Top 10 of the best hunting crossbows

Are you looking for the ideal hunting crossbow? Then you've come to the right place. With the countless ranges and models on the market, it's not easy to find the one that meets all your requirements. And, even if it is possible, you have to spend a lot of time on that.

But why bother and waste time if products like this one exist to help you get there. Certainly, in order to better approach your choices of crossbow for this year 2019, we have concocted a small list that gathers the top 10 of the best products on the market according to different precise criteria.

1. Barnett Jackal Package

Product description

The Barnett Jackal crossbow is certainly more expensive than its direct competitors (e.g. Arrow Precision Fury), however, its quality can easily justify it.

In its packaging, this crossbow comes with a quiver, some bolts and a red dot sight, which can be used right out of the box. Moreover, even for beginners, the assembly process is particularly simple. It should not take more than a few minutes. So, to go hunting as soon as it is unpacked, all you have to do is bring Broadheads.

The Jackal is equipped with a military style stock and a separate grip. This has the advantage that shooters can grip the weapon like a pistol. This gives the hand more freedom. Even with a fairly light package, the designers did not neglect the robustness nor the design of the product. For the more concerned, it is also equipped with a dry fire safety to avoid untimely firing.

In short, its good quality is combined with a very affordable price, ergonomic design and impressive durability.

For a beginner, this crossbow can be a very good choice.

Pros and cons

2. CenterPoint Tormentor Whisper

Product description

The name is not stolen. The CenterPoint Tormentor Whisper is equipped with effective noise reduction technology. This makes the weapon quieter, but still lethal. These features make it ideal for hunting.

Then, with a compact profit-making crossbow like the CenterPoint Tormentor Whisper, camouflaging yourself will be relatively simple. Afterwards, once cocked, it is only 14 inches from axle to axle, so it is very comfortable to handle. In addition, to make it even more user-friendly, its four arms are made of composite, and the riser is made of aluminium. These materials are famous for their lightness and durability.

A dry fire trigger is installed on this crossbow for more safety.

Moreover, the purchase of this item provides the user with a number of accessories such as a cocking rope, three bolts, a quiver, and a scope.

The CenterPoint Tormentor Whisper is one of the best value crossbows on the market today.

Pros and cons

3. Barnett Recruit Terrain

Product description

The Barnett Recruit Terrain stands out thanks to its relatively affordable price. So if you are looking for a more powerful model with 330fps, you'd better find something else.

The pull weight of 140 pounds is one of the criteria that makes it the alternative for beginners. This way, it is not necessary to be a bodybuilder to be able to cock and pull. Especially since the developed performance is above average, that’s to say a kinetic energy of 91.9 ft-lbs.

You will notice that many accessories are included with your purchase, including:

This model is often offered for novice shooters because it is fairly light (6.4 pounds), compact (shaft to shaft width of just over 16 inches) and easier to handle than the best performers on the market.

• Two headhunter arrows;
• One rope cocking mechanism:
• One quiver and one 4×32 scope.

Pros and cons

4. CenterPoint Sniper 370

Product description

Once you have tested it, the CenterPoint Sniper 370 is a crossbow that can be considered "powerful". This quality is due to its ability to remain silent, but deadly. This means that no matter what the target, this crossbow will be effective.

At 185 pounds, who would have thought that this crossbow would be as light and unobtrusive as one might imagine. In fact, with its compact size and fully adjustable stock, the CenterPoint Sniper 370 is a very maneuverable crossbow that will easily fit your style.

The extra accessories included with the crossbow are :

• Three bolts included;
• A quiver to keep your bolts;
• A rope cocker to take the strain off your muscles:
• A shoulder sling to carry your bow with ease, etc.

Pros and cons

5. Wicked Ridge Invader G3

Product description

The Wicked Ridge Invader G3 has been redesigned by Ten Point to be more rugged, sleeker and more manageable. To top it off, it's priced to fit almost any budget. What's more, assembling this crossbow shouldn't be a problem as it is both easy to do and the instructions help you every step of the way. For the impatient people, it also comes with three bolts so you can see what it is capable of in practice.

You'll also enjoy the redesigned machined aluminum riser. The cutouts are designed to reduce weight (6.6 lbs) while adding strength. Its compact size provides unparalleled comfort for shooting in tight spaces. The 3.5-pound trigger is easy to use and the innovative ACU-52 cocking system snaps securely into the stock without interfering with your aim.

The Invader G3's design change also includes a variety of qualities, especially in terms of safety. This makes this crossbow the perfect model for beginners.

With the Wicked Ridge Invader G3 you can shoot up to 330 feet per second, and with a draw of 165 pounds, small game will be fine with this crossbow. Best of all, the accuracy of this crossbow is consistent out to 40 yards and with the ability to shoot in groups.

Pros and cons

6. Barnett Whitetail Hunter II

Product description

At 6.4 pounds, the Barnett 78128 Whitetail Hunter stands out from its competitors for its lightness. From axle to axle, it's just over 16 inches. Also, it's not that big or bulky that you can't use it with a crowbar or similar accessory.

Featuring TriggerTech technology, the Barnett Whitetail Hunter II is set up to be very accurate, even for the novices. So why buy a crossbow and then its accessories if you can have them all in one package? This is what Bernett offers with its Whitetail Hunter II, as it comes with some very useful accessories such as:

• A 4×32 scope;
• A quiver;
• Two Headhunter arrows;
• A cocking rope;
• Lubricating wax for the rope;
• One interlocking sensor;
• Dry fire mechanism

Just starting out in crossbow shooting? The Barnett Whitetail Hunter may be a good choice.

Pros and cons

7. Barnett Whitetail Pro STR

Product description

For a first impression, the Barnett Whitetail Pro STR is a real eye-catcher with its Tru Bark camouflage pattern. Its ruggedness is illustrated by its weight of 6.9 pounds. However, while that's not very light, it's not the heaviest on the market either. What's more, its efficiency and performance are no less than its 400 fps. So, both quiet via its rope dampeners and powerful, this crossbow is ideal for a crossbow hunting experience.

For those who want to save money, this model comes with a plethora of extras, such as:

• An illuminated scope;
• A cocking rope;
• A side quiver;
• Two arrows for use straight out of the box.
• Lubricating wax to maintain the rope and bow.

Concerned about your safety? It's normal with a gun in your hands. However, if you're going to invest in a gun, get one that comes with an array of safety features. With the Barnett Whitetail Pro STR, you'll get a dry fire trigger to avoid the risk of accidental fire. In addition, the finger guard offers security for your hand. Finally, the interlock sensor and finger safety reminders will all participate in your safety when handling this crossbow.

So, we can deduce that this crossbow is best suited for beginners and hunters who rarely use it.

Pros and cons

8. Barnett TS390 Tactical Series

Product description

The option of investing in a package allows the recipient to save money. This is exactly what Barnett is offering with the TS390 Tactical Series. To put it simply, in addition to your crossbow, you will also get :

• An illuminated telescope;
• A rope cocking mechanism;
• A quiver ;
• Two Headhunter arrows;
• Lubricating wax to maintain the condition of the rope.

As for its efficiency, its top speed of 390 fps says a lot about it compared to its competitors. This is to say that it is a fast, powerful and above all deadly crossbow, perfect for hunting in the woods.

In terms of power, it develops 187 pounds for a kinetic energy of 128 foot-pounds. This implies a lot of power at impact to take down a big game. Weighing in at 7.6 pounds, it is still about average for a crossbow in this class.

Its riser is made of machined aluminium. This is one of the determining factors that give this crossbow its great accuracy even at long distances. The icing on the cake is that you can rest easy when using the Barnett TS390 Tactical Series because it's safety is optimised (a fire-drying trigger, finger guards and the necessary safety reminders).

Pros and cons

9. Excalibur Matrix Grizzly SMF

Product description

For small game hunting, turn your eyes to the magnificent crossbow model from Excalibur: Matrix Grizzly SMF. With its perfectly balanced recurve bow, it is hard not to be attracted by this model. By the way, we are talking about the descendant of the legendary Axiom SMF, reputed to be one of the best small and medium game hunting crossbows of the last decade.

Assembly is easy. It is quick and easy to assemble, as you only need to fix the stock with the two screws provided. Speaking of comfort, this crossbow is designed to fit comfortably against the shoulder for easy and accurate shooting.

From experience, we all know that the crossbows produced by Excalibur are not cheap. This is not surprising because the quality and the technology used is of a completely different standard. Therefore, the release of the Excalibur Matrix SMF Grizzly has surprised many with its more affordable - but not inexpensive - price tag, while still performing and being robust. This is why this crossbow offers excellent value for money.

For its 5.5 pounds, which is relatively light. While not as powerful as the Barnett Whitetail Pro STR, at 200 pounds and a rate of fire of up to 305 fps, this crossbow offers enough power to take down small game. Backed by the included adjustable scope, its accuracy even at long distances is assured.

In its packaging, the Matrix Grizzly SMF comes with :

• Four bolts;
• A quiver and the mounting bracket.

This is arguably the best value recurve crossbow on the market.

Pros and cons

10. TenPoint Titan SS

Product description

The TenPoint Titan SS has the reputation of being the lightest in its series. In addition, it is the shortest and the fastest. With its compact design, the shooter will have the freedom to handle it with ease, no matter what situation or location he is in (e.g. in a hunting blind, perched on a hunting stand, etc.). The versatility and performance of this crossbow can be felt without breaking your budget.

Arrows are propelled at speeds of up to 340 fps which is very fast. This is ideal for hitting agile prey. To enhance shooting accuracy, the 3X multi-line scope is very useful for locating prey. Moreover, it is calibrated for various distances for more efficient use.

For its 175 pounds of power, even if it does not rank among the most powerful in its range, this weapon is still very interesting.

Pros and cons