# Barnett Wildcat



## ERIE REBEL (Jan 28, 2006)

Do any of you guys still shoot one of the old wildcats?I borrowed one from one of the guys at our local Amvets club to give bowhunting a try.The flights on the arrows were brittle so I tried to get replacement bolts.Well they no longer make 16in. bolts so I bought 20in.bolts and tipped them with 100grain Thunderheads. 20 yards seems to be the sweet spot for this combination.At 25 yards bolts drop 4.5 inches.Just want to know if all of this seems to be about right to you experienced shooters.I know that 25 yard is the max. range that I will shoot at anything big and brown. Thanks in advance for any help guys. :!


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## dakotaman (Oct 19, 2005)

Had one and traded it to a guy here on the site. Was a great little crossbow. Had no problem's with it and it killed a doe for me just fine.


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## diesel (Mar 27, 2006)

i got a newer style of the wildcat called an rc-150 made by barnett. its a killer for the price. i had the same problem when i used up the arrows it came with. i didnt know that is why it was so cheap. bought it at cabelas bargain cave. mine shoots 20 inchers just as good as the 16's. i went to a bow shop and he made me custom arrows but they cost me 3.75 a piece. i use 125 grain tips. 40yds is my max yardage but i practice weekly before and during season. i hope this helps a little. good luck


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## ERIE REBEL (Jan 28, 2006)

Thanks guys for the comeback.Diesel those custom builts were they 16s or 20s?


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## Flathead King 06 (Feb 26, 2006)

erie rebel,
I ran into the same problem as you... i still own an old barnett wildcat and the only thing that i can think of is that shooting 20's instead of 16's is that it tremendously slows your arrow speed, what little it is now-maybe 180/200fps, therefore allowing the deer to jump the string and flinch, and the only way to get 16's is to buy 20's or larger and have them cut off at a store-gander mountain does it verly cheap including inserts, etc..., but the problem is that if it is the same bow i have it isnt a compound but a recurve crossbow- and after a while the limbs will start to crack and split (VERY DANGEROUS!!!) and one day you go to pull it back and SNAP... it breaks and hurts  !!! and they dont make replacement limbs for that model, so best thing to do is buy a new compound crossbow-horton sumit 150 combo at wally world-$250 includes everything except a scope and sling- very nice set up thats what i have now


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## catfish_hunter (May 31, 2005)

Thats the same bow that I JUST got last week, Horton Summit 150 that is, Got mine with the Red Dot with the 7 differnt levels of brightness for 300$ Its a dam good bow, especially for the price compared to some of the more expecsive ones....I would reccomend this bow to ANYONE...They are AWSOME!!!


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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

Talk about bad luck, I had 2 barrnet Xbows, someone stole it during a house break in so I bought another one. Now I have a PSE Xbow and there is a huge difference. Yes the barrnet will kill a deer but you had better be close, a nice starter I guess. I think you can throw the arrow as fast as it shoots though. A decent bow guy will cut the arrows down to size for no extra charge just get out of the big box store. And no the extra 4 inches of arrow are not what makes it so slow. Sorry, but a start, use well, then get it to someone else starting in the sport, quick.


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## ERIE REBEL (Jan 28, 2006)

Well guys like I said I borrowed this one just to give it a try. I was going toget my son's Horton Legend but he sold it in order to get his new Mathews Switchback XT.


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

I started bowhunting with a wildcat xl when they were the only xbow out there. I found it to have an effective range of about 20 yards. It was a good way to start bow hunting because it taught me to be patient and wait for a close shot. I still wait for a 20 yard shot today, even though I shoot my compound at 30 yards all year in my back yard. I like to hunt up close and personal.


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## Minor (Dec 24, 2004)

I too have an old barnett wildcat xbow . . . have not hunted since i was a kid and now find my self wanting to bow hunt and can't see going into the woods with 15yr old technology . . . not to mention that i don't have a quiver for that xbow nor do i know if i can find a replacement string for it . . . . . not like taking the 20yr old 870 out for gun season . . . so i am faced with finding a new crossbow and trying to decipher the all of the options and what not . . . so if anyone has an opinion on a good / well priced xbow . . . please shoot me a pm or post here as i am willing to learn something . . . . while money is always an issue . . . i like to weigh both options to make sure that i am not gonna want to upgrade next year . . . .


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## wormwigglr (Jul 1, 2006)

i have a wildcat but i buy 20'' arrows and cut them to 16'' with a 5 dollar copper tube cutter. it is almost impossible to mess up just cut them and put in your own inserts.


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## lg_mouth (Jun 7, 2004)

I started out bowhunting with a Barnett Wildcat from Cabelas about 7 years ago and that thing wouldn't group a set of arrows for anything. It frustrated me so much that I gave up for the year. I then went to compound for a while and enjoyed that, but now I have a Horton TR175 and couldn't be happier! Horton makes great bows from the Summit all the way up to the top of the line Hortons. In my opinion, you should try to borrow something else or go out and buy a Summit and see if you like bowhunting. If not, you can resell it and probably get back what you have in it. 

I am the member that has dakota's old one. I will never shoot it, I just got it for a conversation piece. I agree that using a 15-20 year old bow may be a little dangerous. You never know when those old limbs will give way.

lg_mouth


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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

Every company has modern and safe crossbows now, go to a bow shop or even Wal-Mart they have a nice Horton package that will set you up. The advantage of a bow shop is knowledge. You can and will go back for years for service or just advice, try asking the Wal-Mart clerk on how to install a new string, at that point you are screwed. 
The bow shop guy will help you out but dang he needs some coinage in his pocket. Lean to the side of service, I learned that and hope to cut your learning curve a little and save you some money in the long run.


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## lg_mouth (Jun 7, 2004)

Don't be too hard on the guy, remember, we were all beginners at one time. I would have done the same thing when I was just starting out. 

I agree, once again, for safety reasons, you should put down the wildcat and try to get your hands on something a little newer. There is a lot of strain on crossbow limbs when they are cocked, and you don't want that thing laying on your lap or worse when the limbs decide to splinter. 

lg_mouth


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