[Farm Deer]

Drove 36 miles for the target to be told: Oh, sorry we don't have those" after calling to confirm they DID.
Anyway, mounted the ATN. Zeroed at 30 (btw; same POI as 20) and entered 405 arrow weight, 420 FPS, adjusted the one shot zero. stepped back to 60; spot on, 80 spot on with minor correction on windage. back to 100 (see pic below)

Here is a pic of the ballistics entered for 30-100 yards: sorry, a little crooked with the cell phone

Lastly, the string and cables after 125 shots shooting Head Hunter arrows. For testing I shot only one specific arrow for maximum repeatability.

Taking the dear wife out to dinner in another town in hopes they have a target. More to come on the Hyper arrows once I can stop them! At that point I'm done with the accuracy and reliability of the S&C related concerns and I already have my likes/dislikes noted. (more likes than dislikes)
Have a great day,
FD

 

[Farm Deer]

Very Impressive! Which speedring scope did you use in this test?

Excal Overwatch It's "okay". Field of view isn't to my liking.

 

[Kisermn11]

View attachment 266943

Excal Overwatch It's "okay". Field of view isn't to my liking.

How do you like the scope that comes with the Hyper Raptor? Do you think it needs an upgraded speed scope?

 

[Farm Deer]

George, great story and funny read. Let's get to it. You have a MSRP $600 xbow hitting dots at 80 yards with stock arrows non indexed. That's a testament to how often I chase my own tail getting into the weeds optimizing even going down the rabbit hole in search for the holy grail. Don't get me wrong customizing is fun but is not always mandatory for 20-40 yard endeavors. Hell, George knows his craft but he also is showing us that many OEM's build more than meets the needs for beginners to highly experienced hunters/range shooters. This post is like a dose of smelling salts to wake me up and not discount what many OEM's provide with their stock setup. Note: I've always been impressed with Barnett Head Hunter arrows. I'm sure this applies to many other OEM's too. To be fair George is an elite marksman with vast shooting experience but the stock OEM is meeting his shooting requirements. Haha, corn field humility for even the Farm Deer. That's keeping it real.

Shoot on!

In all honesty Tom, that was one of many in my time. However I never did robin hood a cornstalk before! I did try field dressing it but gave up and fed it to the sheep. Baaaa

 

[Farm Deer]

How do you like the scope that comes with the Hyper Raptor? Do you think it needs an upgraded speed scope?

Depends on your hunting scenario. I like the glass ALOT. Field of view is very good. Fixed reticle to what speed?,
I don't know, didn't test it fully.
If you plan to hunt an area ambushing a trail with, say, 20-30 yards then yes it would be just fine. If you plan to shoot an open field 20-50 yards then you would need to prove the dots to the specific yardage. The subtentions (reticles) are fixed and I cannot say to what yardages. You would need to sit down shoot each reticle and know what yardages are what "dot".
If you cannot afford the cash buying this bow along with a speed scope now then I would say shoot as is and remember; Christmas is coming!!!!!
Keep reading, you will learn a bunch here on CBN.
FD

 

[tree-rat]

George I know Guys that call themselves hunters and shooters that can’t make shots like that with their big bore rifles excellent shooting. Enjoy your night out with your wife you deserve it “ she probably does to” lol like most of our wives for putting up with us

 

[Farm Deer]

George I know Guys that call themselves hunters and shooters that can’t make shots like that with their big bore rifles excellent shooting. Enjoy your night out with your wife you deserve it “ she probably does to” lol like most of our wives for putting up with us

I've enjoyed hunting with xbows over other weapons. I practice to extended yardages to keep my marksmanship sharp so when Oliver ever decides to step out I'm dead confident I could shoot out to 50 and know he is mine. It has nothing to do with ego, it's all about ethics.

 

[pbandj]

I clearly stated several times that I went excessive for illustration purposes. You are correct that you may not desire ANY compound bow out there if you need to lubricate. This is NOT a requirement of the Raptor only. All compound bows require frequent lube maintenance. You may want to look at a recurve rather a compound. Make no mistake, if you buy a compound bow, regardless of brand and you do not complete lube maintenance then you will have premature S&C failures.

I have been shooting compounds since the first Bear Whitetail hunter released. Never heard of soaking a string in silicone fluid to prevent cables breaking. Light wax on the string and NEVER on the served areas of the cables or strings

 

[tree-rat]

This is from owner manual of my old fx3 raptor pro 8-10 years old pg 32

 

[Generator]

I have been shooting compounds since the first Bear Whitetail hunter released. Never heard of soaking a string in silicone fluid to prevent cables breaking. Light wax on the string and NEVER on the served areas of the cables or strings

It's silicone grease, used for lubricating seals in scuba equipment (Trident). I've been using since 2018 on synthetic bow strings and the servings. Hands down the best string lube I've used. I've been shooting vertical bows since the early 1970's and horizontal since 2015. Other string protection may be as good, I just find this grease easier to use and clean up. I am OCD on string and cable lubrication as well as any surface they touch. Lube at a minimum of every 20 shots and string and cable wear is very manageable. When strings are wet and shiny, all good. When dull and dry, in need of lube. A little goes a long way.

 

[christopher]

@Farm Deer I am curious your thoughts on the hyper flights over standard crossbow arrows??

I FINALLY just received shipping info on my raptor, should see it mid next week. I ordered it back in July.

 

[TomOnTheRun]

Wowza, putting a tank on the scope rail are ya. It be nice to have one in my blind at night to dust off some fat xxx raccoons! However, since I put up a varmint cage around my motorized feeder not a single raccoon has climbed up the legs over the last 4 weeks. They know what's up.

Seriously, that is legit hardware George.

After viewing all the cable/string pics it seems to me you have solved lots of concerns that's more related to user operation vs functional design. Note: Barnett needs to educate dealers and owners regarding what is required to use this innovative riser design. Strings/Cables look fantastic with proper lubrication. Looks like a go to me.

Outstanding review with problem solving skillsets.

 

[tree-rat]

Definitely back on mine totally now that I’ve been taking to school lol my rip cord has been pulled “parachute open” in know so little on these new power houses.

 

[Perry24]

Please don't take me wrong as I am very much a newb to crossbows but this seems un-natural and very excessive to have to apply this much lube to a crossbow. I am not sure I am very interested in the Hyper Raptor if I have to apply this much lube to a brand new crossbow.

Coming from the vertical compound world and also being a string builder, I scoffed at lubing my crossbow sets. After spending time here and my own observations, my string and cables are well-lubed.

My vertical bows are still dry.

 

[Huntersthompson]

I do not lube my vertical like I do my xbows but I do lube at least once a year.

 

[393stroker]

I got the servings again on the cables. Not frayed this time! Serving just coming unraveled. I jumped into everything head first. Built a bow press today. Going in the morning to buy serving and serving tool. I am going to try my hand at reserving the cables. I was under the impression not to lube servings. But after FD review. They will be well lubed from now on. PS. I made it to 82 shots dry. Then the cable servings gave up.

 

[393stroker]

 

[christopher]

That bow press is impressive!

 

[393stroker]

Thanks. I am a general contractor by trade. I built it with a Porta a Band saw and welder. It’s not professional but it will do all I need it to do.

That bow press is impressive!

 

[christopher]

I FINALLY just received shipping info on my raptor, should see it mid next week. I ordered it back in July.

spoke too soon, mine is NOT shipping yet. I received an email saying my item was going to ship the 22nd but apparently it was a mix up and they don’t even have them in stock yet. Lol.