Ravin R470

I'm about to buy an R470 — what are owners actually saying about it?

Owner sentiment on Crossbow Nation is largely positive, with accuracy the most consistent praise — several owners call it as accurate as, or better than, their older Ravins at distance. The recurring caveats are its weight (8.45 lb, the heaviest in our 8-bow comparison set), a stiffer cranking effort than previous models, and the $2,550 price with proprietary arrows. It scores 57.3/100 on our CareScore, ranking #3 of 8 in its category — strong performance numbers offset by price and weight.

How does the R470 compare to the compact Ravins like the R26 or R26X?

The community is genuinely split here. Owners who shoot both report the R470 matches or beats the R26X/R29X on long-range accuracy with noticeably less recoil, but dedicated R26 fans who handled it found it heavy and less nimble — one shopper passed on it for exactly that reason. At 26.75 inches it is Ravin's shortest bow, but the 8.45 lb mass means it trades agility for power, so the right answer depends on whether you shoot offhand or from a rest.

How are the strings and cables holding up at 470 fps?

This was the community's biggest pre-launch worry — a 470 fps bow with a 4.3-inch cocked width led some to predict a 150–200 shot string life. Early owner reports trend positive: servings described as near-new after 50–60 shots, with credit going to the redesigned longer, larger-diameter cables and double-served string. We'd note these are still early-life reports; no high-round-count durability data has surfaced in the threads we reviewed.

Has anyone shot the R470 Electric version, and is the drive any good?

Reports are thin but mostly favorable: one early owner says the electric drive works well, sounds roughly like a cordless drill, and handled 25 cocking cycles in a session without draining the battery. Owners who run the E model tend to use it for range sessions and remove the drive unit for hunting, since it adds weight to an already heavy bow. One skeptic recalled the R500E being very noisy, so some wariness lingers — and the E variant costs more than the standard R470's $2,550.

What is the cocking system like to use in practice?

Owners consistently report the R470 cranks harder than other Ravins — one counted roughly 15 handle turns down and 15 back up — though most describe the motion as smooth and controlled, and the twin-screw drive returns the string latch to the same spot every cycle, which the community credits for repeatable accuracy. Complaints include the removable crank handle occasionally slipping out under load, and shooters with shoulder injuries finding the effort noticeable. Note that Ravin publishes a geared draw force rather than a peak draw weight for this bow.

The single most consistent owner report: "supremely accurate," phenomenal at 70–100 yards, and on par with or better than the R29X. Multiple owners report strong groups even with factory arrows, and several credit the twin-screw latch design and low recoil for the consistency.

Owners agree it cranks harder than previous Ravins. Critics report the handle slipping out under load and difficulty for shooters with shoulder injuries; defenders say the action is smooth and controlled, the clutchless screw drive aids accuracy, and the effort is "no big deal for hunting."

The most divisive topic. Fans love the compactness — resting it in a lap on stand, shooting offhand comfortably, good balance. Critics (especially R26 owners) call it heavy and awkward, note the short fore-grip balances poorly on shooting sticks, and one passed on buying it over the lack of a stirrup mount.

Pre-launch skepticism predicted short string life from a fast, narrow bow (150–200 shots was debated). Early ownership reports push back: near-new servings after 50–60 shots, minimal wear on the electric model, and praise for the longer, thicker, fully-served cables and HexCoil cam system. Long-term data is still absent.

Ravin's troubled R500/R500E launch hangs over the R470. Several posters say it's "too early to tell if it's worth the coin" and hope the twin-screw drive doesn't fail like the R500's; one owner counters that Ravin "has removed the R500 issues from this bow." The community is watching long-term reports closely.

A smaller but recurring gripe: more trigger take-up than the R9/R10, a short trigger shared with other Ravin compacts, and an awkward safety position. One owner also received arrows with unglued nocks, which Ravin replaced under warranty. None of these were deal-breakers for the owners reporting them.