Hello CBN, I am brand new to crossbows,I have researched them to death for a couple of months now and keep coming back to the ghost 360.There aren't a lot of reviews on them that i can find, but the ones i do all seem to be good. would this be a good first bow,i will be hunting whitetail deer. Also thought about the 350 but for $50 more the 360 seems like the better choice? Any help would be really great.
southmshunter
I've had my 360 since May. Shooting Easton Bloodlines right now and will probably upgrade to BEE's later on. Switched out the scope to a Hawke and is very accurate. This will be it's first year out in the woods. So far so good. Put a Ten Point SDS and Limbsacer Twist Loks on it and is very quiet w/very little vibration.
I don't have a single complaint, I took it out last weekend to practice and made three shots, one at 40yds and two at 50yds with Jerry 's bee's and bullseye all three shots, I put it back in the house, no sense in wearing my strings out for nothing, I'm ready. I'm sure there are better bows out there but this bow does everything I need. I probably have close to 500 shots on it with the factory strings and haven't had a single problem. I like mine.Good Luck
Got to shoot my xbow today, I was amazed at how accurate and fast the xbows are.On the fifth shot I had it hitting the nickel size dot on the target at 20yds Moved to 30 and was still pretty good, no more than 1" off bullseye every shot, pretty darn good in my mind. Moved out to 50yds and took a few shots, l was hitting the target at no more than 3" from the bullseye. I'm thinking this is still pretty darn good. This is with the barnett headhunter arrows that came with the package.Didn't want to put it down, shot it over 60 times today without any problems. Oh yeah one little thing old hardhead shot same target twice and hit and ruined an arrow. So far I am happy with my decision on the ghost 360,and I guess only time will tell if it's reliable. Thanks to everyone on CBN for the help and input on xbows.
Enjoy yur new addiction. I use a morel double duty bone collector bag target, only field points. It will take anything I've shot at it, with easy removal.
southmshunter: The 400 grain that you mention is what the crossbow arrow speed in feet per second is based on. For every 10 grain of arrow-point combination over the base of 400 grain, you lose 3 feet per second. For my Barnett Ghost 410 to achieve the advertised speed of 410 feet per second this crossbow would have to be properly tuned and shoot an arrow-point combination of 400 grain. Suppose I were to shoot an arrow-point weight combination of 430 grain. This would be 30 grain over the base 400 grain. Divide 30 x 10=3 then multiply that 3 x 3 for the loss =9 feet per second loss. Subtract the 9 from Barnett's advertised speed of 410 feet per second for this crossbow. Your calculated speed would be 410-9=401 feet per second. Shooting this arrow-point combination of 430 grain through a Pro Digital Chronograph set one arrow length in front of the stirrup should give a very close reading of 401 feet per second. The reason I quoted this brand of chronograph is this is the brand I have. Other brands of chronograph should be close. The main thing when testing with a chronograph, use the same one for a consistant reading. All the best.
My ghost 360 was my 1st xbow and still my only xbow. The string problem only affected 1 or two models. For cam timing, I just look at where the limbs cross a slot (open area) in the cams. You just want the open area of the slot to look the same on each side of the limb. My original string lasted probably 500+ shots. Only thing wrong with it, I noticed separation in the cam servings and needed reserved on the center serving. With Barnett strings known for not having very tight servings, I got 1 from winners choice and couldn't pass up on a string set from 60X when theirs were on sale. Both have different string material. This summer I plan on putting the 60X strings on and seeing how they perform.
southmshunter: 1)cam timing. When your crossbow is at rest (not in the cocked position), look down from above at your cam. Pick a spot where the cable crosses the cam toward the axle. Now look at the opposite cam in the same area. If the cable crosses the cam in the same area, the cams are in time. When cocking, center the rope cocker or if you use the crank cocking device, center it on the rail and careful cock the crossbow. When fully cocked, do the same check on the cams. If the cable crosses each cam in the same place, the cams are in time. If you do not center the cocker or crank cocking device, when cocking, one cam may be advanced more than the other. This will not only give the appearance of cams being out of time, but the arrow will not fly true. To adjust timing the riser has to be put in a crossbow press and then add or subtract twists to the cable.
2)cam leveling which you also want. At rest, lay an arrow with a field point on top of each cam, pointing toward each other at the rail. With the arrows held flat on the top of the cams, the points should match if the cams are level. You can also do this check when the crossbow is cocked. To level the cams the crossbow riser has to be put in a press and adjustments made at the "Y" axle end of the cables.
3)Barnett string breaking. Here is my personal experience with the Barnett Ghost 410. Due to fraying, serving separation and each cable made in two pieces instead of one, I changed both string and cables to 60X. My crossbow came with missing limb rockers and the cables were improperly installed. Instead of one cable lying above or underneath the other, they were wrapped around each other. In this instance, it is like putting the emergency brake on your vehicle, then trying to drive it. This causes extreme stress. Improper assembly and maintenance can lead to string and cable failure and later on possible limb breakage or cam bearing failure.
60X string and cables are very high quality. Since installing them I have shot hundreds of shots and have had absolutely no stretch, fraying or cable separation. If going this route, go to their website, enter your make and model of bow and if you have your manual, the string and cable length for your model bow will be listed. You can also get this information from Barnett website. Given the proper make and model of bow, 60X should also have this information. 60X will even build string and cables in multiple colors for a few dollars more if you wish. This company provides excellent customer service and I highly recommend them.
With any bow or crossbow, keep the string and cables well lubricated. For the crossbow, apply a light coat of lubricant on the rail.
All the best.
2)cam leveling which you also want. At rest, lay an arrow with a field point on top of each cam, pointing toward each other at the rail. With the arrows held flat on the top of the cams, the points should match if the cams are level. You can also do this check when the crossbow is cocked. To level the cams the crossbow riser has to be put in a press and adjustments made at the "Y" axle end of the cables.
3)Barnett string breaking. Here is my personal experience with the Barnett Ghost 410. Due to fraying, serving separation and each cable made in two pieces instead of one, I changed both string and cables to 60X. My crossbow came with missing limb rockers and the cables were improperly installed. Instead of one cable lying above or underneath the other, they were wrapped around each other. In this instance, it is like putting the emergency brake on your vehicle, then trying to drive it. This causes extreme stress. Improper assembly and maintenance can lead to string and cable failure and later on possible limb breakage or cam bearing failure.
60X string and cables are very high quality. Since installing them I have shot hundreds of shots and have had absolutely no stretch, fraying or cable separation. If going this route, go to their website, enter your make and model of bow and if you have your manual, the string and cable length for your model bow will be listed. You can also get this information from Barnett website. Given the proper make and model of bow, 60X should also have this information. 60X will even build string and cables in multiple colors for a few dollars more if you wish. This company provides excellent customer service and I highly recommend them.
With any bow or crossbow, keep the string and cables well lubricated. For the crossbow, apply a light coat of lubricant on the rail.
All the best.
Thanks for the info, like I said I'm looking to buy my first xbow and after a lot of research keep coming back to the ghost 360. The few reviews I have found everyone seems to like them,also in my price range. Also have a questions about cam timing, how would one know if cams are out of timing? I also hear a lot about Barnett strings breaking, would it be wise to change strings on new xbow right out of the box? Thanks everyone
That ghost 360 is a good bow. Like mentioned, I rather have alum rail. I've only been hunting with mine for 3 yrs, but I haven't had a single problem, other than out of the box the cams were out of time. I don't put mine in the muck if I have to recock. I like my huntin buddy and have a piece of carpet in my blind. I shoot 438 gn bees, 346 fps at the bow, 326 fps at the target 30 yds away. I did put a better scope on it. In between deer & spring turkey season, I put new winners choice string/cables on it. Also, I have 2 sets of bowjax on it and fixing to install 10 point string dampener. I haven't heard other bows shot, but 3 of my vert bow buddies were really surprised how quiet it was. It's compact and very accurate.
On paper it looks like a great bow. My only concern with it would be the integrated foot stirrup into the riser. From what I understand it increases the draw length and thus increases power. But some have complained that in muddy conditions it puts the limbs in the the muck. If shooting from a stand this would not be and issue. And I'm sure you you could work around the issue with some creative footwork.
I'm not sure which Ghost 350 you're looking at and if it's a package deal. At the time I bought my 360, the difference was it was lighter, 10 fps faster, had an aluminum flight track vs composite and the 360 had a lighter draw weight than the 350. Those features made the 360 a better deal in my mind. Good luck in your choice.
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