Pre-Season Ravin Crossbow Care and Maintenance

With the opening day of archery season right around the corner, now is the time to take stock of your hunting gear to purge, repair, or replace. As a hunter who prefers quality gear, you know that your crossbow is the most imperative item on your gear list. You have invested in one of the best high-performance crossbows in the industry, and now is the time to do crossbow care and maintenance to prepare for a successful season ahead. 

Limbs & Cams

The limbs and cams together are the backbone of your crossbow. As you can imagine, the limbs and cams absorb most of the generated power in the shot cycle, and a vital part of crossbow care is keeping the limbs and cams in good condition. Another crucial part of checking over your Ravin is cam timing. Small dots are machined into the cams as a reference to ensure your Ravin Crossbow is tuned to specifications. When uncocked and viewed from above, the top cable will align between or over the dots on both cams (Figure A & B show cams in time). The cables can be in different locations between the dots and your Ravin Crossbow is still timed. When the string and cables become worn, the timing will be affected and one or both cables will be outside the dots (Figure C & D show cams out of time). When this occurs, the string and cables must be replaced.         

• Wipe down the limbs and cams with a soft, damp cloth.
• Use a cotton ball to run over the edges of the limbs to check for rough surfaces, splintering, nicks, deep gouges, or chips. 
• Check the tightness of the cam and limb bolts. If you notice any loose bolts, do not tighten. Bring your crossbow to your local dealer or contact the Ravin Service Department.

Strings & Cables 

The Ravin Crossbows’ maintenance recommendation for the expected life of strings and cables on Ravin products suggests replacement every two years or 400 shots, whichever occurs first. If you own the Ravin R500 series or the Ravin R18, proper crossbow care practice is to replace the strings and cables every 200 shots or every other year, whichever occurs first. Visible frays or excessive wear on strings require immediate string and cable replacement. If in doubt, take it to your local archery shop and have a bow technician inspect it, or give our service team a call. 

• Use only Ravin Crossbow strings and cables. Ravin crossbows require a Ravin Multi Press for string removal and installation. It is recommended that you use your local Ravin Crossbow dealer or favorite bow shop to remove old and replace new string and cables. 
• Use Ravin Serving Fluid or Scorpion Venom Polymeric Bowstring Fluid for your crossbow care. Allow the fluid to dry before firing the crossbow. 
• Apply serving fluid the entire length of the center serving and serving on the cables.
• Serving fluid should be used a minimum of once a year and always before hunting in cold weather under 32°F.
• Replace strings if the center serving is worn, damaged, or separated. The Ravin orange nock may not engage properly on the center string if one or more of these issues exist. 
• When doing your crossbow care routine, never use bow wax on the string, center serving, or cables. Doing so can cause a build-up of wax in the trigger mechanism, leading to a possible malfunction. 
• Do not re-serve used or old strings. 

Trac-Trigger Firing System, Crank Mechanism, & Rails

Ravin Crossbows’ revolutionary technology brings together a unique system that makes it the most accurate crossbow ever designed. The design of the Versa-Draw Cocking System and TracTrigger Firing System are placed to keep the crossbow compact and lightweight. These parts must remain well-maintained, and while this design does include a few hard-to-reach places that can make crossbow care difficult, it is not impossible to clean. 

• Use a can of compressed air to blow out the dust and dirt in the railing, Trac-Trigger Firing System, Crank Mechanism, and any tight spot. Be careful not to use too much air pressure on the moving parts, such as the Trac-Trigger Firing System and trigger mechanism.
• Check the rail for nicks or scratches. Do not put rail lube on the rail. 
• When doing Ravin crossbow maintenance, never use oil or grease on your trigger mechanism or Trac-Trigger Firing System. Oil and grease can cause a build-up of dust or dirt and cause the anti-dry fire system to malfunction. 

Scope

The adage “Your choice of weaponry is only as good as your optics” could not be more accurate than that when referring to crossbow optics. Ravin optics are fog and waterproof with fully coated high-quality lenses. However, like any other quality optics, care and maintenance of Ravin Crossbows’ optics is required.

• Tighten any loose mounting rings, Allen screws, and base bolts.
• Wipe down the exterior surface of the scope with a soft, damp cloth. 
• Clean the lenses with only ammonia-free lens cleaner and a soft lens cloth.
• If you use lens caps, check that they fit correctly and are in working order. 

Arrows

In addition to regular crossbow care, inspecting your arrows should be done every time before you shoot—it should become a habit. Shooting a damaged, faulty arrow can lead to severe injury to the shooter and damage to the crossbow. 

• Use only Ravin arrows and nocks with your Ravin Crossbow.
• Flex-test each arrow to check the shaft for cracks, nicks, or the spine for weakness, twisting, or any other damage. 
• Check the fletching to ensure the adhesive isn’t brittle and that the fletching is not bent or loose. 
• Ensure that the inserts are solid on both ends of the arrow. 
• Inspect the nocks to make sure they are not cracked or nicked. Replace with only Ravin Clip-on Nocks. 
• Check the alignment of the nock with the fletching cock feather. The nock needs to be perpendicular to the white fletching. 
• If you are using Ravin Lighted Nocks, check to ensure each lighted nock is working. Activate the nock, then extinguish it with the Ravin Nock Extinguisher/Arrow Puller. 

Storage

As you prepare to start your season this year, keep in mind how you store your crossbow. Crossbow storage is an important part of your Ravin crossbow care and maintenance. 

• Always store your crossbow in a Ravin Crossbow Case or a well-fitted case.
• Do not store your crossbow in extreme heat or cold. Keep the case out of direct sunlight. 
• Do not leave a crossbow cocked for more than eight hours consecutively. Never store it in the case while cocked.
• Do not store small items loosely in your crossbow case with your crossbow unless there is a designated area that will prevent them from floating around freely in the case.

To safeguard yourself from injury and your crossbow from damage, always take the time to inspect your bow and use due diligence in your maintenance and care routine of your Ravin Crossbows product. This practice can avoid injury and prevent damage to your crossbow, and it could be the difference between a good hunting season and no season.