R500 review
Ravin R500 review
Ravin's flagship is in stock and costs more than any bow on this site. Its listing publishes one thing: the model name. Here is what that means for a buyer.
String & Stock earns a commission when you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. Prices come from Amazon and change; the date beside every price is when we last verified it. Full disclosure.
Ranked
Quick picks
| # | Product | Speed | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 1 | Ravin R500 | 7.8 | $2,328.70Amazon | |
| Rank 2 |  Ravin R470 | 470 fps | 8.5 | $2,499.99Amazon |
| Rank 3 |  Ravin R29X | 450 fps | 8.7 | $2,299.99Amazon |
The Ravin R500 is currently purchasable at the top of this site's price range, and its Amazon listing publishes no specifications whatsoever — no speed, no cocked width, no weight, no draw weight. You are buying the Ravin platform and the brand's reputation, not a documented set of figures.
That sentence is the review. Everything below explains why it matters more than it sounds, what the platform genuinely gives you, and which Ravin we would buy instead if you want numbers you can check.
In detail
The R500, and the two Ravins that publish figures
Ravin R500
Ravin's halo model. The Amazon listing publishes nothing beyond the model name, so there is no speed, width or weight figure we are willing to print. It is here because it exists and people search for it, not because this data tells you anything useful about it.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed | |
| Cocked width | |
| Weight | |
| Cocking aid | |
| Scope |
What it does well
- Top of Ravin's own range
- Shares the Helicoil cam architecture the rest of the line is built on
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 8.5
- 9.0
- 8.0
- 8.5
- 7.0
- 5.5
Ravin R470
470 fps from an 8.4-pound frame with the Versa-Draw crank built in. It is the fastest figure any listing here publishes. Understand what you are buying: at 470 fps your bolt, nock, broadhead and target all have to be rated for it, and almost no bag target is.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed | 470 fps |
| Weight | 8.4 lb |
| Cocking aid | Versa-Draw crank, integrated |
| Cam system | Helicoil, 340-degree cam rotation |
| Arrows | Three Ravin .003 R500 Series arrows, 400 gr total |
| Scope | 100-yard illuminated, rated to 550 fps |
| Cocked width |
What it does well
- 470 fps published, the highest here
- The integrated crank keeps cocking effort low despite the power
- The scope is rated past the bow's own speed, so the speed dial has headroom
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 8.8
- 10.0
- 8.2
- 8.0
- 6.8
- 6.0
Ravin R29X
450 fps at 6.75 pounds with the same stop-anywhere silent cocking as the R26X. If you want speed and a quiet draw in one bow and the budget is not the binding constraint, this is where those two requirements meet.
| Published spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Speed | 450 fps |
| Weight | 6.75 lb |
| Cocking | Silent, stop mid-cycle |
| Cam system | Helicoil, 340-degree cam rotation |
| Arrows | Three Ravin .003 arrows, 400 gr total |
| Scope | 100-yard illuminated |
| Cocked width |
What it does well
- 450 fps is the second-fastest figure published on this site
- Silent, stoppable cocking at that speed is rare
- Still under 7 pounds
Where it falls short
Our rubric
- 9.0
- 9.6
- 9.2
- 8.6
- 8.8
- 6.2
What the listing actually contains
We read the R500's product data the same way we read every listing on this site: through Amazon's own catalog, taking the manufacturer-supplied fields. For the R500 those fields are the title, one feature bullet, and a price. The title is Ravin R500. The bullet is Ravin R500.
| Figure | Published for the R500 |
|---|---|
| Speed | |
| Cocked width | |
| Weight | |
| Draw weight | |
| Power stroke | |
| Kinetic energy | |
| Cocking system | |
| Scope |
At a budget price that would be annoying. At this price it is a genuine problem, because the three figures that decide a crossbow purchase — cocked width if you hunt a blind, cocking effort if your shoulder is the reason you are here, kinetic energy if the animal is large — are all unavailable for the most expensive bow on the site.
What you are actually buying: the platform
Ravin's engineering is real and it is documented across the rest of the range, which is what makes the R500's silence frustrating rather than disqualifying. Three things define every current R-series bow:
HeliCoil cams
Helical grooves let the cams rotate 340 degrees while staying balanced, which keeps the string and cables tight to the rail instead of sweeping sideways. That is where the narrow geometry comes from: the R18 publishes 1.3 in of cocked height, a figure nothing outside Ravin approaches. The full explanation is on the Ravin range review.
The Frictionless Flight System
The arrow sits off the rail rather than dragging along it, which Ravin credits with better consistency and longer string life. The practical consequence is a running cost: Ravin bows take Ravin .003 arrows and Ravin nocks, and that is not optional.
Versa-Draw cocking
An integrated crank, on the R18, R10X, R10 Pro and R470. Ravin describes it as easy cocking for all users and publishes no effort figure anywhere in the line — which is a shame, because TenPoint publishes 5 lb for its equivalent and it is the single most useful number a crossbow maker can print.
What the siblings publish, and what that implies
The honest way to size up an unspecified flagship is to look at the models around it that do publish.
| Model | Speed | Weight | Cocked width | Cocking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R470 | 470 fps | 8.4 lb | Versa-Draw crank, integrated | |
| R29X | 450 fps | 6.75 lb | Silent, stop mid-cycle | |
| R18 | 6 lb | 1.3 in (cocked height) | Versa-Draw crank, integrated | |
| R500 |
The R470's scope is published as rated to 550 fps, which tells you something about the speeds this platform is designed around. But inference is not specification, and we are not going to tell you the R500's speed on the strength of its stablemates.
The running costs, which are real at this level
- Proprietary arrows. Ravin .003 shafts with Ravin nocks, more per dozen than a Carbon Express or Bloodsport shaft, for the life of the bow.
- A target nothing can out-run. A bag rated to 425 fps behind a bow in this class is a bolt you will not recover. See targets for high-fps crossbows — the only bag target on this site rated past 450 fps is the Hurricane Crossbow H21 at 520 fps.
- A case that fits. SKB makes a gasket-sealed hard case molded for the R26, R29 and R29X; a generic case leaves a Ravin loose or will not close over the scope. More on the platform's shopping list in Ravin crossbow accessories.
- No aftermarket crank. The cocking system is built in, so the bolt-on cranks and rope cockers elsewhere on this site do not apply.
Who should buy it
Someone who has shot a Ravin, knows the platform suits them, wants the flagship, and does not need a spec sheet to make the decision. That is a legitimate buyer and there are a lot of them — the R500's reputation among people who own one is strong, and nothing here suggests it is a poor crossbow.
Who should buy something else
- If your constraint is blind geometry, buy the R18: 1.3 in of published cocked height, the narrowest figure in the line.
- If your constraint is speed, buy the R470: 470 fps and 8.4 lb, both published, and the scope is rated to 550 fps.
- If your constraint is cocking effort, leave Ravin entirely. Nothing in the line publishes an effort figure; TenPoint publishes 5 lb — see best crossbow for a shoulder injury.
- If your constraint is energy for elk or bear, leave Ravin as well. No Ravin on this site publishes kinetic energy; five other bows do, and they are ranked on best crossbow for elk hunting.
Our verdict
We cannot recommend the R500 on its specifications, because it has none to recommend. We can tell you it is live, purchasable, and the most expensive bow we list, and that the platform under it is genuinely distinctive. If you want a Ravin and you want to check the numbers first, the R470 and the R18 are the two to buy. For the range as a whole, start at the Ravin review; for the cross-brand picture, the best crossbow brands.
What a crossbow at this price should publish
It is worth being concrete about the gap rather than just complaining about it. Here is the list of figures that every other premium bow on this site prints, and that a buyer at this level uses to make the decision:
- Speed in fps, because it sets trajectory and it sets the target rating you need to buy alongside the bow.
- Cocked width, because it is the only specification that can disqualify a bow outright — a bow that will not swing in your blind is a bow you cannot hunt with. See cocked width and ground blinds.
- Weight, because it is carried, and because an integrated gearbox adds weight you cannot remove.
- Draw weight and power stroke, because together with arrow weight they are where the energy comes from.
- Kinetic energy with the arrow weight it was measured at, because that is the figure that decides whether the bow is enough for the animal. Wicked Ridge publishes it as 146 ft-lb (410 gr arrow), which is exactly how it should be written.
- A cocking-effort figure in pounds, because that is the number this site exists to talk about and nobody at Ravin publishes it anywhere.
TenPoint prints all six on bows costing less than half as much. Wicked Ridge, TenPoint's value line, prints all six plus uncocked width and overall length on a bow in the six hundreds. That is the comparison that makes the R500's listing hard to defend, and it is laid out across the best crossbow brands page.
How to verify it before you commit
- Read the live price and its date below. It is the only current fact this listing supplies, and premium Ravin stock moves.
- Measure your blind window and your case, then ask the seller for the cocked and uncocked width in writing. Do not infer it from another model in the line — different cam geometry, different numbers.
- Ask for the cocking-effort figure, if the lift is why you are buying a crank bow at all.
- Price the arrows. Ravin .003 shafts with Ravin nocks are not optional and they are not cheap; budget two dozen.
- Price a target rated past your bow's speed before the bow arrives, not after you have shot through the one you own.
One upside of a bow in this class is that it gives you the energy budget for a wide head: see 4-blade broadheads for crossbows, where the widest published cut needs exactly this much speed behind it.
