Killer Instinct is a relatively small company compared to a lot of crossbow manufacturers. They are not that old in the industry either. What they do have is experienced engineers and minds thinking behind their crossbows. It didn’t take for hunters to appreciate what Killer Instinct was doing. They were bringing a variety on the stale budget state. That we can appreciate highly.
Before we get to know some of the best Killer Instinct crossbows ever made, let’s find out just how Killer Instinct crossbow started and where are they now.
History & Heritage
As I mentioned earlier, Killer Instinct doesn’t have a rich history or reputation. Compared to all the mainstream crossbow manufacturer, Killer Instinct is a mere child. Founded in 2013, Killer Instinct is a Taiwan based crossbow manufacturer. All of their materials are sourced in Taiwan. The crossbows are built in Taiwan as well.
But the mind behind the crossbows resides in the US. In the US, you will find plenty of dealer and vendors that are actively providing warranty and support to Killer Crossbows. If you are worried that you might face issue due to the brand not being an US one, don’t worry about that.
killer Instinct Accessorries
Just like all the other brands, Killer Instinct has their own lineup of tons of accessories. Of course, you can buy accessories from other party as well. But if you are buying their crossbows, why not buy the accessories from them as well? Let’s see what Killer Instinct has to offer.
Bolts: The most required item for a crossbow. Without a bolt, your crossbow is practically useless. You will have a weapon, but not the ammo to fire that weapon. Killer Instinct has a ton of arrows that supports their crossbows and other crossbows as well. Compared to a lot of other brands, their bolts are priced quite competitively as well. If you read some reviews about them, you already know they are pretty good for what you are paying.
Optics: Although, their crossbows do come with sights, still for upgrading the existing sight or purchasing a new one is completely viable option. Sadly, there aren’t many scopes to choose from. You will only find two offerings from Killer Instinct.
Cases are carrying bag for crossbows. They can have a hard shell or a soft shell. Killer Instinct has a lot of crossbow bags for your convenience. They are priced at different price point as well. Take the one that fits your budget and style.
Cocking device also known as cranking device can be of two types. One is simple rope cocking device. There is no mechanism or special add-ons required. But for cranking device, your crossbow needs to support them and you need to purchase them separately. Killer Instinct crossbows has 6 different cranking devices that they made for their crossbows. The rope cockers are universal, but the cranking devices are Killer Instinct exclusive.
Mounting Accessories and Slings: You are going to need mounting accessories to attach quiver, scope, etc. to the crossbow. As for slings, that’s to carry the crossbow like a bag. Quite helpful accessory if you ask me.
Top Best UTVs for Hunting in 2023
1. Killer Instinct Speed 425 Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 425 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 156 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 15 Inches; Draw Weight: 200 LBS; Axle To Axle: 14.375 / 17.75 Inches; Length: 32 – 34.5 Inches; Weight: 7.2 LBS.
Killer Instinct Speed 425 is a budget friendly hunting crossbow. Now that I think about it, all of the Killer Instinct crossbows are budget oriented. Good job on that one, I guess. Moving on, Killer Instinct Speed 425 is a compact and moderately weighted hunting crossbow.
425 FPS. As the name suggests, the crossbow is capable of reaching up to 425 FPS of speed. That’s quite an achievement to say the least.
156ft-lbs of kinetic energy. Now, that’s something to boast about. You don’t see that number every day. It’s definitely one of the most powerful crossbows under $500. Have to admit I am impressed. You will be too. When you take it on hand and fire a couple of shots, you can already feel just how much power this crossbow is holding.
Silent. The crossbow is packed with noise dampeners. That’s a good thing. You don’t need to spend another 50-100$ to silence the crossbow. A lot of hunters will appreciate that.
Quick Facts:
While the speed and raw power of this crossbow is excellent, there is one downside of the crossbow. That is the draw weight. That wont be a problem. would that?
Pros
- Budget friendly.
- Compact.
- 425 FPS.
- 156ft-lbs of kinetic energy.
- Silent.
Cons
- The stock draw weight is quite high.
2. Killer Instinct Ripper 415 Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 415 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 149 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 15 Inches; Draw Weight: 200 LBS; Axle To Axle: 14.25 / 17.75 Inches; Length: 35 – 36.5 Inches; Weight: 6.9 LBS.
Killer Instinct always comes up with good name for their crossbows. If you tell someone you own a crossbow named Ripper, they will automatically assume the crossbow is deadly. The name has a certain aura to it. What about the crossbow? It should be as deadly as a grim reaper, right? After all, you are taking it for hunting.
Don’t worry the crossbow is as deadly as it gets. 415 FPS speed is something to talk about for sure. Killer Instinct reaching the 400 FPS marks like it’s a piece of cake. In reality, it’s quite hard to achieve that speed and maintain a good crossbow at the same time. That’s why most of the crossbows are quite expensive. Props to Killer Crossbows for doing something innovative.
149ft-lbs of kinetic energy. No one will stop you from entering any hunting competition with this crossbow. It got speed and power. What more do you need in a budget crossbow?
A good Warranty? Killer crossbow got you covered there too. If something happens to the crossbow, just take it to your local dealer and Killer will get back to you.
Quick Facts:
The price of this crossbow makes it such an appealing purchase. I don’t know how Killer does it. But this is good for us, customers.
Pros
- Cheap.
- Adjustable stock and grip.
- Cranking device compatible.
- Good scope included.
- Limited lifetime warranty.
- 415 FPS.
- 149ft-lbs of kinetic energy.
Cons
- Draw weight is too high.
3. Killer Instinct Burner 415 Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 415 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 141 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 14.5 Inches; Draw Weight: 220 LBS; Axle To Axle: 14.75 / 18.75 Inches; Length: 34.5 – 37 Inches; Weight: 6.7 LBS.
Killer Instinct Burner 415 is one of the most suggested beginner crossbow packages. It’s a complete package and comes with every thing necessary to get you started. The price of this crossbow is not too high either. Making it viable for newbies and hunters on tight budget.
415 FPS. As the name suggests, the top speed of this crossbow is 415 FPS. It’s great to see so many budget crossbows hitting 400 FPS mark with ease. It opens up the scene for newbies.
Extremely powerful. Even though this crossbow doesn’t look advanced or powerful from the outside, don’t let the look fool you. It can generate up to 141ft-lbs of kinetic energy. For deer hunting, that’s more than what you need. You can even participate in big game hunting with this crossbow.
Silent. The crossbow comes with one string stopper on each side. The string stoppers reduces the vibration of the crossbow and makes it more silent. You don’t need to purchase a separate kit to make the crossbow silent. Killer Instinct got you covered on that aspect.
Quick Facts:
It’s a complete package of crossbow that also includes a good crossbow scope. Easily, the best 415FPS crossbow under $400.
Pros
- Affordable.
- Lightweight.
- Good scope included.
- Silent.
- 415 FPS.
- 141ft-lbs of kinetic energy.
Cons
- Draw weight is too high.
4. Killer Instinct Boss 405 Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 405 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 134 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 13.25 Inches; Draw Weight: 220 LBS; Axle To Axle: 14.75 / 18.75 Inches; Length: 33.5 – 36 Inches; Weight: 6.7 LBS.
Earlier I said Killer Crossbows always nails the name of their crossbow. Look at this. Their naming game is one of the best on the market for sure. The PR management definitely knows what’s up.
405 FPS. Crossbows most of the time spoils the speed on their name. It’s more like attracting customers from the name. Can’t blame them for that. 405 FPS is quite good for a crossbow. Any sort of hunting is possible with this crossbow. That’s a huge plus for newbie hunters.
Adjustable buttstock. The AR style buttstock on this crossbow is adjustable. You can adjust it up to 6 levels. No matter what height you are you will have one setting that is working great for you.
134ft-lbs of kinetic energy. At first glance, you will never think this crossbow is capable of generating this much power. That’s the fun part. It can generate up to that much of power quite easily. You don’t need to do anything special for that either. The stock arrows are more than capable of generating this feat.
Quick Facts:
Like all the other Killer Instinct crossbows, Boss is priced quite attractively. It’s almost like Killer is a competition of itself.
Pros
- Affordable.
- 405 FPS.
- 134ft-lbs of kinetic energy.
- Adjustable buttstock.
- Aluminum barrel.
- Cranking device compatible.
- Silent.
Cons
- Without cranking device, the draw weight is quite high.
5. Killer Instinct Lethal 405 Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 405 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 134 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 14.5 Inches; Draw Weight: 210 LBS; Axle To Axle: 14.75 / 18.75 Inches; Length: 34.5 Inches; Weight: 7.2 LBS.
Boss, Hero, Ripper, and now Lethal. You have to admit these are some cool names for crossbows. Name admiration aside, Killer crossbow Lethal 405 is not lethal at your pocket. It’s a budget crossbow for both beginner and veterans. The crossbow comes as a bundle and hunting ready package.
Speed. The speed of this crossbow is 405 FPS. Killer Instinct got a lot of crossbows that can reach this speed. If you are thinking you will determine the best killer instinct crossbow by the speed of one, you couldn’t be more wrong. With this much of speed, you can do anything you want. And I mean anything. As long as that’s legal that is.
134ft-lbs of kinetic energy. While crossbows will kill to generate this much of power, Killer does it without any hesitation. It shows just how much they care for the hunting community. You can see why their crossbows sells so much.
X-lock Foregrip. This unique foregrip is adjustable to some degrees. While it’s not as adjustable as a 6-level buttstock, you can still adjust the foregrip to your liking. Something is better than nothing.
Lightweight and compact. Who doesn’t love some lightweight crossbows? They are easy to carry around and quite fun to shoot as well. Thankfully, Lethal is both lightweight and compact.
String Stoppers. Killer Instinct is one of the few brands that provides free string stoppers and noise suppressor with their crossbow in the budget segment. Usually, we see this features on much more expensive bows. It’s good to see people still care about us budget folks.
Quick Facts:
Like every single other Killer Instinct crossbows I mentioned so far, this one is also insane value for the money. You see my point yet? It’s super hard to declare one crossbow from another.
Pros
- Affordable.
- Lightweight and durable frame.
- 405 FPS.
- 134ft-lbs of kinetic energy.
- Adjustable foregrip.
- Decent scope included.
Cons
- Stock draw weight is quite high.
- Not compatible with cranking device.
6. Killer Instinct Hero 380 Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 380 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 118 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 13.5 Inches; Draw Weight: 185 LBS; Axle To Axle: 15.75 / 19 Inches; Length: 32.5 – 34 Inches; Weight: 5.8 LBS.
Bold move Killer Crossbows bold move. Calling your crossbow a hero is not a small statement. Does it live up to that statement? That’s what we are here to find out.
380 FPS. Unlike the other Killer crossbows, the Hero can’t reach the 400 FPS mark. That doesn’t mean it goes without a fight. It still can fire up to 380 FPS. That’s more than enough for everyday hunting. You can do tactical and competition shooting with the bow as well.
Adjustable buttstock and foregrip. Most of the time a crossbow has either adjustable buttstock or an adjustable foregrip. But for some reason Killer Instinct crossbows has both of them. You won’t see me complain about that. These features makes the crossbow much more versatile. You can easily adjust this crossbow for different height users.
Lightweight. We tend to neglect the weight of a crossbow while looking for power and speed. A lightweight crossbow can be more fun to use in the long run. Do keep in mind if you prefer a lightweight crossbow.
Quick Facts:
While it may not be the fastest Killer Instinct crossbow, it’s still one of the crossbows Killer Instinct made so far.
Pros
- Lightweight.
- 380 FPS.
- Compact.
- Easy to load arrows and fire.
- Relatively silent.
Cons
- The scope is quite bad.
7. Killer Instinct Rush 380 Crossbow Package
Specifications | Speed: 380 FPS; Kinetic Energy: 118 ft.lbs; Power Stroke: 13.5 Inches; Draw Weight: 200 LBS; Axle To Axle: 14.75 / 18.75 Inches; Length: 33.5 – 36 Inches; Weight: 6.7 LBS.
The final crossbow we have here is the Killer Instinct Rush 380. I hope you are not trying to rush through the reviews. If you do, you might miss some important points. Corny jokes aside, Rush is an affordable medium-range crossbow by Killer Instinct.
Like many other crossbows in this price-range, Rush is capable of generating up to 380 FPS of speed. That’s quite impressive number to achieve. While I get your point about this not being 400 FPS, a lot of you guys probably won’t even need this much speed. For a beginner, I will say 380 FPS is more than necessary. It was not even possible to find a crossbow this fast for this much money 10 years ago.
118ft-lbs of kinetic energy. Statistically, this is the least powerful crossbow from Killer Instinct on our list today. Does that make it a bad crossbow? Of course, not. 118ft-lbs is still more than what non-branded crossbows offer you in this price-range.
Adjustable buttstock. The stock of this crossbow is fully adjustable. You can adjust it to a height that complements your gripping style.
Complete package. Comes with everything that is required for hunting. You just need to read the manual and setup the crossbow. Boom! You are done. The crossbow is good to hunt.
Quick Facts:
Definitely a good starter crossbow. Might not be the best if you are coming from a higher speed, but for beginner hunters, that’s more than enough.
Pros
- Affordable.
- Lightweight and durable.
- 380 FPS.
- 118ft-lbs of kinetic energy.
- Complete hunting package.
Cons
- The included scope could have been a little better.
Frequently ASK Questions
Are Killer Instinct Crossbows Any Good?
Yes, they are plenty good. Just because they are not made in the USA, that doesn’t make them bad crossbows. I get the sentiment to support local vendors and be proud of them. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t respect foreign brands. Killer Instinct makes good crossbows. That’s why they sell well. You will find plenty of Killer Instinct crossbow users in your local hunting community. Give them a chance and I am sure they won’t disappoint you.
How To Shoot A Killer Instinct Crossbow?
You don’t need to do anything special. Just like a regular crossbow, there is a latch where the bow string stays and a trigger to release the latch. You need to cock the crossbow and hold your finger on the trigger. Aim at your target and pull. It’s that simple.
Where Is The Serial Number On A Killer Instinct Crossbow?
A lot of crossbows tend to keep the serial number on the top of the AR-15 trigger or somewhere near that. But killer Instinct being the different kid in the class, they put the serial number in a unique place. It’s placed inside of the crossbow’s top limbs. That’s a good way to hide the serial number and keep it secret till necessary.
How To Cock A Killer Instinct Crossbow?
If you are a newbie, then you might find cocking a crossbow quite hard. Specially, if you are trying to cock a crossbow without any kinds of cranking aid. You need to follow the standard procedure. Use a rope cocking device to pull the string to the latch, lock the latch and then load the bolt on to the rail and push it towards the latch. Make sure there is no gap between the latch and the bolt.
How To Uncock A Killer Instinct Crossbow?
Killer Instinct crossbows are most of the time enforced with anti-dry fire safety mechanism. It’s quite easy to just remove the bolt and release the latch.
Instead of dry firing the crossbow, if you release the lock on the latch, the string will release on a slower speed and with low kinetic energy. This way, there won’t be any strain on the string either. Or you can use the rope cocking device to pull it out of the latch and slowly release the string.
How To Sight In A Killer Instinct Crossbow?
Killer Instinct scopes are most of the time sighted in from factory. They do it to make it more convenient for newbie hunters. You can just plug in the scope and start shooting. Make sure to sight in the crossbow at 20 yards. This will help the crossbow to be more accurate at long-range. Crossbows aren’t known for their range. That’s why, you shouldn’t aim to sight at 50 yards or more.
Keep some backup arrows while sighting. Keep adjusting the windage and elevation till you get the accurate reading. Remember, patience is the key.
How To Pull Back A Killer Instinct Crossbow?
Pulling back a crossbow is quite similar to cocking a crossbow with rope cocking device. In this method, you put your dominant feet in the foot stirrup, use the rope cocker to wrap around the bow string and pull it towards you with full strength. It will release any wrinkles from the bow string and make it smoother.
Best Killer Instinct Crossbow Reviews Summary
Killer Instinct is fairly new to the crossbow scene. But within this small active period, they have provided tons of killer crossbows for hunters. All of them are quite good and well respected by the users. But we can’t call all crossbows “the best”. That would tarnish the reputation of other crossbows.
We truly believe these are the first choices that you should go for. Sure, there are more killer instinct crossbows available for purchase, but these outstands those in my humble opinion.