Barnett Wildcat C5 Crossbow
- Easy to assemble.
- Crank compatible design.
- Accurate and easy to shoot.
- Delivers superb kinetic energy to easily harvest elk and deer.
- Durable & low maintenance components.
- Anti-dry mechanism.
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When it comes to speed, and comfort in use nothing beats the Wildcat C5 crossbow.
The Wildcat C5 series by Barnett is the best compound crossbow. The Barnett is well-known for its high performance and reliable products. Barnett crossbows are perfect for modern hunters. Wildcat C5 is considered one of the best selling crossbows due to its affordable price and quality. It is designed to give speed, comfort, and performance to the hunter, while they use it outdoors.
In this compound crossbow, use of GAM composite stock makes them lightweight. It features a CROSSWIRE string system, thumb-hole grip, high energy wheels, and vented quad limbs.
The design of a crossbow is low profile and sleek. Itspinet is a reliable entry-level crossbow at an affordable price range. This is cheaper than many other brands and models since it comes with a price tag of around $400. It is the best choice for beginners and experienced hunters.
In this Barnett Wildcat C5 Crossbow review, we covered up features, pros & cons, build quality, power, accuracy, and included accessories.
Barnett Wildcat C5 Review: First Impressions
| Barnett Wildcat C5 Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Speed | 320 FPS |
| Draw Weight | 150 lbs |
| Axle to Axle | 26″ |
| Kinetic Energy | 91 ft. lbs. |
| Length | 25″ |
| Weight | 8.5 lbs |
| Power Stroke | 13″ |
| Finish | Hi-Def Camo |
Reasons To Buy
- Easy to assemble.
- It is sturdy and durable.
- Comes with 5-year warranty.
- Its accuracy is great.
- Ergonomic pistol grip stock.
- Very light and convenient for hunting and target practice.
- Low maintenance components.
Reasons To Avoid
- It doesn’t include a rope cocking aid.
- It isn’t silent when it is fired. If you desire silent firing, you’ll need to add a dampening device.
Detailed Specifications
Build Quality
One of the important factor to consider is its build quality. As this will affect the performance, along with how comfortable & easy, it is to aim and draw. Wildcat crossbow has an ergonomic design. It has quad style limbs with extra energy wheels and string that provide stable and powerful draw, with plenty of energy to take down small and large game.
This crossbow is light and easy to use with only 150 pound draw weight. Also, its cable setup makes it easy to pull. Its overall weight is 8.5 pounds. That’s why this Wildcat C5 remains one of the most popular crossbows with hunters of all skill levels.
Design
The wildcat crossbow comes with good looks and comfortable at the same time. It has grip padded that enhanced comfort. Also, its thumb hole is handy that encourages the proper placing of hands. With such a feature, you can easily prevent painful and annoying accidents while aiming.
It has a sturdy and lightweight gam-composite design that enables all kinds of archers to grasp quickly handle it efficiently. It has a wide stock butt that makes it comfortable to aim and reduces recoil.
It comes with string and cable system from crosswire. The string is known to last for a long time as long as you wax the string. Its string can give between 700 and 900 shots before being replaced.
Speed
This crossbow yields K.E. of up to 97 ft lbs, and it shoots arrows at a maximum velocity of 320 fps. The power and speed of Wildcat crossbow are mainly derived from its vented quad limbs that are coupled with high-speed wheels.
Performance
It has a high-performance design that has the ability for the power and speed required to penetrate most of the targets, including deer, antelope, and various small game animals.
When you shoot this crossbow, there is a smooth release that is enabled by its cable system and trigger that simplifies the method of pulling the 150-pound draw weight for archers.
You can shoot and penetrate both stationary and moving targets as the bow can generate the K.E. of up to 91 F.P., due to its max velocity of 320 fps.
Shooting
This C5 crossbow is pretty accurate and easy to shoot. The bow shoots at 320 feet per second. Each 425- grain arrow is thrown at the target at 320 fps speed, that gives the shaft 97 feet pounds of kinetic energy at point blank range. If you assume the standard decrease in the force of few percent ft lbs for every 10 yards, you’ll still be shooting your target with 90 feet pounds of K.E from 30 yards away.
This more than enough stopping power to rip through the hardest legal game in North America.
Camo GAM Stock with Trigger and Safety Lock
It is a durable crossbow due to its lightweight GAM stock. Also, it comes in a camo design that gives it a great look when hunting. Its stock has a mounting spot for the scope as well as a thumbhole grip that provides the user with easy handling and control.
It also features a safety lock that gives safety and avoids accidental shooting.
Dovetail Scope Mount and Optional Cranking Device
Some users prefer to crank a bow’s string manually. There is an in-built cranking attachment that allows to you use an optional crank device. Also, it includes a dovetail scope mount that ensures you don’t have to spend extra on a mount before attaching the scope.
Trigger
The pressure requires to pull the trigger of this crossbow is around 4.4 pounds. Its pull is so smooth, and trigger travel distance isn’t too long or short. Always, make sure to lubricate the trigger often as it does tend to lock up slightly if this is neglected.
Durability & Construction
C5 is manufactured in the USA by a very well-established company, Barnett puts a lot of effort into making this crossbow sturdy and comfortable to hold.
Its trigger requires the right amount of pressure, and the shot is quiet & vibration free. Its stock is made from compound materials using GAM (Gas Assisted Molding) technology. Also, This crossbow has a 5-year warranty. Thus if any problem arose, it could be easily returned.
Safety and Comfort
It also includes the ADF (Anti Dry Fire) mechanism. Safety didn’t disengage accidentally even after giving the bow a firm tap or shaking it roughly.
Once you cock the crossbow & the strings sticks onto the latch, the crossbow will automatically engage to safety mode.
The foot stirrup of this crossbow is wide enough to effortlessly keep the bow still as you get ready to cock it. This foot stirrup is large enough for even the largest boots.
It has a wide stock butt that makes the crossbow comfortable to aim reduces recoil. This crossbow has a comfortable foregrip, that is designed to ensure your fingers stay away from the strings travel path.
Assembly
The Wildcat C5 crossbow is simple to assemble even for the ones who don’t know anything about crossbows. It can be easily assembled in minutes. This crossbow package comes with an instruction manual and all the hardware essential to assemble. Therefore you don’t need to worry about not having the right tools. Even newbies will be able to follow the manual and finish assembling the product within minutes.
Accessories
For a crossbow with such low price, you’ll get even more than you bargained for. Wildcat C5 package includes:
- Three 20 inch arrows with field points
- Four-arrow quiver mount
- Scope
- Assembly hardware including bolts and hex keys
- Assembly & Usage manual
- Warranty card
Scope
In order to give the shooter more place for accuracy, there is a 4x32mm Red Dot Scope that is also manufactured by Barnett. Its scope has fully coated optics, lens caps, click adjustments, and magnification controls. It is easy to adjust and is accurate up to 20 ft right out of the box.
However, it’ll not hold zero consistently that means you’ll often need to re-adjust the elevation and windage to maintain perfect accuracy.
Rope Cocking device
It doesn’t include a rope cocker, the design still allows for a crank cocking device, you can use if you don’t want to cock it manually. It comes with built-in crank option attachment. However, to attach the crank, the covers on each side of the stack will need to be removed.
Quiver and Bolts
The carbon arrows included with the package come with field points. These arrows are 20 inches long, and it weighs about 8.1 with 100 grains field point.
With these bolts, you will be able to shoot at the approx speed of 320 feet per second. It also contains quick-detach quiver that can be mounted on the arrow. It is beneficial for aspiring hunters and beginners.
Final Verdict
This Barnett C5 is the value for money crossbow. The most positive feature of this product is that it’s competent in producing plenty of speed and power to make accurate killing shots. Each of the separate components of the weapon is perfectly dependable that makes this crossbow very low maintenance and fun to shoot.
According to some hunters, the 3-dot scope that the product comes with is average quality. For those who need a more accurate shot at a closer range, this might look to be a bit tricky. However, you shouldn’t expect this Wildcat C5 crossbow to have all the bells and whistles like the crossbows that break the $1000 barrier. If you’re searching for that, you can check out our reviews for the Best Crossbows.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Barnett Wildcat C5 crossbow suitable for hunting purposes?
Yes, it is suitable for hunters as it is easy to manoeuvre in tight spots and delivers enough kinetic energy to harvest deer and elk easily. Also, it can be maintained easily. This is specifically designed by the hunters for hunters. Barnetts previous models are difficult to adjust and less powerful.
2. Is the stock length of this crossbow adjustable?
The stock length of the Wildcat C5 isn’t adjustable, but it is a great length for any hunting situation.
3. Is the Wildcat C5 good for beginners?
Yes, it is a good selection for beginners. It has durable and low maintenance components. Also, its balance construction makes it easy to aim even if you’re learning how to shoot a crossbow. It is a perfect choice, but only if the 8.5 pounds of gross weight doesn’t scare you away.
