85 feet per second, and what it is worth
This is the biggest speed difference in our top five by some way. Past 35 yards the Burner's flatter arc genuinely forgives a misjudged range, and that is the error most likely to cost a beginner a shot at distance.
Inside 30 yards it buys nothing you will notice. Both bows deliver ample energy for whitetail there, and the shot placement question swamps the ballistics question.
The Burner's trade-offs work against new shooters
The Burner 415 is louder than its class and has noticeable hand shock. For an experienced shooter both are tolerable annoyances. For someone learning, hand shock is actively harmful: it teaches a flinch, and a flinch costs more accuracy than 85 fps gains.
The Recruit XP has no such vice. It is slow, and it is polite about being slow.
Fit is the Recruit's entire argument
Adjustable stock, adjustable draw. If the shooter is a teenager, a smaller adult, or someone whose shoulder will not take a full draw, the Recruit is the only bow in our top five that adapts to them. The Burner does not adjust, and its speed comes from energy the shooter has to cock in the first place - though it does ship with a crank alongside the rope cocker, which helps.
Which one to buy
Buy the Burner 415 if the shooter is a full-size adult who has handled a bow before and wants reach. Buy the Recruit XP if they are young, small, or new enough that a harsh shot cycle would teach them bad habits. Read the <a href="/reviews/killer-instinct-burner-415/">Burner 415 review</a> and the <a href="/reviews/barnett-recruit-xp/">Recruit XP review</a>.