A brief wrap up on the Barnett Whitetail Hunter Pro crossbow project –
It took a while to get the whole crossbow thing sorted but, with some days of practice, the process of shooting the Whitetail Hunter Pro became routine. The shooting part was actually very centerfire rifle like… minus ear drumming report or shoulder thumping recoil, but with targets pulled a little closer. The crank cocking device that would have lowered cocking effort dramatically was not installed as originally intended. The rope cocking device proved to be easy enough to use, even when running through frequent cocking cycles. I’d like to think the effort provided a mini strength and fitness workout.
Slightly nose heavy long guns are a favorite of mine as they tend to track well and hold steady on a target. The Barnett Whitetail Hunter Pro crossbow pretty much feels the same. The relationship of comb height to scope optical center approximates an AR-15 where drop at the comb is essentially zero, which puts eye ball and scope eyepiece in close alignment. The scope included with the crossbow is a good fit, in terms of field of view and eye relief, and the reticle layout offers an excess of features. A variable magnification scope that would offer a wider field of view and modest range of magnification would better serve, an accessory provided with higher end Barnett crossbow packages.
Arrows were held in a positive grip by the Whitetail Hunter Pro’s arrow retention system, the manual safety was more positive in actuation than some of my rifles. The trigger was very slick throughout the project with enough feedback to allow critical control. I was never able to resolve the issue of the longitudinally mounted quiver not fitting the Whitetail lower Picatinny rail so I used the horizontal mounts that was also included with the crossbow. My lack of crossbow experience came into play here, leaving me with a sense of ambivalence regarding right to left, left to right or down the side of the stock mounting positions.
The Whitetail Hunter Pro was never difficult to manage. Avoiding dry firing, making sure arrows were correctly oriented and fully inserted and keeping fingers out of the string’s path became routine and less a source of apprehension. While aiming and squeezing, the Whitetail Hunter Pro’s trigger did have a very rifle like feel, post trigger pull events were very unlike a rifle, but rather like launching an arrow from a vertical bow.
Part I of this series noted that measured velocity, measured accuracy and ballistic gel penetration testing would be the basis for assessing the crossbow performance and nothing experienced during the project altered that perspective.
Accuracy
Even moderate practice with the Barnett Whitetail Hunter Pro was quickly rewarded with progress as seen by comparing holes from my very first two arrow hits, marked with arrows, to my last three centered around the bullseye. No, I don’t believe there are archery trophies in my future, nor do I believe there will be a camo pattern named in my honor and, yes, part of the improvement is from moving the target in from 40 yards to 30 yards while building proficiency. My take away is that I can place an arrow within an inch of a bullseye with minimal rest support.
Velocity
The Barnett Whitetail Hunter Pro is rated at 380 fps with a 380 grain arrow. A 396 grain field tipped arrow, scale checked, produced 375.5 fps over the chronograph and it impacted on the target convincingly. It also seemed that penetration did not vary much within any of the various shooting distances. Calculating the exterior ballistics of a field tipped arrow, using a nominal BC of 0.08, suggests that velocity over 50 yards does not degrade drastically, something on the order of 8% with a 16% drop in kinetic energy. Momentum, on the other hand began at 21 lbs-sec and went no lower than 20 lbs-sec out to 50 yards… which may offer a clue regarding ballistic gel results.
Penetration
A BloodSport Grave Digger broadhead and Barnett Headhunter 20″ arrow with a total weight of 400 grains, penetrated 16.5″ of Clear Ballistics 10% ballistic gelatin. The 16″X6″X6″ gel blocks were shot from a distance of 10 feet and resulting depth of penetration approximates a 158 grain jacketed solid point bullet fired from a 4″ barrel 357 Mag revolver. I am not suggesting comparable lethality between crossbow and revolver as the respective projectiles inflict damage in different ways. The 357 Magnum can generate hydraulic pressure that compounds tissue damage and high momentum break bones, an expanding bullet can produces a wound channel much larger than a bullet’s original diameter. The arrow cuts through tissue and damages arteries and internal organs to produce major hemorrhaging.
Further ballistic gel tests, in ten yard increments out to 50 yards, with a number of broadhead types would add to my understanding of how much designs influence penetration. It would also be interesting to experiment with arrow weights to see how they influence retained velocity and the other indicators that follow. For now, unexplained is how there can be so many people claiming deer shoulder through shots beyond 50 yards and how arrows fired from a 300 fps crossbow could completely blow through a dense layer of leather and cloth, 1/2″ plywood, and 16″ of ballistic gel as seen on YouTube or described in related social media. I am not rejecting the possibilities, but I’d like a better understanding of the dynamics.
Conclusions
The crossbow is an interesting piece of equipment that offers a great deal of potential for folks who like new challenges and a chance to sharpen hunting skills. In places like Maine, where shots in woodland areas are predominately often inside 40 yards and residential development is shrinking hunting areas, a crossbow is an excellent fit. The Barnett Whitetail Hunter Pro is a good way to access those opportunities without a major cash outlay, but without sacrificing product quality and performance. Fun project.
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