Bear X is the crossbow sub-line of Bear Archery, a company Fred Bear founded in 1933 and that's been part of Escalade Sports since 2003. "Bear x intense crossbow" pulls 390 monthly searches and "bear x crossbow" another 320, after we stripped out the unrelated Care Bears and Build-A-Bear traffic that pollutes any bare "bear" query. Neither of this project's two confirmed merchants, CenterPoint Archery or Ravin Crossbows, carries Bear X, so this article is built entirely from Bear Archery's own official site and independently verified retailer listings, with no affiliate link.
Who Makes Bear X
Bear Archery has changed hands several times since Fred Bear and Charles Piper founded it as the Bear Products Company in Detroit in 1933. It moved production to Gainesville, Florida in 1978, then passed through Victor Comptometer, Walter Kidde & Co, Hanson PLC, U.S. Industries, Fenway Partners, and the North American Archery Group before Escalade Sports acquired it in 2003. Escalade still runs it today as Bear Archery Inc., alongside other sporting-goods brands like Trophy Ridge. Bear X is the name Bear Archery puts on its own crossbow line, sold directly through beararchery.com and through outdoor retailers.
The Real Bear X Lineup
Bear X splits into two real categories: full-size hunting crossbows and compact pistol crossbows. Every price and spec below came from Bear Archery's own product pages or matched, independently confirmed retailer listings.
| Model | Speed | Draw weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impact CDXV | 420 fps | 185 lbs | $399.99, marked down from $999.99 |
| Intense | 400 fps | 190 lbs | $449.99 MSRP |
| Trance 410 | 410 fps | 185 lbs | not found in available sources |
| Catalyst 420 | 420 fps | 185 lbs | $399.99, marked down from $999.99 |
| Constrictor CDX | 410 fps | 190 lbs | $499 |
| Desire XL (pistol) | 175 fps | 60 lbs | $74.99 |
The Impact CDXV and Catalyst 420 are the narrowest of the group, at 8-1/8 inches wide when cocked and 12-1/16 inches uncocked. All four full-size models come as ready-to-hunt packages, bundling an illuminated scope, a handful of Bear X TrueX arrows, a 4-arrow quiver, a cocking rope or sled, and rail lube. The Desire XL sits in a different category entirely: a self-cocking pistol crossbow at 60 pounds of draw weight and 175 fps, built for backyard target practice rather than hunting, and Bear Archery also sells two close variants, the Desire RD and Desire XLZ, at similar price points.
Bear X's full-size lineup runs 400-420 fps across five models priced $399.99-$499, all sold as complete ready-to-hunt packages with a scope and quiver included.
Speed Claims Versus What's Actually Confirmed
Every fps figure in the table above is Bear Archery's own manufacturer-listed rating, measured under Bear's own test conditions, not an independently chronographed result we ran ourselves. That's a normal industry practice and not unique to Bear X, but it's worth being upfront about: a manufacturer's advertised speed and what a specific bolt weight will actually chronograph on a given day can differ by a meaningful margin. We didn't find any independent, repeated chronograph testing of current Bear X models from a source we'd consider reliable enough to cite as a correction to the manufacturer numbers, so the figures above stand as Bear Archery's own claims, not our own measurements.
The pricing tells its own story too. Both the Impact CDXV and the Catalyst 420 were listed at a $399.99 sale price against a $999.99 original price at the time of research, a steep enough discount that it's worth treating the $999.99 figure as a reference/list price rather than a price either model regularly sells at.
Bear X's advertised fps figures are the manufacturer's own ratings, not independently chronographed; treat the $999.99 "original" prices on the Impact CDXV and Catalyst 420 as list prices, not typical selling prices.
How Bear X Compares to This Project's Confirmed Merchants
Bear X's full-size hunting models sit in the same rough price band as CenterPoint Archery's confirmed catalogue, CenterPoint's Hellion 400 tops out at $899.99, and its cheaper models run well under $500, the same range Bear X occupies at $399.99-$499. Ravin's crossbows, by contrast, start at $1,249.99, more than double any current Bear X model. A buyer comparing Bear X against what this project can actually recommend with a working affiliate link should read our CenterPoint Archery brand page and its individual model reviews; a Bear X buyer priced out of Ravin's range isn't priced out of CenterPoint's.
FAQ
Is Bear X the same company as Bear Archery?
Yes. Bear X is Bear Archery's own crossbow line, not a separate licensed brand, it's sold directly on beararchery.com alongside Bear's compound bows.
What's the fastest Bear X crossbow?
The Impact CDXV and Catalyst 420 are both rated at 420 fps by Bear Archery, the fastest confirmed figures in the current lineup.
Does this site have an affiliate relationship with Bear Archery?
No. Bear X isn't carried by either of this project's confirmed merchants (CenterPoint Archery or Ravin Crossbows), so this article has no affiliate links or commission on Bear X purchases.
Are Bear X's advertised speeds independently verified?
No. The fps figures cited here are Bear Archery's own manufacturer ratings; we did not find independent, repeated chronograph testing to confirm or contradict them.
Sources
- [S001] Bear Archery : official site, Base Camp blog, "Bear Archery Celebrates 90 Years", (accessed 2026-09-09)
- [S002] Bear Archery : Impact CDXV Crossbow product page, (accessed 2026-09-09)
- [S003] Bear Archery : Intense Crossbow package product page, (accessed 2026-09-09, corroborated via archerybusiness.com review)
- [S004] Bear Archery : Hunting Crossbows collection page (Trance 410, Catalyst 420), (accessed 2026-09-09, corroborated via Sportsman's Guide and Dunham's Sports listings for the Trance 410)
- [S005] Third-party retailer listings for the Bear X Constrictor CDX (WoodsArcheryRange.com, Mike's Archery, GameMasters Outdoors) : (accessed 2026-09-09)
- [S006] Bear Archery : Desire XL Pistol Crossbow product page, (accessed 2026-09-09)
- [S007] dataset/site-architecture.json (this project, BRD-014 entry, real SEMrush-derived keyword evidence)