Killer Instinct Ripper 415 Review

Although it’s been out for a couple of years, not many new hunters may not have heard of the Killer Instinct Ripper 415.

This crossbow offers lots of features for new and seasoned bowhunters, so here, we want to take a deeper look at what the Killer Instinct 415 crossbow offers.

By the end of the review, if you are after your first crossbow, you’ll have a good understanding of the workings and know if it’s the best crossbow out of these hunting crossbows for you.

Killer Instinct Ripper 415

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Quick Summary

The Ripper 415 is a mighty compact crossbow that can fire down-range bolts of speeds up to 415 feet per second thanks to the high kinetic energy levels. (Find the Best Barnett Penetrator Crossbows)

You can fully customize settings for a tailored fit and to offer relaxed handling.

The Ripper 415 is also extremely precise, performing up to 80 yards of “sub-1-inch” accuracy.

The crossbow is simple to cock with a rope cocker and then also compatible if you wish to use a cocking crank.

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Killer Instinct Ripper 415 Review

Here you can go through each section to see in detail what goes into the instinct Ripper 415.

Size and Weight

The dimensions for the Killer Instinct Ripper 415 are an overall length of 35-inches with a width that is (axle-to-axle) of 14.25-inches when cocked 17.75 uncocked.

The combined weight without addons of the Ripper 415 is 6.9 pounds. You will find this lightweight for such a powerful 415 fps crossbow.

The Ripper 415 is also well balanced, comfortable to carry and also hold as you shoulder the bow.

Construction and Design

Much of the fondness comes from the design and construction of the Killer Instinct Ripper 415. It comprises a narrow, lean, and lightweight frame, and a balanced body.

The company make the crossbow with rugged CNC machined risers and full CNC enhanced aluminum flight rails. This attention to detail enables the bow to reach the sub-1-inch accuracy up to 80 yards it has become renowned for.

Unlike many crossbows, you can adapt this bow to your fit and liking. The Ripper has a fully adjustable stock; thus, you can adjust the overall pull up length to one and a half inches. This takes the bow from 35 inches to 36.5 inches.

You can adjust both the butt stock and forearm grip, which offers a more comfortable overall fit with custom rubber shock absorbers to provide the ultimate performance and comfort for any hunter. (Read Do You Need a Permit to Own a Crossbow)

The Chaos AE camo’s finish on the aluminum barrel makes the bow appear far more expensive than its asking price. The crossbow wouldn’t look out of place closer to the thousand dollar mark than the sub 500 dollars asking price.

You will also find included in the Pro Package; you get three Killer Tech bolts, a five-bolt quiver coupled with tactical side mount, rope cocking device, and rail lube.

Durability

One thing any shooter will find is the Killer Instinct Ripper 415 crossbow is rock solid with its durability. You may see some broken limbs reports, yet the customer service replaces this very quick should it happen.

However, when testing for this review, there were many hundreds of shots fired in all manner of scenarios and no issues have been encountered. It appears the Killer instinct crossbow problems are sporadic and infrequent.

Noise and Vibration

In action, you need a bow that is silent in operation. Luckily, the Ripper 415 doesn’t disappoint as it is relatively quiet.

The crossbow comes with pre-installed limb and string suppressors and custom rubber shock absorbers, which help the overall accuracy of the crossbow while keeping noise and vibration levels to a minimum.

Cocking

As with the above, you also find the string stops make sure vibrations remain as minimal as possible. One downside is if you are on the smaller side and the 15-inch power stroke addition, it can take some strength to cock the bow.

The Ripper 415 comprises a 200-pound draw weight, yet you can use the rope cocker to help reduce this by 50% or more. Should you still find this too much, you can add a Killer Instinct crossbow crank system.

You notice in use that the foot stirrup is set at an angle rather than straight as this helps cock the crossbow.

Crossbow Safety

As the bow isn’t handed, the crossbow is safe for left and right-hand shooters. The trigger comes with an ambidextrous safety switch, and to prevent bow damage from any dry firing.

KillerTech Trigger

The Killer Instinct Ripper 415 crossbow comes packed with a 3.5-pound KillerTech Trigger, and with this, you have an extremely smooth pull that is clear once you fire. You won’t find any creep, and it allows you to maintain full control over every shot.

Once you have used the KillerTech trigger a few times, you’ll find it is consistent in operation and as good as if not better than other TriggerTech triggers and delivers great long-range accuracy.

LUMIX 4×32 Speedring Crossbow Scope

It isn’t much use having such a great crossbow without a sight to make it extremely accurate. The Killer Instinct Ripper 415 crossbow comes packed with a LUMIX 4×32 speed-ring scope, which is high quality and lightning-fast.

You have the choice of five brightness settings in both red or blue depending on the low light conditions you may find yourself in. Besides the speed of this scope, its nitrogen purged, making it waterproof, shockproof and fog proof.

One downside is the reticles are not marked and unfortunately not exact at 10-yard increments. For more precision, many hunters recommend the Hawke XB30 PRO package as an upgrade.

When you come to zero the scope in, if you use broadheads that you’ll probably use most often, you can get it sighted in, with less than ten shots. (Read our Jaguar Crossbow Review)

Speed & Accuracy

The specs leap form the page when you check out the speed and accuracy. The Killer Ripper 415 is fast, powerful and makes grouping easy for even new shooters.

The Instinct Ripper 415 shoots arrows to 415 feet per second, as you can guess from the name.

It delivers 149 foot-pounds of kinetic energy using every ounce of the 200 pounds draw weight. Utilizing a power stroke of 15 inches, you’ll find it strong the 400 fps and more enough to bring down the largest deer or hogs.

The crossbow offers the ultimate performance and is highly accurate, and helps shoot bolts to a sub-1-inch area up to 80 yards or more.

Assembly

Once you have your hands on the Killer Instinct Ripper, it can take around 10 minutes to assemble after you have a good look around all the parts.

Pros

  • Shoots bolts at 415 FPS with 149 feet pound of K.E.
  • Pinpoint accuracy at 80 yards
  • Cocking crank compatible
  • Comes with a limited lifetime warranty

Cons

  • A 200-pound draw weight may be too much for some individuals
  • Some shooters report limb issues – customer service quickly replaces these

man with crossbow

Killer Instinct Ripper 415 Specifications

  • Speed: 415 FPS
  • Draw weight: 200 pounds.Weight: 6.9 pounds
  • Length: 35” – 36.5”
  • Width Axle-to-Axle: 17.75 uncocked, 14.25 cocked
  • Power Stroke: 15″
  • Finish: Camo

Crossbow scope

FAQ

Are killer instinct crossbows any good?

The Killer Instinct line is highly praised lightweight crossbows offering good combinations of speed, accuracy and portability.

Killer crossbows feature triggers with zero creep and anti-dry fire systems, which will not allow the crossbow to fire when unloaded. Killer crossbows have adjustable stock and forearm grip to suit hunter size.

Is Killer Instinct a good brand?

Despite being new in the hunting industry, Killer Instinct has won several awards. They won the Field & Stream magazine ‘Best of Best’ for Machine crossbow. Also, they partnered with Hawke Optics, to take optics for their crossbows to the next level.

Who makes killer instinct?

If you ask where are Killer Instinct crossbows made, you find the Killer Instinct Crossbows Minnesota 56101 United States of America.

Where is the serial number on a killer instinct crossbow?

The serial number and date code can be found on the bottom of the Killertech trigger.

And Finally…

The Killer Instinct Ripper is a great first crossbow, or one for the experienced who want the best crossbow for their budget.

The Killer Instinct Ripper covers all bases and can be the best bow for many people who need a reliable crossbow for hunting. With all the features you get, you may not think you need to upgrade to the pro package as you get the fully adjustable butt stock anyway.

You do get extra features, yet the performance is there in any bowhunting package you purchase. You will know that come hunting season; you have a bow that can deal with anything.

Killer Instinct Ripper 415 Review

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