Ravin R500

Have the R500's early problems — strings, nocks, arrows, and the screw-drive cocking system — actually been fixed yet?

Mixed evidence. Reports of broken limbs, screw-drive bolts and worm gears cluster in early units, and bows returned under the 2024 recall service reportedly came back with redesigned limbs, cams, strings and cables — several post-service owners report no further trouble. A minority, including a dealer, report almost no failures at all. Buy from a dealer who will function-check it, and confirm any used bow has been through recall service.

Ravin R500 or TenPoint Nitro 505 — which 500 fps crossbow should I buy?

The forum consensus splits on reliability versus ergonomics: the R500 wins on compactness (industry-narrowest 3.6″ cocked width), while the Nitro 505's conventional cocking and service network draw fewer complaints. We haven't scored the Nitro 505 yet; among crossbows we have scored, the R500's closest rival is the TenPoint TRX 515 — see our head-to-head for the spec-by-spec call.

Is the extra speed over an R29X or LR worth the R500's added weight, cost, and reliability risk?

On paper the R500 buys you roughly 25–75 fps and 222 ft·lb over the R29X/LR class — overkill for whitetail inside 40 yards, meaningful for long range or larger game. The community's counterweight is reliability risk and the 8.4 lb carry weight; several owners concluded the standard platform was the safer buy.

Do I need to send my R500 in for the 2024 recall, and what does Ravin actually fix when they have it?

Yes — if your serial number falls in the 2024 CPSC recall range (risk of discharge when nearly-but-not-fully cocked), Ravin services it free. Owners report slow turnarounds but note bows often came back with more than the trigger fix: redesigned limbs, cams, strings and cables.

What arrow weight does the R500 need to group well at distance?

Owners report the stock ~400-grain Ravin .001 arrows group well, but heavier builds (450–500+ grains) hold tighter at distance and quiet the bow — with 100-yard ‘softball groups’ the common benchmark for a tuned setup.

Is a discounted R500 worth buying now, and does the lifetime warranty actually mean anything?

At a deep discount the performance-per-dollar is hard to beat — 500 fps and 100-yard accuracy for mid-tier money. The honest caveats from owners: confirm recall service is done, expect consumables (nocks, serving) to need attention, and know that service turnaround has been the warranty's weak link.

How long will warranty or recall service take if my R500 breaks, and will it happen mid-season?

Plan for weeks, not days: owners and shops report multi-hour phone holds and month-plus repair turnarounds, especially in season. The practical advice from the threads is to get recall or warranty service done in the off-season and have a backup plan for opening week.

The dominant topic: owners report broken limbs, snapped screw-drive bolts, failed worm gears and clutch problems, often within the first 15-50 shots, sometimes mid-hunt. A minority report trouble-free bows — one dealer said almost none of his sold units came back, and one owner logged 200 flawless shots on a rebuilt unit.

Even harsh critics concede the R500 shoots remarkably flat and tight — owners describe softball-sized groups at 100 yards, bullseyes at 138 yards, and tight 70-80 yard hunting groups. The 500+ fps performance is widely treated as real, not marketing.

Repeated complaints about multi-hour phone holds (shops reporting 5-6 hours), slow or absent email replies, an outsourced call center, and month-plus repair turnarounds. Several long-time Ravin fans say service declined after the Velocity Outdoors acquisition; a few note Ravin did eventually respond and follow through.

From the delayed 2021 launch (nocks reportedly lasting only a handful of shots, proprietary arrows required) through later reports of shredded nock servings and premium .001 arrows breaking down within 50 shots, consumables are a persistent sore point. One dealer countered that none of his sold R500s had come back for string work.

The manual screw-drive cocking (roughly 17 crank turns each way) is called tedious — 'ten minutes between shots' — and the bow is described as front-heavy and bulky, with some pointing to the electric R500E as the fix. Fans counter that the platform is compact, easy to tune and work on, and has well-fitting adjustable length-of-pull and comb.

The CPSC voluntary recall (risk of unexpected discharge when nearly-but-not-fully cocked) drew frustration over slow processing and a fix scoped narrowly to the trigger box — but owners who completed it reported Ravin also replaced limbs, cams, strings and cables free with redesigned parts. Skeptics see the later discounting-plus-lifetime-warranty offers as a red flag.