I’m an old-fashioned hunter in a new-fangled world: It's a realization I came to recently when I began hearing talk of the new Ravin LR crossbow said to shoot sub-3-inch groups at 100 yards and continue producing accurate shots out to 130. I’m from an era when some off-the-shelf deer rifles couldn’t shoot 3-inch groups at 100 yards. In fact, there was a time when that wasn’t really considered necessary, as long as you could consistently hit a paper plate-sized target at whatever hunting distance you might shoot in the field.
I actually bought my first compound bow in 1981, and finally killed my first deer with it in 1984. At the time, a 30-yard shot was considered a long one for both me as an archer and for my bow.
Some 30 years later, when I had my right shoulder replaced because of osteoarthritis, I made the move to a crossbow for deer hunting. At that time, crossbows were certainly easier to shoot than they'd been in the past and they were more accurate farther downrange than my compound bow, but shooting accurately out to 70 or 80 yards, even at the range? It wasn't happening.
The Ravin LR Difference
Enter Wisconsin-based Ravin Crossbows. The company began building excellent, accurate crossbows back in 2015, and the technological features they’ve integrated into their crossbows over the subsequent decade have changed the entire industry.
The result is a lineup of crossbows, handcrafted by Ravin engineers, that are fast, accurate, and deadly. In fact, Ravin even promises 3-inch accuracy at 100 yards.
While I’ve never owned a Ravin, my hunting buddy has one and I’ve used it frequently. Over the past two or three seasons, I’ve killed a half dozen whitetails with it at various distances out to about 65 yards. While I’ve long wanted one of my own, the price tag (more on that later) kept me from ever pulling out my credit card.
A few years ago, however, I mentioned to my editor at Hook & Barrel that if he ever needed someone to test a Ravin crossbow, please remember me. Thankfully, he did, and soon I received a big box and a small box from the company on my front porch. To say that I was excited to open up the boxes and take a look would be a drastic understatement.
The Ravin LR
Of course, I fell in love with the Ravin LR the minute I caught my first glimpse of it. A thing of true beauty to an avid deer hunter, the overall length is 34 inches, and the LR weighs in at 8.1 pounds. Unlike some previous Ravin models, the new LR even has a place to mount the cocking lever within the stock when in use, ensuring you always have it along.
As with other Ravins, the HeliCoil technology is the engine behind this crossbow. It coils cables away from both the top and bottom of the cams in helical grooves, keeping the cams perfectly balanced. This allows the cams to rotate 340 degrees while remaining perfectly level through the draw process and firing process. That’s where the speed comes from.
The fully integrated silent cocking system is super easy to use; it's quiet and simple to master. A full-length Picatinny top-rail supports additional accessories: in this case, the super-cool 1-8x24 scope — more on this later. And, of course, it also features Ravin’s Anti-Dry Fire/Auto Safety, to protect the bow from accidents that could damage it.
Ravin also sent along three of their crossbow bolts that are guaranteed straight to .001 inches, some 100-grain field points and three Ravin 100-grain titanium expandable broadheads. Since the broadheads are made for hunting, I chose to test the bow with the field points.
The Scope
The Ravin LR is available as a combo with Ravin’s new illuminated adjustable turret scope. Being an old guy, I thought figuring out the scope would take me a couple of days. But after reading the simple manual, I was sighted in and ready to shoot at various distances in less than 30 minutes.
Once you sight the crossbow at 20 yards, you simply stick the correct distance tape, determined by the velocity of your crossbow, to the scope below the turret. Ravin makes it easy by including a card with the bow that has the initials of the Ravin employee who tested the bow and the velocity during testing. My bow shot 453 fps at the factory, so I used the 452-yard tape (it came in even-number increments).
Note that, on this scope, the reticle only has one simple crosshair, as you don't need vertical holdover marks. With the appropriate tape in place, for a 60-yard shot, you simply turn the turret to where the 60-yard hash line on the turret tape lines up with the white dot on the scope. If you’re next shot is at 90 yards, simply turn the turret to 90, and you’re dead on with the single crosshair. It’s super easy.
Testing The LR Combo
I don’t have the space at my home to adequately test a crossbow that is touted to be accurate out to 130 yards. Fortunately, the LR arrived at my home only three days before I was heading to western Oklahoma to work on food plots on the property where we hunt.
Hitting a target at 20 yards was, of course, no problem. Be aware, if you do pick up a Ravin and are sighting it in, don't shoot at the same dot on your target twice unless you remove the bolt first — otherwise, you'll end up destroying your own bolts with Robin-Hood shots rather quickly, and they're not cheap. That goes for any shots inside 80 yards.
My first try at 60 yards yielded good results. While I wasn’t able to measure a group because I shot at different aiming points, all shots hit within an inch of the 1-inch center aiming dot.
Moving the target out to 100 yards, I began to learn that testing a Ravin can add up to some steps if you only have three bolts. Being lazy, I used a 4-wheeler to retrieve the bolts during the remainder of the testing.
On the 100-yard target, I chose to shoot the bolts at the same aiming point on the target, figuring a Robin-Hood shot at that distance was unlikely. While I didn’t split any bolts, the resulting three-bolt group, shot from a Bog tripod, measured handily below 3 inches.
Deciding to test the LR at 130 yards required a little change of location because I didn’t have enough room in the yard. During the interim, the wind came up a little and since I’m not accustomed to shooting bolts for accuracy at such great distances, I failed to compensate for the breeze.
Two of the three shots hit within 2 inches of each other on the far left side of the target. I believe the third went a couple of inches further left and missed the target. I was never able to find that bolt. Still, a crossbow that can put two bolts within 2 inches of each other 130 yards is something I never thought I’d witness.
On The Deer Stand
Unfortunately, when I tested the Ravin LR, the archery deer season in my state of Oklahoma wasn’t open yet. Don’t fret, however, because I’m going to be able to keep the LR for a couple of months and file updates.
Despite the season not being open, I still wanted some more real-world experience with the bow, so I headed straight to my favorite deer stand. With some help from my son, who set up a target at a random distance while I prepped and loaded the crossbow, I was soon in a pretty realistic situation.
When Josh called to tell me that the target was set and he was in a safe location, I scanned out the window of the elevated blind. I spotted the target about 50 yards or so to my left, and determined that taking the shot out of the big vertical window in the Redneck blind would be best.
I quickly ranged the target at 57.5 yards and adjusted the top turret about three-fourths of the way between the 50- and 60-yard marks. Taking careful aim at the top aiming dot on the target, I carefully pressed the trigger toward the back. A resounding “thump” greeted my ears, confirming a hit on the target.
I reloaded the crossbow, set my crosshairs on the middle right aiming dot on the target and shot again. Again, I heard the tell-tale thump of a target hit, but at that distance, I couldn’t see exactly where the bolts had impacted the target.
When Josh carried the target over to the stand for me to examine, I was pleased to see that both shots had hit within about an inch of my aiming point. Since I hadn’t compensated for the light left-to-right breeze, that’s exactly where the bolt should have struck.
Wrap Up
Ultimately, any crossbow review worth its salt needs to have a discussion of price, and that could be a sticking point for some hunters when it comes to the Ravin LR.
With an MSRP of $2,550, purchasing this crossbow might truly be a “buy-once, cry-once” gear expenditure for many. I can tell you one thing, though; based on the time I spent with the LR, those who choose to buy one will definitely get their money’s worth.
A Note on Hunting Distances
I’m not one of those guys who thinks it is my job to tell readers how far is or is not too far for them to shoot at a deer. Just because the Ravin LR I tested shoots under 3-inch groups at 100 yards doesn’t mean that I would ever consider shooting at a buck at that distance. For that matter, I probably wouldn’t shoot at a deer with it at 70 yards either, unless I thought the conditions were perfect to make a clean kill.
Ultimately, Ravin set out to create a top-quality crossbow that is extremely accurate at very long ranges for something that isn't a firearm. And they’ve admirably accomplished that task. It’s up to the individual hunter, however, to determine for himself or herself at what range they know they can cleanly harvest a game animal with a single, well-placed shot, which should be every hunter’s goal.
Ravin LR Crossbow Specs
Speed: 450 fps (w/ 400-grain bolt)
Kinetic Energy: 180 foot-pounds
Weight: 8.10 pounds
Length: 34 inches
Draw Force: 12 pounds
Limbs: Quad Limb Composite
Riser: CNC aluminum
Width: 6 inches cocked, 10.5 not cocked
Stock: Ambidextrous/Soft Touch
Stock Material: Polymer
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