Barnett Recruit XP Crossbow Package Review (2026)

Overview

The Recruit XP is Barnett's answer to the "who is this bow actually for" question that trips up a lot of budget crossbow shopping — it's explicitly built compact, at 13 inches cocked and 6 lbs, so it fits smaller-framed adults and younger hunters comfortably rather than being a scaled-down version of a full-size hunting bow.

At 350 FPS and a 150 lb draw weight, it has real hunting power, and Barnett's included rope cocking device effectively halves that draw weight for the shooter, which matters if you're buying this for a teenager or someone building upper-body strength for archery. The Anti-Dry Fire trigger and Soft-Lok arrow retainer are genuine safety features, not just marketing bullet points, and the 4.4-star rating across 44 reviews (73% five-star) reflects a healthier satisfaction spread than some of the faster, cheaper options in this price range. The review sample is smaller than Barnett's flagship Whitetail Hunter II, and it doesn't ship with a crank cocking device at this price tier — so factor in a cocking sled if hand-cranking isn't an option for your hunter.

Key Features

• 350 FPS
• Compact 13" cocked width
• Ready-to-hunt package