How to Sight In a Ravin Crossbow From 20 to 50 Yards

What gear do you need before shooting?

Before touching the cocking handle or releasing an arrow, set up a solid base. A crossbow releases immense energy, but tiny body twitches will throw an arrow off target at long range. You need a bench setup that removes personal movement so your adjustments correct the optic, not your trembling arms.

• Heavy shooting bench or support: Use a sturdy shooting bench with sandbags or a mechanical rifle vise. Never sight in while standing, kneeling, or resting offhand across your knees.
• Crossbow-rated target block: Use a dense foam target rated to stop high-speed arrows. Place the target in front of a tall dirt hill or backstop where stray arrows cannot cause injury or damage property.
• Laser rangefinder: Measure the distance with an exact rangefinder from the front tip of your crossbow foot stirrup to the target face. Avoid pacing distances with steps, because a few feet of error at close range ruins your calibration later.
• Arrow safety check: Inspect carbon arrow shafts by gently flexing each arrow by hand and listening for cracking sounds before loading. A cracked shaft can splinter upon firing and cause severe hand or facial injuries.
• Matched arrows and points: Shoot the exact brand, length, and weight of arrows recommended by the manufacturer. Make sure your practice field tips weigh the exact same amount as your hunting broadheads, typically 100 grains.
• Basic hand tools: Keep a coin or flat screwdriver ready to turn the adjustment knobs under the protective caps. You also need a small hex wrench to verify that optic mount screws stay tight.

How do you zero the top crosshair at 20 yards?

Your goal at 20 yards is aligning the top crosshair dead-center with your arrow group. Do not worry about the other lines or dots lower down in the glass right now. The top aiming point is your foundation for the entire optic.

1. Remove the protective turret caps: Unscrew the covers over the adjustment knobs (turrets) on the top and right side of the scope body. Look through the glass to view the reticle, which is the system of crosshair lines and yardage dots seen through the glass. Set your target backstop exactly 20 yards away from your bench rest.
2. Cock the bow and load an arrow: Crank the sled until the trigger latch clicks into full engagement. Place your arrow in the flight track and slide it back until the nock firmly clicks against the bowstring. Never cause a dry fire (firing the bow without an arrow nocked), which absorbs zero energy and can shatter limbs, break cams, and fling sharp shrapnel.
3. Shoot a three-arrow group: Settle the crossbow into your front bag and shoulder pocket. Place the top horizontal crosshair dead-center on a small target dot. Squeeze the trigger smoothly without jerking your grip. Shoot three arrows at the exact same dot to establish an initial group.
4. Adjust the side-to-side knob: Find the windage knob on the right side of the scope tube. If your arrow group hits two inches to the left of the aiming dot, turn the dial toward the "R" (Right) mark. Most scopes move the impact point one-quarter inch per click at 20 yards, so eight clicks shifts your impact two inches to the right.
5. Adjust the up-and-down adjustment: Find the elevation knob on top of the scope body. If your arrows hit three inches low, turn the dial toward "UP" by twelve clicks. If your arrows land high, turn the dial toward "DN" (Down).
6. Shoot a confirming group: Aim at a fresh dot with your top crosshair and shoot two more arrows. When both shafts hit the center of your mark, screw the protective caps back onto the dials.

How does the scope speed ring actually work?

A specialized crossbow scope features a rotating collar on the eyepiece marked in numbers from 300 to 450 or higher. This collar is the scope speed ring, marked in arrow speed (measured in feet per second).

Understanding this ring solves the biggest problem shooters face at longer distances. An arrow does not fly like a flat laser beam. Gravity pulls the arrow downward the moment it leaves the rail, creating a curved arc. Slower arrows drop steeply, while faster arrows travel on a flatter arc.

Turning the speed ring does not change the physical power or pull weight of your crossbow limbs. Instead, it changes the internal magnification of the glass. Changing the magnification widens or narrows the visual spacing between the yardage dots inside your reticle.

If your bow launches an arrow at 400 feet per second, setting the collar to 400 aligns the reticle spacing with that exact downward arc. The 30-yard mark matches a 30-yard drop, the 40-yard mark matches a 40-yard drop, and each lower dot lines up with its yardage.

The factory speed printed on the box is rarely your real flight speed. Manufacturers rate speeds using light arrows. When you add a heavy hunting broadhead, lighted nocks, or heavier fletchings, flight speed drops. Calibrating at 50 yards matches the reticle to your real arrow weight.

How do you calibrate your sight at 50 yards?

After locking in your 20-yard zero, move back to 50 yards to dial in the speed ring. Shooting at 50 yards magnifies small drop differences, making it easy to align all yardage marks at once. Keep your hands off the top and side adjustment knobs during this phase.

1. Set the initial speed ring number: Turn the rotating collar to the advertised speed rating of your crossbow model. If you shoot a heavy hunting shaft, turn the ring roughly 10 feet per second lower than the advertised speed to account for broadhead weight.
2. Verify your shooting lane: Use your laser rangefinder to confirm the target face sits exactly 50 yards away. Make sure the wind is calm, because side gusts push arrows sideways and cause false optical adjustments. Reviewing a compact hunting crossbow review can give you helpful perspective on how short bows rest on bags during long-range shooting.
3. Aim with the 50-yard reticle mark: Rest the crossbow firmly on your shooting bags. Look through the scope and place the 50-yard mark (typically the third or fourth horizontal line below the top crosshair) directly over the center bullseye.
4. Fire a two-arrow group: Squeeze the trigger smoothly and fire two arrows using the 50-yard mark. Walk downrange to inspect where the arrows struck relative to your aim point. If both arrows hit dead-center, your speed ring is already dialed.
5. Correct high or low hits using the speed ring: If your arrows hit high, turn the speed ring to a higher number (for example, from 400 up to 415). A higher speed setting narrows reticle spacing, which forces you to lower the bow to center the mark. If your arrows hit low, turn the ring to a lower number (such as 400 down to 385).
6. Verify all intermediate distances: Fire two more arrows at 50 yards to confirm your adjustment. Once the 50-yard mark hits dead-center, move your target to 30 and 40 yards. Fire at each distance using the matching reticle line to verify every distance mark splits the bullseye.

Why are your arrow groups scattering or shifting?

When arrows scatter unpredictably across the target, the issue almost always stems from mechanical movement or inconsistent shooting habits rather than a broken scope.

• Loose optic mounts or base screws: Crossbows produce sharp forward and rear vibrations that loosen metal hardware. Use a hex tool to confirm that scope rings and the receiver rail have not vibrated loose.
• Incomplete nock engagement: Push every arrow firmly back into the trigger housing until you feel and hear the nock seat against the bowstring. A tiny gap of even one millimeter changes energy transfer and throws vertical impacts off by several inches.
• Damaged vanes or crooked shafts: Inspect the plastic vanes on every arrow before loading. Wrinkled or warped vanes catch the air unevenly and cause erratic flight patterns at longer distances.
• Tilting the bow sideways: Resting a crossbow unevenly on a bench causes severe side-to-side misses. Check your sight level bubble before pulling the trigger to ensure the limbs remain level with the ground. Choosing the best hunting crossbow setup requires matching solid bench rests with level optics to avoid flight errors.
• String and cable wear: As bowstrings stretch over hundreds of shots, cam timing shifts and reduces arrow velocity. If your groups suddenly strike low across every distance, visit an archery pro shop bow press so a technician can inspect cam timing and string wear.

FAQs

Can you sight in using hunting broadheads right away?

Start your initial sighting with practice field points that match the exact grain weight of your hunting broadheads. Field points are easier on targets and prevent damaged blades while you make large adjustments. Once your arrows group dead-center at 20 and 50 yards, shoot your broadheads to verify flight. Expandable mechanical heads usually fly identical to field points, while fixed-blade designs may need slight windage adjustments.

What happens if your arrow speed is between dial markings?

The speed ring moves smoothly along the eyepiece and does not lock into stiff notches. You can leave the ring set anywhere between the printed numbers. If your arrows group dead-center at 50 yards with the ring resting halfway between 410 and 420, leave it right there. The printed numbers are guidelines, but arrow impact tells the real truth.

Do you need to re-zero for cold weather hunting?

Cold winter air is denser than warm summer air, which creates slightly more aerodynamic drag on the arrow. Rail lubricants can also thicken in freezing temperatures, causing a minor drop in arrow velocity. Before heading into the woods on a freezing morning, fire a practice shot at 30 or 40 yards to confirm your zero has not shifted low.

Why does the arrow drop lower than expected past 50 yards?

Arrows drop faster at extreme distances if your total arrow setup is heavier than factory specifications. Adding heavy brass inserts or extra-dense broadhead heads increases front-of-center weight and pulls the arrow down sooner. If arrows impact low past 50 yards despite setting the speed ring, turn the dial to a slightly lower speed rating to widen the gap between your lower reticle dots.