Cheap Crossbow Shootout: Killer Instinct vs. CenterPoint vs. Barnett

Hello Crossbow Nation, I am the Field Archer and welcome to the 2018 Entry Level Shootout. We just finished with reviews on the Killer Instinct Ripper 415, Barnett Whitetail Hunter 2, and the Centerpoint Sniper 370. Now it is time to pick Crossbow Nation's Under $400 Entry Level Crossbow for 2018. The lightest crossbow we tested was the Barnett Whitetail Hunter 2 at a mere 6.4 pounds, and it was also the most compact with an axle-to-axle just over 16 inches, an overall length of 34.25 inches. The Whitetail Hunter 2 was the slowest of the three crossbows we tested and shot 332 feet per second with the 402 grain Headhunter Arrows that came in the Whitetail Hunter 2 package. The Whitetail Hunter 2 has the TriggerTech frictionless release technology, and we got a reading of 4 pound pull on the crisp zero creep trigger. The Whitetail Hunter 2 is a nice lightweight compact crossbow for hunting everything from small game to whitetails. The Whitetail Hunter 2 is the most expensive of the three crossbows we tested with an MSRP of $399.99, and being the only one of the three that didn't have an aluminum rail. The composite stock and rail Whitetail Hunter 2 comes in 3rd place for our shootout. And now for the battle for 1st place. The Centerpoint Sniper 370 is the only crossbow out of the three that can be uncocked. It is also priced the best with an MSRP of $319.99 for the black model. The Sniper 370 is the most adjustable, and the 2nd fastest shooting 400 grain arrow 360 feet per second. The Killer Instinct Ripper 415 and the Sniper 370 both have aluminum rails, but the Ripper 415 is the only one of the three crossbows that has a CNC machined riser, and is also the only one of the three that has illuminated scope. The MSRP of the Ripper 415 is $379.99. The Ripper 415 has a crisp trigger with almost no creep, and we got 5.25 pounds of trigger pull. The weakness of the Sniper 370 is its trigger, and had over 7 pounds of trigger pull with a lot of sloppy creep until it breaks. And when it came to speed and accuracy, the Killer Instinct Ripper 415 pulled away when it shot a 384 grain arrow 406 feet per second through the chronograph, and when I put some spinal tap arrows down range with the Ripper 415's flat trajectory out of its CNC machined riser and aluminum rail with top driving accuracy, the Killer Instinct Ripper 415 left the shootout with the 1st place trophy.