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Predator Review
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May 30, 2008
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Predator Review
The Predator is here!To see the full review and video copy and paste the address below in your browser.
http://www.crossbow-review.com/ReviewPages/BarnettPredatorAVi_page1.htm
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Quad Avi Review Part 1
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June 2, 2008
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Quad Avi Review Part 1
By: Jason Balazs
If you have ever watched some of the old classic movies like Robin Hood or read stories about Knights rescuing the damsel in distress from the angry dragon, then you are familiar with the use of crossbows. Crossbows were developed in the second half of the fourth century BC as a form of weapon to use in warfare. This not only allowed the skilled archery to send an arrow farther, but deliver more kinetic energy to penetrate the armor of their enemy, something that was not possible with a stick bow at longer yardages. Well times sure have changed since we used crossbows in combat. Well, I guess not that much if you want to count the endless Rambo movies where he uses one. However, the design of how the crossbow has changed is very drastic.
Recently I was sent the Barnett Quad AVI crossbow to evaluate. I have shot crossbows in the past and am very familiar with them. The only thing different this time was I had to assemble it when it arrived. Needless to say, I was a little apprehensive about making sure I had it together correctly. This is one time that I read the whole manufactures manual before I even got started. Needless to say, my fears were not warranted. The folks at Barnett ensure that it is as easy as putting together a infants set of building blocks. Their step-by-step instructions include visualizations for you to see what they are expressing.
Upon opening the box that I received I had to take note of how precise everything was packed. There was a place for everything and in now way did any parts touch each other. This was an obvious plus for me, since the way something is packed tells a lot about a company and the products that they sell.
The first thing that I did was to take out the instruction manual and check the parts list against the items inside. This was almost not necessary because Barnett has a check off sheet taped right inside the box from the person who packed it. That is some great quality control there.
Assembly
Once I had all the items out of the box I began to put together the crossbow. I videotaped the whole evaluation so, you, the reader would be able to watch it as well. There are two major parts to this crossbow, the limbs and the stock. If you notice there is a female connector point in the middle of the limbs. Now if you look at the stock, you will see a male end or nub at the distal or forward end of it. These two things line up to ensure that the limbs are centered on the stock for perfect string travel down the crossbow. To assemble them together first lubricate the string and cables of the bow with bow string wax. Barnett provides their own wax that comes in a handy Chap Stick type container. This wax allows you to roll it out and apply it, then roll it back in and put the lid on. Once that is done, you need to take the cables and slide them into the slit that is on the stock, then push the stock into the bow portion. Once everything is lined up, all you have to do is move the rubber coated foot stirrup away from the stock, set the limbs directly on the deck with the stock in the air, and push until it is seated firmly. Next thing is to install the main bolt that holds the limbs to the stock. There is a lock washer on the bolt and Barnett has even included the Allen wrench for this. Once that is tightened, move the foot stirrup into position and carefully insert the two plastic washers between the stock and the foot stirrup, then insert and tighten the screw. The plastic washers prevent you from crimping the stirrup and take some shock out of the bow when fired.
Once the bow is assembled, then only thing left to do before firing is attaching the sighting system. There are numerous choices that you can use for sighting systems on your cross bow, from open sights to red dot scopes. With this package, I was sent Barnett’s own 4X32X multi reticle crossbow scope. There are numerous crosshairs in the scope that allow you to hold for distance. I can compare it to the scope that everyone has seen on the Outdoor Channel for the new muzzleloaders. There is one Y-axis line (Up and down), with five X-axis lines (horizontal) for you to use for aiming. As far as mounting, there is a cantilever scope-mounting rail that is attached to the stock. This rail allows you to attach your scope rings that are already installed on the scope. Once again, Barnett has even included the tools for that too. The mount is set perfect for distance from cheek to eye and long enough for you to set the perfect eye relief. Once you have the mounts tightened the bow is ready to shoot.
Continued...see part 2
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