Killer Instinct Crossbows, Bolts and Scopes

What Killer Instinct makes for crossbow hunters

On this site, Killer Instinct is mostly a crossbow brand. The grid above holds compound crossbow packages, and around them the parts a crossbow eats: 20-inch bolts, crossbow scopes, a fixed-blade broadhead and a rope cocker. There's also a short run of Intense carbon arrows for vertical bows.

The maker's own site sorts things the same way: crossbows first, then accessories (bolts, a rangefinding scope, crank handles, a de-cocking bolt, nocks and lube), then cases. Its about page names two pieces of tech that show up on most models: the X-Cam system, which the maker says is easier to cock and quieter than conventional cams, and compression-molded limbs.

The grid changes every week as packages come and go, so I'll write about the models and what separates them, not about how many of each are listed today. Specs marked in the grid as coming from the Amazon listing are the listing's numbers; the numbers in this text come from the maker's own pages unless I say otherwise.

Compound bows, stabilizers and nocks from Killer Instinct have shown up in past research, but none are in the current listings here.

How to read a Killer Instinct crossbow name

Here's what actually changes from one name to the next:

• The number (405, 415, 420, 435): the speed rating in feet per second (FPS, how fast the bolt leaves the rail)
• DC or XDC: a de-cocking triggerbox, which the maker says lets you de-cock by hand with no crank and no shot
• RDC: the maker's name for its X-Cam setup on the TEMPR-X and LOGIX RDC packages
• Bundle, Kit, Package: the same crossbow with different extras in the box

That last one matters more than it looks. The same BOSS 405 shows up with just a scope, with a case and broadheads, or with a case, six bolts, a de-cocking bolt and a sling. Read the package contents in the grid before you compare two listings that look identical. (They're not twins. They're cousins with different luggage.)

Killer Instinct crossbow lineup by model

Narrow X-Cam models: BOSS-X DC, Vital-X DC, LOGIX 435

These are the slim ones. The maker lists each at 6.75 inches wide cocked and a little over 10 inches uncocked. All three use the X-Cam with what the maker calls 56% let-off (let-off is how much the pull eases near the end of the cocking stroke).

Per the maker's pages:

• BOSS-X DC: 405 fps, 195 lb draw weight, 13.5-inch power stroke, 33.75 inches long, 7.6 lb
• Vital-X DC: 415 fps, 195 lb, 15-inch power stroke, 35 inches long, 8 lb
• LOGIX 435: 435 fps, 210 lb, 15-inch power stroke, 32.25 to 33.75 inches long without the stirrup, 7.9 lb

The BOSS-X and Vital-X have the de-cocking triggerbox. The LOGIX page describes a Let-Down triggerbox for de-cocking without a shot, plus an anti-dry-fire safety, and says it works with the Compact DSC narrow sled crank, sold separately. A Neo-X DC package is in the grid too; the maker's crossbow list shows it with the same de-cocking triggerbox.

TEMPR-X: the integrated crank

The TEMPR-X has the same 6.75-inch cocked width, but its maker page lists 190 lb of draw weight, a 35-inch length and 9 lb, the top of the lineup's weight range. The extra weight has a reason: the crank and sled are built into the stock, with a bracket to store the crank handle on the crossbow. The maker lists 405 fps. If cocking by rope is a problem for your shoulders, this is the model built around not doing it.

(Physical therapist aside: a 190-pound draw with a 56% let-off cam is still real work at the start of the stroke. A crank turns that work into more turns of a handle. More turns, less strain.)

Wider-stance models: Rapid 420, BOSS 405, Burner 415 and others

The rest of the grid is wider. The maker lists the Rapid 420 at 12.75 inches cocked and 16.75 uncocked, 210 lb, a 14.5-inch power stroke, 35.5 to 38 inches long and 8.2 lb. The BOSS 405 listing gives 14.75 inches cocked.

The Burner 415, Fuel 415, FanatiX 415, Fatal-X and the 405HD packages sit in this group as well. Their grid values come from Amazon listings, and the maker's site carries fewer specs for some of them, so the useful comparison is in the grid: speed, cocking device and what's in the box. Several Fatal-X and Fuel listings include the Dead Silent Crank; most 405HD listings include a sled rope cocker.

Quick math on the speed numbers

The maker's kinetic energy figures line up neatly with one bolt weight. Kinetic energy (the punch a moving bolt carries, in foot-pounds) is bolt weight times speed squared, divided by 450,240. A 370-grain bolt at 435 fps gives 155.5 ft-lb, which is the LOGIX 435 number. The BOSS-X at 405 and the Vital-X at 415 match a 370-grain bolt too.

That's my math, not the maker's statement, but 370 grains is also the weight of the maker's Hypr Lite bolt. A heavier bolt from the same crossbow leaves slower. The speed rating is a speed with a light bolt, not a promise for every bolt in your quiver.

Killer Instinct crossbow bolts

The bolts in the grid are all 20 inches, the length the maker's packages are built around.

• Hypr Lite: the maker lists 370 grains (±1.0), .003-inch straightness, inserted moon nocks, 3-inch vanes, a .300-inch inside diameter and 9.0 grains per inch
• Hypr-V: the 390-grain bolt with a V-Track nock that ships in most current packages; the listing gives .003-inch straightness
• KillerTech: the listing gives 400 grains and .005-inch straightness
• KillerTech Lighted: 3-packs with lighted nocks, 430 grains per the listing
• DeadStop: a de-cocking bolt the maker sells separately (not in the grid)

Straightness is how far the shaft can bend from true; smaller is straighter. The maker sells Hypr-V nocks separately in white 12-packs.

My one opinion on this page: start with the bolt your crossbow shipped with, and change bolt weight only when you know what it does to your speed. The reason is in the quick math above. The speed rating and the scope's speed setting both assume a bolt weight, and a heavier bolt moves your arrow drop. Wisconsin DNR puts it plainly: use bolts recommended by the manufacturer. The crossbow bolts page covers nock types and lengths across brands, and best crossbow bolts has a ranked list.

Killer Instinct crossbow scopes

Every current maker package comes with a Lumix 4x32 scope. The LOGIX 435 and Vital-X pages call theirs illuminated. Separately, the grid holds three scopes:

• Lumix Speedring 1.5-5x32: a variable scope whose listing gives a speed ring from 270 to 450 fps and an illuminated reticle
• Max View 2-7x36 (MV-36): listing values of 340 to 460 fps, a 30 mm tube, illumination and marks to 150 yards
• Certis: a laser rangefinding scope that the maker says is built by MaxView Optics

The speed ring is the point of the first two. You dial in your crossbow's speed so the aiming marks match the drop of your bolt. Dial it to your measured speed with your hunting bolts, not to the number on the box.

The Certis works differently. The maker says its rangefinder measures to 999 yards, and in crossbow mode it calculates the aiming point and drop out to 100 yards. Its setup asks for your bolt's actual speed from a chronograph and a 20-yard zero. In practice that means one trip to a range with a chronograph before it does anything clever. More on the type is on the crossbow scope page.

Broadheads, cocking aids and arrows

The Killertech 150 is a fixed-blade broadhead: 150 grains, 1.75-inch cutting diameter and 0.07-inch blades per its listing, which also calls it crossbow-rated. Heavier heads add front weight, and front weight changes how your bolt flies. Shoot it at the range before the season. Fixed and mechanical heads for crossbows are on the crossbow broadheads page.

The Quik-Draw is a rope cocker, sold on its own. The maker's crank handles come in single-hole and three-hole designs, and its narrow sled is listed for the de-cocking models.

The Intense arrows are for vertical bows, not crossbows. The listings give a .244-inch diameter in 400 and 500 spines, with three straightness grades: Intense at .005, Intense MX at .003 and Intense Select at .001. They're fletched with vanes. General arrow background is on the hunting arrows page.

How to choose within the Killer Instinct lineup

Width first

Narrow models (6.75 inches cocked, per the maker) are the ones that clear a blind window and swing in a tree. The wider models are a good fit if you hunt from a shooting house with room to spare. Measure your window before you fall in love with a speed number.

Then the cocking method

There are three ways in, and the grid's cocking column shows which one a package includes:

• Rope or sled cocker: no extra parts, more pull
• Detachable crank: less pull, one more thing to keep track of
• Integrated crank: the TEMPR-X, with the crank built in

Then de-cocking

The DC, XDC and LOGIX models can be let down without a shot, per the maker. The others are unloaded by shooting a bolt into a safe target. Both work. The de-cocking triggerbox just saves the walk to a target at dark. (Uncle Walt says he'd take the walk. Uncle Walt also owns a flashlight that needs a new switch.)

Then weight and length

The maker's pages run from 7.6 to 9 lb. You'll carry it in, hold it up, and lift it into a stand. A pound is a lot of crossbow at the end of a long sit. Compare more models across brands on the crossbow page.

Setup, safety and care

These come from Wisconsin DNR's archery and crossbow safety tips and the maker's pages. No jokes here.

• Check that the safety is on right after cocking.
• Carry, raise and lower the crossbow un-cocked.
• Keep fingers, hands and arms out of the string path while it's cocked.
• Never dry-fire. Archery 360 explains that the energy goes back into the bow and can crack limbs, bend cams or snap the string.
• Use the bolts your crossbow's maker recommends.

Crossbow seasons and broadhead rules vary by state. Check your state wildlife agency.

For care, the maker's packages include rail lube, and the brand sells a barrel and string lube. Lube the rail and string as your manual says, and check the string and cables before each season.

Warranty and who's behind Killer Instinct

The maker's support page lists a 2-year limited warranty for the original owner, if you register the crossbow within 30 days of purchase. Registration needs proof of purchase. Scopes and limb dampeners have one year. Strings, cables and bolts are wear parts and aren't covered, and neither is labor for general maintenance. Modifications void the warranty, and shipping for a claim is on you.

Grandview Outdoors reported in December 2013 that Killer Instinct was a Michigan-based crossbow company whose first model, the Killer Instinct 350, would reach dealers in 2014. The maker's site doesn't give a founding year, a parent company or where the crossbows are built, so I've left those out.

Width, cocking, de-cocking, then the number. Write the bolt weight next to the speed setting on your scope cap, and you'll stop wondering why the 40-yard pin moved.