CenterPoint Amped 425

The Amped 425 pushes a bolt at 425 feet per second for about 160 foot-pounds of kinetic energy, which is more than enough for any deer-sized game at sensible ranges - crossbow ethics discussions usually put the threshold for whitetail well below that number. What speed genuinely buys is a flatter arc, so a small error in range estimation moves your point of impact less than it would on a slower bow.

The 14.5 inch power stroke is what generates that speed from a 190 pound draw, and 190 pounds is meaningful: it is a touch lighter than the Patriot's 200 but still firmly in crank-assist territory for most shooters. The 12 inch cocked axle-to-axle width is genuinely narrow, which is the Amped's quiet advantage in tight blinds and thick cover where a wider bow snags. If you are still deciding between the discontinued 425-class bows, the trade is narrow: the Patriot 425 is the same speed at a slightly higher draw, and both sit on the same brand verdict laid out in the CenterPoint review.

The Amped 425 takes a 35.11 inch replacement string - the same length as the Patriot 425 and the Pulse 425, which are its close relatives on string geometry. That is worth knowing when a listing is out of stock under one name: a 35.11 inch string built for the Patriot will fit the Amped, because length is the specification that matters rather than the model printed in the title.

You can buy it as a plain string or as a string and cable set, and on a bow this age the set is the right call. Cables stretch alongside the string, and on a 190 pound bow that has seen a few seasons, doing only half the job leaves the cam timing slightly off and books you a second visit to the shop. CenterPoint no longer supplies these strings, so what is available comes from aftermarket specialists built to the published length - normal for archery, not a downgrade. The full length chart for every model is on the strings page.

The Amped 425's headline feature was that the Power Draw cocking device came in the box rather than as an upsell. It reduces the felt draw weight by around 70 percent, which turns a 190 pound bow into something most people can cock comfortably and, just as importantly, cock the same way every single time. Consistent cocking is quietly one of the biggest accuracy variables on a crossbow, and a crank removes the human variation a rope cocker allows.

Paired with that is CenterPoint's Whisper Silencing System - integrated string suppressors, rail-mounted string stops and limb dampeners - aimed at the moment of the shot rather than the cocking. If your Power Draw device has gone missing or worn out, the standalone CenterPoint crank fits the same role; the options and the rope-versus-crank trade-off are covered on the cranks and cocking devices page.

Like the rest of the range, the Amped 425 is built around a 20 inch carbon bolt at roughly 400 grains. Any 20 inch carbon bolt in that weight band with the correct nock type will shoot well - the three specifications that have to match are on the bolts page.

At 425 feet per second the reticle lines in the bundled scope will not match a chart drawn for a slower bow, so sight each line in at the range and note the true distance it holds rather than trusting the printed label. Bolt weight moves everything: a heavier bolt slows the bow and shifts every line, so settle on one weight and stay with it. Get that right and the flat trajectory the speed gives you actually turns into tighter groups downrange.

The Amped 425 is out of the current CenterPoint catalogue, but it is a well-supported discontinued model: the 35.11 inch string, the cable set, the standalone crank and generic 20 inch bolts are all still easy to source. That puts it among the safer old CenterPoints to keep running, alongside the other models people still own and still buy parts for.

The checks that matter on a used or long-stored Amped are the usual order: the string first, then the rail, then the limbs and cams. A 190 pound bow puts real load into its components, so if the string is original it is well overdue for replacement. Perished string stops and dampeners are the other common find on a stored bow - cheap to replace and the difference between the bow being loud and being the quiet one it was sold as. The full wear-item list is on the parts that wear first page.