Original style crossbows?

[DNS]

Anyone make them? A real shooting version sounds like fun.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

I made one with a buggy spring for the prod. Used a big piece of antler for the roller. Worked OK but not the cast of a Proper bow.

There is a business in the US that makes prods of all weights. If I made another I'd buy one from them.
I think this thread will get the chop, as it isn't about ancient guns, DNS.
Merry Christmas !!

 

[jaxenro]

Kind of odd really because they allow muzzleloading contemporary weapons like knives and tomahawks but not archery equipment from the same time period

What I always wanted to make were the wooden crossbows using muzzleloading style stocks from about the civil war era

 

[Teleoceras]

DNS:

Anyone make them? A real shooting version sounds like fun.

Look up New World Arbalest. They make traditional style like those seen in the Pre-Flintlock time period.

 

[chuck p]

Alchem sells parts to build one as well

 

[Dr5x]

BECAUSE OF BETTER RESOURCES THE NEW CROSSBOWWS WARE JUST AS HARD TO PULL BACK THE "STRING" BUT THERE ARE MORE DEVICES TO HELP WITH THAT, THEIR ACCURACYIS WHAT HAS AMAZED ME..
IF I HAD TWENTY YEARS TO LIVE OVER I THINK I WOULD HAVE SPENT SOME TIME HERE.

DUTCH

Anyone make them? A real shooting version sounds like fun.

 

[robinghewitt]

I have a thing about the English bullet firing crossbow, a peculiar device replaced by the airgun but preserved by poachers.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

I too have a thing about stone-bows Robin.

Something else to try "sometime"!

Chuck P,
Yes, Alchem is the company I meant above, and couldn't recall the name.
Thanks!

 

[Gene L]

Crossbows were heavily backed wood with sinew and best with a horn belly...or the prods were steel. The stronger ones (we're talking about hundreds of pounds) had to be cocked by a windless (or twin windlesses) and were very expensive and very slow to reload. Also while they could be very accurate, they ddn't put enough fire power (wood power?) in the air and because they were sightless, pretty well couldn't be elevated enough to accurately aim at distant targets. The English longbow was not as powerful, but could put out dozens of arrows in the time it took to reload. Every time armies of crossbowmen faced armies of archers, the crossbowmen lost.

 

[Zonie]

IMO, crossbows are not muzzleloaders so I'm closing this topic.

The mention of crossbows is OK if we are talking about their sights or how they compare with pre- flintlock firearms but a whole topic based on Crossbows is a bit much.