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Reverse limb vs traditional limb

8527 Views 76 Replies 30 Participants Last post by  TX_RDXguy
Other than compact design what are the advantages / disadvantages of reverse limb vs tradition limb crossbows?
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Longer power stroke. The only one that comes to mind right now. Wait for the experts which I am not.

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Reverse limb you can carry loaded sideways. Handy while hunting. I would only use full containment nocks while doing so. The least amount of front end weight for compound xbow designs. Speed to draw weight ratio is the best because they don't waste any power stroke like the other designs. Shoot the different designs for yourself one will find you.
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RDT … is the future. Traditional configuration is the past. That said: "they all kill whatever you put in front of them."
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Don’t agree with that, Duke. Here’s where crossbow technology is heading:

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I won’t list all the reasons again but you know them:)
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Power stroke....another one is the weight is centered a lot closer to your body....I bought my first rdt bow recently...and I am actually pretty impressed with how much better it just feels compared to a traditional limbed xbow.
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Those little things do no good in NY. Granted NY is messed up but I could only target shoot with it. Whole lot of money for a plinker. I here they are pretty accurate though

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I’d vote RDX with Duke.

The hyper narrow bows are very popular right now but they will struggle to advance much in performance without conceding reliability. The short R26 is cool but for me, it has too many moving parts near your face. We will soon see new products from Ravin and TenPoint that will push both designs.

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The R26 and 29 are selling like hotcakes and have been remarkably trouble free according to a couple dealers I trust. I’m actually hearing of more problems with the reverse limbed bows. I think there is room for both designs but right now, Ravin has got it going!!!:)
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Don’t agree with that, Duke. Here’s where crossbow technology is heading:

View attachment 161578

I won’t list all the reasons again but you know them:)
I’m not Duke so I don’t know all the advantages of what you have pictured. Please enlighten me. I can see 2 features that may be seen as advantages by some; it is short and narrow. Is there something else good about it? It seems to me if the limbs were flipped end for end and also left narrow it would have advantage of longer power stroke and still be short and narrow. But I’m new to this crossbow thing and still trying to figure it out.
RDT:
Pro - Balance, comfortable C of G.
Con - Questionable aesthetics ie… Nuffy looks
But it's not nuffy. Its beautiful


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In the eyes of the beholder.......for sure. I can tell you which one of these is ugly:p.
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They are an acquired taste.

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They are an acquired taste.
They both are. Either will kill. RDT seems to have less moving parts, and likely open to more tinkering.
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Being cute or pretty is not the question here..... Refocus gentlemen! ;)

Functional, efficient, balanced, quite and safe. Game, set and match goes to the RDX!

FWIW Moon. The R29 would be my Ravin choice because of the size and I do appreciate ALL of the things Ravin has done to this point as a innovative manufacturer. I'm eager to see what they shows at ATA.

20 days to ATA?
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I'll have to say my little death machine is pretty accurate. This is at 50. I'm sure the ravin can do the same.


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No need for us to argue about ugly vs not ugly. My Ravin is probably pushing the 20th crossbow I’ve had since 2003 and that does not include the ones I reviewed for Crossbow Magazine and returned to them. I could have kept them all, but I’ve ended up with one Stryker 350, one Micro 335 and the R26, all three ready to hunt............more so than I am:p. When I say reverse limbed bows are ugly that is not a slap at their performance at all. I hunted all season with one awhile back and it never grew on me. It was just as ugly when I sold it as when I purchased it:- ) Lastly, I did not buy the Ravin because I thought it was cute, pretty or whatever, it just doesn’t strike me as being ugly. With that out of the way, the R26 is small light weight, shoots my 405 grain arrows a legitimate 400 FPS, as consistently accurate as any crossbow I’ve ever owned and loaded with innovation. A Bullet proof cocking system, Helicoil cam system that eliminates cables rubbing up and down the barrel and prevents cam lean, great trigger with auto safety are all features that still appeal to me after 10 months of shooting this crossbow and 3 months of hunting with it. The above is a photo of an old friend of mine as he shouldered my R26 for the first time. I heard him say “wow” to himself as he held it:)
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I'll have to say my little death machine is pretty accurate. This is at 50. I'm sure the ravin can do the same.


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That’s really accurate shooting! Nice job! The reverse draw xbows are really cool looking in my opinion.;)
And it works across all ranges of the age spectrum. This little spark plug is very good with her R26 and she can shoot her vertical bow pretty well. This is my friend Hanna and she is all about xbow hunting!

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