Barnett Crank Cocking Devices

The usual argument for a crank is effort. The better argument is consistency.

If the string is drawn even slightly off-centre, it seats marginally differently in the latch, and the bolt leaves with marginally different energy on each side. At 20 yards you will not see it. At 40 it shows up as vertical spread that no amount of scope adjustment fixes, because the problem is not where the bow points - it is what the bow does at release.

This is why cocking a 150 to 200 pound crossbow by hand is a bad idea even for people strong enough to manage it. It is not the weight, it is that no two hand pulls are the same. A rope cocker halves the felt weight and pulls both sides together. A crank does the same and removes strength from the equation entirely.

Before buying anything, check whether your crossbow already has a crank. Barnett ships several packages with a crank cocking device fitted, including the XP400 Midnight Edition with CCD, the Recruit XP with CCD, the XP370 with CCD and the Stalker 410 with CCD. The CCD suffix in a Barnett package name means exactly that.

If yours does not have one, the next check is whether the stock has the mounting provision at all. Cranks bolt to the stock, and not every Barnett stock is drilled for one. This is the step people skip, and it is why cranks get returned.

BAR20020 is the Barnett part pattern that aftermarket cranks reference. Barnett sells its own ambidextrous crank cocking device, and a number of third-party makers sell BAR20020-compatible units that mount to the same points.

A practical note on the third-party versions: review counts on them are low and ratings are mixed, which is what you would expect from small-volume aftermarket parts for a specific stock pattern. The Barnett-branded ambidextrous crank has considerably more feedback behind it. On a part that holds a 200 pound draw under tension, that matters more than saving a few dollars.

Barnett also sells a replacement crank handle separately, which is worth knowing because the handle is the part that breaks. A broken handle does not mean a new crank.

A rope cocker is two hooks, a cord and two handles working as a pulley. It roughly halves the felt draw weight and pulls both sides evenly, which is the part that matters for accuracy. For a lot of Barnett owners it is all that is needed.

The case for staying with rope:

• It weighs almost nothing and lives in a pocket
• Nothing to break or jam, and no mounting required
• A fraction of the price
• Noticeably faster than winding a crank

The case for a crank: shoulder or back problems, a draw weight at the top of the range, cocking in a confined treestand where you cannot get the leverage a rope needs, or simply wanting the cocking stroke out of the equation.

Barnett makes a premium rope cocking device of its own, which is the sensible default purchase if your bow did not come with either.

A crank must be wound fully until the string latches, then wound back out. Stopping partway and letting go is how people damage both the crank and themselves. Read the instructions once at home rather than working it out in the dark with cold hands.

De-cocking is the part people forget. A cocked crossbow has to be un-cocked at the end of the day, and on most Barnett models that means shooting a bolt into a safe target - carry a dedicated de-cocking bolt for it. Some cranks support controlled de-cocking by winding backwards; confirm yours does before relying on it.

Never attempt to release a latched string by hand. On a bow in this draw weight range that is one of the genuinely dangerous things you can do.