Back in 2021, I spoke with CenterPoint Archery Product Manager Kevin Casey and he had this to say; “Velocity Outdoor was established in 2018 and is home to several outdoor industry leaders. Its current holdings include Ravin Crossbows and CenterPoint Archery. Velocity Outdoor has provided the strategic leadership, expertise, and business management that have helped both Ravin and CenterPoint Archery to grow and to expand their presence in the highly competitive outdoor marketplace. CenterPoint Archery’s company philosophy is to develop and build feature-rich and value-driven crossbows at various affordable price points. CenterPoint has proved to be one of the most successful archery companies over the last five years because we’ve listened to our customer’s most pressing needs and responded.”
“They told us speed, accuracy and reliability make the difference and our new Wrath delivers on all three. We’ve hunted side-by-side with these folks for years and we understand what it takes to fill the tag year after year. The Wrath is just the beginning. CenterPoint consistently pushes the boundaries of what archery can be and what bowhunters can do. That’s because hunting is our way of life. It’s in our blood and it’s what brings us together, as members of an indomitable crew. From generation to generation, we hand down this learning, this wisdom, and this strength. And that’s the trophy we value most-our inherited connection to the land and to each other. Our belonging to something bigger, something everlasting that makes us who we are. We were born for this-and so were you.”
I’ve often stated that when marketing a mid-range priced crossbow, it’s a fine line that needs to be traversed to keep package cost to a minimum, yet quality and performance at a maximum. CenterPoint Archery has not only navigated this space better than most, but they also continue to strive in it. They continue to improve the ergonomics and performance of their crossbows while keeping them at an affordable price point for the consumer. When I found out a Wrath 430X was headed my way, I couldn’t wait to start breaking down.
OUT OF THE BOX
The forward draw, CNC machined aluminum railed CenterPoint Wrath 430X is stealth black and features a single bolt riser attachment for quick and easy setup which provides a solid riser to rail mount. Its riser-mounted string stops reduce string vibration while at the same time aiding in noise reduction. Its adjustable webbed style foregrip allows for a customizable fit for the shooter’s preference and impedes the user from placing their fingers in the travel path of the string and cables. The exclusive 3-stage folding design of its foot stirrup can be used as a bipod to increase downrange accuracy, and the unique ball-bearing arrow retention spring offers no exposure or potential contact with the included rope sled cocking device. Rounding out the package is the double gripper quick detach parallel quiver for secure arrow storage and three 20″ 400-grain carbon arrows. A 4X32 illuminated circled reticle scope tops off the crossbow.
The Wrath 430X incorporates an adjustable push button and folding style stock and is 32 inches in total length and 9 inches wide (cocked). It weighs in at 9.0 pounds and reaches speeds up to 430 feet per second. It’s available with or without a Silent Cranking Device and offers a blend of mobility and performance perfect for the modern crossbow hunter, at a value-packed price point. It’s behind-the-trigger string latch allows for a longer 15-inch power stroke for increased speed. Its ultra-slim width is perfect for tree stands and exceeds expectations for ground blind use. Designed for close-quarters hunting and ultimate stealth, the Wrath 430X aggressively amps up the speed, power, and accuracy all within the smallest crossbow CenterPoint makes. Whether you’ve taken up a sniper position in a tree saddle or are shifting on the fly to outfox a change in wind direction, this crossbow tightens your profile and keeps you nimble.
The CenterPoint Wrath 430X incorporates an Auto Engaging Safety and Anti Dry Fire trigger into its design which moves the safety from the “fire” to the “safe” position when the crossbow is cocked and protects the user from moving the safety from the “safe” to “fire” position without an arrow in place. The 8.5-inch water/fog proof package included scope is a 4X32mm design with red/green illuminated multi-circled reticles ranging from 20 to 50 yards. The package included arrows are designed and built to withstand the high-energy demands of crossbows. Each arrow has a 400-grain weight with 100-grain field points, comes fletched with a 2″ Blazer Vanes and is made of durable carbon material with a straightness of .003″. The CenterPoint Carbon Arrows are designed for crossbows that utilize 20-inch arrows with a non-proprietary half-moon nock.
SPECS & PERFORMANCE
I always stress the difference between the advertised specs of an individual crossbow and its actual “hunt setup” specs. Most of the time manufacturers market bare bow specs which can be misleading. In extremely rare cases, the advertised weight and speed of the crossbow are its true weight and speed when set up in full hunt dress. Because of this, a side-by-side comparison test is completed against the crossbow’s marketed specs. The CenterPoint Wrath 430X advertised weight without accessories is 9.0 pounds. My comparison weight with the crossbow set up in full hunt dress with scope, quiver bracket, quiver, and arrows is 10.1 pounds.
The CenterPoint carbon crossbow arrows are marketed at 400 grains. The arrows included in my test package all weighed in at exactly 400 grains. Ten shots were put through a chronograph with the fastest and slowest recorded speeds eliminated from the equation and the average speed being calculated from the remaining eight shots. The CenterPoint Wrath 430X consistently shot 415 FPS. Fifteen feet per second under the marketed FPS rating is fairly significant, but more than fast enough to get the job done on any animal on the planet.
My trigger pull analysis data is comprised the same way as my feet-per-second data. Ten shots are gauged with the highest and lowest numbers being removed from the equation; the remaining eight shots are calculated to achieve the average. There is absolutely no creep with the CenterPoint Wrath’s trigger. With a very solid wall and no creep as you apply pressure, the trigger breaks clean and crisp.
Factory specs list the Wrath as having a trigger pull of 3.5 pounds. My comparison testing produced a 3.0-pound trigger pull. The Wrath 430X has a very good trigger.
SHOOTING THE WRATH 430X
When shouldering the Wrath 430X, there is no front-end heavy feel, and the crossbow balances very well and effortlessly. The adjustable stock for both length of-pull and comb height along with the fully adjustable fore grip allows for an easily acquired custom fit and feel typically not obtained in a crossbow at this price point. Its inverted cam design delivers up to 164-foot pounds of kinetic energy, with impressive smoothness at the shot and impressive downrange impact. At a slim 9 inches axle-to-axle when fully cocked, the Wrath 430X handles and maneuvers quite impressively.
The ergonomics of their crossbow designs have greatly improved and their additional safety features make it nearly impossible to accidentally cause oneself bodily harm if you’re responsibly operating the crossbow. This begins with their auto-engaging trigger which automatically moves the safety into the “safe” position when the crossbow is cocked and their Dry-Fire-Inhibitor which makes it impossible for the crossbow to fire without an arrow necked. I’ve made this statement in the past referencing CenterPoint products and will repeat myself because they continue to raise their standards. Having been involved with the testing process of CenterPoint crossbows from their inception, I can attest to their continued commitment to producing a better product. The Wrath 430X is the best CenterPoint crossbow that I’ve shot to date and I’m impressed with its fit, feel, and function.
For accuracy testing, I shot five groups of three arrows at 30 yards off a bench rest and then repeated the process at 40 and 50 yards. The Wrath 430X consistently held 1.5-inch groups at these distances which is outstanding when compared to the accuracy of other crossbows in its price range. I was very pleased with the trigger and down-range performance of the crossbow. My decibel level readings recorded it to fall in the “quieter than average” range of other forward-draw crossbows that are shooting over 400 FPS.
EXPERT TIPS
I was very impressed with the performance of this crossbow package. CenterPoint continues to successfully operate in the narrow space of quality and affordability, while at the same time annually improving upon attributes that other affordable brands neglect. CenterPoint also markets an entire accessory line to compliment their crossbows and they are well worth looking into. The full Wrath 430X accessory package includes the CenterPoint Archery Wrath 430 Silent Cranking Device which is designed exclusively for CenterPoint Archery and is compatible with the Wrath 430, Wrath 430 X, and Amped 425 model C0003 only. Featuring an ambidextrous design and advanced mounting system that is quick and easy to attach, the Silent Crank reduces crossbow draw weight by up to 90% making it a must-have in the field or on the range. Something else my testing has revealed is the quality of the CenterPoint arrows. This is now my go-to arrow when shooting the majority of the mid-range priced crossbows. I’ve found it to fly much better than many other crossbow package included arrows and with their non-proprietary half-moon style necks, they can be easily shot from bows that are not excessively narrow.
BOTTOM LINE
Operating in a space of low cost and high performance is a tricky endeavor, but CenterPoint Archery continues to improve the ergonomics and performance of its crossbows while keeping them at an affordable price point. This crossbow package is a real shooter and should perform as expected for many seasons. The CenterPoint Wrath 430X is listed on their website at $699.99. For additional information go to www.centerpointarchery.com.
