Barnett Hypertac 420 Review – Compact, Lightweight and Accurate Crossbow

The Barnett HyperTac 420 is a competitive crossbow in the compact crossbow market. Barnett always delivers very well thought out, beautiful looking high-quality crossbows for low prices. We finally got our hands on the Hypertac 420. I tested the crossbow thoroughly for a couple of weeks.

The Hypertac 420 is a compact crossbow that utilizes Barnett’s HyperFlite technology. Barnett also recently released the Hypertac Pro 430, which is their flagship crossbow this year.

The package contains the Barnett Hypertac 420 crossbow, a 1.5-5×32 Illuminated Speed Compensating Halo Scope, lightweight side-mount quiver, three 22” HyperFlite arrows, rope cocking device, and lubrication wax.

Barnett Hypertac 420 Crossbow Specs

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Size and Weight

The Barnett Hypertac 420 is an ultra-compact crossbow that measures a full length of 35.9 inches and an axle-to-axle width of 18.75 inches uncocked and 9.1875 inches once cocked. If you are looking for a crossbow that is even more compact then check out our review of the Ravin R26, which has a cocked axle-to-axle width of 5.75 inches.

The Barnett Hypertac 420 weighs 7.9 pounds, which is not too heavy for its size. The crossbow is really well balanced and actually feels less heavy than you’d expect.

Construction and Design

Barnett has clearly made maneuverability their top priority with the design of the Hypertac 410. The crossbow features an ultra-compact riser assembly, a CNC machined aluminum flight track paired with a tactical-style adjustable buttstock.

The Hypertac 420 is a comfortable crossbow to handle. The tactical-style adjustable buttstock allows you to adjust the length of the pull for a custom fit and the crossbow features a pass-through forend and a multi-position pistol grip.

Like most Barnett crossbows the crossbow features three Picatinny rails. You can attach additional hardware to them such as a flashlight, extra quiver, etc.

Barnett equipped the Hypertac 420 with string dampeners to dampen the bow down during shooting.

Durability

The Hypertac 420 is well designed and constructed crossbow. I encountered no durability issues whatsoever during a couple of weeks of testing. I once even accidentally dropped it from a treestand. When I came down and picked it up there was no damage.

Halo Scope

Barnett decided to equip the Hypertac 420 with a 1.5-5x32mm Halo scope. This is a fine crossbow scope that features a speed selector to match any crossbow shooting between 300-425 feet per second. The Halo scope provides aim points at exact 10-yard intervals from 20 up to 70 yards.

This Halo scope is illuminated for low light conditions. You can choose from either red or green illuminated reticles for low light conditions, with simple push-button on/off operation and illumination intensity control. Don’t forget to turn the button when you’re not using the illumination.

TriggerTech Trigger

The Hypertac 420 is built with a 3-pound TriggerTech trigger system containing Frictionless Release Technology and a Metal Injection Molded (MIM) trigger. This trigger system drastically increases accuracy and precision with a crisp, smooth pull with zero detectable creep.

The Frictionless Release Technology that is integrated into the KillerTech trigger creates a free-floating roller between the sear and the trigger. This technology ensures a smoother, lighter pull. These trigger systems are still among the best crossbow trigger systems that are currently available on the market.

Safety

The Hypertac 420 comes with all the safety features you’d expect from a 2021 Barnett crossbow. The KillerTech trigger system assembly is built with an anti-dry-fire trigger (ADF) and an ambidextrous safety switch.

The Soft Lok Floating Bristle Arrow Retainer keeps the arrow in place so it won’t accidentally fall off the flight deck and the flight deck has finger safety reminders to keep your hands or fingers from getting in the way of the string’s path.

Cocking

Cocking the Hypertac 420 with the rope cocker is easy and smooth. The rope cocker cuts the 225-pound draw weight in half.

Arrows and Quiver

The Hypertac 420 is part of their Hyper series crossbow lineup and is therefore compatible with their small-diameter HyperFlite arrows.

Barnett’s HyperFlite arrows have a .204 diameter for greater penetration. They are 22 inches long and weigh 330 grain.

The side-mounted quiver holds a total of three arrows. The quiver is lightweight and durable.

Speed and Accuracy

The Hypertac 420 is a powerful crossbow. Its 15.5-inch power stroke and 215 poundage bow let the crossbow shoot bolts up to 420 feet-per-second depending on which bolts or arrows you use. Barnett speed-rated the Hypertac 420 using a 380-grain arrow. Being able to shoot up to 420 FPS with 142 ft-lbs KE is impressive for such a compact crossbow.

The Hypertac 420 is a very accurate crossbow that is suited for long-distance precision shooting. After some practice shooting and finetuning I managed to consistently shoot sub-2-inch groupings beyond 60 yards.

Assembly and Sighting-in

The Barnett Hypertac 420 is very easy to assemble and disassemble. It requires a single bolt to assemble the riser. The Halo scope was also easy to calibrate. It only took me a couple of minutes to zero it in.

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Recommended Accessories

Arrows and Broadheads

We recommend using 22-inch HyperFlite arrows from Barnett. You can either buy a 5-pack or a 3-pack on Amazon. Barnett’s HyperFlite arrows have a .204 diameter and weigh 330 grain.

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We recommend combining the 22-inch HyperFlite arrows with Rage’s Crossbow X hunting broadheads. These RAGE Crossbow X broadheads are available in 100 grain and 125 grain and sport a 2-inch cutting diameter. 

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Storage and Transportation

There is no crossbow case included in the package we recommend buying a Plano Spire crossbow case. The Plano hard case fits the Barnett Hypertac 420 perfectly.

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If you want a sling to comfortably carry the Hypertac 420 then we recommend buying a Talon Crossbow Sling.

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Our Rating of the Barnett Hypertac 420

Bryan Taylor

Speed

Accuracy

Durability

Value

Summary

The Hypertac 420 is Barnett’s most compact crossbow in its class with velocities up to 420 feet per second. The crossbow is really well constructed, compact, lightweight, and durable. The Hypertac 420 is also adjustable, comfortable to handle, and extremely accurate.

3.8