Tenpoint Nitro XRT Review – Powerful Small 470 FPS Crossbow

The Nitro XRT was TenPoint’s flagship in 2019 and comes with an incredible speed of 470 fps and this as a very small crossbow. The compound crossbow was built in America and has a reverse draw mechanism. The advantage of a reverse draw crossbow is that it generates more speed while you don’t have to draw too much weight.

The TenPoint Nitro XRT is the successor of TenPoint’s Nitro X, which is still a very good crossbow. However, the XRT goes beyond its predecessor in many ways. TenPoint’s current flagship is the Vapor RS470.

We couldn’t wait to get our hands on the Nitro XRT, and now that we finally have it, we’ve all fallen in love with this little crossbow. The Nitro XRT comes standard with the Elite package, which contains everything you need to use your crossbow efficiently.

In the package we found the Nitro XRT crossbow, a EVO-X Marksman Scope mounted on a machined aluminum 7/8-inch Fixed Dovetail Mount, Bubble Level, ACUdraw PRO cocking device, 6-Arrow Tech Quiver, six Evo-X CenterPunch premium carbon arrows with 100-grain practice points. TenPoint’s STAG hard crossbow case and a TenPoint Neoprene sling.

Tenpoint Nitro XRT Crossbow Specs

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Size and Weight

The first thing that stands out about the Nitro XRT and the most impressive thing about the crossbow is its size. Tenpoint made the crossbow as compact as possible without sacrificing power and speed, they more than succeeded. The reverse draw crossbow is 29.5 inches long and has a width of 12 inches(axle to axle) uncocked and only 7 inches wide when the crossbow is cocked.

The Nitro XRT weighs 7.4 pounds(bare-bow), which is quite a bit of weight for such a small crossbow but because the XRT is so extremely well balanced, it doesn’t feel too heavy when you hold the crossbow.

Design and Construction

The Nitro XRT features Dual Flex Limbs and a Vector Quad 4 cable system. This cable system uses four cables instead of the traditional two, this provides more stability and accuracy.

The buttstock of the crossbow is adjustable, the side piece of the stock can be adjusted in one of three positions for a more comfortable grip. The butt plate is also adjustable in one of two positions so you can adjust the pulling length to your liking. The stock and the foregrip have a rubber finish for extra grip, which is useful in wet conditions.

Like the Nitro X, the XRT has RX7 cams that help produce the so-called Sling Shot technology, boosting a shot up to 15 fps. The Nitro XRT is capable of generating arrow speeds of 470 feet per second. The Nitro XRT doesn’t lack power either, with a 17-inch power stroke it delivers an impressive 191 FF KE knockout power!

The Nitro XRT is exceptionally well balanced because the riser is mounted at the center of the rig, a centrally mounted riser deals efficiently with the nose-heavy feeling of crossbows. Because of this the balance of the XRT is near perfect, the crossbow doesn’t feel too heavy anywhere, this makes shooting a lot easier and it helps a lot with long-range precision shooting.

Range Test

The Nitro XRT is a beast of a crossbow meant for hunting big game. We tested the crossbow with the EVO-X CenterPunch arrows(445grain.) On our chronograph, we measured speeds in the range of 400-440 feet per second.

With the Pro-Lite arrows, we measured speeds up to 470fps with an FP KE of 182. I recommend buying a pack of Pro-Lite arrows to properly test the XRT’s full potential.

We were very impressed that such a compact crossbow could produce these speeds. I was really accurate with the crossbow over long distances because of its excellent balance and stability. Thanks to the extra balance provided by the center-mounted riser, I could easily shoot with one hand.

The Evo-X scope performs really well, particularly well in dark situations.

Lubricate the strings and cables after about every 25 shots!

Scope

The Evo-X Marksman Scope is one of the most accurate crossbow scopes available on the market today and is designed to be used for both hunting and competition, providing optimum performance. The scope is 8.18-inch long and weighs 1.210 lbs. The scope has a nice black finish.

This long range scope has fourteen fully multi-coated lenses for accuracy and sharpness. It has five red and green illuminated duplex reticles calibrated for -20 -30 -40 -50 and -60 yards. Two non-illuminated duplex reticles calibrated at -70 and -80 yards. It has a magnification ability of 1.5x-6x for long-range accuracy.

The Evo-X is waterproof and fog-free and has a variable speed and arrow deviation adjustment for speeds in the range of 330 fps and 450 fps. The clarity of the Evo-x is excellent, its crystal clear to look through and it has no fish eye. The scope’s bubble level ensures that the scope and crossbow are properly leveled and it has flip-up caps. It also has rings so you can easily attach/detach the scope.

The Evo-X is a piece of high-quality craftsmanship and is still one of the most accurate long-range crossbow scopes available, it is practically a sniper’s scope!

Assembly

Assembling the Nitro XRT is simple, you only have to mount the scope, install the string stop block(w/foot stirrup), washers, and the 3-arrow quiver. First, mount the Evo-X scope and rings to the dovetail mount in the desired position. The second thing to do is to install the string stop block (w/foot stirrup), the assembly bolt, and washers. Now install the three-arrow quiver and your Nitro XRT is ready for the woods.

Cocking

Tenpoint has installed the Nitro XRT with the Acudraw Pro. This integrated cocking device allows fast, completely silent, and safe cocking. The Acudraw Pro is a significant improvement over its predecessor. It is 43 percent faster than the Acudraw and Acudraw 50 and also a lot quieter.

Thanks to the Acudraw pro it only takes 9 lb to cock the crossbow. Because a crossbow with ACUdraw is so safe to use, the Nitro XRT is perfect for a father-son hunting trip. The crossbow can be safely cocked by anyone.

Trigger

Shooting with the Nitro XRT is very quiet and you won’t feel any vibration at all, this is due to TenPoint’s automatic T5 trigger. TenPoint’s trigger systems weren’t the best in recent years. Compared to the competitors they often had inferior trigger systems, but with the T-5 TenPoint delivered a fantastic trigger system.

Shooting with a T5 always feels good, the trigger has almost no creep and delivers clean no break shots. The safety function is much quieter compared to previous Tenpoint trigger systems. It has a Dry-Fire-Inhibitor(DFI) to prevent dry firing your crossbow.

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Recommended Accessories

Arrows & Broadheads

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Our Rating of the Tenpoint Nitro XRT

Bryan Taylor

Speed

Durability

Accuracy

Value

Summary

TenPoint has proven itself once again to be among the best crossbow brands out there. The Tenpoint Nitro XRT is an extremely fast crossbow with a brilliant design that is masterfully put together. The small compact crossbow is highly maneuverable, comfortable to handle, and durable. The Nitro XRT is also and highly accurate over long distances.

4.3