Speed is not what separates them
350 fps against 330 fps sounds like a gap and is not one. At the distances a beginner actually shoots - inside 30 yards - twenty feet per second changes the trajectory by an amount smaller than the error in your range estimate. Neither bow is fast, and neither needs to be.
What the numbers hide is that the Recruit XP is slower <em>because</em> of what makes it good. Its draw is adjustable, and an adjustable draw means a shorter power stroke at the low settings. You are trading speed for fit, which is the right trade for the shooter this bow exists for.
Adjustability versus out-of-the-box readiness
The Recruit XP adjusts both stock length and draw weight. That matters in two situations: a teenager who will outgrow a fixed stock within two seasons, and an adult who cannot comfortably manage a full-weight draw. In both cases a bow that fits badly is a bow that gets shot badly, and no amount of speed fixes that.
The Whitetail Hunter II takes the opposite approach. It is fixed, and it ships close enough to sighted-in that you can shoot the same evening. Its multi-reticle scope is a genuine step up from the Recruit's basic optic, which is the single biggest practical difference between the two packages.
What comes in the box
The Whitetail Hunter II includes a scope, quiver, rope cocker and arrows. The Recruit XP includes a quiver, rope cocker and arrows. Neither includes a crank, so if cocking effort is a concern for the shooter you have in mind, budget for one on top of either bow.
Which one to buy
Buy the Whitetail Hunter II if the shooter is a full-size adult and you want the shortest path from box to target. Buy the Recruit XP if the shooter is young, small, or recovering from a shoulder problem - the fit will do more for their accuracy than twenty feet per second ever will. Full detail is in the <a href="/reviews/barnett-whitetail-hunter-ii/">Whitetail Hunter II review</a> and the <a href="/reviews/barnett-recruit-xp/">Recruit XP review</a>.