What 415 fps actually buys
Speed flattens the arc, and a flatter arc forgives range estimation errors - which is the error that actually costs beginners shots. At 40 yards, misjudging the distance by five yards moves your impact far less on the Burner than on the Whitetail. That is a real advantage, not a number on a box.
It is also an advantage you only collect past about 35 yards. Inside that, both bows put the bolt where you pointed it, and the Whitetail's better-behaved shot cycle is the more useful trait.
The cost of speed: noise and shock
The Burner 415 is louder than the class and has noticeable hand shock. Both come from the same place - more energy released faster, with less of it absorbed by the bow. Hand shock matters because it encourages flinching, and flinching is a much bigger accuracy problem for a new shooter than fifty feet per second is a solution.
Noise matters for the reason it always does on a hunting bow: the bolt is in the air long enough for the animal to react to the sound. A fast, loud bow and a slower, quiet one can end up at the same place in practice.
Packages and handling
The Burner includes a crank alongside the rope cocker, which the Whitetail does not, and it is compact when cocked - genuinely easier to manoeuvre in a blind. The Whitetail counters with 6.4 lbs of carrying weight and the better bundled scope.
Which one to buy
Buy the Burner 415 if you have shot before, expect shots past 35 yards, and will not be put off by a sharper, louder bow. Buy the Whitetail Hunter II if this is a first crossbow - the forgiving shot cycle and the better scope will do more for your first season than the extra speed. Details in the <a href="/reviews/killer-instinct-burner-415/">Burner 415 review</a> and the <a href="/reviews/barnett-whitetail-hunter-ii/">Whitetail Hunter II review</a>.