Best Horde Hunter Race Bfa (2024 Updated)

For a whole year I’ve been researching and trying to figure out what compound bow I wanted as my first compound. I’ve been shooting recurves for the past couple years and wanted to explore the compound world and have to admit I love it thanks to this bow! I got the 45-60lb olive green.

It came with everything as advertised. Easy to setup and was sighted in within 30 minutes. The sight it comes with worked very well. Did not know it had a sight light included in it. I did upgrade the quiver because I was using the gold tip hunters and the diameter was thicker which made it super hard to get in and out of the quiver that was included.

I shot out to 60 yards with a grouping size of a nickel. Extremely happy and this will most likely stick with me for a good 5-6 years and be passed down to my son. Why I chose this over the pro version? The $100 difference is the only reason.

I make atlatls and darts. An atlatl is a two foot long stick with a spur at one end. The atlatl is used to launch a flexible spear called a dart. This is what people used to hunt with starting about 25000 years ago.

I do atlatl and dart demonstrations and basically teach people how to use the atlatl. Making darts using two Easton arrows joined together and using a 250 grain field point produces a good dart for kids and two and on half arrows make a great dart for adults.

To join arrow shafts together requires using short lengths of smaller diameter arrow shafts that slide neatly inside the two larger diameter shafts to be joined. The folks at Three Rivers Archery were nice enough to pull arrow shafts off the rack while on the phone with me to find shaft sizes of the right fit.

That’s good service!.

I use the XX75 Camo Hunter and Game Getter aluminum arrow shafts to make atlatl darts 7 feet, 6 inches long. The Game Getter is the smaller diameter and is used as an 18 inch long piece inside the front Camo Hunter piece to add forward of center weight and stiffness to the front end of the dart.

8 inch sections of the Game Getter is then used as inside connectors for 3 Camo Hunter shafts. I use PC7 glue. I use a 250 grain point, and three full length feathers. Good product.

I am a “back yard”, fun shooter, occasional stump shooter. I used the 3 Rivers Dynamic Spine Calculator and selected the 1816 arrows for my 35 # Samick Recurve. I am very pleased with the purchase and these arrows.

They are very accurate.

My second Barnett and very pleased with both. Started with a Jackal which shot great but wanted something more compact for blind hunting. This Whitetail Hunter 2 was a great choice. Very well built and easier to maneuver around in my doghouse blind.

After trying different arrow weight combinations I came up with one that allows me to shoot out to 35 yards for deer (my maximum distance of choice) utilizing just the top two reticle lines of the scope.

Using the stock Headhunter bolts and adding 125gr. field tips and 25gr. lighted nocks for a total of 440gr. brings me in right around 330 fps. Plenty fast enough for most hunting. Top reticle on the Barnett 4×32 five line scope sighted dead on at 20 yards gives me a POI just a bit over 1” low at 5 yards, 1/2” low at 10 yards and just a hair low at 15 yards.

At 25 yards, still using this top line and same POA, I hit just a tad over 1” low. The second reticle line from the top aiming dead on at 30 yards comes in at about 1” high and with the same aim back to dead on at 35 yards.

Basically anything out to 26 yards I aim kill zone top line. Anything between 27 and 35 yards aim kill zone second reticle line. Line 3 4 5 just along for the ride, though I’ll have to shoot em and see just where they fall in.

Come hunting season I’ll swap out the field points for some 125 gr. Schwacker broadheads and I’m ready to rumble. There are a lot of crossbows to choose from out there. Many good ones some not so good.

I and many others think Barnett makes a great line of bows and quality crossbows in this price range especially. Three arrow shot picture shows my last 3 shots holding dead on bulls at 35 yards with second reticle line from top.

Very impressed with the Ghost 425. Extremely fast! The one bolt assembly sounded easy but just remember you have to wiggle the bow part to get it to set inside assembly. Out of the box and assembled the scope’s lighted crosshairs wouldn’t go off at first but after pulling the battery out and putting it back in, it works fine now.

This crossbow requires a Full Grown Man to cock it! The 206lbs draw weight isn’t a joke. I pulled my old 185 will no problems but that extra 21lbs was shocking. Out of the box it shot way low, 8″ low and 5″ to the right at 10 yards.

It took about 10 shots before I was satisfied. Moved it out to 20 and 30 yards and it shot a touch high. That could have been me pulling off but it was consistently high 3 shots each. Really looking forward to bow season to start! The only negative’s I can come up with is, the cost of additional arrows.

55. 00-65. 00 for 3 is a bit more than I think arrows should cost. Granted they send you 3 with the crossbow but I can about guarantee you will lose your arrow shooting a deer as powerful as this crossbow is.

2nd is the placement of the sling eyes. I pulled the sling off my other crossbow and I could barely get the one on the stock side in. It is set on the side of the the stock and not the bottom. That would be the only negative I could find of the crossbow itself.

Gold Tip puts out good products, these arrows hold up to that standard. Great groups, durable and accurate. The price point on these is the reason for the 4 star. The market on high end, and high performing arrows gets more competitive every year, and if these were offered for even $10 less, there would be no question they are the best bang for the buck.

These are good arrows and can take a beating. They are usually pretty good as far as straightness but the last batch I got online from Dicks had noticeable wobble at the nock end when I put them on a spinner.

Good arrows for the most part.

These arrows fly great and shoot fine but they are not strong I hit a doe broadside at 25 yards with a great shot these arrows on two occasions have failed to perform breaking on impact I recovered a broke portion of the arrow with some blood but due to the loss of energy the shot only injured the deer wich is disappointing.

I’m a new rider with 1 1/2 years of riding experience and I’m on my second bike, a DR650 which comes with steel handlebars and somewhat uncomfortable grips. I spent most of the summer riding with the stock handlebars to get a feel for the bike before I started making upgrades.

I knew I wanted bars that would come up by 1 1/2 to 2 inches so that I could stand on my lowered pegs (1 1/2 inches lower and 1 inch back) without leaning forward at full arm’s length reach. I got the Pro Taper risers and the Woods High bend which add enough height for me.

The OEM handlebar specs are: W=787, H=76, R=50, S=72 so I got some added height and rise in the bar without going overboard. Getting the controls off was relatively easy. I didn’t want to destroy the grips on the old handlebars.

The clutch side was easy to remove as I only need to put a thin screwdriver in to break the seal of the factory adhesive. Spray in some WD-40, rotate and they slipped off with ease. The throttle side.

Well, don’t bother. The grip is fused to the plastic throttle tube. Luckily I searched online for answers and avoided having to attempt that mess. I got an aluminium tube which gives better throttle response through Procycle.

us. They’re super helpful and are DR fanatics. Every video suggested cutting the location tabs off the controls to avoid drilling two holes into the new handlebars. Problem is, I ride off road a lot, in wet conditions as I live in the PNW.

Even though my DR is only 5 months old, things have come loose on it. I can’t imagine what would happen if I’m ripping through the woods and my controls come loose. Not something I ever want to find out.

I placed some paper tape over the areas. Marked the location tabs with a marker pen that left an imprint on the tape. Used a sharp blade to make a cross on the centre point before removing the tape and carefully drilled the two holes I needed.

Use the appropriate size drill bit. Mine was a little too large. Dip the bit in some oil first and go slowly and it will slip and slide off the bar. It didn’t take long and wasn’t hard. Here’s where I ran into a problem that I hadn’t anticipated: the choke ring on the left side wouldn’t fit on the Pro Taper handlebars.

I didn’t want to force it as it is plastic which could easily break with force. I ended up wrapping coarse sandpaper on the tapered handle of a screwdriver and slowly filed away the inside of the choke ring on both sides until I could slowly edge it over the knurled end of the handlebar.

It took an hour and a half to get it to the point where it would fit snuggly over, then put the rest of the bits back together. Use blue medium thread locker on everything you bolt back on. First impressions of the height so far are good.

I have the risers set to the forward position, giving me more room in the cockpit. I frequently ride 2 up with my girl and it’s a snug fit on the DR and we’re both on the slimmer end of the scale, but far from skinny.

I’m able to sit more upright than before and can stand up straight on the lowered pegs. I’m 5’ll with a 32 inch inseam. Overall things feel more comfortable than before. The vibration I felt through the stock handlebars have improved with the new bars on paved roads.

Haven’t tested off road yet. I messed up the grips which are temporarily zip-tied. I’ll get another set. The whole process took me approx. 6 hours with plenty of mental health breaks to avoid getting frustrated and breaking things.

I know some of you will be able to do it in a small fraction of the time, but this review is geared to first timers. I’ve managed to scratch up the new handlebars quite a bit in the process of installation despite my best efforts to be careful in the mounting process.

I think repeated attempts to measure for the holes was to blame for that plus my initial attempts at getting the clutch ring on. I feel way more comfortable knowing that if things come loose, the controls will stay in place no matter what as the location tabs are safely in their place.

Best of luck with your installation. These appear to be quality bars and a massive improvement over the factory version.

Last year I was unable to bow hunt due to a severe shoulder injury and I had to accept the fact that I will not be able to bow hunt this year either. I reluctantly decided to search out a crossbow as a means to put meat in the freezer this year.

I was raised on the idea that a crossbow was not fair sport and you either used a bow or waited until rifle season to hunt. I realized, however, that my injury required me to look at a crossbow to allow me to put meat on the table.

Most of my hunting is done in archery only areas so I was not just limited, but almost shut out of hunting all together. I did a lot of research and handled dozens of crossbows looking for the right one for me.

I knew TenPoint/Wicked Ridge archery had an amazing reputation for quality crossbows but I did not want to have tunnel vision so I tested many other brands first. When I picked up the Wicked Ridge Blackhawk 360, I knew I had found my bow.

Holding the Blackhawk felt natural. It was light weight and balanced well, which made it easy to hold up with my injury. To my surprise, I also had no problem cocking the string either. Despite being extremely light weight, the Blackhawk felt durable and well constructed.

The body is very rugged and sturdy. The design allowed me to find a suitable grip position to optimize comfort and accuracy. The scope glass was clear and the images were sharp and focused. Squeezing the trigger was smooth crisp like a good rifle.

The accuracy was dead on. I feel confident with the quality and accuracy of the Blackhawk 360. This is going to be a game changer. As I continue to test the capabilities of the crossbow it seems as though I will be limited only by my own abilities.

I think this is going to be my most successful season yet and I am not sure I will give up the crossbow once my shoulder is rehabilitated.

I had a Wicked Ridge Warrior crossbow for 9 years & was very satisfied with it. I discovered on the inside or the right limb a 2 inch sliver of the material was separating from the limb. I took it back to the dealer that I purchased it from.

Upon his inspection, he said the limbs, cables, & string would all have to be replaced at a cost of about $300. No way was I going to do that on a 9 year old crossbow. He said that they had the $399 Blackhawk on sale for $330.

I decided that I would buy it. THE BOW IS SUPER!! It is lighter, faster, quiter & more accurate than the previous Warrior that I had. The new technology that requires “alpha nocks” on bolts is a great idea! I do have an issue with the fact that the company did not take into consideration that some purchasers previously used bolts with different nocks & can no longer be used.

I have 10, never used, Carbon Express Piledriver bolts that are now useless to me. Now that I am required to purchase “only your brand of bolts equipped with the alpha nocks”, there should be some form of monetary exchange of my bolts for the new ones or that the company could supply alpha nocks that could fit bolts previously being used.

Very impressed with the quality and price of the Wicked Ridge Blackhawk 360 package. Both the crossbow and the accessories were all very high quality. I had to make some minor adjustments to the sight at 20 yards, but that was to be expected since someone else sighted it in.

I did have a setback at first – when cocking the string would run up on top of the arrow retention spring. Once I figured out what the problem was, I bent the spring up against the scope ( as far as it go without removing the scope) until there was enough gap for the string to engage the spring and pass under it instead of riding over it.

Works fine after this adjustment. I’ve only shot the crossbow about 10 times so far at 20 yards, but I’m very pleased with the speed and smoothness (lack of vibration) when shooting. I did add some silencing accessories to the crossbow before shooting it, and it’s really quiet.

I’m not really concerned about an animal jumping the string. Really looking forward to shooting this more. Overall, this crossbow has the looks, feel, and performance of quality.

Very good quality control, all parts are precision made and well thought out. The customer service is outstanding. Before you buy anything like this try calling the customer service. Other crossbow companies had me on hold for 45 minutes to a couple hours! Excalibur was less than a couple minutes and answered my email within a half hour.

Another big name crossbow company answered my email 6 months later, really! The few guys I talked to at Excalibur were helpful and knowledgeable. I tried several different arrows and weight points. The arrows that came with the bow shot best and were indeed matched to the bow.

Very accurate, shoot at different bullseyes or you’ll wreck your arrows. My compound crossbow before this one was advertised at 405 fps. , this one is 340 fps. Sighted at 25 yards, both shoot 125 grain points about 4″ low @32 yards and 8″ @40 The recurve is so much easier to maintain and doesn’t require tuning or taking it to a shop for strings, cables and tuning.

Shoots broadheads the same as field points. Light, steady and compact, easy to hunt with on the ground or in a stand. The trigger is good, not like a rifle but pretty good for a crossbow.

For most of you crossbow users out there already know that Excalibur is a great crossbow company thats been in the crossbow game for 3 decades+. Their crossbows are made in Canada and carry a lifetime warranty.

I have an Excalibur Bulldog 440 and the MAG 340 in Kryptec camo. I purchased the MAG because I love Excalibur and I wanted something to use in a small ground blind or a small tree stand. This bow is small and reliable.

The riser is very stout and its not as compact as a compound crossbow but you never need to go to a bow shop if something goes wrong. With Excaliburs, you only need to carry a spare set of limbs and strings with you just in case you get splintered limbs or cut your string by mistake and youll be good to go.

Never depend on the bow shop, depend on yourself and Excalibur to get the game of your lifetime. This crossbow has more than enough power to kill any North American game with ease. The only thing I wouldnt do is try and hunt a grizzly bear with the MAG 340 unless its a cub.

I would use the big boy Bulldog 440 to ensure that the animal dies immediately with a fairly good placed shot. I started with compound crossbows but they kept blowing up and strings needed replacement every season.

I also had to wax the rail and string every 5 shots whichwas a pain. On top of that, you cant leave your crossbow cocked for more than 2hrs as indicated in most manuals for compound crossbows like Barnett.

I have left my BD in 90 degree heat in the trunk fully cocked for 4 days just to see what would happen since it has a lifetime warranty and after the 4th day I went out and shot a bullseye. You cant get any better than that.

Also, you can take care of string creep yourself and not have to rely on the bow shop. Dont buy a cheap compound crossbow and then end up blowing up in your face or ending your hunt because your strings got caught on a twig and the string snapped.

With Excalibur, a stringing aide, and a new string youll be back in business in less than 5 minutes. Never worry about string creep again! Excalibur is simply the BEST there is!.

I upgraded to this from the Excalibur Ibex I’ve had for the last 8 years and I must say it’s a phenomenal crossbow! The main thing I would point out is its size! If you hunt tree stands and especially ground blinds you will love how compact it is.

The trigger is a big upgrade from previous models and breaks very clean along with the dead zone scope which has a good field of view and is crystal clear. It feels great in your hands and when you shoulder to shoot it.

The anti dry fire is also a nice touch and the camo pattern is decent. Ounce you have the scope dialed in, it’s dead on! Yes, it will get em in there at 60 yards! Cocking this crossbow is a little much and I would recommend a cocking aid if you have shoulder or back problems.

There’s no need to spend $1200-$1300 for a high end bow when you can get this package for around $700. The only con I would say is that the bolts are a specific 16. 5″ for the Micro series and they are $$$$$.

I upgraded to the pro flight bolts made by Black Eagle and they are $90 for a six pack.

PROS: These bolts group well. Price per 6 was very good. CONS: After only one shot each, two of the six bolts had a fletching come loose. They also seem to drop like a brick compared to similar weighted bolts at the same yardage.

SUMMARY: I will likely only use the 4 good bolts left as emergency backups. Thus far the most consisting shooting bolts I have found for my crossbow are Barnett (Easton) Headhunters.

When the arrows arrived the box was crushed at one end. That is not bloodSport’s fault but not having a box that protected the arrows is. The box is too small, and all of the fletches were flattened, even the ones on the end undamaged.

Comparing it to other arrow boxes showed that there box was smaller and the foam protectors was less strong. Also the arrow has 2 white fletches and 1 red. White is very easily seen by deer and can give your position away.

This should have had 2 red (not seen by deer) and 1 white that can be hidden in the rails of the crossbow. I was disappointment.

Shot these bolts for the first time this year. Immensely accurate and severely deadly. Out to 30 yes shooting groups so tight you can only shoot one at a time as they consistently hit the same hole. Also 2 for 2 on big old does this year both double lung pass throughs.

Matched with the Carbon Express Torrid SS expandable 3 blade broadhead and shot out of a Barnett recruit compound crossbow, these bolts are extremely effective.

I bought this crossbow on Nov 27th at the clarksville bass pro store. Only to find out that it’s not a very good crossbow. I looked at three of the 425 ripper that they had in stock and found that all three had issues i put all three back and on the fourth one didn’t see anything wrong with it so I bought it.

Finally got a chance to zero my new crossbow and first thing I noticed was that the caps that screw on the turrets were plastic not metal. Second thing I noticed was that the elevation (up down) turret said up when I looked at the windage (left right turret) it also said up.

Was going to call killer Instinct and see about getting a new or replacement scope for it. But I read the warranty it said that mistakes made during manufacturing/assembly were not covered. Also the sales person stated that he would not sale killer Instinct products if it was his store but since he was working for BP he had no choice but to sale them.

I went ahead and bought this one as my wife and I could not justify the price of a good quality crossbow which is generally 1,000 plus. So do not buy these crossbows.

This crossbow seems to be very well made. Went together easily and was shooting within minutes. 5 issues with this crossbow. 1st, not a issue, but defiantly a concern. This thing blows right through a full size Block target.

I have to use a Block target and another similar to a Block just to keep from loosing bolts. Even then, they go so far in that it damages the fletchings. Yes, it is fast, however I have lost 4 bolts because it is so fast.

If you buy this bow, you better have a really good target for it and you better not miss. 2nd, This thing is loud! It sounds like a 22lr when it goes off. Speed vs quiet. This is with the bolts that Killer Instinct ships with it and 100gr heads.

Shoots very well, but still is very loud! 3rd, the 4x scope that it ships with is not very good. As a matter of fact, with in the first 10 to 20 shots, I upgraded to the Speed Ring scope of the same brand.

The only thing I liked about the 4x scope over the Speed Ring scope was the reticle. It just seemed easier to pick up, so if you have older eyes, stay with the 4x. 4th, Not about the bow, but I also bought the Silent crank bow cocker from Killer Instinct.

Does it do what it says it will, yes. However, if you are thinking this is a better cocking solution for the field, older people, or someone with physical issues its not! I have a bad shoulder, why I bought a crossbow in the first place, and the cocker is lets say a bigger pain in the *s^ then just using the pull rope.

It is super slow, has to be dead nut perfect, where do you put it when not in use, and hard as H*LL to get off the bow once the bow is cocked. $100 I wish I would not have spent. Even in the backyard, its not worth my time to use! Only if I had zero strength to use the pull cocker would I use this crank! Lastly, again not an issue, but something to think about.

If you are a fixed broad head kind of guy then this thing is too fast for you. I found this out the hard way. I tried some very high dollar fixed blade broad heads with this bow with no success. After a bit of research, I figured out that the high speed bows do not like Fixed! It would not shoot for crap with fixed broad heads, but shoot great with field points.

Tried some Ten Point EVO-X mechanical heads and all was fixed even out to 60 yds!!!! Hope this helps and saves some coin in the bucket.

I can not fathom these people who break a crossbow like this EXCEPT to suspect that they are dry firing. If you can’t get a cocking device, do NOT expect to cock this bowstring by hands alone! This is the first time I ever assembled a crossbow and had it sighted in the moment the scope was set into its slot.

did NOT require adjustment for windage or elevation and held for two entire seasons. I have only released its fury two dozen times for practice and hunting, but six were for deer. including a cut spine! NEVER dry fire and you will be OK, and if a winch then slowly release the bow tension at the end of the hunt and then there is no need to fire.

Use it sparingly once you know it is sighted in and it (and its scope) will serve you well. Nice compact design for the price, easy to get through brush and into a dense vegetation spot where ever it is downwind of the deer trails.

It works – some will drop as fast as if shot with a slug.

I already own an Excalibur 340 TD and decided to buy this while it was on sale for my daughter’s to use while we hunt together. I had purchased a different compound style crossbow for them and within 20 shots the serving started to seperate bad! New strings/cables cost anywhere from $40-$200 dollars then take it to a shop, pay for labor, and usually wait a week or so to get it back.

With Excalibur I can restring it myself quickly, even in the woods if need be. Sure it may not be as fast as other crossbows on the market, but is still faster than any compound, and 99% of the YouTube/hunting shows has hunters shooting plenty of nice deer/bucks with a lot slower bows.

Pros- Easy to maintain and don’t need a bow shop Fast enough Awesome warranty Well balanced Price Cons- Cheaper scope, but still can get the job done Little wider than most crossbows.

This crossbow has many excellent features sought by most hunters. For a traditional style bow it is compact yet reliable due to its simple design. The accuracy is excellent and with the built in silent crank system its a dream to load and shoot.

This bow provides sufficient speed for any game in North America and the take down system with the included case makes for easy travel. The bow is easily decocked using the built in crank, so no more need to fire at the end of the day.

I love the simplicity of this crossbow and that should you ever have an issue you can fix most problems on your own; which is a big consideration should you be going on a big trip or hunt in a remote area.

Good luck fixing a hi tech cam bow on your own! The new high output express limbs should go a long way to ensuring that you have zero problems for a long time. A great crossbow thats worth a few extra dollars.

Just picked this up and shot 20 yards as instructed and adjusted the scope accordingly. It was pretty close out of the box. I then went to 50 using the correct triangle in the reticle and had to make a minor adjustment.

I then switched over to the Rage 100 grain Trypan Crossbow broad head and adjusted accordingly for elevation and windage as they do not fly the same as a fieldpolnt. I strongly recommend that you do your final sighting with an actual broadhead if you plan on hunting as this is the only ethical way to ensure your arrow is on.

Yes you end up loosing one broadhead from your pkg, but you still have 2 new ones that are assured of making a clean kill. This bow and scope pkg. is top notch and for this price point, it is hard to find a better shooting bow On another note, the Cabelas salesman was very informative and helpful.

great buying experience.

The 550X is not a good value for the money IMHO. The main blades are foam filled verses a wood substrate. I also upgraded the BeastX to an IKON2. The torque tube is trashed if the tail boom is even slight bent.

It’s an expensive helicopter to repair. The kit was easy to build, and the parts lined up well.

Let start off by saying that this is my first trex model in 10 years of flying helis. I found the materials used to be top notch. The electronics to be of a much higher caliber then what I have seen in the past.

The build is just taking apart everything and putting loctite (blue) on all metal to metal parts. Use the kind you trust, not to please with what came with kit. Everything fit pefect. Maiden flight was one of the best I have flown.

Running at 2300 rpms and tail is locked. Going to 2500 next. Dont expect any issues.

The parts are packaged very nice. The directions were very clear. The fit and finish is A-1. And the 550X is a beautiful helicopter. Love it…..