Ravin R18 Range Test and Review: An Ultralight and Compact Crossbow With a Truly Bizarre Design

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Gone are the days of dragging a heavy, clunky crossbow to your deer stand and then fighting to properly aim it in tight quarters when a buck steps out. For years Ravin has shaken up the industry by making narrower, faster, and easier-to-use crossbows than ever before.

However the R18 brings a decidedly un-crossbow-like design (even for one in the Ravin lineup) to the deer woods. It looks more like a fictional weapon some renegade bounty hunter from the Star Wars universe would wield than a crossbow that a deer hunter would carry. Its wildly futuristic design makes it the lightest, shortest, and narrowest of the company’s crossbow models. But how does the Ravin R18 shoot?

I got my hands on a new R18 and put it through its paces at my home range. I’m a life-long deer hunter whose archery experience centers around compound bows. I’m a brand new, wet-behind-the-ears crossbow shooter, so I shot this crossbow without the many preconceived notions that a veteran crossbow hunter might have. While I may not be totally ready to trade in my compound, there were plenty of things that impressed me about the R18.

Ravin R18 Specs and Features

Weight: 6 pounds (7.98 pounds with scope)
Length: 25 inches (with stock); 18 inches (without stock)
Width: 4.75 inches
Speed: 330 fps
Arrow weight: 400 grains
Draw Force: 12 pounds
Trigger weight: 2.2 pounds
Built-in cocking mechanism
Includes Ravin 3-dot reflex sight
Detachable stock
Removable quiver
Price: $2,050

VertiCoil Cam System

The Ravin R18 is a marvel of engineering with a super unique design. Unlike the traditional crossbow design in which the limbs stick out from the sides like a cross, the R18 has limbs that run parallel to the rail. Ravin’s VertiCoil technology rotates scaled-down cams 720 degrees through the draw cycle. When the string is released, the limbs spring upward, and the string and cables rapidly uncoil, sending the arrow downrange toward your target. The cams are slaved together to prevent timing issues.

The design shrinks the distance between axles to a scant 1.3 inches when the crossbow is cocked and cuts the overall width of the bow down to less than 5 inches.

Trac-Trigger Firing System

The R18 features a built-in trigger mechanism that slides along the rail and attaches directly to the center of the string to ensure a balanced draw every single time. The design allows for straight nock travel to improve accuracy and consistency. When correctly positioned, the TTFS (Trac-Trigger Fire System) produces an audible click, activating both the anti-dry-fire mechanism and the trigger safety. Once you load a Ravin bolt, which has a unique nock, the anti-dry fire mechanism is moved out of the way so you can move the safety lever to the “fire” position and safely pull the trigger.

Red Dot Sight

Interestingly, the R18 comes with a Ravin 3-Dot Reflex sight, instead of a scope like most crossbows do. It’s a basic red dot, although it features three stacked dots to compensate for arrow drop over distance, which is an interesting feature.My biggest beef with the optic is that the windage and elevation adjustment screws didn’t have audible or tactile clicks. As a result, the process took a little bit of guesswork. Still, it took less than 5 minutes to get the bow roughly sighted in. Then once I had a solid zero at 20, the remaining dots were spot on at 30 and 40 yards. If I’m being super picky, I think a little magnification would have been nice. However, that’s coming from someone who needs readers to read the back of the broadhead package, so that may just be my aging eyesight talking.

Versa Draw Cocking System

With an integrated cocking mechanism and an ambidextrous crank, the R18’s patented Versa Dra Cocking System is incredibly easy to use. It only requires 12 pounds of force to cock and uncock. The cranking handle is also detachable and clicks conveniently into place on the stock for easy access.

Frictionless Flight System

Another of the R18’s unique features is its Frictionless Flight System. This patented system allows the string to float above the rail, reducing friction to lengthen string and cable life. The suspended configuration also prevents contact deflection during release to increase accuracy. On most crossbows, the user has to occasionally apply rail lube to reduce friction.

Detachable Stock

The R18 comes with a removable nylon fiber stock. The take-down design shortens the overall length from 25 inches to a conveniently packable 18 inches.

Testing the Ravin R18 on the Range

I tested the R18 with two friends to get multiple perspectives and groups from different shooters. Using a Caldwell Ballistic Precision chronograph, we measured arrow speed over ten shots with 350-grain arrows and then used the power of math to calculate average velocity.

The R18 definitely isn’t a speed demon. I chronographed it at an average of 328.7 fps, which is pretty darned close to the advertised speed of 330 fps. However, that’s snail-level speed for a modern crossbow. For perspective, the average speed produced by the models tested in the OL Best Crossbows of 2024 showdown was 421.85 fps. Even the slowest crossbow in the lineup, the Excalibur TwinStrike TAC2, was sending arrows sailing 18 fps faster than the R18.

However, speed isn’t everything. One thing the R18 does very well is shoot consistently. There were no wild variations in arrow speed. All of the measured shots fell within 3 fps of each other. That’s an impressive level of consistency.

Consistency naturally leads to accuracy, and the R18 delivered 1.25-inch groups at 30 yards with a mild crosswind. We also backed the target up to 50 yards and measured six groups total, with two three-shot groups from three testers. The result was an average of 3.8 inches per grouping. That’s not an impressive showing compared to the models that we included in OL’s Best Crossbow list, which averaged 2.4 inches. Still, planting an arrow in the kill zone at that distance on a calm September morning should be a walk in the park. Plus we need to put this accuracy data in context. The R18 is not being marketed as a long range bow. It’s meant for hunting close ranges in tight quarters. And for those purposes, it delivers plenty of accuracy.

We measured accuracy while shooting from a stable rest. Unfortunately, hunting shots are rarely made from picture-perfect shooting stances or flat-level benches. To keep things real, we also shot the R18 from seated, kneeling, and standing positions to see how easy it would be to handle in the field.

Shooting the R18 almost feels like you’re shooting a bullpup carbine. However, with the trigger set so far forward, the length of pull stretches out to just shy of 17 inches. If you expect the R18 to feel like a long gun, there will be some disappointment. However, the R18 is well-balanced and much lighter than the average long gun. Even with that stretched-out LOP, this crossbow was comfortable to shoot from common hunting field positions and the trigger was relatively light, though not exactly crisp.

What the Ravin R18 Does Best

Ravin destroyed the clunky crossbow stereotype with the R18. This model is ultra-light, well-balanced, and easy to handle. It’s also incredibly compact. The petite dimensions make it easy to carry at a low-ready when you’re still hunting. It’s just as easy to haul up a treestand and maneuver within the compact confines of a pop-up ground blind.

The R18 is also incredibly simple to use. Cocking and uncocking require very little upper body strength, and I could crank it to full draw in under 30 seconds.

Ravin crossbows always seem to deliver big in the accuracy department. It probably has to do with Ravin’s free-float Frictionless Flight System. How the bolts click onto the string may also be a positive factor in the company’s accuracy scores. Most other crossbows use arrows with a groove that rests against the string instead of snapping into place.

Where the Ravin R18 Can Improve

Although the R18 nicely executes the small, lightweight design, there are some areas for improvement. First, this is a noisy crossbow. While it’s difficult to judge sound volume without sophisticated equipment and a sterile laboratory setting, the R18 is undeniably a noisy shooter, particularly compared to most modern compound bows.

It also makes a god-awful clicking sound while you’re cranking it, however, which isn’t good in the whitetail woods. You’ll want to draw this one at the truck before you walk into your stand.

Final Thoughts

The Ravin R18 is a strangely unique crossbow with a futuristic dystopian vibe that will raise some eyebrows at deer camp. If you’re looking for speed, this isn’t the bow for you. However, if you want consistent accuracy in a compact, lightweight, easy-to-maneuver package, the R18 definitely delivers. This crossbow is about as svelte as a crossbow can get, and it would be a solid option for hunting from a treestand or ground blind, especially in the woods where shots are usually within 40 yards.

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