Barnett Preadator

[blksqurl]

I have never owned a crossbow. I am thinking of buying a Barnett Preadator because from info. i could gather its the fastest (375 fps.) for the money.Does any owners of one have an opinion on it they would like to share. thanks blksqrl.

[longwinters]

One of my sons used to work in a sporting goods store.  He sold a lot of Barnetts in their package deals.  Not many came back with problems.  But the majority of these guys were only buying them to hunt with.  They were not doing a lot of shooting.  I thought they were overly heavy...but that is probably kind of relative.

If you are going to do a lot of shooting I would look at Excalibur or 10 Point.  Otherwise most others will do ok.

Long

[pruhdlr]

Don't get stuck on the speed thing. I was for awhile until I read an article that stated all it took for a proper bolt, with the proper broadhead, to completely penetrate any deer was 300fps.

Now...granted the faster the better the trajectory is,but......guys shooting 45-70's hit targets at 1000yds all the time. Same as a XBow.....you gotta know your drops,and your ranges. The actual trajectory is incidental.

Now I am looking for a XBow that is about 315fps. That will surly satisfy my needs.----pruhdlr

[steve708]

pruhdlr, if you are looking for a bow in that speed range, I would recommend a Barnett Jackal.  A friend bought one and it shot great.  Bought one for my son and it shoot great.  Also it won't break the bank.  The adjustable stock is a plus.

[Sourdough]

I'm looking at getting a Jackell myself.  I will be using it to kill Moose, Caribou, Black Bears, and Grizzlies.

[semperfi1970]

Blksqurl, I recomend you go to crossbownation.com and visit me and my friends, I go by the same screen name there as I do here. There is lots of great info you can gather from a whole bunch of very knowledgable guys that love to help. You will find I post in almost all predator threads as I have one and swear by it. As far as being the fastest, well its not but it is in the top 5. As far as cost -vs- speed it is the fastest for under $600. The fastest production crossbow is Jim Kemps Scorpyd RDT 165 that sends an arrow down range at 425 fps but costs around $1,400. As with anything people have opinions and they differ greatly from good to bad, well I speak greatly of the predator for the $ spent. As far as accuracy well I will let the picture speak for its self. I have an old abandond wearhouse I have the ability to shoot in in the winter months. The target was shot at an honest 120 yards with zero wind ( from a bench with a rear bag and bypod ). Go to the crossbownation.com forum and check  it out, we will welcome you as we are always looking for new experiences and knowledge.

[theduke]

My barnett predator shoots real good.  My wife had never shot before and she hit bulleye at 40 yards first shot..  It is on heavy side but it don't cost $1,000 dollars either. 

[dharmabum]

While in Europe friends got me a Barnett with a 175 lb. prod.  First bolt at 50 yds went through the hay bales, through the barn wall and buried the head in a cows stall post.  A person at Barnett told me of a guy hunting Boar in Okefenokee.  The boar charged him out of his run and he hit the boar in the chest at about 50 yd with his 175 lb prod Barnett.  The bolt exited trailing parts with it and a friend with a .44 mag downed the boar before it got to them.  I decided it was a bit too much power for target shooting so switched to a 60 lb prod so I could just have fun with it.
I don't know what Barnett makes these days but that 175 lb prod was a bad news bear to shoot.

[Bugflipper]

Craigslist has some good deals from time to time. I picked up an excalibur exomax for $275 last week with a scope and a dozen carbon bolts. I have never owned a barnett, but have shot a few. They seem to have a better trigger than a lot of the xbows in their class.

[Hunter2]

A flat shooting bow is the best for hunting, it is more forgiving in yardage estimation.