How to Make Crossbows: The Classic Crossbow
Two crossbow designs that you can make yourself.
September/October 1984
the Mother Earth New staff
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1) Our fieldpiece looks and functions like many of the more expensive manufactured crossbows. 2) The front sight is a strap of aluminum fitted with a bead. The steel cocking rod gives the cocking lever (3) a forward mount when the string is being drawn. 4) This prototype has no trigger safety, but one can be added.
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NOTE: Though we did build and test both of our crossbows, the potential for injury from any weapon is enough to compel us to say that whoever builds and uses this tool does so at his or her own risk.
RELATED CONTENT
An archer might consider it kin to a firearm ...a shooter, on the other hand, most likely would think it a stock-mounted bow ...and you wouldn't need a poll to know the general public's feeling: It looks sinister enough to be a lethal weapon!
In short, there's not much doubt that the modern crossbow suffers an "identity crisis," but-regardless of the mystery that still surrounds this curious hybrid-it's been gaining in popularity among hunters and targeteers alike ...and that trend hasn't gone unnoticed here at MOTHER.
With several avid bowhunters on the staff, and a research department eager to take on such an interesting challenge, it wasn't too difficult to get the ball rolling on a project that we figured might be a first in the field: designing and building a quality crossbow from scratch ...testing its range, accuracy, and overall effectiveness ...and then comparing its performance to that of traditional recurve and compound bows.
Crossbow Basics
The contemporary crossbow shares little beyond a basic design with its forebear, the medieval arbalest. Though both launch arrows (bolts) by means of a short bow transversely fixed to a stock, the superiority of modern materials-along with the improved geometry made possible by the use of such lightweight plastics, alloys, and composites—has turned what was a crude but effective weapon of war into an admirable piece of fairly uncomplicated technology.
Over the past few years, crossbow design has received considerable attention from various manufacturers, with the result that the old standard has been modified to run the gamut from a paramilitary-looking assault piece to an artistic expression of classical physics. And although these developments represent improvement in most cases, they're beyond the ability of all but the best-equipped crafts people to duplicate.
We chose the path of least resistance and used the simplest common denominators in our design. The stock of our crossbow consists of a center spine covered on each side by a strengthening flank. As a bolted-together unit, this flat-aluminum assembly serves as a combination barrel (or chase in crossbow terminology), trigger housing, handgrip, and shoulder extension.
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