Barnett Hyper Raptor Review Table Of Contents
click any to be taken right to the section you’re looking for
- Intro
- Assembly
- Scope Options
- Arrows
- Pros/Cons
- Where to Buy: Barnett Hyper Raptor BCX
- Where to Buy additional rangefinding scope: Buk Ops Rangefinding Scope
How I came to acquire my first Barnett Crossbow:
It was a cold, crisp fall morning last year that I found myself sitting in my blind, reminiscing on a deer season plagued with injury and the recent passing of close family members. I have always hunted with a compound bow, I even razzed some of my close friends for shooting a crossbow. Not that I was any better than them but just that I thought it was too easy to hunt with a crossbow, it took the thrill out of it. But here I was, sitting with my newly acquired Barnett Hyper Raptor BCX crossbow. I was no stranger to crossbows; I have a Barnett TS380 that I set up for my oldest daughter, Addilyn, to take her first deer with. I just never thought the day would come that I myself would be sitting behind the scope of a crossbow other than setting one up, and especially not this quick.
While working on my house a few weeks prior, I took a pretty bad tumble off a ladder that had landed on my shoulder. Black and blue down my whole right side I could not pull back the string on my Hoyt compound bow no matter how hard I tried. I wouldn’t let that stop me from chasing one of my favorite game animals of all time and putting quality meat in the freezer for my family. I knew my time to harvest a whitetail was getting shorter and shorter so instead of waiting out for the biggest buck on the farm, I settled on taking the first mature deer I saw whether it be a buck or a doe.
As the sun started to set for the evening, I saw a group of deer start to make their way towards me. There were 2 yearling bucks, a few yearling does, and 2 big mature does toward the back of the group. I decided that if one of the older people gave me a shot, I would take it. They continued working my way as the clock raced toward the last light. I flipped on the illuminated reticles on my scope and ranged a nearby tree. 40 yards, it’s a longer shot then I like to take with my compound bow, but it was now or never. I knew this is where my shot opportunity would come because of last light so I leveled out my Barnett crossbow on the BOG tripod and stared through my scope waiting for the shot opportunity.
I felt confident taking this shot with my Barnett Hyper Raptor BCX because I had been practicing shots at 60 yards with great groups and even a few shots dead on at 75 yards. Confidence in your equipment is crucial in times like this, and I was confident. As she stepped into my scope field of view and bent over to feed on some brush, I settled my 40-yard reticle just behind her shoulder. I took a deep breath and applied light pressure to the trigger sending my 100 grain Rage Trypan broadhead toward its target.
As I watch my bolt disappear into the big nanny doe, I feel not only excitement but a relief. I watched as she bounded off about 40 yards before tipping over, leaving the perfect blood trail to follow. I say a quick prayer giving thanks for the meat in the freezer and the opportunity to be able to hunt and head back to my truck. None of this would have been possible without the Barnett Hyper Raptor BCX. It allowed me to hunt when I was unable to pull back my compound bow and changed my thoughts on crossbows forever. When I was asked to review the crossbow, I couldn’t be more excited. I have committed myself to harvesting one deer a year with it just because it is so fun to shoot.
Assembling the Barnett Hyper Raptor BCX Crossbow
The Hyper Raptor BCX comes pre-assembled in the box. It only requires screwing one bolt in to attach the limbs and string to the frame. It comes in 2 different models the CCD model with a built-in crank cocking device to cock the crossbow back and a standard model that uses a drawstring to cock the crossbow. You have the ability to add the CCD to a standard model by purchasing a kit down the road if you would like. I have the CCD model personally and love it. The crossbow is advertised as a 410 foot per second bow and when shooting my 100 grain practice tips through the chronograph I was averaging 405 feet per second.
This will fluctuate with your bolt setup. The crossbow itself is 32 ½ inches in length and comes with an adjustable stock to accommodate both kids and adults of all sizes. With a width of 11 ¾ inches and a weight of 6.9 pounds it is perfect for both tree stands and blinds. When cocked the crossbow is just over 7 inches axel to axel which is one of my favorite features, especially in a ground blind. This made it easy to maneuver around in smaller spots to be able to get off a shot. I was averaging 2 inch 3 shot groups at 40 yards consistently. The farthest shot I took was 75 yards and I was still hitting the target right where I placed my crosshairs. A feature i have come to really appreciate is the fold down front handle that is part of the front hand rest. This gives you an option to have a vertical handle, versus a horizontal rest, which is more comfortable in my opinion.
The crossbow comes with a step-through riser and a 214-pound draw weight. It’s not a terrible draw weight, but the CCD device relies on all the work. It comes with a 3-pound Trigger Tech technology. It’s an easy trigger pull out of the box, but this allows you to adjust the length of pull as needed.
The molded parabolic limbs and pivoting limb pockets are quality components and seem very well built. The cams are self-timing and work in sync when launching bolts down range. The forward-facing limb pockets keep the weight balanced on the crossbow, helping to reduce recoil and vibration. The HALO riser system eliminates cable crossing and cam lean, which leads to perfectly placed bolts every time. Regarding kinetic energy, it delivers 142-foot pounds at 410 feet per second. It will be hard to find a better crossbow with that kind of energy and speed for the price.
The crossbow comes as a complete package out of the box with a scope, bolts, and quiver. The quiver locks onto the bow with the clip attached to Picatinny rails that are on both sides, giving you a choice on which side to attach. It comes with 3 Hyperflite bolts, which we will cover later, and a scope. It’s a complete package that you can find for around the 600-dollar range. It’s hard to find a better crossbow for the money, in my opinion.
Crossbow Scope Options
Standard Scope – The Barnett Hyper Raptor BCX crossbow comes standard with a 2-7×36 illuminated reticle scope. The scope had multiple reticles for different ranges. When first looking at the crossbow, I noticed the scope rings were not tight, so I snugged them up before heading to the range. After shooting a few bolts I got the crossbow dialed in and was shooting good groups at 20 yards. I felt comfortable with the scope and my shot placement, so I stepped back to 40 yards. I noticed that for every 4 to 5 bolts, I would shoot one 6 or more inches off target. I checked the bolts on the scope and went back to 20 yards; everything seemed great. Stepped back to 40 yards again and the same thing. This was enough to have me wondering if it was a scope issue or me because I was shooting off a tripod that was rock solid. I’m not saying their scopes are bad I may just have received a faulty one. But for the price of the crossbow, I had no problems swapping it out for a better scope.
Rangefinding Scope – An outstanding addition to the Barnett Hyper Raptor BCX is the Buck Commander BUK OPS Rangefinding Scope which is an advanced optic designed to elevate your crossbow hunting experience. It combines a rangefinder with precision optics, offering hunters a streamlined tool for targeting and ranging. The scope is first zeroed at 20 yards using traditional scope dials for elevation and windage. Once the scope is shooting proper groups at 20 yards, you back up to other distances (30/40/50 etc.) and calibrate the elevation using the speed ring selector. I used a Garmin XeroC1 Chronograph and discovered the crossbow was shooting at 404 FPS. When I dialed this in to the scope speed ring, the groups at 30, 40 and 50 yards were remarkably accurate. The BUK OPS X-factor Rangefinding Crossbow Scope provides significant value for the investment for serious crossbow hunters. The BUK OPS X-factor Rangefinding Crossbow Scope delivers exceptional value for dedicated crossbow hunters. While it doesn’t provide a full firing solution like some high-end rangefinding scopes, the BUK OPS X-Factor gives hunters the critical data they need for accurate range estimation, allowing them to select the right reticle to make precise shots. Featuring an integrated rangefinder and premium low light optics, this scope is ideal for hunters seeking to enhance both accuracy and efficiency in the field. It’s priced higher than standard crossbow optics, but it remains more affordable than more advanced rangefinding scope models, offering great performance and convenience that justifies the investment.
Barnett Hyperflite Arrows
The crossbow package comes with 3 micro-diameter Hyperflite Arrows. Let me tell you, these small bolts are accurate. The small diameter shaft measures .204 and is held to a tolerance of +/- .001. When spin-testing these, they were all perfectly straight. These Carbon fiber bolts held true for several shots. I purchased an additional pack just for hunting. I like to keep my practice bolts separate from my hunting bolts, but it’s unnecessary. They come with 3 100-grain field points as well for practicing. Barnett’s website claims the bow can shoot standard-diameter bolts as well, but I did not test this out. There was no need to after shooting the Hyperflite arrows. If you went with a bigger bolt, I think you would be sacrificing some speed, which is unnecessary. The bolts measure 20 inches, and I tipped mine with Rage Trypan broadheads. These bolts have the speed and kinetic energy to take down several different big game animals. One word of advice when setting up your bow. These bolts hit hard. I set up my bow using a Block Targets Infinity Target designed just for fast crossbows. When I tell you I buried the bolt at 20 yards, there may have only been 3 inches to grab ahold of to pull it out. You will need a heavier target to set this bow up or you may lose a bolt.
The Pros and Cons of Barnett Hyper Raptor BCX
Pros
- It is a much more affordable bow packed with all the features of the top-end bows.
- Shoots 400 + Feet per second.
- It comes in a complete ready-to-hunt package.
- Small and lightweight making it perfect for tree stands and blinds.
- Adjustable trigger and stock so you can fine-tune it to the person shooting.
- The ability to shoot micro-diameter and standard-diameter bolts.
- It has anti-dry fire trigger technology built into it.
- Cocks to just over 7 inches in width, making it ideal for tight spaces such as blinds.
Cons
- May not come with the best scope, but upgrade options are available, like the Buk Ops mentioned above
- It comes with micro-diameter arrows, which some hunters may not like.
- Only comes in one color.
This lightweight compact crossbow has changed my opinion on crossbows for the better. It is the perfect crossbow for both kids and adults young and old. As a compound bow hunter for many of years I found this crossbow allowed me to do more hunting when I couldn’t draw my compound bow back.
When compared to what some may call the best crossbows on the market, I think the Barnett Hyper Raptor BCX holds its own. After shooting several different crossbows at my local bow shop so I could give an honest review, I can say that you get top-end crossbow performance for an affordable price. I know some will argue that those top-end bows are shooting 500 plus feet per second, which is super-fast. But the average hunter is looking for a crossbow that is well-built, affordable, and can take down several big game animals. If that sounds like you, and you’re in the market for a new crossbow, I suggest the Barnett Hyper Raptor BCX.
