Super Lightweight Wicked Ridge M-370 Crossbow: Perfect For Back-Country Hunts
If your archery adventures take you to remote areas, the Wicked Ridge M-370 crossbow might be tailor-made for you.
The M-370, at just 5.8 pounds, is being touted by Wicked Ridge (part of TenPoint Technologies) as the lightest crossbow on the market. It’s also reasonably priced with a MSRP of $669.99.
Wicked Ridge M-370 Crossbow: 370 FPS
The Wicked Ridge M-370 is listed as being able to launch a bolt at up to 370 feet per second. That’s on par with a fast compound bow and it’s more than enough speed to get the job done.
While there are crossbows now that can send a bolt toward the target at more than 400 fps, they usually come with a price tag that’s two or three times what you’ll pay for the M-370.
The M-370 measures 35 inches long and has an axle-to-axle width of 14 inches, 9.5 inches when cocked. Together with its light weight, it would be a good choice if you were backpacking in to a wilderness hunting area.
Wicked Ridge VX-5 reverse cams to extend the crossbow’s power stroke to 13.8 inches.
The M-370 Is Easy To Set Up
To get the M-370 up and running, I had to attach the bow assembly to the stock. This was a simple matter of tightening one bolt with the included hex wrench. I had to mount cocking stirrup and quiver too. The entire process took just a few minutes with no technical expertise required.
Included Scope Comes Sighted In
The Wicked Ridge M-370 crossbow I tested came with a TenPoint Multi-Line three-power scope.
It came from the factory already mounted and sighted at 20 yards.
The scope’s reticle features four horizontal crosshairs for sighting at 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards.
I started at 20 yards and found I needed to make only minor adjustments to make precise hits.
Cocking This Crossbow Was Simple
The M-370 crossbow came with the Wicked Ridge Dedd Sled 50 rope cocker. Put the front of the crossbow on the ground and step into the stirrup with one foot to secure it. The “sled” part of the cocker hooks onto the bow string. It rides the bow’s rails as you pull the cocking rope evenly with both hands.
It’s a simple system that doesn’t require great strength. For an additional $100, Wicked Ridge also offers the M-370 with its ACUdraw crank-operated cocker mounted in the skeletonized stock.
The M-370’s safety is automatically engaged when you cock the bow. The safety lever is on the right side, but it’s reversible. This crossbow also features the Ten Point Dry-Fire Inhibitor. You can’t fire the bow without an arrow in place.
One downside of this crossbow is that there is no way to decock it without firing it. Decocking ability is a feature normally found on more expensive bows. With the M-370, Wicked Ridge recommends that you swap in an old arrow and fire it into a close target or soft ground to decock the bow. That’s a minor inconvenience in the woods.
This Crossbow Is Accurate And Reliable
The trigger on the M-370 is very good. It’s listed at 3.5 pounds. During my time with the crossbow, I was getting three-shot groups of about two inches on a regular basis. Several groups were smaller. It had good ergonomics and was a comfortable crossbow to shoot.
I measured the velocity across a Caldwell chronograph at an average of 340 fps. While this is below the listed 370 fps, I never adjusted the limbs. I’m betting you could crank on those limbs to increase the speed.
Not Fancy, But It Doesn’t Need To Be
It doesn’t have all the fancy gadgets of more expensive models. But if you’re looking for a basic, dependable and accurate bow that’s easy to tote on back-country hunts, the Wicked Ridge M-370 crossbow is a good choice.
For more information, go to: www.TenPointCrossbows.com.
Key Features: Wicked Ridge M-370
- Speed: Up to 370 fps
- Overall Weight: 5.8 pounds
- Overall Length: 35 inches
- Axle-to-Axle Width: 9.5 inches cocked; 14 inches uncocked
- Power Stroke: 13.8 inches
- Trigger: 3.5 pounds
- Other: Quiver and 3 arrows with field tips included
MSRP: $669.99 with rope sled cocker; $769.99 with AcuDraw
Steven Paul Barlow is a retired sergeant/station commander and former firearms instructor with the New York State Police. He is an avid hunter, fisherman, and enthusiast with all things related to firearms, knives, and survival. He has been writing on outdoor topics for more than 35 years. His collections of outdoor humor stories are available at BriarHill Books.