Arrow Precision Inferno Hellfire 2 Review

Model	Draw Weight	Stroke	Velocity	Suggested Arrow Length	Crossbow Length / Weight
Inferno Hellfire II Check price on Amazon.com	185 lbs.	11.5"	310 FPS Crossbow Academy: ballistics, sighting, tuning	20"	36.5" / 7.5 lbs.

Arrow Precision Inferno Hellfire 2 Package Contents

Welcome to my Inferno Hellfire II crossbow review. All packages purchased after June 2013 will come with the following items:

• The Hellfire II crossbow (including stock, prod with split Quad Limbs, cams, cables, string and foot stirrup)
• 4x 20″ carbon bolts
• Quick detach bolt quiver
• Padded shoulder sling
• Rope cocking aid
• 4x 32 Multi-Reticle Red/Green illuminated scope
• Anti-dry fire safety mechanism
• Protective goggles
• Small tube of rail lube
• Arrow Precision’s warranty card
• Care and safety manual
• Assembly hardware (bolts, hex keys)

How To Assemble The Inferno Hellfire II Crossbow?

The cams and cables come already installed on the prod, so the whole assembly process is as easy as follows:

• Attach the prod to the stock using the included bolts
• Attach the foot stirrup to the front of the crossbow
• Mount the scope
• Attach the quiver mount

The procedure is exactly the same as with any other compound crossbow on the market. If you’re a beginner who’s never done this before, please don’t worry – the process is really simple and explained in detail with pictures within the included manual. Plus, all installation hardware including keys and bolts are included with the package.

How Powerful And Accurate Is The Hellfire 2?

While the crossbow was not perfectly sighted out of the box, it only took me 6 or so arrows before I got it perfectly zeroed-in.  (Refer to my sighting guide if you’re not sure how to do this.) Once sighted, it remained so throughout the months of shooting I’ve put it through, without the need to adjust windage or elevation on the scope. The construction is very well balanced with an even distribution of weight – many compound crossbows tend to droop forward slightly due to the extra weight of the cams; the Hellfire II does not have this problem and so it’s very easy to aim. The latch releases the string perfectly, with very minimum residual energy and vibration.

The Hellfire II has an advertised speed of 310 feet per second (FPS). While this isn’t as fast as other, more expensive crossbows, it’s still more than enough speed for a recreational hunter’s or target shooter’s needs. You can comfortably hit targets from 50+ yards away if you’ve got the eye for it and still have the bolt penetrate very deeply.

Is Arrow Precision Hellfire II Good For Hunting?

While I did not purchase the Inferno for hunting purposes, I’m sure it would be perfect for the job. It’s not particularly small nor light-weight, but it’s compact enough to make it easily maneuverable in a hunting blind or tree-stand. According to my calculations, this crossbow can deliver enough kinetic energy to take down a deer or elk, even when shooting from as far as 40-50 yards away (though I don’t recommend placing shots from this far away, try to stick to below 30 yards whenever possible). I’ve hunted in the past with crossbows that had even less than 300 FPS shooting speed and did great, achieving full penetration and having the deer run no more than 100 yards before collapsing.

If you want to go after larger game such as cape buffalo or ox, you’ll probably want a more powerful weapon. See our list of the best hunting crossbows for some recommendations and reviews.

Use our arrow ballistics calculator for more valuable information.

Ballistic Data For The Arrow Precision Inferno Hellfire 2

Your actual results will vary slightly depending on weather, and significantly with arrow weight change. See our Crossbow Ballistics Guides section for a complete understanding of how we conducted our tests and why this data matters.

How Loud Is The Inferno Hellfire 2 Crossbow?

As mentioned earlier, the design of the Inferno Hellfire II is balanced, and both trigger and latch action is very smooth and dependable. There’s very little residual energy involved, so most of the energy stored within the limbs is transferred directly to the arrow. Plus, this x-bow has split limbs (with an empty “space” in the center), which reduces vibration as well. As a result, there’s hardly any noise or aftershock involved. In fact, when shooting this x-bow it can be deceptively quiet, leading you to believe that it’s not powerful at all (which is obviously far from the truth). Highly recommended for anyone who values a noiseless performance.

Cocking The Inferno Hellfire II

Arrow Precision did us a favor and include a rope cocking aid with the package. You can use this to reduce the force required to draw the crossbow in half; so rather than having to pull 185 lbs of weight, you’d be pulling around 93 lbs. Make sure when cocking the Hellfire II (or any other crossbow for that matter) that you place the rope hooks evenly on both sides of the string and as close to the stock as possible. This is important to make sure the crossbow is evenly drawn, otherwise it will not shoot as accurately nor as fast as it can.

How Good Is The Scope That Comes With The Package?

The scope is so-so. It’s a multi-reticle scope with the top reticle bieng sighted for 20 yards, and each next reticle being then automatically sighted for 10 more yards. (So 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards). The reticles can be illuminated either green or red, making them easier to see in poorly-lit conditions. The brightness of the illumination is acceptable, though I feel the green color could have been slightly softer.

What I didn’t particularly like about this scope is the rather narrow field of view. I like to see a lot around my target when aiming, which was a problem for me with the scope included with the package. Optics are fine and gather light well, though it can get a little difficult to see your target in certain weather conditions.

Overall, the scope is decent and for the price you’ll pay for the Hellfire 2 package, it will get the job done for a beginner. After a few months of shooting though and once you gain more experience, you’ll probably want to switch the scope for something better.

See our detailed guide on how to sight-in your crossbow

What Arrows/Bolts To Use With The Arrow Precision Inferno Hellfire 2?

Any 20″ crossbow bolts will work great, though carbon bolts are recommended by the manufacturer. Arrow Precision has their own line of bolts (amazon.com link), which are usually sold in packs of six pcs. Using slightly longer bolts is fine, though you definitely shouldn’t use shorter ones. As far as broad-heads go, expandable ones are my favorite pick. You can learn more about broadheads if you want. Also, make sure you’re arrows have a half-moon nock, as per Arrow Precision’s recommendations.

You can also learn more about crossbow arrows and take a look at our broadhead recommendations

Design And Safety

Anti dry-fire mechanism is included, which makes it impossible to pull the trigger unless an arrow is seated and latched properly. The safety is ambidextrous too, which is standard for the majority of modern crossbows.

The CNC machined aluminum rail is very smooth, allowing for the bolt to slide in and out with pretty much zero friction. The quality design of the rail definitely contributes towards the accuracy and well-balanced feel of the Hellfire II.

Compression Fiberglass Quad Limbs look really great and, due to their split design, are very unlikely to ever break. They also face slightly less resistance when accelerating forward, which gives your bolts an ever so slightly faster bolt speeds.

Very comfortable, padded grip makes it a pleasure to aim and shoot. Trigger action is also fantastic with around 3 lbs. of  squeeze.

Looking at some pictures of this x-bow you might think it’s painted pink or purple. In reality, the color is closer to camo/brown than anything else. The whole thing looks great.

Arrow Precision’s Crossbow Warranty

The Inferno Hellfire II comes with a 1 year limited warranty from Arrow Precision. Items not covered by the warranty include:

• Cables
• String

Remember that dry firing the crossbow, whether accidentally or intentionally, will immediately void your warranty.

What Crossbow Case Fits the Inferno Hellfire II?

The Barnett Case (Model 17083) is an excellent soft case choice for the Inferno Hellfire for under $60. It also provides plenty of space for quivers and scopes. An alternative to this is the Carbon Express Deluxe Case which is priced at under $70.

Arrow Precision Inferno Hellfire 2 Crossbow Review – Summary

I hope this review was helpful. The versatility of this crossbow makes it great for both beginners and advanced shooters; both hunters and target practice enthusiasts. It’s an all-around well-designed weapon for a very affordable price, and as long as you’re not planning to hunt the largest game with it (ox, grizzly, etc.), there’s really nothing about it that could disappoint – except for maybe the scope, which is decent but far from perfect. Take a look at today's amazon.com price on this crossbow and check out our top 10 crossbows rankings for more.