Ravin R10 Crossbow Review

Finding the right crossbow is no easy job. Now, after some digging around, you came across the Ravin R10 - but you keep wondering if it’s worth your money or not.

Well, I can’t tell you if it’s the right fit for you. But I can provide the vital information needed to decide if you and R10 will be best buds.

That’s the idea behind the Ravin R10 reviews. Keep reading to find out more.

Overview - Ravin R10 Crossbow Review:

Ravin R10 came out in 2019 as the successor of the R9 Predator - and it has been an instant hit the moment it hit the market.

Thanks to its remarkable design, great extra features, and extreme build quality, this crossbow offers a lot to the user.

If you’re looking for a crossbow that fits you like a glove and is easy to use, this may be the one.

Ravin Crossbows received plenty of attention thanks to their high-quality, high-end crossbows as a relatively new company.

While we’re at it, the current owner of Ravin Crossbows LLC is the subsidiary of Compass Diversified Holdings, called Velocity Outdoor Inc. They purchased Ravin Crossbows in 2018.

The Ravin R10 is on the low end of the high-end crossbow models, meaning it costs a bit more - but offers exquisite performance for the price.

Pros:

Cons:

Things To Consider Before Buying Ravin R10 Package:

The Ravin R10 is a fantastic crossbow; that much is clear.

R10 is a crossbow with the power and the quality to help you achieve hunting success every weekend.

To top it off, if you’re looking for a crossbow that won’t let you down after a year, this again is the one to consider.

Now, the ideal customer for the Ravin R10 would be an experienced or professional hunter. This crossbow is the optimal choice for hunting.

Sure, it can work for target practice - but its original intent is to hunt down your prey.

However, do keep in mind that if you want to decock a crossbow, you have to be careful not to get hurt. That’s one of the downsides worth noting.

Also, remember that R10 is a high-end crossbow - meaning it comes with a high price to match.

Ravin R10 Specs:

To genuinely ensure that we have all our facts straight, we need to dive into each feature and benefit of this crossbow. So, let’s begin!

Build Quality & Design:

When it comes to building quality, let us discuss the HeliCoil Technology cams.

HeliCoil Technology

Features a frictionless light system - which requires no need to lube the flight rail as usual bows do.

What’s even better, they lengthen the string life, so you’re not required to change the string that often.

Then, you have the Trac-Trigger Firing system.

Please note that it requires 5 pounds of force to ensure that the nock is seated correctly - the way you want it to be.

When loading the arrows, wait until you hear a “click” sound, or you won’t be able to fire the crossbow.

The Versa-Draw cocking system is explicitly designed to make everything much, much easier for the hunter.

Versa-Draw cocking system

It features a built-in crank mechanism that takes off the drawing effort, which is more efficient than any rope cocking mechanism out there.

Now you can pull the crossbow with minimal cocking effort - only 12 pounds.

That means that there’s no need to worry whether you will be able to cock the crossbow even if you struggle with physical limitations, such as back pain or shoulder injuries.

That also applies to entry-level shooters, who might have issues cocking the crossbow for the very first time.

The R10 comes with a crank handle, which has a magnet to hook and hold the handle in its place.

There is virtually no worry about the put-off!

Prevent over cocking

What I liked a lot about this crossbow is the built-in feature that prevents over-cocking of the crossbow.

This neat detail ensures you don’t damage the bow - or get hurt - while you’re still getting the hang of hunting with a crossbow.

However, remember to take the handle when you do go out on a hunting weekend. If you don’t, you’ll miss out on all the fun during the trip!

Not so great to uncock

Some modern crossbows offer you the option to uncock a crossbow without shooting out the arrow.

That’s the feature I disliked the most about this model because it cannot auto-prevent free-spinning while you uncock a crossbow.

I recommend that you ensure that both of your hands hold the stock and the cocking handles firmly.

Pay attention - the handle can spin backward very quickly and hurt you!

If that doesn’t work - for whatever reason - I advise you to choose the traditional way the next time.

That is, simply unload the crossbow with shooting into a solid target, and that’s it.

Solid construction

On the other hand, the crossbow's construction is extremely solid.

This crossbow ought to last you a long time, thanks to the high-quality materials such as carbon and aluminum used in the construction.

The stock has a rifle-like feel, which I liked a lot - it’s a nice feature for hunters transitioning from a rifle to crossbow shooting.

The trigger is designed to make everything so effortless - it only requires 2.5 pounds of effort to pull.

It’s also carefully designed to make it as precise as a rifle trigger, which I appreciated a lot.

Compact mounting system

The compact mounting system bracket features a few handy things to make everything more convenient for you when you’re out in the field.

It has a quiver and a cocking handle, and you can change from one to the other side if you’re a left/right-handed shooter.

The Ravin R10 doesn’t have a foot stirrup.

That is an advantage, in my opinion, since there’s no more worry about the potential injury to your feet. They replaced it with rubber bumpers at the end to prevent crashing.

Performance:

As for the performance of this crossbow, I only have words of praise.

Extremely High FPS

It achieves the magnificent speed of 400 FPS and kinetic energy of 142 FT LBS - which is super fast and powerful enough to hunt down all kinds of prey.

Light pulling

The R10 comes with 270 pounds of draw weight, which could be difficult for some people to cock. In reality, it couldn’t be any further from the truth.

Thanks to the crank cocking mechanism, the cocking effort is reduced to a meager 12 pounds - which is easy enough for even women to cock!

Light weight

R10 weighs just under 7 pounds, too, which is lightweight enough compared to other powerful crossbow.

However, if it’s too heavy for you to stay accurate, consider investing in a bipod or tripod to achieve steadier shooting.

Compact size

As for the dimensions of the crossbow, it certainly falls into the category of longer crossbows, as it’s 33 inches long.

Still, the width is just 10.5 inches when uncocked and 6.5 inches when cocked, enabling you to hunt without issues in cramped, small spaces such as ground blinds or tree stands.

Easy to use

What I liked a lot about this crossbow is how easy it is to use.

It takes about 15 minutes to fine-tune everything according to your liking, including zeroing in the scope!

Noisy

What I didn’t like was how much noise the crossbow makes during shooting.

You could miss a chance because the noise will cause your prey to jump the string.

Accuracy:

This is precisely the reason why this crossbow is worth the money. It promises fantastic accuracy.

Using the R10, you can easily hit the bulls-eye at 60 yards without any issues. It enables you to dead-on every shot, every time - without any exceptions.

One of the things that enable this downrange accuracy is the 100-Yard Illuminated scope, which is adequate.

Awesome scope

It features a speed dial ranging from 300 to 450 FPS, allowing you to fine-tune everything according to the situation.

The multi-reticle scope can be sighted in at the range from 20 to 100 yards, using the 10-yard increments.

Plus, the scope was pre-sighted-in at the factory, making the experience even more convenient for the hunter.

The scope is extremely easy to dial-in at 20 yards using only three shots.

It offers a crystal-clear and bright view, allowing you to see everything - even in low-light conditions.

Also, it features green and red reticles to help you hunt down whatever prey you’ve set your eyes on out there.

Furthermore, the scope is fog-free and waterproof so that the elements won’t damage it - even with the challenging weather conditions.

Oh, and did I mention that the scope has shock and kick-back technology, making it resistant to bumps on the road?

Without a doubt, you can use this crossbow without worrying about potential damage!

Safety:

Another principal feature of every crossbow would be the safety measures.

On that note, the R10 features the standard anti-dry-fire mechanism - along with the auto-safety on the trigger.

Another neat feature of this crossbow is the safety wings that prevent your fingers from getting in the way of the string.

Ravin R10 Accessories:

Accessories included in the package is handy, too, which is crucial for every crossbow.

Ravin R10 package includes:

Shoulder sling and case

The R10 features a shoulder sling, along with a free soft backpack-style case to keep your bow safe during transport.

Nice bolts

You also get a 3-pack of 20-inch bolts with field tips, weighing 400 grains total. They boast 0.003” straightness, below the top 0.01” straightness.

Despite that, they fly straight and provide consistent accuracy, and they’re tough enough to get a kill shot.

Limited nocks

That said, I didn't like the limited arrow choice due to the nock. Despite the same grain weight and length, it’s still limited.

However, you could get Ravin’s nocks and insert other arrow brands separately.

Draw handle

The crossbow also comes with the removable draw handle and the 100-Yard illuminated scope, which is a nice touch.

Warranty:

The Ravin R10 comes with a 5-year limited warranty. All you are required to do is register your product using the serial number on your crossbow!

Maintenance:

As for caring Ravin r10, it’s relatively easy to do. Each cable and string on this crossbow will endure well over 500 shots  - meaning you don’t need to worry about it every hunting weekend.

However, keep in mind that Ravin recommends replacing the strings and cables after every 400 shots.

Serving on the central part of the string is pretty weak, meaning it can break after less than 200 firing times.

So, if you want to avoid that from happening, you can remove the serving and install a double one with the integrated nock.

That will prevent the nock from sliding, and it will help you prolong the string life.

Ravin R10 Crossbow Problem

Since this Ravin is a compound crossbow and they share a common problem - humidity.

They are known to get affected by humidity. But if you have the Ravin bow press, that’s a non-issue.

The R10 is a fantastic buy because it requires less maintenance than most conventional crossbows.

Rail lube is not something you will often need, as the cables cannot wear out after a while.

On top of that, the string is barely exposed to the elements, so that you won’t need wax either!

Social Comment:

I scoured the web to check what others thought about the Ravin R10.

And after some thorough research, I was surprised to find out just how much people love using R10 for hunting!

The comments were so positive about the entire experience - see for yourself below!

Ravin R10 Alternatives:

Of course, there’s always the possibility that the Ravin R10 might not be the right pick for you.

That’s why I’ve compiled a list of convenient Ravin alternatives for you to choose from here.

So, let’s go over their specs!

Ravin R20

Ravin R20 is a good alternative to the Ravin R10, and it comes with a particular advantage - it’s faster.

It’s capable of achieving the speeds of 430 FPS - along with amazing kinetic energy - so it matches up to my favorite.

It features a 2-inch longer power stroke, enabling it to achieve those speeds. Also, these two bows are equally lightweight and easy to cock!

Ravin R9

Ravin R9 is the predecessor of the Ravin R10. Despite that, the Ravin R9 is even easier to cock - thanks to an excellent crank mechanism.

Its top speed clocks in slightly under my favorite pick - 10 FPS under, to be exact.

The R9 has a lower draw weight and kinetic energy but a longer power stroke, enabling it to achieve solid speeds. It’s equally lightweight, too, making it a great alternative!

Ravin R26

Ravin R26 is one of the newest crossbows launched by Ravin. It’s a good match to our favorite as they have the same maximum shot speed - 400 FPS.

It’s equally easy to draw as our top pick - but it packs more power with the 340 pounds of draw weight.

Despite having a much shorter power stroke - only 9.5 inches - thanks to the draw weight, its speed can still keep up with the R10.

It’s also ultra-lightweight and super easy to carry around!

Bottom Line - Ravin R10 Crossbow Review:

To conclude, if you are tired of buying crossbow after crossbow because they don’t seem to last, it’s time to consider the Ravin R10.

Its quality and 5-year warranty will give you the comfort and safety you’re looking for in a crossbow.

Thanks to HeliCoil Technology cams, Versa-Draw cocking system, and the fantastic scope, this crossbow enables you to hunt effortlessly.

How did you like the Ravin R10? Let us know in the comments!