I'll go ahead and say this right up front. If you want everything in a crossbow, and I mean everything, then look no further than the new Razr Ice from Barnett.
(mic drop)
Now, if you're still sticking around to read why this may be the last crossbow you every buy we'll get right to it. But first a quick editorial note: I am not a high-tech crossbow reviewer, so if you're going to be looking for ratios and comparisons and meteorological data, you'll need to do some more searching. But if you're a weekend crossbow warrior like myself, then here's what you need to know.
I don't know a ton about crossbows, but I do know the Razr Ice has just about anything a hunter could want right out of the box.
The Profile
The one thing that's noticeable about the Barnett Razr Ice is its size and shape. Coming in at 18.5 inches wide uncompressed and 35.5-inches long, the Razr Ice is a pretty compact bow that doesn't sacrifice length of pull for full sized shooters. Like any standard crossbow, the Razr Ice is front heavy, but its carbon fiber riser brings it to a tolerable off-hand shooting weight.
Coated in Mossy Oak Treestand camouflage and sporting a short Picatinny rail under the forend and on the scope mount, the Razr Ice cuts a sleek, hunting-specific line and is easy to maneuver inside a ground blind, pull up into a climbing stand and swing to shoot.
The Barnett Razr Ice features a riser that's 43% lighter than its competitors and uses Barnett's patented Carbon Riser Technology.
The Performance
Here's what we've got from the official spec sheet. The Razr Ice shoots at a fast (but not record-breaking) 380 feet per second, well within tolerances for most U.S. big game, based on a 14 3/8 power stroke. The 22-inch bolts arrive on their target with 128 foot-pounds of energy and the crossbow carries a draw weight of 185 pounds.
The Razr Ice package comes with a 1.5-5 x 32mm illuminated scope (with both red and green reticles) that helps the shooter easily deliver 50 yard groups with "minute of dead deer" accuracy.
The Barnett Razr Ice includes a 1.5-5x32 push button illuminated scope that dials in for the bow's specific speed.
The crossbow also comes with three, 22-inch Headhunter arrows and a rope cocking device. The Razr Ice is engineered to accommodate Barnett's Crank Cocking device for shooters who want an easier loading option. The Razr Ice also allows shooters to tailor the rail to the bolts they prefer to shoot, with interchangeable rails available for different diameter arrows.
The Widgets
What sets the Razr Ice apart from some other crossbows is that Barnett clearly answered the wish list of many hunters out there and used the bow's available real estate to include some handy features that raise the bar. First off, the Razr Ice has an integrated side quiver for three arrows — two on one side, one on the other — that folds into the stock when not in use.
An innovative integrated quiver on the Razr Ice folds into the crossbow stock when not in use.
That's a handy feature that saves a lot of weight and bulk for tree stand hunters.
The Razr Ice also has an adjustable buttstock for additional length of pull and an integrated aluminum arm brace that folds out for steadier offhand shots (and trust me, it works awesome).
And as if that wasn't enough, the Razr Ice has a skinning knife and broadhead wrench stowed in the stock below the crossbow's cheek rest. Heck, there might be more cool whistles and bells on this thing that I haven't even found yet.
Look, at $1,300 MSRP for the Razr Ice, we'll call it the Toyota Land Cruiser of crossbows. But like the legendary go-anywhere vehicle, the Barnett Razr Ice is probably the last crossbow you'll buy for a long time.
With all that said you might wonder whether the crossbow kills deer? Yep.
