Barnett Ghost Crossbow

The Ghost was Barnett's carbon-riser flagship for several model years, sold in a run of speed-badged variants. The four that owners ask about most:

The series also included a Ghost 420 at the top of the line. The number in each badge is the rated speed, and draw weight climbs with it - the 350 and 360 are the lighter-draw bows, the 400 and 410 the full 185 lb hunting machines.

The CRT in the name is Barnett's Carbonlite Riser Technology, the feature the whole series was built around. Replacing an aluminum riser with a carbon one cuts weight and, more importantly, shifts the balance point back from the riser toward the shooter's shoulder. The practical effect is a bow that feels lighter in the hands than its listed weight suggests and comes onto target faster - the reason the Ghost 410 won award coverage when it launched.

That carbon riser is also one of the model-specific structural parts to inspect on a used Ghost. It does not wear in normal use, but a cracked or delaminated riser is not something you repair or replace aftermarket.

Every Ghost in this series takes standard-diameter Headhunter bolts, and the packages shipped with 22-inch arrows. There is no Hyper in the name, so the narrow Hyperflite shaft does not apply - that bolt is for the Hyper series only.

This is where the names catch people out. Barnett later made a Hyper Ghost, and that one is a different bow on the narrow Hyperflite bolt. A plain Ghost 350, 360, 400 or 410 is standard Headhunter; a Hyper Ghost is not. The word Hyper decides it, and getting it wrong means a bolt that will not seat against the string. The full fit list is on the fit by model page.

String length is not shared across the series, so order by the specific model. The figures aftermarket makers cut to:

• Ghost 350 CRT: 34-inch string
• Ghost 360 CRT: 40.313-inch string
• Ghost 400 CRT: 40.875-inch string

Quote the figure for your exact Ghost when ordering a replacement string and cable set, because a set cut for the wrong model will not time correctly. If you are unsure which Ghost you have, the number on the limb pocket or the original manual is the reliable source - the full per-model list sits on the fit by model page.

The Ghost series is discontinued, so a new one means the used market. Check the structural parts first the way you would on any older Barnett: limbs, cams, carbon riser, rail and trigger group are model-specific and are not made aftermarket, so a crack or delamination in any of them ends the bow. Every wear item - string and cable set, bolts, rail wax - is still available, so a Ghost with sound limbs and riser has years of hunting left in it.

Before the first hunt, re-zero the scope at 20 yards - the sighting-in guide covers the order that avoids wasting arrows. Most Ghost packages shipped with a cocking aid, but if you buy one secondhand without one, a rope cocker or a crank cocking device handles the 165 to 185 lb draw. For where the Ghost sits among the other discontinued Barnetts, see the model overview.