I have never owned a crossbow. I have been doing a little research but I thought I may get better advice on this forum. I am looking at two barnett bows. First is the Ghost 350 ($539.99) and the second is the Penetrator ($479.99). They both seem very similar as far as fps, draw weight, etc. One diiference I noticed was that the Ghost comes with an illuminated scope and the penetrator has a standard scope. Can you give me some advice choosing between the two bows? I dont want to spend the additional $ if I dont have too.

Thanks

I personally don't like scopes with batteries, but that is me, and I plan buying a red dot of some sort in the future though for a gun. I would also look at the Horton Ultralite as it is in the same price range, shoots as fast and is a lot lighter. Either of the ones you listed will do a fine job, just which one do you prefer. They both shoot so fast you cant see it fly. My pref for me of the two is the Ghost with the standard scope, but thats me.

I had thought about those when looking for a crossbow. Your style of hunting might make a little difference. With the ghost being a pound lighter the lighter weight might make a difference in shooting offhand our you will be carrying it for some distance. I splurged a little and decided on the Bowtech Stryker 380. I felt that the extra $100.00 was worth it. I actually found this one on ebay for the same price as what Cabellas was asking for the Ghost 350. The stryker is narrower 19.2" instead of 24", lighter 6.9 lbs as to around 8lbs, and faster 380fps. It also has string stops to cut down on noise and vibration. A couple of draw backs is the price of replacement strings, form what I saw on ebay was around $99.00 and their lifetime warranty does not apply to bows bought online.

I debated about getting a simpler recurve like the Horton but felt that they were overpriced for what they were and liked the extra speed of the compound style. One other one I had considered was a Parker SLS model for its compact design.

If I were to only choose between the 2 you mentioned I would pick the Ghost just for the weight difference. You can always change scopes at a later time.

I have found the best selection and prices here http://www.sportsmansguide.com ans simply type crossbows in the search box. I bought the Barnett Quad 300 package 10 years ago and have used it to kill both deer and hogs and it does so very well. It came with the ranging reticle scope with no illumination which is fine. It is extremely accurate and I use the Muzzy 4 blade 140gr BH's and with the bolt the total weight is 480grs. Barnett has a whole new line of crossbows any of which will kill deer and hogs. I would suggest you find the one you like and then try and find a place where you can actaully hold one before making your decision and if you can't then I say buy the best Barnett you can afford. Barnett it the oldest crossbow maker in this country and have introduced many new ideas that most other makers now use in their products.

Ended up with the Ghost 350. Feels good to me and its not as heavy as some of the other models that I held. And plenty fast at 350fps. Cant wait for next fall!!!!!!

good choice, i plan on getting one of those as well. i started with the predator, loved it so much, i just had to get a ghost 400. then after that i had the urge for the zombie 350. i traded off my wildcat c5, and felt bad about it ever since. i guess you can say i collect them. and what's funny is that i don't hunt. lol , i just really like crossbows.

Even if you don't hunt they are just plain ol fashioned fun to shoot.

Anyone else have any problem's with the strings on Barrnett crossbow's? I have Horton's and have never had any problem's. But I know a guy that got a Barrnett and his string broke the first week he had it. I kinda have the suspicion it was "Operater Error" But he said he contacted Barrnett and they said the strings were faulty. I have not heard about any recall's or anything bad about Barrnett but I would like to keep up on newer gear. Let me know if anyone has any problem's Thank's

I have had mine for over 10+ year now and the only thing I have to do is to replace the string/cable during this time and it has only been once but due to the time passed it is now time for another. I had not heard of any recalled/defective strings/cables but if Barnet told him that then one would think there wold have been at least a warning if not a recall. I think most probably as you noted it was operator error and he just didn't want to admit it was his fault.

i had to get the cams and strings replaced on my ghost 400. it had been shot about 25 time at that point. i called Barnett and they sent me new strings and cams for free. no questions asked. i have heard of a few people having to replace the strings on the ghost 400. now, i have heard a several quad 400s breaking the strings, to the point where i wouldn't buy one. but i have had no trouble with predator, or my zombie. i would say stay away from the quad 400. i have only heard good things about the ghost 350. i hear they are going to come out with a ghost 385 and a ghost 410, i can't wait to get one. i'm a big fan of barnett, i love the crt.

For whatever reason Barnett made the Quad 400 for a couple years without a string guide for the cables.  This allowed the cables to rub each other.  After less than 20 shots my cables were frayed.  I wrote to Barnett.  They acknowledged the design flaw and sent me new cables and string.  I bought a new Jackal this year for my granddaughter.  It has a string guide and all I have to do is keep wax and rail lube on the strings and cables. 50 shots later everything still looks like new.  Wax and lube is even more important on a crossbow that on a compound bow.

Barnett is also working on a reverse limb model like the Horton Vision. That style had me intrigued.

I bought the Horton Havoc this year. I was intrigued with the reverse limb design and thought it would help me hunting in a blind. (due to disability I'm limited to a ground blind.) The Havoc is not as wide and you don't need the clearance that you need with the Quad 400 but it is much slower (318 fps vs 345 fps). Was able to skin 2 of the 3 deer I shot at this year using the havoc but I still prefer the Quad 400. The Quad 400 was $150 cheaper than the Havoc too. I looked that the Ghost 400 and shot one at Cabelas. I thought it was very front heavy and long. For my style of shooting and comfort level I believe the Quad 400 and Jackal by Barnett to be the best crossbows on the market. My granddaughter is shooting quarters out of the target at 45 yards with Jackal.

i guess i got a run of bad reviews about the quad 400. the guys at the bow shop i use, said that they see several a week for string replacement. i guess it's just very popular to use. when i first decided to get a crossbow about 4 months ago, i read lots of reviews, and ended up with my predator.i Almost got the quad 400, but the reviews scared me, i really know nothing about crossbows except i like to shoot them and they are just way too cool.
i agree that the Ghost 400 is kinda "large", but i love the power of it. i already replaced the cams and strings on it, but i was told it's like a "hot rod" the more you play the more it cost for all that power, being a motor head i understood, my zombie is Awesome, it is Smaller, and plenty fast. my predator is kinda heavy, feels a bit more solid than the other 2. heavy in the front, a bit large, especially for a small guy like myself. (5'5" and 130lbs soaking wet). to me it feels like a hunting machine, mount, aim, and fire). the others kinda have a fun "toy" feel, the predator doesn't, it's like a deadly tool.
But i really dig'em all. they are all so much fun, it blows my mind that i didn't get into them sooner. they are a tad bit expensive though. the new "razor" and the new "ghost 410" are going to cost me a alot, but, i can't help myself, i gotta have both. lol

longalan2, You should check out the Bowtech Stryker 380. For its compact size and weight it is an awsome crossbow. The original Stryker was the fastest made when it came out at 410fps. The newer model is a little more compact. They compromised a little speed to downsize it and has a lifetime warranty

i'll check one out this weekend. it looks pretty cool. i read some of the reviews and it seems to be kinda hit and miss.

i have bought used barnett buck commander CRT and excabilur Excort 200. both are very good.. barnett did broke string and took to archery shop and replace with barnett string. It shoot good. i shot turkey at 80 yards with barnett. i havent tried with excalibur yet on turkey and deer and havent broken string yet but i ordered back-up string and u can replace string in field without ruin your day in hunting time. good luck in search of crossbow.