CenterPoint Gladiator Whisper 405 Review – Compound Crossbow

Model	Draw Weight	Stroke	Velocity	Suggested Arrow Length	Crossbow Length / Weight
CenterPoint Gladiator Whisper 405 Check price on Amazon.com	200 lbs.	15"	405 FPS Crossbow Academy: ballistics, sighting, tuning	20"	35 - 37.5" / 7.9 lbs.

Thanks for stopping by to read my review of the CenterPoint Gladiator Whisper 405 crossbow. CenterPoint is owned by Crosman, and in recent years has really made a name for itself. CenterPoint x-bows are economical, but usually good quality. Let’s take a look at the Gladiator Whisper 405 and see if it meets that reputation.

What Comes With This Crossbow?

When you unpackage your Gladiator Whisper, here’s what you’ll find:

• The CenterPoint Gladiator Whisper 405 crossbow itself
• 4x32mm red dot scope
• Three-arrow quiver
• Three 20-inch 390-grain carbon arrows with field tips
• Rope cocking device
• Sling

How Difficult Is It to Assemble the Gladiator?

Assembly is pretty standard; attach the foot stirrup, connect the riser to the stock, and then mount the scope and quiver. You will have to assemble the AR-style stock, but the silencing system is preinstalled. It took me less than half an hour to have my x-bow ready to sight in.

Is the Scope Easy to Sight In?

This x-bow comes with CenterPoint’s 4x32mm illuminated scope. One drawback to this x-bow scope is that it doesn’t have a speed dial, so you may have to take a bit more time than usual sighting it in. I’ve used this scope before, and once it’s sighted in, it remains zeroed almost indefinitely.

How Powerful and Accurate Is the Gladiator Whisper 405?

The Gladiator Whisper flings arrows downrange at speeds of up to 405 FPS, and will generate around 142 foot-pounds of kinetic energy behind a 390-grain arrow. That’s one of the most powerful punches I’ve seen in a crossbow, but I shouldn’t be surprised, given the 200# draw weight. At any rate, this beast packs almost twice the punch necessary to tackle the toughest, largest game legal for hunting in North America.

Accuracy is pretty decent, but could be better. The scope’s parallax is set at 30 yards, which means shots beyond that range are particularly challenging. I can easily maintain one-inch groupings from 25 yards, but my 50-yard patterns creep near the three-inch mark. I’m used to two-inch patterns at that range, so it’s slightly disappointing. This x-bow is great for up-close shooting, but I’d be nervous using it beyond 30 yards.

Use our arrow ballistics calculator for more valuable information.

Ballistic Data For The CenterPoint Gladiator Whisper 405

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.

Is This Crossbow Good for Hunting?

The Gladiator Whisper 405 features a tactical AR-style stock allowing you to adjust the total length of the x-bow from 35 to 37.5 inches. It’s very narrow when cocked, measuring just 13.5 inches axle-to-axle. Come to think of it, the Gladiator Whisper isn’t that wide even uncocked, with a total ATA width of 17.5 inches. It’s also very quiet, having much less vibration and noise than most of the competition, especially at this price point.

However, that’s where the fun stops – this beast is a bit heavy, at 7.9 pounds without any extras attached. Mount your scope and quiver with arrows, and it’ll tip the scale at more than ten pounds. It does include a sling, which is a nice accessory to have, but you’ll still notice the weight of the x-bow when you’re trekking to your hunting spot or stalking your prey.

How Difficult Is the X-bow to Cock?

With its 200-pound draw weight, this isn’t an easy x-bow to cock by hand. Then again, I never recommend drawing a crossbow’s string with your bare hands. It comes with a rope cocking device, and my advice is to use it. Not only does the rope cocker reduce the overall draw weight by more than 50 percent, it also ensures you get an even, consistent pull. This is crucial for accuracy and safety.

What’s the Quality of the Included Scope?

I wish I had more nice things to say about the included scope, but the only good thing about it is the illumination and brightness settings. Those are perfect, but that’s where the good ends. With parallax set at 30 yards, you will struggle to use this scope for long-distance shots. It only offers aiming points to 50 yards, in an era when x-bow scopes are stretching out to 100 yards.

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

What Kind of Arrows Do I Need?

The Gladiator Whisper 405 includes three 20-inch carbon arrows with field tips, weighing 390-grain. That’s a bit of an odd weight, but you can obviously move up to the more standard 400-grain without any problems or noticable effects on accuracy, speed, or KE. The included arrows are okay, but might not last very long. I had one shatter on impact during my second salvo. If you want to be on the safe side, you can go ahead and order different arrows for your crossbow ahead of time. Just make sure you purchase 20-inch with field tips.

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

How’s the Safety and Design?

The foregrip is overmolded to help keep your fingers clear of the string, but CenterPoint hasn’t taken any special steps to ensure your safety other than that. The anti dry-fire mechanism works perfectly, as does the safety. The trigger pull has a bit of creep and clunk to it, unfortunately.

What Kind of Warranty Backs This Crossbow?

CenterPoint offers a limited lifetime warranty on all of its crossbows, including the Gladiator Whisper 405. The warranty only applies to the original owner, as is the standard.

CenterPoint Gladiator Whisper 405 Crossbow Review – Summary

Thanks for reading my review of the CenterPoint Gladiator Whisper 405 crossbow. This is a decent budget crossbow hampered by a sub-par scope. It’s also a bit on the heavy side. If you can get past those factors, it’s a great hunting crossbow – especially if you pair it with a better scope.

Make sure to check today’s Amazon.com price on the CenterPoint Gladiator Whisper 405 if you’re interested.