Barnett Jackal Crossbow: A Midrange Hunting Nightmare  

Guns are not a great way to hunt animals since the sound of gunshots may make the animals run away. This is where the Barnett Jackal Crossbow comes in. It is lightweight, equipped with a powerful and accurate red dot sight, having a range of 40 yards, which is enough to score you a good game at a 40-yard distance. 

It is preferable for all age users, especially for beginners. This crossbow is designed with all the vital safety features to ensure you can use it with confidence and peace of mind while hunting. 

If you are a crossbow enthusiast looking for extra details about the Barnet Jackal Crossbow, you are at the right place. Let’s see how this crossbow makes for an excellent midranger for you.

What’s in the Barnett Jackal Package

With each Barnett Jackal crossbow package you’ll get the following: Barnett Jackal Stock, Barnett Jackal Riser, Red Dot Sight, Quick Detach Quiver, 3x 20” Headhunter Arrows with Field Tips and an Owner’s Manual.

Barnett Jackal Crossbow Specifications

The Barnett Jackal Crossbow is an ideal bow because of its user convenience. It comes with all the necessary attachments to provide a perfect shooting experience, remaining reasonable for the price point. 

Pros we love:

Cons we found:

On the First Glance

The Barnett Jackal Crossbow is a compact and lightweight crossbow weighing 7.7 pounds. It has a length of 32.5 inches and a width of 26.5 inches when uncocked and 20.5 inches wide when cocked. 

Considering that it’s an entry-level crossbow, it isn’t that compact as compared to the premium ones. 

Styling and Design 

The Barnett Jackal Crossbow may not be the best in the market, but it is best for its sleek design. The camo and black color scheme are the ones to go with.

I really appreciated the Picatinny rail, which made mounting accessories easy. For beginners, it would be an excellent choice since it is also budget-friendly. 

Assembly

You will need to assemble the Jackal yourself since Barnett does not ship it pre-assembled. It took me around 10-15 minutes to assemble the crossbow. However, it isn’t as hard as it sounds.

Firstly, you need to attach the riser to the stock with the help of bolts. After that, you need to attach limbs and limb pockets to the riser by inserting the bolts in the holes provided. 

Lastly, attach the foot stirrup and the scope to the main stock by screwing in the bolts in the holes given. Once assembled, make sure that the strings and cables are properly tensioned.

The steps are also accompanied by photos that will assist you in getting started.

Stock and Grips

Ergonomic grips attached to it make it easy to hold and pleasant while carrying on the shoulder. In addition, It has an Incredibly cozy and stylish stock. Composite grips are made from durable materials that withstand the high pressures they receive and are more durable than other materials. 

However, the stock was not adjustable, despite Barnett calling it a military-style stock. Military-style stocks, in my opinion, should be adjustable or foldable, allowing greater maneuverability. 

Optics

The Barnett Jackal comes with an entry-level red dot scope, which can be good for medium-range hunts but not preferable for long-range games. Its optics may not help you gain results in long distances over 40 yards.

If you need some magnification for long-distance hunting, you may go with other scopes that may be helpful while hunting. 

From some of the scopes compatible with this crossbow, I recommend using the TRUGLO Crossbow 4X32 Compact Scope which offers a substantial improvement over the basic scope. It is compatible with the Barnett Jackal and can come in handy if you want to upgrade to any other crossbow in the future.

While buying a crossbow for the Barnett Jackal Crossbow, it must be kept in mind that the scope weighs light as the Picatinny rail is not that secured because of fixation with a single Torx screw compared to other crossbows.

Sighting-In 

Sighting in was not needed as the accuracy of the Barnett Jackal was good enough. My test shot was to adjust the scope until the crossbow hit the target I wanted. 

However, no significant deviation was noted, and most of the shots hit the dead center. But despite having great accuracy, it is limited to short or mid-range shots.

Nevertheless, your experience may vary since each crossbow has slightly different characteristics, not to mention your individual preferences.

Arrows and Speed

This crossbow is speed rated by Barnett at 315 feet per second with a draw weight of 150 pounds. The high-energy cams are what give it that extra little bit of power to go over 300 feet per second.

Talking about the energy produced, it is substantial at 95 ft. lbs of energy upon impact, which is quite considerable if you are going to hunt a big-sized animal like a deer or moose.

Barnett Jackal usually comes with 3x 20-inch arrows in the package with a weight of 400 grains. The Easton carbon bolts have screw-in field points which are quite awesome as this prevents arrows from getting stuck in the target. 

While most beginner crossbows come with glued point arrows. This means that the hunter must buy brand-new arrows every time he goes hunting.

Cocking

Unfortunately, the Barnett Jackal Crossbow does not come with a rope cocking device. The draw weight of a crossbow is reduced by 50% if it is cocked by a rope-cocking device. As a result, the Barnett Jackal’s draw weight is just 75 pounds with it.

It can be easily available for 20$ online, and buying it will help you gain extraordinary results. If you prefer a different rope cocking device, you can use that instead. Barnett’s is recommended, but you may use any other option.

Trigger and Safety Features

The Barnett Jackal Crossbow comes with a trigger safety mechanism to prevent worrying about accidental firing. This safety can be switched on and off when needed and is quite useful for beginners.

In addition, it also features an anti-dry fire trigger mechanism that helps you prevent the crossbow from shooting without an arrow loaded. It also had an automatic safety, so when it reached full draw, it would automatically come on. You will feel safer in the field with both of these features.

3.5 lbs trigger pull is set on the crossbow that breaks smoothly with zero creep, allowing you to shoot accurate and consistent shots.

Range Test

In order to thoroughly test the Barnett Jackal, I took it out to the range. To test the accuracy of the crossbow, I set targets at different distances, such as 30, 40, and 50 yards. 

This crossbow surprised me when I used it for the first time. Comfortable ergonomic grips, stock, and good shoulder placement make this a great purchase. It was a good idea to bring a rope cocker with me as it helped prevent strain on my back.

Ensure the odd-colored vane of the arrow points downward when loading the Barnett Jackal. In this case, it should be the yellow vane if you are using the bolts that came with the package.

Having loaded the arrow properly, you’ll only need to switch the safety to fire and you’re ready to shoot. Since the red dot sight was already appropriately zeroed in on 20, 30, and 40 yards, there was no need to sight in.

Speed Test

Following that, I did a manual speed test. In order to get precise results, I fired three shots using my chronograph. According to the chronograph, the speed is 313, 315, and 318 feet per second! Exactly as claimed!

What I didn’t find amusing

After enjoying all the good things, a lot of disturbance was caused because of the noise produced by the crossbow. While this may not matter much when the crossbow is used for target practice, on a hunt, the noise can make a big difference. 

To reduce the level of disturbance, hunters should try to keep their shooting to a minimum distance whenever feasible. It is possible to reduce the noise and vibrations caused by the Barnett Jackal by installing string or limb dampeners.

Durability 

The Barnett Jackal is a popular model of the crossbow, which is known for its durability. Barnett offers a 5-year warranty for this crossbow.

Recommended Accessories

There are many accessories that I recommend to enhance the shooting experience and help you enjoy while practicing or hunting. Some of the accessories are listed below.

Rope Cocking device

It has already been mentioned above that the Barnett Jackal Crossbow comes without a rope cocking device. So you have to buy one separately. Barnett offers rope cocking its own on Amazon for $20, which can prevent getting string wax on your hands.

Silencer kit

As already mentioned, noise is a major issue in the Barnett Jackal Crossbow, as it may scare the animals away if you miss your shot. Consequently, Bowjax limb dampeners are highly recommended for quieting down the crossbow. 

Arrows & Broadheads

The Barnett Jackal Crossbow is a powerful hunting crossbow compatible with aluminum and carbon arrows, which are lightweight, powerful, and accurate. The recommended length of the arrows is a minimum of 20 inches and a maximum length of 22 inches. 

If asked about my preference, I prefer to stick with the 20′ inch arrow as they may fit right onto the rail. 

There are the standard Headhunter arrows from Barnett, which are good and pretty cheap. But for even cheaper arrows for the Barnett Jackal, check out TY Archery’s carbon crossbow bolt pack.

The crossbow is also compatible with the broadheads, but you have to buy them separately. Broadheads are essential for hunting with your arrows, so be sure to bring them! The broadheads offered by Rage are reasonably priced. 

The cutting diameter of these broadheads is 2 inches, which is enough to hunt most large game.

Storage 

In the owner’s manual, Barnett warns you to keep the crossbow in a climate-controlled environment and to wax the string every ten shots. Therefore, storing your crossbow in a crossbow case is a good idea. 

Doing so will provide optimal protection for your crossbows and make it easier for them to be transported.

Considering the Barnett Jackal is a very cheap crossbow, a crossbow case shouldn’t be too expensive. Silfrae Soft Crossbow Case Camo Crossbow Storage Bag is the perfect inexpensive bag for this crossbow.

Ensure it has been unloaded and safety has been engaged before storing it. Preserving the crossbow’s flexibility and extending its life requires waxing the string.

Final Verdict of The Barnett Jackal Crossbow