Until now! As we got one of the first Barnett
Phantom Jr. to reach the European Union, we went
out for a shooting session together: instant
success!
Let’s proceed with some order. As you may be
aware Barnett Outdoors has to line of products:
one is the traditional crossbow line ( we tested
a few models already) and then there is the
youth archery line aimed at youngsters to
introduce them to the sport. This latter is
comprised of vertical bows and one crossbow :
the Phantom Jr.
This product line is also found in department
stores such as Wal Mart.
Let me spend a word of caution here: these
products although look like toys to experienced
archers, are in fact serious tools and should be
handled with care, as you will see in the
performance section, the Phantom Jr. crossbow is
capable of some respectable arrow speeds so
handle this with care and supervise the
youngsters who use it.
Packaging
The Phantom Jr. crossbow is sold in its
transparent package that contains:
Phantom Jr. crossbow frame equipped with red
dot sight
- Set of camo stickers
- Recurve bow (to be assembled)
- String
- String replacement false string
- Set of 3 16” aluminum arrows
- Set of 3 Field points (75 grains)
As you see the package included everything
for getting you started, add a good target and
you are ready to go.
Assembly
The Phantom jr. does require some assembly.
Booth the foot stirrup and bow must be
positioned and fixed in place but it is really a
matter of setting a screw, necessary wrenches
are shipped with the kit add a marking on the
bow identifies correct mounting position. The
red dot optic is already in place
therefore it only need some adjustment of point
of impact.
Stringing the bow is quite easy as a steel,
looped false string is provided. Mount this onto
the bow and cock the crossbow (at 60 pounds peak
draw weight it is easy) . The safety is
automatically engaged and you can now safely
string your crossbow.
An optional, though recommended, step is to
apply the camo stickers. Beside the crossbow
looking better it represent a way to introduce
your youngsters into their new crossbow, as
everyone’s loves stickers this should be easy
for you.
Note the bow is mounted inserting it into a
slot in the crossbow frame, it is held in
position by a metal plate with a set screw
pressing onto this. A piece of rubber (provided)
is inserted between the bow and the metal plate.
We found however that during use the bow tends
to slip because of vibration. The reaction would
be to tighten the set screw a little more. We
used a piece of rubber between the bow and the
frame, it works better cutting vibrations even
further and preventing the bow from scratching
