Barnett introduced the Hyperflite Evo 420 as one of their brand-new crossbows for their 2020 lineup.
Barnett is owned by Plano Synergy. You might not have heard about the company Plano Synergy, but they own a lot of Hunting and Fishing related companies like; Wildgame Innovations (Trail Cameras, Scent Concealers, Feeders), Plano Molding (Tackle Boxes, Gun Cases, Archery Cases), Halo Optics (Rangefinders), Bloodsport Archery (Arrows, Broadheads and Accessories) and more…
Barnett Crossbows makes fast crossbows at fairly cheap prices. Up until a couple years ago, Barnett wasn’t the best brand of crossbows to get. Because they wanted to produce cheap crossbows, the crossbows seemed to break faster than a TenPoint or a Ravin crossbow. In recent years Barnett has been upping their game and the quality of their crossbows is getting better and better.
One of the first crossbows we got to try out from Barnett was the HyperGhost 425. It was a really nice crossbow to shoot with, but the feedback from other hunters wasn’t that great. People were having issues with the paint flaking off after just 1 shot with the HyperGhost 425.
Barnett already had the Hyperflite Evo 420 on showcase at the ATA 2019, but this was a non-working prototype model. They’ve refined their patented cam and riser setup and released the bow just recently.
We decided to test out 2 different Hyperflite Evo 420 crossbows just to be sure that each bow is/feels the same. Throughout the tests we didn’t notice any differences between the Barnett Hyperflite Evo 420’s.
Table of Contents
Barnett Hyperflite EVO 420 Crossbow Features
[amazon table=”8689″]
Size and Weight
As you can see in our table above, the Barnett Hyperflite Evo 420 weighs a total of 10.9 lbs. It has an “Ultra-compact body style” that’s fully customizable with an adjustable length of 31.5 inches to 32.75 inches. Uncocked the Barnett Hyperflite measures 14.1 inches axle to axle and 9.3 inches axle to axle when cocked.
The Barnett Hyperflite Evo 420 is not as compact for a compound crossbow as Barnett claims. In comparison; the TenPoint Vapor RS470 measures 12 inches uncocked and 6.5 inches cocked. If you compare it to a recurve crossbow; the Excalibur Assassin 400 TD measures 25 inches uncocked and 20.5 inches cocked.
Barnett’s Hyperflite Evo 420 is a lot cheaper than the TenPoint Vapor RS470 though and 14.1 inches uncocked and 9.3 inches wide when cocked is still really compact for such a high-powered crossbow.
The weight from the Barnett Hyperflite Evo 420 is something you should really consider. Most crossbows, recurve or compound, usually only weigh between 6 to 8 lbs. This makes it a quite heavy crossbow. If you’re on the move a lot, this crossbow isn’t that ideal because of the weight…
Speed and Arrows
Barnett named it the Hyperflite Evo 420 for a reason. It can shoot arrows at 420 feet per second! Barnett equipped the Hyperflite Evo 420 with a patented CNC Machined Aluminum Flight Track that reduces arrow contact on the flight track to only the nock and the tip of the arrow.
Paired with the Three 22” HyperFlite Arrows that Barnett delivers with this crossbow, the Barnett Hyperflite Evo 420 has a 25% greater penetration to similar powerful crossbows and factory arrows. The arrows have a length of 22 inches and are 380-grain.
Scope
The Hyperflite Evo 420 is equipped with a Halo 1. 5 – 5 x 32 mm Variable Speed, Red/Green Illuminated Scope. This scope is rated for crossbows that can shoot up to 425 FPS, which makes it a perfect fit for the Hyperflite Evo 420.
You’ll probably need to make a couple adjustments and then you should be able to hit your targets dead center at 50 yards! It’s an easy to use scope with a very clear picture and a one push button for the light.
Testing the Hyperflite Evo 420 out on the range was pretty fun. We were able to shoot under 2-inch groups!
Assembling and Disassembling
Barnett advertises their crossbows as a “READY TO HUNT Crossbow PACKAGE”. This means that they ship their crossbows fully assembled. You do not have to assemble anything yourself, just take it out of the box, make sure it’s sighted in correctly and you’re ready to hunt!
Unfortunately, the basic package doesn’t come with a case to store the Hyperflite Evo 420. You can buy a separate case from Barnett to store the crossbow in. Barnett Tru Bark Camo EVA Crossbow Case, Barnett Turkey Eva Case or the Barnett Whitetail Hunter EVA Crossbow Case are all suitable for the Hyperflite Evo 420.
Cocking
Barnett is one of the crossbow brands that designed their own crank cocking devices to make the cocking process a lot easier. All of their crossbows come with a detachable integrated Crank Cocking Device. Their detachable Integrated Crank Cocking devices reduce the amount of power to cock a crossbow with more than 90%!
The Integrated Crank Cocking Device on the Barnett Hyperflite Evo 420 removes 97% of the force that you need to cock the crossbow. This means that you’ll need about 8 or 9 lbs. of power to cock the crossbow!
Barnett’s integrated cocking devices are pretty good, the only downside is that when it breaks or fails, you’re not able to cock the Barnett Hyperflite Evo 420 with a rope cocker. There’s just no room to cock in with a rope cocker.
Shooting and Trigger
One of the main features of the Hyperflite Evo 420 is a $200 Anti-Dry Fire (ADF) Trigger Tech Trigger System. It’s a Metal Injection Molded (MIM) Trigger with a 3.5-pound zero-creep pull.
The Hyperflite is very nice to shoot. It’s a bit on the heavy side, but just aiming and shooting the crossbow is absolutely doable! Walking/hiking for miles with a 10.9-pounds heavy crossbow can take some time to get used to.
Because of the weight, the Hyperflite Evo 420 seems to give less of a kick than other crossbows. This makes the bow more accurate as well. Getting 2-inch groups after you’ve sighted it in is easy! It’s a really good crossbow for not a lot of money.
Extra Features
Barnett created the Hyperflite Evo 420 to compete with the higher-priced TenPoint and Ravin crossbows. Barnett equipped the Hyperflite Evo 420 with some pretty high-tech features. One of the main features is their Riser-mounted cams. Yes, Riser-mounted cams, the cams are mounted on a riser instead of at the end of the limbs. The limbs still flex, but the cams remain level.
As mentioned under the #cocking section, the Hyperflite Evo 420 comes with a detachable integrated crank cocking device.
The Metal Injection Molded (MIM) Trigger with TriggerTech, is also a very nice feature on this crossbow. The trigger alone would cost around $200 or more.
Package Contents
- Fully Assembled Barnett Hyperflite Evo 420
- Halo 1. 5 – 5 x 32 mm Variable Speed, Red/Green Illuminated Scope
- 3x 22” HyperFlite Arrows
- Lightweight Quiver with Side-Mount Adaptor
- Integrated Crank Cocking Device
- Lube Wax
Final Rating
Barnett Hyperflite Evo 420 Final Rating
Summary
If you want a crossbow that’s very accurate, fast, and comes as a read-to-hunt package, the Hyperflite Evo 420 is definitely a crossbow you need to consider! It’s also very easy to cock, deadly accurate, and really fast! The only negative point about the Hyperflite Evo 420 is that it’s on the heavy side. Hunters looking for a lightweight crossbow should definitely skip this crossbow.
What we like
- 420 FPS
- Integrated Crank Cocking Device
- Amazing zero-creep ultra smooth trigger
- Deadly accurate
- High end features for a reasonable price
What we don’t like
- Bit heavy for a crossbow
- Unable to cock with rope-cocker if integrated crank cocking device breaks
