Crossbow Info... ?

[C. M. Wolf]

I've lately been looking into picking up a crossbow. I would be more than happy to build one,(even from scratch).

I've got boxes & boxes of arrow shafts, fletchings, nocks, head-inserts, points, and broadheads just looking to be put together and building them for a crossbow would be just fine with me. (I guess I was a pretty avid archer in my time.)

I have a few bows,(compounds, recurves, etc), but it seems like it's about time to do a crossbow.
I'm looking for as heavy # crossbow as can be had/built and still be light weight and fairly compact in size.

Are there any sites with plans for building modern crossbows or sites for the sale of, that are quite reasonable/cost effective, that anyone here knows of?

MTIA

Michael

[thirty-thirty]

Re: Crossbow Info... ?

I never had one. I was thinking about getting one. I cooled off when someone reminded me that extending the range of archery equipment has a drawback; deer and elk often jump the string, and the farther away they are the worse the effect.

[C. M. Wolf]

Re: Crossbow Info... ?

Thank you Thirty-thirty, I'm fairly aware of that. I have been bowhunting since I was in my late teens,(even hunted bird with a bow... "Flu-flu's").

Where I'm at right now,(looking to broaden my weapons collection and filling in winter projects), I might as well spread out on the archery wall some. Besides, there are a few ways to help silence a crossbow's cables/strings some.

My other choices of interest at this time is a six-bbl'ed, electric-rotory, hopper-fed, .22lr mini-gun, or keep working on my VW engines,(which means crowding my basement shop with engineblock, heads, pistons, paints, oils/degreasers, etc). ...And I'd rather not have to move all this from my garage right now. Not to mention all that being much heavier than any/all archery equipment...

:thumbs:

Michael

[Hawk45]

Re: Crossbow Info... ?

First off crossbows use 'bolts' instead of arrows. The back of them is a flat surface and not nocted. They are usually made of tougher and thicker material than normal arrows also, due to the impact of the string on them. Instead of 40-60 pounds of thrust, crossbows usually start at 125-200 pounds of thrust. Trying regular hunting arrows usually results in missing and regular archery arrows being bent SEVERLY and a miss.

[Lasergunner]

Re: Crossbow Info... ?

When researching this, beware of a site called computersmiths.com. I think it is a Chinese website. I was looking at one of their pages about Chinese Crossbows when I started getting a whole bunch of error messages.

[C. M. Wolf]

Re: Crossbow Info... ?

I finally did end up buying a crossbow....


http://www.barnettcrossbows.com/comp.../panzer_v.html

Although I picked it up used at ebay, I didn't pay even half the price of new and it came with a 1/2doz extra darts,(I still bought more, and field tips and broadheads also).

I was a bit disappointed to find it had a 3/8" optics rail so I mounted a weaver rail on it instead. That way I could mount a Laser/Hollow-site that I already owned, on it.
http://www.assaultweb.net/forums/sho...ser+Hollowsite

I'm quite happy with the way this bow shoots, very consistant and although it's not the fastest bow made, it's very strong.

...

I thank you guys for the heads up/warnings.
I've been shooting archery for about 40+yrs,(this is simply the first "Crossbow" that I've owned).



Michael

[Anthony]

Re: Crossbow Info... ?

I bought a 175 pounder.

Even compounded I nearly popped my shoulders cocking it. Got some good (expensive) shafts and fitted bodkins to them, then set out to zero it.

Built a sturdy stop of plywood and bales. First shot went through the stop, another 50 feet, through the door of my car, finally stopping in the seat cushion. Shaft ruined.

Reinforced the stop and moved it. This time the shaft went through, another 100 feet, through two walls of my barn, finally stopped by a table leg. Shaft ruined.

hmma hmma hmma finally stopped by tree trunk - shaft ruined

Down to 2 bolts, still not zeroed, hanging in barn.

THW crossbows.