Crossbows, Past, Present And What We Can Build

With modern materials, I think we could build one that is stronger, faster, and smaller. I imagine a hand held model that can sling rocks so fast, they'll be off in a shot. That's it! I'll call it a, sling-shot. You heard it here first people.

Jokes aside, I've never seen these things before. Makes me wonder how effective they can be. I guess they'll definitely get you some dinner.

 

Yep, those things throw rocks!! The thing is that a slingshot is just a small bow. Have you seen some of the things that Bishop has posted that he does with a slingshot? Like what a crossbow does with archery that crossbow does for rock throwing. It can make anyone like a major league pitcher.

They were made for the same reason that the regular crossbow was made. For a man to be an effective archer or slinger it took years of practice and experience before you were truly able to use it to its full effect. With the advent of the crossbow, the time it took to train was greatly reduced and militarily that made them more effective at long range.

 

Also, on the subject of crossbows. I DO believe that they are the one, old technology that has improved over time and not made cheaper. Lightweight bows made from composite materials can get hundreds of thousands of pulls before they break. Same with the strings. Probably the only thing we do better now then we did 100 years ago, is crossbows.

 

here's one my father built in the 1950s. The plans came from a popular mechanix magazine. It works good but the bow is too stiff.

 

the bow is made from a car spring, too stiff. I've been thinking of replacing it with spring from a snow machine.
Basically the trigger mechanism is a roller with a groove and a notch cut into it. The top photo shows the notch, the bottom the groove. The string is held by the notch and the arrow rests in the groove. There is another notch on the bottom of the roller that the trigger engages, when the trigger is pulled, it comes out of the notch. The roller rolls forward due to the pressure from the string and bow, the arrow is propelled.

 

Most of the time one good shot is all you will get at a game animal anyway.

With a short range "primitive" weapon like a bow you learn to make that one shot count.

 

I've found it's more likely you'll get a second chance at a deer at 50 yards far more often than you will at 20 yards, but it's much harder to get a good hit at that distance if you don't practice a lot.

Oddly though, I've missed more shots closer in than I have a longer distances due to them hearing the bow and "jumping the string".

I actually killed one deer with a second shot after missing it in close.

It made the fatal mistake of running out into a bean field and stopping broadside at about 45 yards.