Barnett Ghost 360 Review – Compound Crossbow

Model	Draw Weight	Stroke	Velocity	Suggested Arrow Length	Crossbow Length / Weight
Barnett Ghost 360 Check price on Amazon.com	165 lbs.	14"	360 FPS Crossbow Academy: ballistics, sighting, tuning	20"	36" / 7 lbs.

What Comes With This Crossbow?

Welcome to our review of the Barnett Ghost 360. Each package delivered by Barnett includes the following items:

• The Barnett Ghost 360 crossbow
• 3×32 illuminated scope
• Assembly hardware and tools
• 3-arrow quiver
• 3 20” Headhunter arrows
• Rope cocking device
• Owner’s manual
• Warranty card

Putting it Together

Once you unpack your crossbow and make sure all of the parts are in the box, it’s time for the fun: putting your new tool/toy together! Of course, the real fun is in the shooting, and Barnett makes assembly easy, so you can get to the fun in a hurry.

To assemble this crossbow, you just have to install the cable slide and then mount the riser onto the stock. Once that’s done, you just have to mount the scope and quiver and you’re ready to hit the archery range. From unboxing to shooting took me less than 15 minutes.

Accuracy And Power

The Ghost 360 shoots arrows up to 360 fps, with almost 115 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy. This will blast your arrows vane-deep into most target blocks, and will usually knock the target block over in the process. Make sure you’ve got your target block propped up against something solid to make your shooting less tedious.

Sighting in this xbow was a bit trickier than I’m accustomed to, because the scope mount is extremely finicky. You almost need to use a level to make sure everything is set up right, which is highly unusual with your standard “screw it onto a Picatinny rail” scope and ring setup. Once I had double-checked everything, though, I was able to get the scope sighted in and ready to test the accuracy of the x-bow.

From 25 yards, I could maintain groupings so tight that my arrows were all touching each other. From 30 yards, I had a pattern just about a quarter of an inch in diameter, and 40 yards yielded the same pattern, just a tad bit larger. Beyond 40 yards, though, I could only stick to a 1” pattern, because the scope does not provide a reticle or other aiming point stable enough for longer ranges.

Use our arrow ballistics calculator for more valuable information.

Ballistic Data For The Barnett Ghost 360

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.

Will Hunters Enjoy the Ghost 360?

Barnett has done everything possible to make this bow lightweight and compact for hunting use. The shoot-through riser cuts down on the width of the crossbow, making it ideal for either tree stand hunting or hunting from a ground blind. The foot stirrup is integrated into the riser, so the length of the crossbow is shortened, allowing for easier carry and swing to come to bear on your target. Finally, the carbon riser technology makes this crossbow almost perfectly balanced, with very little frontal heaviness to worry about.

This crossbow is new for 2014, so I haven’t had it out in the field much, but I did have the chance to take it with me deer hunting a couple of times. The crossbow is light on your back, but I recommend adding a sling for easier carry. I found it easy to navigate through the brush without the x-bow snagging on brush or limbs, so I was quickly at my ground blind and waiting for the deer to come to me.

Sure enough, a 10-point buck came wandering down the trail I’d set up my ground blind near. When he was within 25 yards of my position, I took careful aim and let loose an arrow at his right forequarter. The arrow passed completely through his body from right to left, and he stumbled about 10 yards before falling to the ground.

Cocking The Crossbow

The Ghost 360 has a 165# draw weight, which is made even easier with the included rope cocking device. Some might say that 165# is so light you can draw it by hand, but I never recommend this—using a rope cocking device ensures that your string is drawn evenly and consistently, which is crucial to maintaining top accuracy with your crossbow.

The draw is smooth and the action of the cams lets off the weight at just the right time. The safety and anti-dry fire mechanism engage reliably for each and every shot, keeping you safe at the range and in the field.

The Crossbow Scope

Barnett ships this x-bow with their “Premium Illuminated Scope.” This is a nice scope for an included accessory, but the mounting rings and rail are a bit finicky. Once I had everything lined up right, the scope sighted in easily and quickly, and has held zero ever since I sighted it in. The illuminated reticle can switch between red and green, and the scope has 5 illumination levels to choose from. If you don’t need illumination, there are also glass-etched reticles for good light conditions.

My only real beef with this scope is that the reticles don’t allow for any type of reliable, accurate shooting beyond 40 yards. The scope only features 3X magnification, and the reticles don’t give a stable shooting spot to pick if you want to go beyond 40 yards.

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

Bolts

The Ghost 360 comes with 3 20” Headhunter arrows, weighted to 400 grain. I don’t see anything wrong with these arrows, since they shot straight and accurate during all of my testing of the crossbow. They are pretty durable, too, still looking relatively new after several shots where the arrows scraped each other going into the target block. If you want third-party arrows, stick with 400 grain arrows 20” long, and you’ll be in good shape.

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

Safety and Design

The design of the Ghost 360 rivals more expensive crossbows. The Carbon Riser Technology is an advanced technology that makes the crossbow much lighter overall and especially in the front, reducing the frontal heaviness most crossbows have. The anti-dry fire mechanism and safety work flawlessly each and every shot, and the trigger pull is light and smooth, with a consistent break point.

Warranty

Barnett covers this crossbow with their standard 5-year limited warranty. The customer service folks at Barnett are friendly and helpful, and will often go out of their way to make sure any problems you have are solved to your full satisfaction.

What Crossbow Case Fits the Barnett Ghost 360?

At the top of the price spectrum is the SKB Hunter Series Crossbow Case. It is a hard travel-case around $300 and features adjustable straps to secure the Ghost 360. A pretty affordably priced soft case option is the Tarantula Deluxe Crossbow Case at $69.

Crossbow Review – Summary

Thanks for reading our crossbow review. The Barnett Ghost 360 is an excellent choice for target shooting and hunting, with many of the features and technologies that you’d find on more expensive crossbows. Once you get past the finicky scope mount, it is reliable and accurate, and easy to use.
Take a look at today's amazon.com price on this crossbow and check out our top 10 crossbows rankings for more.