high. Shimming a scope in this case will not work. This is where Ravin failed with their R9. They went for distance, tilting the picatinny rail down. Closer shooting, the scope could not be properly adjusted. No Ravin Jack at that time. The HHA was available then.
4)the stock is compatible with the Barnett Crank Cocking Device, but a few modifications are required. The string anchors have to follow next to the rail-stock, otherwise when reaching the fully cocked position they are forced outwards. The sled comes in two styles. One has vertical pulleys which you do not want. The other has horizontal pulleys. To made the correction for the string, I punched out the pulley axle and rerouted the anchor string the opposite way. The crimp is too large to just push the string through. The other way is to remove the string from the crank pulley, put when reinstalling the knot these string lengths have to match or your sled will not pull even.
Fitting the pulley ratchet assembly: due to a thinner stock, the two smaller allen head bolts would have to be cut shorter. The cover plug for the safety lever is too tight and would have to be filed down a bit. This crossbow stock is not designed to have the snap in finish crank covers that the Barnett Ghost 410 or Barnett Buck Commander BCXtreme 365 Ultra Lite has.
Due to the major manufacturing errors: string stops and picatinny rail, the crossbow will be returned to the place of purchase.
All the best.
This crossbow trigger tech system has zero trigger creep, the same as my other Barnett crossbows have with the old style trigger. No gain here.
One cam was out of time a wee bit, plus the cams needed leveling in the cocked position. No problem, being I have my own bow press. Tuning the crossbow, I got it to shoot a 410 grain arrow-point combination at 387, 388, 389 and 387.
Problems that I encountered and some can not be corrected:
1)installing the riser to the rail-stock. The string dampener system is part of the riser with no adjustments. It is a molded assembly with pipe tubing for the grooved rubbers. The groove in the rubbers sit high and do not center with the bowstring.
I am not able to use my Ten Point String Dampening System as the cables are too close to the riser in the uncocked position. The rail-stock is predrilled for Barnett's other string dampener system.
2)the scope rings are not the cap design, but are vertical. Making any scope adjustments when loosening the rings, throws the scope out of adjustment. These could be replaced with the cap style rings.
3)using my Bushnell AR223 3 x 12 x 40 Drop Zone scope with the side parallax, I ran out of adjustment trying to lower my shots shooting 17 1/2 feet in my shop. The crossbow is mounted in a high quality rifle jig with level bubbles on it. When I installed the crossbow in the jig, I put a level across the riser. The level was previously checked, swapping it end to end to see if I received the same reading which I had. A properly built level gives the same reading.
I removed the scope and put the level on the rail-stock. It was level. Next I put the level on the scope picatinny rail. Using the 9 inch level, the front of the picatinny rail was 3/8" lower than the back. Due to this, when I looked through the scope, my crossbow was tilted too high. Shimming a scope in this case will not work. This is where Ravin failed with their R9. They went for distance, tilting the picatinny rail down. Closer shooting, the scope could not be properly adjusted. No Ravin Jack at that time. The HHA was available then.
4)the stock is compatible with the Barnett Crank Cocking Device, but a few modifications are required. The string anchors have to follow next to the rail-stock, otherwise when reaching the fully cocked position they are forced outwards. The sled comes in two styles. One has vertical pulleys which you do not want. The other has horizontal pulleys. To made the correction for the string, I punched out the pulley axle and rerouted the anchor string the opposite way. The crimp is too large to just push the string through. The other way is to remove the string from the crank pulley, put when reinstalling the knot these string lengths have to match or your sled will not pull even.
Fitting the pulley ratchet assembly: due to a thinner stock, the two smaller allen head bolts would have to be cut shorter. The cover plug for the safety lever is too tight and would have to be filed down a bit. This crossbow stock is not designed to have the snap in finish crank covers that the Barnett Ghost 410 or Barnett Buck Commander BCXtreme 365 Ultra Lite has.
Due to the major manufacturing errors: string stops and picatinny rail, the crossbow will be returned to the place of purchase.
All the best.
