[freemachz]

I appreciate any insight.
I am just recently transitioning from my Hoyt Defiant to a crossbow.
After some early research, looks like Ravin and Matthews Mission are some of the top mfg's.
I don't like how loud the Ravin crank system is and can see that being an issue while in the field....anyone else find that to be the case?
The Missions sub 1 seems a great option as well.
I should probably include the Barnett Ghost 420 as well. Although, I don't like the width of the arms.

I am also looking to buy from someone here. There was a "Scottie" on the bow side of the forum that I have previously purchased from. Does anyone know if he sells crossbows?

Best

 

[peteo]

Watching with interest.

 

[K9jones]

Also check out the Ten Point Nitro. I am also looking to purchase a new bow this year. Im in the research phase.

 

[riflenut]

Ravin more powerful. Depending on model purchased. Ravin is a better hunting bow. Mission sub one a better year round bow to shoot.
Mission sub wider, this will prevent user from taking some shots a Ravin user can pull off in the wild.
Cost.
Ravin more expensive. Ravin has built in crank system. Bows can be cranked silently by holding button. User doesn’t want to did this unless necessary. For example get out of truck or side by side say around 300 yards from tree stand. Just cock normally. Carry bow to stand pull up load and hunt.
If you shoot Ravin while in stand, and need a second shot, you have ability to do silent cocking. User of Ravin needs to get used to cocking bow silently. And decocking can be done and this will always be silent. One must be careful and take their time when decocking. I recommend no quiver and bolts be on the side User is using to decock bow.

Weight.
New Ravin R29 and R26 lighter bows than previous Ravin models. Shorter too. R26 is a mere 26” long. For its size smallest powerhouse out there currently. R29 few inches longer.
Both bows balance nicely.
R20 longest model, R10 a few inches shorter.

R26 and R 29 have bolt placement moved back. This is the how Ravin got the bows shorter.

Imo for the money right now, R10 Best Buy overall. Not the fastest, but not the most expensive. Will be easier on strings and cables vs R26 and R29 and the rest except for the older R9 bow.

Like .i said if I were going to be a weekly shooter, or a daily shooter throughout the year, I think mission sub one best choice.

Ravin owner’s imo good idea to have their own press. They don’t give them away but not as much as a full bow press like last chance.

Maintenance on Ravins is easy once you get familiar.
Does a person need super duper mechanic ability to remove and replace strings on Ravin bows? No
But some skill is needed.

Cocking feature of Ravins is easy. Teenagers, women and disabled can do.
Folks with bad backs too.

I have only been around a mission sub 1 once, and it was the original model since 2 more models have beeen released.

Accuracy wise the Ravins shoot nicely if set up correctly.

Ravin is the premiere whitetail hunting bow imo.
And these 2 newer models even more premiere.

Reverse limb bows, one has to be careful. Limb tip clearance harder to judge when shooting near obstacles like trees.
Loads of crossbows are damaged by trees and racks on ATVs, etc.

About all I can share.

Good luck on your searches.

 

[chapey]

How does the Barnett Ghost 420 compare any of the above mentioned bows?

 

[benoc105]

I’m guessing Ravin is holding the best resale value when it comes to crossbows?

 

[snugglepants1968]

I bought the Ravin R10 last year for hunting deer in Texas. I have suffered a second shoulder injury limiting my ability to draw a crossbow and all the thousands of dollars of recurve and compound bows are useless to me now sadly.

The Ravin cocking is noisy, clicking as you crank the draw lever, something they may have remedied. I personally have never had any problems with this cocking and decocking system. I cock the bow before getting on my stand, then after sitting in the stand load the bolt.
My Ravin shooting their brand bolts is deadly accurate, the scope that came with it is ok, sometimes the lighting on the reticle is wonky not working correctly. I use a secondary laser range finder to insure accuracy and take my time to carefully place my shot in the zone.
I feel my Ravin crossbow is deadly accurate to its maximum 100 yard range. I shoot it in practice to 80 yards as that is the limit of flat ground I have set up for sighting in the bow.

I will not shoot over 50 yards at a deer though I feel the crossbow will perform to at least 100 yards. Speed is over 400 fps. My scope is set to 410 fps and the bullseyes on my bag target are very worn.
I hope this is helpful.
Blessings from central Texas.

 

[soldier_medic]

selling my sub 1 xr , its a beautiful piece of equipment and super accurate but its big, gonna get a r26 I'm amazed at how small my buddies r29x is. I walk around a lot and a smaller bow is better for me.

 

[11bravo4victor]

Ravin more powerful. Depending on model purchased. Ravin is a better hunting bow. Mission sub one a better year round bow to shoot.
Mission sub wider, this will prevent user from taking some shots a Ravin user can pull off in the wild.
Cost.
Ravin more expensive. Ravin has built in crank system. Bows can be cranked silently by holding button. User doesn’t want to did this unless necessary. For example get out of truck or side by side say around 300 yards from tree stand. Just cock normally. Carry bow to stand pull up load and hunt.
If you shoot Ravin while in stand, and need a second shot, you have ability to do silent cocking. User of Ravin needs to get used to cocking bow silently. And decocking can be done and this will always be silent. One must be careful and take their time when decocking. I recommend no quiver and bolts be on the side User is using to decock bow.

Weight.
New Ravin R29 and R26 lighter bows than previous Ravin models. Shorter too. R26 is a mere 26” long. For its size smallest powerhouse out there currently. R29 few inches longer.
Both bows balance nicely.
R20 longest model, R10 a few inches shorter.

R26 and R 29 have bolt placement moved back. This is the how Ravin got the bows shorter.

Imo for the money right now, R10 Best Buy overall. Not the fastest, but not the most expensive. Will be easier on strings and cables vs R26 and R29 and the rest except for the older R9 bow.

Like .i said if I were going to be a weekly shooter, or a daily shooter throughout the year, I think mission sub one best choice.

Ravin owner’s imo good idea to have their own press. They don’t give them away but not as much as a full bow press like last chance.

Maintenance on Ravins is easy once you get familiar.
Does a person need super duper mechanic ability to remove and replace strings on Ravin bows? No
But some skill is needed.

Cocking feature of Ravins is easy. Teenagers, women and disabled can do.
Folks with bad backs too.

I have only been around a mission sub 1 once, and it was the original model since 2 more models have beeen released.

Accuracy wise the Ravins shoot nicely if set up correctly.

Ravin is the premiere whitetail hunting bow imo.
And these 2 newer models even more premiere.

Reverse limb bows, one has to be careful. Limb tip clearance harder to judge when shooting near obstacles like trees.
Loads of crossbows are damaged by trees and racks on ATVs, etc.

About all I can share.

Good luck on your searches.

I would say you have this perfectly wrong. The mission is all around a better bow. It's made for abuse and field environments. You can take your string off a mission in the treestand with an allen key if you had to. You can use a variety of arrows with a mission. And you can tune it from 150lb draw to 200 lb draw. You don't need a bow faster that 400fps to hunt with. The reasons I went with mission is because it is accurate and built like a tank.

 

[11bravo4victor]

selling my sub 1 xr , its a beautiful piece of equipment and super accurate but its big, gonna get a r26 I'm amazed at how small my buddies r29x is. I walk around a lot and a smaller bow is better for me.

If I was going someplace very remote. I would want a Mission not a Ravin. I know to many people that have busted the cocking devises on those ravins. They're very delicate and the limbs are weak. Smaller isn't better. The mission is all around a better bow. It's made for abuse and field environments. You can take your string off a mission in the treestand with an allen key if you had to. You can use a variety of arrows with a mission. And you can tune it from 150lb draw to 200 lb draw. You don't need a bow faster that 400fps to hunt with. The reasons I went with mission is because it is accurate and built like a tank.

 

[Frederick D. Be]

Both Ravin and Mission are nice and I own both because both brands are excellent.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WisconsinHuntingDad]

My hunting buddy is on his 3rd Ravin 500! The first two's limbs broke and when he gets his 3rd replacement in, he is selling it right away! He got less than 50 bolts through it before it broke both times. Ruined 2 hunts. Never will I trust Raven with their hight $$$ brand.