Barnett Buck Commander Extreme Review (BCX Crossbow)

Model	Draw Weight	Stroke	Velocity	Suggested Arrow Length	Crossbow Length / Weight
Barnett BCXtreme Check price on Amazon.com	185 lbs.	13.375"	365 FPS Crossbow Academy: ballistics, sighting, tuning	20"	35.25" / 7.1 lbs.

Assembling The Crossbow

I thought I might have a lemon from the start, because I simply could not get this crossbow assembled. One of the retaining bolts that hold the prod onto the riser would not go all the way in, so I called Barnett. Apparently, this problem has cropped up before due to short-machining the bolthole, so Barnett had me ship the crossbow to them at their expense. Normally, Barnett’s warranty won’t cover shipping costs, but since the problem came during assembly, they covered it for me.

When I got the crossbow back, everything went together smoothly. Within about 10 minutes, I had the crossbow assembled, the scope mounted, and I was out to sight in the scope and test the accuracy of the bow.

The Crossbow Scope

Barnett bundles the Bcxtreme Crossbow with their illuminated 3 x 32mm multi-reticle scope. This scope is quite nice, and was almost sighted in out of the box. I had to dial in the windage on two shots to adjust for left drift, but after that I had ‘er zeroed and the scope stayed zeroed throughout the season.

The optics on this scope are quite robust, with excellent eye relief and just enough illumination for low-light foggy mornings.

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

Ballistic Data For The Barnett BCXtreme

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.

Accuracy And Power

The Barnett Buck Commander Extreme fires its arrows at a mind-numbing 365 fps, backed by 126 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy. I was able to drive an arrow completely through my target and halfway into my backstop.

Once the sighting was done and I was testing for accuracy, the Bcxtreme truly impressed me. From 40 yards, I was able to maintain 1.5” groupings with the aid of the scope and I consistently hit 3” groupings from 60 yards.

Use our arrow ballistics calculator for more valuable information.

Hunting: What To Expect

With the Barnett Bcxtreme at your side, you should expect utter devastation of any legal game you come across. With 126 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy, this crossbow is more than enough to handle the largest game with ease. In fact, I’m starting to think we need to invent bigger game animals just to keep the challenge up!

At only 7.1 lbs., this crossbow is a delight to carry through the bush. Its compact, aggressive limbs fit snugly across my back and the padded sling I added onto the crossbow holds it in place and out of the way of limbs and branches.

During my first hunting trip with the Bcxtreme, an 18-point came strutting into the clearing near my tree stand. He sniffed at the air for a bit, and I carefully lowered my Bcxtreme crossbow into firing position. This is where the beauty of the Carbon Riser Technology really shines: normally, holding a bead with a crossbow is a little bit of torture if you don’t have a rest, because of the frontal heaviness most crossbows are plagued with. Not so with the Bcxtreme, though, because almost half the weight of the riser has been shifted to the shoulder. I was able to hold position for several minutes while the buck shuffled around, trying to decide if he was going to stay or go. Finally, he dropped his head to eat some clover, and I took the shot. Before I even realized I’d finished pulling the trigger, my arrow was ripping through his shoulder and out the other side. He stumbled a few feet, but couldn’t make it out of the clearing before he fell for his dirt nap.

Cocking The Barnett Bcxtreme

With its 185# draw weight, this is certainly not a trivial crossbow to cock. However, using the included rope-cocking device, the job is much easier to handle. The string draws back smoothly and locks into position reliably, and the safety never failed to engage when I cocked the crossbow.

To make the job even easier, Barnett offers a hand-crank cocking device as an optional accessory. If you find the rope-cocking the crossbow is still too much for you, the hand-crank cocking device can be easily added onto your crossbow. This is especially nice for crossbow hunters who might suffer from shoulder or back problems, since it takes all of the effort out of cocking the crossbow.

Bolts

Barnett includes 3 20” arrows at 400 gr. The arrows I received were Easton, and were very good quality. The only downside is that the package didn’t include any broadheads, but I have enough of those to go around anyways.

Any 20” arrows will work fine with the Bcxtreme, but make sure they are at least 400 grain. I usually shoot 425 grain, and haven’t noticed much in the way of a decrease in velocity.

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

Safety and Design

Barnett’s Carbon Riser Technology removes 43% of the riser weight, shifting most of the crossbow’s weight to the shoulder for more stability and a steadier shot. The safety and anti-dry fire all work reliably, and the crossbow is very well made with a CNC aluminum flight track and CNC machined 7/8” Picatinny rail. The finger reminders and pass-through foregrip work nicely to keep your hand out of the way of the string. Barnett doesn’t advertise the trigger pull, and I didn’t weight it, but it feels like about 3.5 pounds of trigger pull. It’s a very smooth, even pull with excellent breaking.

The Realtree HD paint job on the Bcxtreme is top-of-the-line, and has not faded or chipped in any way since I started using the crossbow.

Warranty

Barnett backs all of their crossbows with a 5-year limited warranty against manufacturer’s defects. Barnett’s customer service representatives are top notch, and covered my shipping costs when I had to send my crossbow to them before I was able to fully assemble it. (Normally, Barnett’s warranty does not cover shipping costs.)

What Crossbow Case Fits the Barnett BCXtreme?

The Carbon Express Deluxe Case is a suitable soft case for the Barnett BCXtreme. The Barnett Case (Model 17083) is a go to soft case choice for Barnett fans. It is slightly cheaper than the Carbon Express case and allows for larger accessories.

Crossbow Review – Summary

Thanks for reading my crossbow review of the Barnett Buck Commander Extreme. Barnett has truly outdone themselves with the Bcxtreme. Save for the occasional manufacturing defect, which all crossbow manufacturers deal with, the crossbow is an exceptional value and an awesome hunting tool. Plus it just looks wicked.
Take a look at today's amazon.com price on this crossbow and check out our top 10 crossbows rankings for more.