I recently saw my first Ravin 500 at a local sporting goods store. I went back there today and saw it still sitting there……I thought. The guy behind the counter said they’ve sold 3 already😆. I asked had any one come back with problems and he said no.
I asked him what their most popular crossbows are. His answer “ we sell lots of Ravins and the new Bear crossbows” I’ll have to admit, those relatively inexpensive Bears look great.

 

I still have the beast, Bear Torrix. It's almost indestructible. Still has the original string. It was made in the USA. I don't think Bear bows were made in the US after 2017. I have had nothing but great luck with Bear CS. Last year I needed a new front handle and they sent me one FREE.

 

i saw a Ravin r500 In the Cabelas here.
It did not have any rattling noise or anything notable that seemed of poor quality.
Its more compact then i thought.

I did not care for the front grip at all, but other then that...i like it. The crank handle seemed very tinker toy like.

I could not help but wonder if i could just use my little DEWALT nut driver to cock it. Dial back the torgue setting on the driver to where it would just get it back. I think i could.

 

Maybe they fixed the rattle? Did you try bumping the side of the bow with the palm of your hand or bump the butt of the stock on the floor?

The crank handle looks like a bent piece of key stock with a handle.

 

Once they get all the bugs out of this one that Yelpy noted he had I could see myself with one of these. If I purchased today it would be the R29 X. I’d have a hard time jumping to TP’s Nitro 505 after my previous trigger experiences as I really like the R500 design overall. We’ll see!!

 

If I was buying ... today I'd be taking a long look at the Nitro505 before buying my R29X. I love the R29X so far, but a reliable 500fps is the next logical step up. A "Point Blank Range" of 0-50 yards is everything I need in an arrow launcher.

The leveling factors for me would be:
#1. Arrows. My R29X is shockingly accurate & happy with standard .003 factory Ravin arrows at 450fps. Not too sure about 500fps arrows so far.
#2. Track record and reliability. The 505 is new and I've seen Ten Points go out of tune after only a few arrows sent through them. Is this bow "all it can be" already?

Still, I trust Ten Point the company far more than Ravin the company. It would be a hard choice. My R29X is pretty sweet.

 

The r500 looks waaaaaaay easier to tune up then thier normal bows.
The only thing thats stopping me from diving into this bow is the 17 turns forward and 17 back wards on each shot. This would get old real fast...I.M.O.
Though in reality you would just cut the shooting sessions down to about 6 or 8 arrows a session and thats plenty.

I just really like the accuslide on my Ten point Vapor so much so yea it is a tough choice.

 

Get the push button. 0 turns each way.

 

I was intrigued myself, went to th e local shop the other day to check one out as well as the Nitro 505.
R500 - very front heavy (which may not be a bad thing to keep the front end down during shots), front grip too large, too many cranks, reports (if you can trust them) say its very accurate.
N505 - Shouldered great, looked great, lighter / easier cocking, weight balances better, again reports some say accuracy is lacking with 450gr arrows, some guys going to 500+ grain for groupings which then makes this bow more like a 470fps
Like you, waiting for some good, hopefully honest reviews, especially at these $$

On a side note, local shop said they had 15+ guys all lined up to buy an R500 when they came in and every one that came in and looked at it passed.

 

you are correct about bad grouping with the stock 455 arrows. I found 5 good ones out of 12. After a bunch of testing with different weight arrows and different arrows, I have come to the conclusion that this bow flat out shoots great with at least 260 grains up front. I’m using 19” zombies with 110 gr double tapps and a 150gr tip and it shoots awesome out to 60 yards. I’m at 498 gr and it shoots 480fps. I also shoot aerobolts same weight. WWB/ AJ uses some other methods with the double tapps to get more weight up front so he can still use a 100-125 gr tip. I’m a firm believer that a bow shooting that fast should be using a heavier arrow than 455gr and 168 grains up front. That is their stock evo x arrow. Not a good FOC at all.

 

The Ravin press is now available for the R500. It also presses the rest of the Ravins. You can buy strings and cables. They say arrow problem is fixed. The hold up on the R500E is chips to run the motor. Won't be out till May or June.

 

Has anyone even come close to getting successful arrow flight out of a Nitro 505 with a 400 grain arrow?? I shoot 400 grains very well at distance with my R29 and have shot through everything from big Mule Deer to Pronghorn out to 50 yards. I am hearing some Ravin guys saying their R500’s successfully shoot 400 grain arrows very well for accuracy out to 80 yards on a target range but am thinking with either of these big boys a 450-470 minimum grain arrow would be necessary.

 

I think we all know tat foc has to go some as speed goes up.
Its just from known experience from shoot beyoud the 60 yard norm.
I plan on sticking with a 475 grain arrow, when I get the bow. Have to see how that pans out.

 

No1Rackmaster,….. Sent you a PM.

 

i own ravin 500 so far 2 limbs broke an the clutch also sent it in they replace clutch but they did not ajust it lucky a guy in bow shop fixed it for me middle of hunting season waiting for my second limb to be fixed

 

 

Go for it guys🙄🙄.

 

After careful evaluation thus far I will in all likelihood purchase the R29X over the R500. It’s lighter, fits super well & pretty much proven. Will wait however now until after the ATA Show. Want to wait & see if Mathews does anything & if TP goes away from their Dry Fire Inhibitor on their top end like they did this year on their lower/mid range crossbows. Having an R29 & R15 that have been fail proof other then the cost of replacing string & cables yearly has me leaning in that direction. The R500 just looks iffy with everything on it & slower manual cranking with the twin screw design. When out west & remote for 6 weeks I have to be able to do any maintenance necessary by myself

 

I agree with you. Tenpoint replaces their anti-dry fire with a "true" safety then it will be a no-brainer for me between the two superspeed bows. In the meantime, my R9 has been putting the hammer down on the deer population. An absolutely awesome crossbow that I have no complaints about. And it has taken a beating over the years- rain, snow, sleet, heat, any may miles of rough terrain.

 

I have a 500e and was extremely excited to hunt with it. I have hunted the past two seasons with a Ravin 26 and love it. Great product and very dependable. I have killed a lot of deer with that bow. Bought the new 500e anticipating the same great product. I outfitted the bow with a Garmin zero scope. The power and accuracy of the bow is amazing. 70-80 yards shots with very tight groups. I was ecstatic. Went on my Kansas bow hunt last week. And took the bow. On the 3rd day while sitting in the stand both screw retrieval bolts snapped and broke. Just broke. My arrow popped out 5 inches but stayed cocked and the trigger dis-engaged with no way to uncock the bow. I was completely screwed on a dream hunt in Kansas. No way to fix that in the stand. I called Ravin last Friday I stayed on hold two separate times for over an hour. No one took my call at CS. I then emailed them two times explain my situation. It’s Wed and no one from Ravin has contacted me. I’m completely shocked. I have always had pretty good CS from Ravin and I realize companies are short staffed but this is a serious defect and safety issue and they have completely ignored me and my situation. Shame on them. I really liked the bow but it’s obviously unusable. Thankfully Bass pro shop refunded my money 100 %. I purchased through their internet store. They were very apologetic and responsive and couldn’t believe the product had failed so dramatically. $3600 is a lot to pay, but I assumed at that price they had the product dialed in. It really makes me sick because I have loved my Ravin 26.

 

That is about as bad as it gets. That being said, think of all the cars out there that are sold with various issues, and then recalls come out. I don't know if I'm comparing apples to apples, but in the hopes of making money, products are constantly being rushed to market. We are the actual testers of the product.

 

Sorry to hear about the crossbow. That crossbow lists for $4400 in Canada
before 13% sales tax and that is if one is lucky enough to be able to get one.

Ravin was way behind getting the crossbow to market for reasons like Covid,
having to import parts which many companies are having that problem.

When one looks at the narrow crossbows and the speed they are trying to push
an arrow, it is pretty easy to see the stress the crossbow is under and why certain
parts are failing with very few shots.

As for customer service, it is lacking in a lot of areas. There are businesses that
will sell a product but will not service it. This means a free ride for that business
and the owner has to ship back to the manufacturer or importer.

Wishing you all the best and thankfully you did not get injured.
Take care.

 

I’m pretty tight with a few crossbow dealers and get the low down on various things. The 500 has some issues. Ravin CS has really suffered as of late.

 

Precisely why I won’t go in the R500 direction and opt for the R29X if I stick with a Ravin. I never go west for 6 weeks without a back up crossbow and that’s paid dividends on several occasions with multiple brands that were top of the line first year models before I went to Ravin. Now I only buy models that have been out for several years. No more being a Guinea Pig for this guy.

 

Looks like yes, there are still some issues that need to be worked out. Purchased an R500 a few weeks ago. I've put about 50 shots on it before it became unshootable.

Nock Serving is somehow shredded

And their Premium .001 arrows seem to be disintegrating with every shot.

 

Looks like yes, there are still some issues that need to be worked out. Purchased an R500 a few weeks ago. I've put about 50 shots on it before it became unshootable.

Nock Serving is somehow shredded
View attachment 240334

And their Premium .001 arrows seem to be disintegrating with every shot.
View attachment 240336

After careful evaluation thus far I will in all likelihood purchase the R29X over the R500. It’s lighter, fits super well & pretty much proven. Will wait however now until after the ATA Show. Want to wait & see if Mathews does anything & if TP goes away from their Dry Fire Inhibitor on their top end like they did this year on their lower/mid range crossbows. Having an R29 & R15 that have been fail proof other then the cost of replacing string & cables yearly has me leaning in that direction. The R500 just looks iffy with everything on it & slower manual cranking with the twin screw design. When out west & remote for 6 weeks I have to be able to do any maintenance necessary by myself

The R500E dual screw drive that moves the Trac Trigger Firing System back and forth failed at the first hunt. The internal clutch within the Drive System DID NOT eliminate over-cocking.

 

In regards to the serving issue, take fine emery paper and polish the latches that hold the bowstring.
I would polish both the front and back. The front may damage the bowstring as it passes over them
when cocking the crossbow
The back may damage the bowstring when the crossbow is shot. Automotive and or hardware stores
carry this product.
Being the crossbow is high draw weight and narrow with very sharp string and cable angles, this problem
will show up sooner than a wider crossbow.

As for the arrows, wipe them down to see if this may just be foam build up from shooting a foam filled
target. Carbon arrows generate heat causing foam in a target to bond to them.

Wishing you all the best.
Take care.

 

A few week old R500 fraying the center serving like that should be a warranty repair, not a home repair.

 

Look at your nocks at the casting line you sometimes have to take a nail file to it sometimes there sharp another deal that shouldn’t be our responsibility but might help

 

The R500E dual screw drive that moves the Trac Trigger Firing System back and forth failed at the first hunt. The internal clutch within the Drive System DID NOT eliminate over-cocking.

 

I’ve had a 500 for just under two weeks now, shot maybe 30 arrows from it. Yesterday it broke and I had to return it to the factory for warranty work ( two weeks before deer season opener, so I’m extremely unhappy. While cranking the trigger block up to lock into place, both the cables came loose from the lock in point. I first took my crossbow to a local archery shop where the issue was pointed out to me. The owner said he’s returned no less than six 500’s to Raven for warranty work due to this issue. One owner has returned his 500 three times for this same problem. When I get the bow back, it’ll be sold immediately. Cannot express how dissatisfied I am with the R500.

 

I was walking out of the woods this morning and I heard a pop, I looked down to find to my dismay that the left limb on my less than year old pristine R 500 had shattered. I’ve put less than 50 bolts through it, it’s never been dropped, bumped or misused in anyway. Called Raven, and after 45 minutes of being on hold I was given a list of three shops in my region that I can take it to and if my “story”checks out everything will be covered. I called the shops and they said it could take up to two weeks for the repair work to be done. If that’s the case, I won’t have my bow back until the end of the third week of archery season. I find this completely unacceptable. I have two Parker crossbows that I’ve had for years, the one had an issue where it wouldn’t fire because the safety was stuck on. I took it back to the shop I purchased it from and they gave me a brand new one that day and that was only a $600 bow not a $3000 one!!

 

Looks like you are a new member here-as you have probably already discovered the R500 is notorious for various types of problems. For your sake, I hope Ravin takes care of you quickly, but be prepared for more problems down the road with this bow. I wonder how many people purchased these bows and "haven't" had issues, assuming they have taken a fair number of shots.

 

I sent my R20 in to them and got it back within a week but that was back during spring turkey season.