Ravin Crossbow Lust

[LoadedLimbs]

Ok peeps - this thread is to capture your personal experience, likes, & dislikes about Ravin Crossbows you have owned.

I’m currently looking at the R29X and R26X, but not interested in the R500 because it weighsin so much heavier than the first two.

Checked ‘em out at Cabelas but not sold on ‘em given that they’re nothing shy of a house payment for price.

Not interested in comparison with other brands - save those thoughts for another thread.

Looking to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly from those with actual experience owning the R29X or R26X. Thanks in advance…

 

[Spartan]

Love my R26. It's my little pocket rocket. Very accurate and the easiest crank system to use, IMO. I imagine the "X" versions are even better cranking systems, but I haven't used one.

A couple of gripes with it, and they all have to do with the arrows:

• For the R26 specifically, the stock 20" arrows stick out too far, so I ended up cutting them down to about 17" to avoid bumping it while hunting. Would be nice if Ravin made some arrows like this already. Also then had to get heavier inserts (or just use heavier broadheads) to ensure the finished arrows stay at 400gn or above. Just kind of a hassle.
• Ravin uses proprietary nocks and nock bushings, so you are mostly beholden to their arrows. Personally, I like to have more stock options. But I also build my own, so not a huge deal. You can buy the bushings and nocks, but they aren't cheap.
• The capture nocks can be a pain sometimes. They can be difficult to seat when they are new, and I've also had them get stuck on the string and pull out of the bushing when removing the arrow on a couple of occasions. That can actually ruin a hunt if you don't have a pair of needle nose pliers on hand to get it out.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

A friend of mine just bought one and was telling me about it a week or so ago. He said he likes it so far but had some issues the first time he took it out to shoot it. He said the arrows had nocks like regular arrows for bows, not like to crossbow bolts he is used too. He said he just about never figured out how they were supposed to seat and it would not shoot for him. He had to put it down and come back the next day he got so annoyed. He finally sorted that out. Apparently, it was a safety. His was dead on at 20 the first time he shot it. I guess they set it up well at the bow shop.

He told me he is now good to shoot deer out to 120 yards.

 

[Nutterbuster]

All I know about them is that 5-6 years ago, we had a pretty high rate of issues with them at the shop i worked at. Could have been user error, but we had several come back with broken limbs. Defective or user error, wouldn't surprise me either way. They were remarkably hot bows and historically early adapters to new limb tech usually do some free RnD for the company pushing them.

That said, I've got the hots for their vertical limb mini bow

 

[Spartan]

….He told me he is now good to shoot deer out to 120 yards.

Your friend is going to be in for a very rude awakening if he actually believes that.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Your friend is going to be in for a very rude awakening if he actually believes that.

I am well aware of that. I don't shoot at deer past 25 yards if I can at all help it. I just didn't feel like arguing over it. Unfortunately, a lot of people think that because crossbows sort of look like a rifle that they are a rifle.

 

[Mopar1169]

Love my R26 nice compact crossbow. They are alittle hard on strings and cables so keep a close eye on them. If you shoot alot not a bad idea to change them out yearly. Two years max. Cheap insurance over a bow blowing up in your face.

 

[bigmike23]

Most Ravin owners I know adore their bow. I had a rough experience with the R20. I couldn't get it to do better than 3-4 inches at 40 yards. Not horrid but I expect much better than that when my much cheaper Tenpoint Turbo M1 does an inch at that range. But more importantly that bow chewed through servings. It was headache after headache.

 

[Rutman]

I’ve hunted with a R29 the last 2 seasons. It’s an unbelievably accurate weapon…. that being said I still wouldn’t take a shot past 50yds, and that’d have to a PERFECT situation. Silent crank and well balanced. I bought a R26 to hunt with this year out of my saddle. It’s a little more compact than the 29. They seem to be nearly bulletproof, especially if you just use it to hunt with. I don’t shoot it all year. I’ll practice with it the week before season just to make sure everything’s dialed in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BowhunterXC]

I have an R10 and it's silly accurate. However, I don't care for how fast it is, because I can't shoot it as much as I'd like, simply because that's not what they're built to do. They're more like a big bore rifle. Once it's sighted in, it gets cleaned and put away, until the hunting seasons.
I can't just sit in my back yard and fling arrows into a bag target, like my Elite Ritual 30 compound. My Ravin R10 only has so many good shots in it, then it gets new limbs and cables installed. Kinda wish I'd purchased something slower, so I could shoot it more and enjoy it.

 

[swampdonkey]

A friend of mine just bought one and was telling me about it a week or so ago. He said he likes it so far but had some issues the first time he took it out to shoot it. He said the arrows had nocks like regular arrows for bows, not like to crossbow bolts he is used too. He said he just about never figured out how they were supposed to seat and it would not shoot for him. He had to put it down and come back the next day he got so annoyed. He finally sorted that out. Apparently, it was a safety. His was dead on at 20 the first time he shot it. I guess they set it up well at the bow shop.

He told me he is now good to shoot deer out to 120 yards.

So he only uses it during rifle season right?

 

[NMSbowhunter]

So he only uses it during rifle season right?

No, he uses it for bow season only. The moment ANY firearm becomes legal he will chuck that crossbow into the closet until October 1st of the next year. He wasn't being at all optimistic (in his opinion) that he can shoot at deer all day long at 120 yards with it either.

I was in an archery shop last weekend and overheard 4 young guys talking to the bow shop dude. The bow shop guy was putting the hard sell on those guys telling them how far they could shoot deer out too. I just had to walk away.

 

[woodsdog2]

I have an R10 and it's silly accurate. However, I don't care for how fast it is, because I can't shoot it as much as I'd like, simply because that's not what they're built to do. They're more like a big bore rifle. Once it's sighted in, it gets cleaned and put away, until the hunting seasons.
I can't just sit in my back yard and fling arrows into a bag target, like my Elite Ritual 30 compound. My Ravin R10 only has so many good shots in it, then it gets new limbs and cables installed. Kinda wish I'd purchased something slower, so I could shoot it more and enjoy it.

This is the absolute smartest analogy about these hyper-hot crossbows I've read in a long time. I agree 200%!! These are great crossbows but its just like anything else, there are drawbacks to speed in relation to equipment maintenance and tuning. I've not owned or shot any Ravin's but you may want to consider a heavier bolt and insert to absorb more energy and keep these bows more efficient and less prone to issues that develop as any bow system approaches repeated dry fires. Light arrow setups wreak havoc on any system over time.

 

[BowhunterXC]

This is the absolute smartest analogy about these hyper-hot crossbows I've read in a long time. I agree 200%!! These are great crossbows but its just like anything else, there are drawbacks to speed in relation to equipment maintenance and tuning. I've not owned or shot any Ravin's but you may want to consider a heavier bolt and insert to absorb more energy and keep these bows more efficient and less prone to issues that develop as any bow system approaches repeated dry fires. Light arrow setups wreak havoc on any system over time.

Thank you, sir.
3 Rivers Archery has weight tubes, that fill the inside of an arrow. I've not looked into it, but it might help...some. Thing is...all crossbow manufacturers equipment is proprietary. Meaning, you have to use Ravin bolts, knocks, etc. with Ravin crossbows. Similarly with TenPoint, PSE, etc. So, if you alter a crossbow bolt, like making it heavier, adding wight forward (FOC), etc. it will void the warranty of the crossbow. Nutz!

In effect, the crossbow manufacturers have built a "hot rod" that's going to only produce so many shots, before it blows up, BUT they've built in a "guideline" for the purchaser to replace limbs and cables. High maintenance, for high performance, at a cost to the buyer.
My Ravin shoots a 400 grain bolt at 400 fps. I'd like to build a 650 grain bolt with a 16% to 20% FOC. This would utilize the crossbow's speed capabilities and possibly make it last longer, along with making it a little quieter too. I may put in a call to Ravin, just to get their feedback on such a suggestion.

 

[BowhunterXC]

I just got off of the phone with Ravin Support. I asked them about adding weighted arrows, heavier broadheads, etc. The gentleman that I spoke with was very helpful and directed me to their website for Ravin 500 grain bolts. He recommended adding a heavier broadhead of my choice. This is going to slow the arrow speed, but greatly increase penetration and extend the life of the crossbow.

 

[woodsdog2]

In effect, the crossbow manufacturers have built a "hot rod" that's going to only produce so many shots, before it blows up, BUT they've built in a "guideline" for the purchaser to replace limbs and cables. High maintenance, for high performance, at a cost to the buyer.
My Ravin shoots a 400 grain bolt at 400 fps. I'd like to build a 650 grain bolt with a 16% to 20% FOC. This would utilize the crossbow's speed capabilities and possibly make it last longer, along with making it a little quieter too. I may put in a call to Ravin, just to get their feedback on such a suggestion.

I know @LoadedLimbs didn't want to hear about other Xbow makes or brands but one of the reasons I like the Hickory Creek Mini is that you can use regular .300 spine arrows with it. I sold mine this spring but not because I didn't like it, I just enjoy hunting with a vertical bow much more.