Homemade crossbow with your own hands at home. How to make a crossbow with your own hands so that later it will not be unbearably painful How to make a wooden crossbow with your own

A must-read!

Making homemade weapons, in particular, crossbows and bows, less often knives, are usually practiced by adolescents and young people under twenty, twenty-three years of age. Older people prefer buy branded factory-made weapons... However, there are exceptions.

For example, an older person may be passionate about self-manufacture of weapons at the hobby and collecting level. But more often than not, his hobby becomes closer to professional work, since it is not a one-time impulse. According to statistics, this site is visited mainly by young people from fourteen to twenty-eight years old (according to the Yandex metrics). They are mainly interested in methods and techniques for making any homemade weapon.

However, with an unprofessional attitude to the subject of interest and a lack of technical skills, the creation of homemade products can lead to unwanted traumatic situations that can harm the health and even, in some cases, the lives of young experimenters. Therefore, if you are on fire with the idea, acquire by all means one of types of permitted weapons, it is better to buy it in a store, or contact a qualified specialist. Of course, in this case, certain costs will be required, but they are not as critical as it seems at first glance. That is, your health is much more expensive than a certain amount of money spent on buying, for example, a crossbow.

Naturally, not all young people have accessible funds for the purchase of weapons, and not everyone has the right to use it, even if it belongs to the category of sports, due to its age. Therefore, in specialized stores, it can only be sold to a person who has reached the age of majority and who has an appropriate document authorizing the acquisition and use of weapons for personal purposes.

The situation is different with weapons online stores, for whom it does not matter to whom the weapon is sent, and all polls during registration are formal. But as mentioned above, adolescents under the age of eighteen rarely have their own income and therefore, in most cases sporting weapon acquired with the knowledge of the parents and with their direct participation.

More for lovers of ready-made stock drawings

Please note that the crossbow is made “from a bow”. That is, what kind of bow is, the crossbow will be adjusted to its parameters, because each bow has its own unique parameters - the tension force, the length of the pull stroke, the length of the shoulders, finally. Further, the lock also meets the given requests, it has its own geometry and it may not always be suitable for the required type of lodge. So there is no point in such drawings and they can only be considered as an illustration for understanding the general principle of the arrangement of parts.

Some of the features of making a stock for crossbows deserve closer attention, allowing you to save material and nerves. When making a stock for a compound bow, note that the groove in it for the crossing sections of the bowstring must be extended towards the lock, since when pulled, the ends of the bow with the blocks are bent back. Sometimes an incorrect cut makes you radically change the location of the nodes, which entails a change in the design of the product as a whole, sometimes not for the better. Do not forget to leave at least a millimeter in reserve. By milling, you can only set the initial shape, for example, of the keyway, and finally finish it with the help of a small chisel and files with files.

A small note on the finishing of the lodges

The question is often asked about where to get the drawings of the box, the box can be made even from the leg of a chair, but the crossbow itself, in the end, should not be just a designer from ridiculous parts, but should be a product made in the same style. For example, crossbows in the style of the Middle Ages with a powerful bow, forged fittings, a rigid lock and a rough wooden stock look holistic and balanced; or a light and graceful sports crossbow with optics, a thin and biting bow, an anatomical stock; not to mention futuristic crossbows with polished metal surfaces, a laser designator, a cast titanium stock and an extremely complex lock. In other words, the final finish depends on your taste, but remember that it will be judged by your crossbow.

More on guides

High-quality guides are the most important element affecting shooting accuracy, as they establish the initial orientation of the bolt (boom). They can be made of any material that desirably has a low coefficient of friction. Although practically no load is applied to the rails, they must be strong enough to remain straight. Therefore, it is a good idea to make them as a separate piece, which is attached to the stock at points at its ends. This makes it possible, if necessary, to easily change it, for example, in case of damage or transition to a different type of bolts, moreover, such fasteners allow you to “untie” the guides from the deformable stock. The longitudinal guide groove for the bolt is usually one third of the shaft's diameter so that the plane of the bowstring is aligned with the axis of the bolt. Conveniently, when a narrow groove for the lower tail passes through the guide, then random needles when shooting in the forest, for example, will not interfere with the bolt's movement.

As already mentioned, it is convenient to make guides separately from the box. The material can be metal, plastic or wood. The required thin longitudinal groove can be made with a thin jigsaw blade or by making a guide from two halves, which is also very convenient and has its advantages. A particularly important factor in the manufacture is the observance of absolute straightness and parallelism. Naturally, you will have to apply sandpaper or a hairy polishing wheel. The dimensions are not at all critical and are determined only by the length of the stock section from the block to the lock, corresponding to the running (landing) part of the bolt, as well as the diameter of the bolt shaft and the type of its plumage. The bolt should fit freely, but without play, into the guide groove, the feathers should not touch for anything. The guides are installed in such a way that the axis of the inserted bolt coincides in the front part with the position of the bowstring fastening (! Nuance) on the bow, and in the rear part, passes through the filler cutout of the lock. The nuance lies in the fact that it is precisely the front part of the guide that should not be much higher than the specified plane, which ensures some slip of the bowstring pushing the bolt. Naturally, everything should be within reasonable limits, and the wooden surface of the guide must be protected from abrasion by the bowstring with additional metal linings.

Lock

The lock made of clothes pegs and tin can hardly deserves any attention. The crossbow lock is a very important detail. There is an opinion that the simpler the lock, the more reliable it is, however, I would interpret it somewhat differently - the better the lock, the more reliable it is. The manufacture of the lock must be treated with special attention, because convenience and reliability depend on its operation, as well as the clarity of operation, and hence the accuracy of shooting. A little about the functions of the lock. A good lock should provide a guaranteed retention of the bowstring on an equipped crossbow, as well as a clear descent at the required moment of aiming. It is in accordance with the first paragraph that additional blockers and fuses are introduced into the design of the locks, and with the second, intermediate unloading levers and repeaters. The choice of the castle design again depends on your locksmith's capabilities and needs, and here you can freely show your creative inclinations to modernize existing samples and develop your own. Personally, I liked the design of professional locks presented on one of the sites. The bicycle has been invented, but has it been invented yet?

To make it easier to embed the lock, it is necessary even when designing it to try to give it the simplest possible shape. That is, locks with different cavities are unlikely to be neatly packed into the stock, while flat, rectangular locks in this regard do not cause any particular problems when cutting into the stock. It is important to take into account that the locks must be securely fastened, without backlash, and have a maximum contact area with the stock to relieve the load. Often the simple fact that the lock carries the entire tension load is not taken into account. That is, if you make a crossbow with a bow of 300 kg (probably for an elephant), then all 300 kg + shock load and so on will naturally come to the parts of the castle, but the bed must manage in its thinnest place (usually where it is weakened by the keyway), survive 300 kg + twisting and other non-parallel loads. Again, in some drawings, the locks have attachment points too close to the edges or small diameter holes for thin bolts or screws. If this value turns out to be acceptable for metal, then a certain margin must be provided for the tree. So, summing up all the factors, we can conclude that the lock should have the minimum dimensions, in particular the width, have the maximum surface of contact with the groove, that is, fit snugly with its front surface in the groove, and only be fixed on the stock with bolts. In addition, the stock itself must have sufficient strength in its weakest part in order to calculate the draw load of the bow. So for the monsters it is better to make a stock from a metal profile, and put on the lining of beautiful durable wood on the body kit. To the best of my incompetence on this issue, I cannot give any special recommendations regarding the choice of a tree, although I personally prefer beech.

For those who do not live in the regions where this wonderful tree grows, I would advise you to pay close attention to the old pianos of your friends and acquaintances. In them, beech is found in the form of massive load-bearing beams for suspending frame cast iron. At the risk of provoking the ire of aesthetes, a piano is easier to find these days than a piece of good piece of wood. Let us write off this barbarism as a by-product of art. For metal lovers. Excellent aluminum and alloy profiles can be found in office furniture. Rigid rectangular profiles are now commonly used in some machine tools. There is a wonderful thin-walled tube made of blackened metal in…. a large inclined tablet like a designer or draftsman. I don't know what the fighters have to do with it, but such a pipe can be used in powerful pneumatic and light firearms, as well as for mortars for fireworks. You can also cast stocks from aluminum and alloys, followed by milling grooves and other things, but this is more a matter of technology and taste.

Let me remind you that the pulling force of the bow acts on the lock! This means that the lock must withstand the impact of large loads without loss of performance, so that tin as a material is immediately excluded. The offered millimeter steel, after processing already 0.8 mm, can only be used on small-power crossbows, otherwise the lock will simply be deformed. The details of the castle are also worth looking at. The main hook is fully loaded, so use a stronger steel and a thicker axle. Depending on the design and the lever, a smaller force acts on the release that releases the hook. Other parts can be made already based on their purpose and the load on them, while not forgetting about the margin of safety and durability. Designers-gunsmiths have the technology of constructing mechanisms of real weapon locks “on pins”, this is when the contours of the supposed parts of the lock are cut out of cardboard and pinned to the plywood at the points of their axes. At the same time, it is possible to immediately see the interaction of parts with each other, to correct, and then to embody everything in metal. In principle, all that remains is to choose a suitable lock, further modernization can be achieved by using high-quality steel, some modification of the escapement and equipping the lock with additional devices, adjustments, etc.

Structurally, for crossbow sniping, locks with the so-called "nut" or a similar hook design are more suitable. The hook rotates freely on an axis close to the center of mass, which results in a very soft, snatch-free descent. Such locks will appeal to lovers of high-precision shooting and the fairer sex (there are some in this business!), But the Hollywood-style clanking and clinking aggressive locks will be more useful in systems of a threatening militaristic or medieval style of execution. In one of the “pro” locks, the design of which I took as the basis for my own, there is a fuse and a blocker, which excludes the release of the bowstring without a threaded bolt, which is quite thoughtful for preserving the bowstring. By adding a slot in the upper part of the hook, it was possible to ensure unstressed interaction of the bowstring on the leg, the rear end of the bolt, in the common people "ass".

Block

Designed to attach the bow or its shoulders directly to the stock. The block works in a very stressful mode, experiences shock loads, therefore, it must have a significant margin of safety. It is made of cast aluminum or metal, calculated depending on the bow used. More forces with different vectors act on the block for split bow arms. When designing pads, it is necessary to correctly use various slopes and triangles, which allows significant savings in weight with the same rigidity of the part. The shoe can be detachable to reduce the size of the crossbow when carrying. There is a certain peculiarity in the method of attaching the bow arms to the last, which consists in the fact that it is preferable to use fastening on threaded clamps than on rivets, but it is better not to loosen the bow arms with holes at all. (!) Pay special attention to the fastening of the bow shoulders, take into account the rule of the lever, which, together with the tension of the bow, adds up to an immodest amount. It is most convenient to make a last from thick sheet steel, bending the workpiece like origami.

The bow is the main part of any crossbow.

Structurally, it is easier to use a mono-bow made of strong and resilient steel, however, some plastics are also applicable. The simplest thing is to use ready-made bows for shooting sports. Can be made from any resilient spring steel, for example springs. We used a powerful spring from some relic hell trap. A stacked bow consisting of a pack of strips has enormous frictional losses between stripes. Even if you lubricate the strips with something like “ER” to reduce friction, the use of such a bow is impractical. If you want to make a removable bow with snaps, then I advise you to fasten the bow to the last tightly, but the last itself can be made tightly fastened to the stock. In general, analyzing the physics of the bow, it can be noted that it is better to bow with developed shoulders, which have some narrowing towards the ends. Such a bow, bending evenly, accumulates a lot of energy. However, larger bows require a longer stock due to the increased pull travel, which is unacceptable. Ancient crossbows, judging by the sources, hit 200 steps. So it was they who "beat", knocking the riders off their horses, and for a greater firing range, perfect sights are already needed, and even now no one shoots from machine guns at a greater range, it makes no sense. For more details on firing range, see the paragraph on bolts.

If possible, you can forge a bow from a suitable metal, and it is better to immediately foresee the places for fastening the bowstring on the block. Again, blocking is best if the bow has a lot of power.

The brackets of the blocks, the blocks themselves work on the tension of the bow + the force of the compression of the bowstring + shock loads. Blocks can be carved from a suitable material for strength, however, it is necessary to unload the shoulders of the bow as much as possible. In most cases, the choice of aluminum as a block material is very successful. For those who have difficulty making blocks, I recommend looking into old reel-to-reel tape recorders. In some models, there are wonderful blanks for aluminum alloy blocks, you just need to cut off the excess. To lighten the blocks, holes are drilled in them or windows are cut out. You can also look into old receivers, where the veneer is based on a cable system. The warriors have a lot of old radio equipment with such units. There are small blocks on ancient dental bursting machines. On professional crossbows, blocks are oval. This is due to the fact that the block rotates only a small angle. I think that the fact of some gain when using the block scheme versus the usual, recursive one is obvious, but a further increase in the number of blocks gives less and less results. So it makes no sense to collect a garland of 6,8,10 blocks. A four-block crossbow is capable of pulling even a child. Note that the compound bow works smoother than the recursive bow, which improves the shooting accuracy, besides, the effort to break the bowstring on it is less, apparently due to the loading of the bowstring with blocks.

Springs are sometimes used as a propellant on some exotic models, but they have a large weight, volume, low stroke and enormous energy, which in turn entails a complication of the design and requires high-quality steel for the locks. A compressed automobile shock absorber spring can easily tear off a person's arm or leg. A shot from such a spring into a bag with caked cement pierced him, and the spring itself flew away behind a row of neighboring garages. A very dangerous and inconvenient thing.

Bolt - arrow for crossbow

The bolt is the striking element of this type of weapon. Has a greater (stress on the first syllable) stopping effect than a bullet (!). Kevlar body armor also loses its effectiveness against such greetings from the Middle Ages. So it would be appropriate to once again recall the observance of safety rules when firing a crossbow, despite the fact that the article is devoted to a slightly different topic. A bolt injury can often be fatal! The death of an injured person can be caused even by the mere sight of a bolt sticking out of the body!

So the bolts. They are made of any durable material with low weight and sufficient elasticity. Can be made from suitable straight grained timber, where the layers of the wood must be longitudinally to give the boom flexibility. It is difficult to do without small mechanization in the form of at least an electric drill. The bolt must have a perfect shape, the center of gravity is usually between the first and second third of the bolt, and already assembled (!), However, it is possible to vary this parameter at your discretion. You can change the weight of the bolt by choosing different materials for the shaft, sizes and materials of tips and socks. To protect against moisture, the wooden shafts of the bolts are impregnated with protective compounds and usually stored in a horizontal position. Wonderful bolts can be made from sections of broken fiberglass telescopic rods. They have great strength with low weight and are not afraid of dampness. I draw your attention to the fact that all the bolts should be as close as possible in weight and size, otherwise a surprise will await you with each new shot, especially when shooting at maximum range. In general, the crossbow itself allows you to shoot quite heavy arrows, even with welding electrodes, so it is rather difficult to clearly determine the optimal bolt. Choosing empirically the mass of bolts for your crossbow, do not forget about the golden mean: a light bolt loses speed faster, and a heavy bolt does not fly far. Instructions for self-manufacturing bolts -.

About firing range

Crossbow, there is a crossbow. The bolt, like an arrow, is launched at a relatively low initial speed, has a sufficiently large air resistance and a small mass, so that it physically cannot fly very far, you have to be realistic. There are firearms for such things. By the way, looking back in antiquity, the crossbow was prized precisely because it was used exclusively for the destruction of heavy cavalry at medium distances, having a short and heavy arrow in its arsenal. Articles that mention shooting almost a kilometer, I consider purely humorous.

Bolt ends are made based on the task at hand for a given type. Hunting bolts are generally equipped with eerie looking four- or three-bladed harpoon-like tips. Almost any solid material can be used for sports shooting. When shooting at hard targets, the bolts often break. It is better to make the tips with a recess for fitting onto the shaft of the bolt. Tips attached to the cut of the shaft usually split the shaft when hitting a solid obstacle. Rubber tips don't make sense. The tip diameter can be larger than the bolt diameter if the shaft is longer than the rail.

Bowstring

A good bowstring, with proper care, will last a long time. It is made of steel (cables, strings), polymer wood or woven from silk. I don’t know about the latter, now there is a huge amount of synthetic materials. Kevlar for making a bowstring should go as a material with a high resistivity to breaking. For powerful crossbows, you can use a thin steel cable for the bowstring. It is found everywhere in motor vehicles and vehicles. Note that a braided bowstring can withstand breaking loads more easily due to the fact that part of the energy is spent on friction between the braided threads. Protect the bowstring from abrasion on the stock with special pads made of metal or plastic.

Sights

Actually, this is a matter of your taste. The use of these or those sights depends on the range and nature of the crossbow firing. Optical sights for weapons of a hundred or less meters are generally somehow ridiculous, although a crossbow with optics looks rather predatory. They have a large mass and prohibitive cost, require a standard mounting bar, are convenient for shooting at a static target. Installation of collimator sights in this case is more justified, moreover, it becomes possible to shoot offhand. Even simpler and better for crossbows are simple diopter sights, and the simplest open sight is not difficult to make at all. I will keep silent about optics, but you can stop at the manufacture of open or diopter sights. The fact is that there is some difference between the axis of the bolt flight and the axis of the crossbow, not to mention the hinged flight path of the arrow, so for the sights it is necessary to provide for the possibility of fine adjustment using the corresponding screws. To do this, the sighting devices are mounted with oval holes that allow some displacement, or adjusting screws with fine threads are installed in the body of the mounts, displacing the sight itself during rotation. It is best to zero in the scopes indoors or in calm weather. In this case, the crossbow itself is fixed on a massive fixed base, for example, with clamps. Further, test shots are made with one reference arrow. The difference in the aiming point and the point of actual impact of the bolt at a given distance are corrected with the adjustment screws of the sight. Then the shooting distance is changed and the process is repeated. Thus, you can calibrate any scope for any shooting distance. Similarly, the input of corrections for the wind is done (frontal against the wind, at an angle towards, at an angle downwind, with a sideways, downwind).

Tensioning devices, such as various “goat's legs”, can be easily made from a suitable metal by changing the dimensions of the data to fit the geometry of your own crossbow, however, such devices are more likely necessary for cocking very powerful crossbows with recursive bows or are simply a convenient overkill, since compound bows are even of considerable power can be cocked manually, although wearing gloves.

This completes the theoretical part of the instructions on how to make a crossbow, see the photo and explanations below:

To make a crossbow we need a wooden stick and a piece of iron

The stick is made approximately according to these dimensions.

One spring plate was taken 650X100X8. We slowly separate the necessary with a grinder. The dimensions of the arch are 35 mm in the middle and 18 mm at the edges.

Narrow the shoulders on emery, evenly from the center to the ends until we reach 5 mm. in thickness. On the arch in this form, we pull (cable) steel wire. We clamp in a vice. Insert round timber strictly in the center so that it does not interfere with the arch when bending. We stretch and at the same time check the tension and distance of the tension. We will dance from these parameters in the future.

As in The Golden Calf: we take a weight and saw. And here's what happened. The most important detail in a crossbow. Toe or cat.

But in order to make a normal lock, we need a sear and a trigger. A hole is made in the upper part of the pin so that the strip spring bolt falls into this hole and fixes the pin from moving.

We start making the lock case

We carefully try on all this and drill holes for the pins.

We proceed to the manufacture of the trigger guard. We take a wooden stick and try it on.

We gouge a place for the lock

Insert the lock

To attach the pillar, we make a dovetail. And we solder it. I did it with PSR, but it is also possible with POS. It all depends in what way we will burn (what temperature will be).

In the arch we drill two holes at the edges for fastening the clamps. Many people ask if it is possible to drill the spring. The answer is - freely. With a victorious drill corrected on a diamond wheel.

We grind rollers

We grind rollers

We adjust the clamps to the desired size. We proceed to the manufacture of the arch fastening clamp.

Making stirrup

This is how I close the ends of the string. Do not hit, but crimp with a lathe chuck.

Under construction and finished

Finished view

We are starting a very serious operation - bluing. I specially show unsuccessful bluing.

But the successful bluing

Take a stick and make a channel for the guide

We glue the bar

Now we take up the butt, but be careful with the tools

We remove the unnecessary. The stick I took is a wild cherry. Birch, walnut, etc. will do.

We varnish. But then who gives preference to which varnish.

Excessiveness. But, in my opinion, it pleases the eye.

It is important that the gap between the bowstring and the stock is 2 mm. The calculation is simple - the middle of the bolt diameter.

Bottom view

And he pulled a shrink film over the arch. And it gives the appearance and protects in case of breakage of the arch from fragments.

Finished view

After 40-50 shots, the bowstring burst.

I decided to add 2 more videos.

To facilitate the construction, the rollers were replaced with caprolon ones. At a distance of 30 cm from the bowstring to the hook and an effort of 85 kg. with the addition of rollers, the force on the arch decreases and the speed of the boom increases.

Source cazac.ucoz.com

Another selection - professional drawings of a homemade block crossbow (free download)

To view it in full size, click on the picture.

Despite its age, the crossbow today is able to compete well with some types of weapons. Unlike its progenitor, the bow, this design has an automatic arrow release system, thanks to which the shooter can concentrate on aiming without wasting forces on the bowstring tension. Given the popularity of this weapon, many craftsmen are interested in how to make a crossbow with their own hands. To do this, you should take into account many nuances, know the design features of a modern crossbow, the types of such weapons, factors affecting the range of the shot, etc.

Before making a crossbow with your own hands, you need to understand the features of this weapon. It is also called a crossbow or arrow thrower, which perfectly characterizes the features of its design. In simple terms, this is a bow equipped with a special mechanism for cocking and releasing the bowstring.

There is a full-fledged trigger - the trigger, through which the shot is carried out. Thanks to this innovation, the crossbow surpasses the traditional bow in many ways, namely:

• destructive power;
• shot range;
• shooting accuracy.

However, in most cases, the crossbow loses to the bow in terms of rate of fire. To level this drawback, special shortened arrows or bolts were used, and sometimes bullets.

When the crossbow was used as a weapon of war, there were enlarged prototypes that were installed on special machines. They were called arcbalists. At the moment, crossbows are used mainly in sports and hunting, being compact and easy to use.

Features of the device

For the manufacture of the box, it is recommended to use wood material: ash, beech, birch, walnut, rosewood and even oak

The main part of the crossbow is the bed in which the arrow is laid. It aligns with the trigger.

In the upper part of the stock there is a guide groove for the bolts. At the end of the bed there is a stirrup and a cross. On the latter, wooden or steel shoulders are fixed.

A traditional trigger is a lever, washer with a boom shank slot and a retaining spring. Thus, when the trigger was pressed, the bowstring was released from the hook, transferring energy to the arrow.

At the moment, there are several types of triggers used in crossbows. The most popular of these is the pistol-type design.

What is a crossbow made of?

Compared to the traditional bow, several elements have been added to the design of the crossbow. This weapon consists of the following parts:

• bed;
• trigger mechanism;
• bowstring.

If we are talking about a block crossbow, then its design also assumes the presence of blocks - rollers designed to tension the bowstring.

Left - classic crossbow, right - block model

Today, there are several types of crossbows. With regard to their purpose, such constructions are divided into:

1. Sports. The appearance and characteristics of such weapons directly depend on the sports discipline in which they are used. As a rule, such structures are equipped with special aiming systems and various attachments designed to improve shooting accuracy.
2. Hunting. Such crossbows require relative compactness with high power. Therefore, most often, block-type models are purchased for hunting.
3. Amateur. They are lightweight target shooting weapons with relatively little power. Also, exact copies of old crossbows are produced, which, although they are combat prototypes, are most often used to decorate interiors and replenish collections.

With regard to the design, they are distinguished:

1. Classic models. In this case, energy is accumulated directly in the arcs, after which it is transferred to the bowstring. The principle of operation of such crossbows is similar to the simplest bow models.
2. Blocky. This is the most advanced type of this weapon. A special system of blocks in this case contributes to the competent distribution of the load between the elements of the system. Thus, the power of such a crossbow is increased, and the dimensions are reduced.

The design of the block crossbow is particularly complex. Even the banal process of replacing the bowstring in this case requires professional intervention.

By the type of shells used, crossbows can be:

1. Classic. In this case, we are talking about the use of special crossbow arrows or shortened "bolts" that increase the rate of fire of the weapon.
2. Schneppers or Balestras. A typical projectile in such a weapon is a metal ball.

Model manufacturing technology

For the manufacture of a bow, an automobile spring is taken, and rollers (blocks) are used as a fastening system for a bowstring (cable)

Making a crossbow with your own hands will be somewhat more difficult than a bow. The fundamental difference in this case is the presence of a bed and a trigger. However, if you have the skills to work with a hand tool, then you should not have any particular difficulties.

Material selection

Before you make a crossbow out of wood, you need to learn how to choose and harvest the material correctly.

Wood has the best properties for making a crossbow. It is an indispensable material for making stocks and bows, since the wood is easy to work with, has good flexibility and is very durable. In addition to wood, various composites and spring metal are used today in the manufacture of arcs. However, for hand-made production, it will be easiest to use wood.

Of course, something more reliable and durable should be used for the trigger. Therefore, it is made from iron.

If it is planned to make a crossbow, the tension force of which does not exceed 20 kg, then it is quite possible to use beech or other hard woods to grind the parts of the trigger.

It is best to use the following types of wood to make the body of a crossbow:

• poplar;
• ash;
• maple;
• acacia.

The density of these rocks is quite enough to withstand significant loads exerted on the stock and bow of the crossbow. Soft types of wood such as pine and linden are absolutely not suitable for the manufacture of these parts.

Material preparation

The wood blank for the crossbow must be dried within a year

In view of the significant loads falling on the elements of the crossbow, it is not surprising that sooner or later they will fail. To prevent this from happening soon, it is necessary to use previously prepared material in the manufacture of the crossbow.

The wood should be harvested wet and dried for a year. For the manufacture of a bow and a stock, it is necessary to choose branches that correspond to the following characteristics:

1. For a one-piece design of a stock with a butt, you should choose a branch of at least a meter in length. For the manufacture of arcs, the length of the branch must be at least 180 cm.
2. The diameter of the workpieces must be at least 10 cm.

Advice! Before drying raw materials, the cuts should be protected with paint or varnish. Any glue can also be used for this. This approach is necessary in order for the tree to dry more slowly and more evenly. This will save the workpiece from the appearance of internal cracks, which will greatly extend the life of the crossbow.

After protecting the cut points, you must do the following:

1. The workpiece is sent to a dry place, protected from sunlight.
2. It is desirable that the raw materials lie here for at least a year.
3. Next, you should clean the workpiece from the bark, after which it should be in a dry place for another week.
4. The log can now be cut in half, drying for another week.

Making shoulders

The easiest thing is to use ready-made bows for shooting sports.

On the workpiece, you should choose the side that is characterized by thinner annual rings. As a rule, this is the north side, on which the fibers are located more densely than in other parts. A bow or shoulders are made from this part.

Shoulder production is carried out as follows:

1. First, the middle is outlined, from which you should measure 2 cm in each direction to install the crossbow bed. This place on the bow should be as thick as possible.
2. From the middle, we begin to gradually cut off the excess material, moving towards the edges. Thinning in this way the workpiece should be on both sides.
3. From time to time it is necessary to check the arching of the bows using a test string. It is a strong rope with many loops. Putting a bowstring on the bow, you can determine the degree of deflection and its uniformity. In this way, the places where surplus material should be removed are identified. This process continues until the product bends evenly on both sides.

How to handle knots

When harvesting material, it is advisable to choose those branches that are as free of knots and other defects as possible. It should be understood that any large knot is a weak point in the design. However, if you could not find a workpiece completely free from defects, it’s not a problem.

Important! Under no circumstances should knots be cut before drying the material! Otherwise, the raw material may crack.

Removal of knots must be carried out already in the process of shaping the shoulders of the crossbow. A well-sharpened knife is used for this. They should be cut in such a way that a protrusion with a height of about 1 mm remains above the surface of the workpiece. Further, the defect is sanded with sandpaper.

Making a bed

The bed is made for yourself - for maximum comfort

After the shoulders of the weapon are ready, you should proceed to making the stock. To do this, you must follow the following instructions:

1. Initially, we select the location of the chute, along which the arrow will move during the shot. This place should be perfectly level. Any jags or irregularities can knock down the trajectory of the arrow, extinguish some of the momentum, or even make the weapon unusable.
2. Usually the groove is about 30 cm long. It should be carefully hollowed out and sanded.
3. A recess for the trigger must be cut behind the groove. In the front, grooves are created for installing the shoulders.

All wood cutting work should be done with a special carpenter's knife or chisel.

Trigger mechanism

To understand how to make a trigger for a crossbow, you first need to understand the features of its design.

If you do not plan to make powerful weapons, but want to create a light and compact crossbow, then the arrow trigger mechanism can be made of wood. For this, beech or oak wood is used. If we are talking about weapons with a tensile force of more than 20 kg, then the parts of this mechanism should be made of metal.

The most primitive trigger is called the "nut". Its design is extremely simple. This element is a cylinder and consists of the following elements:

• on one side there is a trigger stop;
• the bowstring hook is located at the opposite end.

Powerful crossbows use an advanced trigger system. It provides easy pulling of the trigger under high loads.

Assembling the crossbow

Advice: don't worry about making arrows, they are much easier to buy

It remains only to connect the manufactured elements together. Initially, it is necessary to install the trigger in the stock. For this, a seat of a certain size must be machined in it. Next, the shoulders are set. They can be either a solid arc or two separate elements. Their attachment to the base is carried out by means of special furniture glue, which will ensure reliable adhesion of the elements.

At the last stage, a bowstring is pulled over the shoulders. A strong nylon rope is most often used as a bowstring. It attaches to the ends of the bow, and the crossbow is ready for its first shot.

Manufacturing of fiberglass shoulders

If you want to make a really powerful crossbow, then the shoulders of this design would be best made of fiberglass. Such a bow will not only be stronger, but also more durable than a wooden one. The manufacturing instructions are extremely simple:

1. We take kevlar or fiberglass, cutting it into strips. To make shoulders for a medium crossbow, about 40 strips are required.
2. We glue the resulting elements with epoxy resin, tightly connecting them to each other.
3. After gluing, it is necessary to put the resulting workpiece under the press. The best option for this is flat boards, between which the shoulders are placed, clamped with clamps.
4. The structure hardens in 24 hours, provided that the workpiece is in a warm room.
5. After the final hardening of the shoulders, their protruding edges should be cut with a knife and sanded with emery.

The epoxy adhesive should be prepared in such a way that the thickener content is minimal. Experts advise using no more than 10% of the thickener.

To make curly arcs, you need to make a special mold for the press. It is made from plywood that bends after being pre-soaked.

How to make a mini crossbow?

Shooting from a mini crossbow will be quite interesting as as arrows, you can use sharp bamboo skewers that can pierce even cardboard

To fire a crossbow, it is not at all necessary to acquire skills in working with wood, purchase the necessary tools and procure raw materials, waiting for a year to start work. The current model can be made from ordinary corrugated cardboard. Naturally, such a crossbow is not suitable for sports or hunting purposes, but it will be just right for target shooting.

The production of such a prototype involves several stages:

1. First, we do the shoulders. To do this, it is necessary to cut several identical blanks from corrugated cardboard, which are fastened together into a single structure. Thus, the necessary rigidity is created, because the maximum load will fall on this part of the crossbow.
2. Then the trigger and the locking mechanism should be cut out of the cardboard. They are also made from several layers glued to each other. To create additional rigidity, it is necessary to strengthen these structures with ice cream sticks.
3. The main part of the crossbow is represented by a stock, exactly as in its combat prototypes. This design consists of two identical parts, which are connected to each other by means of jumpers.
4. We insert the trigger mechanism inside the bed and glue the main part of the crossbow.
5. Now you need to attach the shoulders to the base. This should be done very carefully to avoid skewing, otherwise the accuracy of a shot from such a crossbow will be a big question.
6. The last step is to pull the string. For this, stationery elastic bands are used, which are intertwined. The more rubber bands you use, the more powerful your crossbow will be. However, you should not overdo it here - three or four layers will be enough.

As arrows for such a crossbow, you can use ordinary ballpoint pens. They are quite heavy for purposeful flight, while the inertia of the rubber band will be more than enough to launch such a projectile.

But before proceeding with a more detailed description and drawings, according to which the manufacture of crossbows with our own hands takes place, let's recall what parts the design of this type of small arms consists of. So, to make a crossbow, you will need to make the following parts:

• bed;
• shoulders;
• trigger mechanism;
• aim;
• block system.

Assembling the structure of a crossbow with your own hands includes a preliminary selection of materials, preparation of the necessary tools, the manufacture of all of the above mechanisms and parts.

Features of a reverse design crossbow: do-it-yourself crossbow with reverse shoulders - is there any point in doing it?

In addition to the usual shooting devices that we are considering, many want to learn how to make a crossbow with back shoulders with their own hands. It is worth saying that, despite the somewhat complicated design of such small arms, its device consists of practical elements and mechanisms of the same elements and mechanisms as classic block crossbows. A tangible difference between a reverse design crossbow with reverse shoulders is the tension of the bowstring, which must be pulled in the opposite direction. Such a crossbow device allows you to achieve tremendous power of this weapon.

Photo. Reverse Block Crossbow Blueprint

But, despite the many positive reviews of hunters who made a reverse design crossbow with their own hands, not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. The fact is that such a weapon design has its drawbacks. They consist in the fact that threading the bowstring is carried out with some difficulties, elastic elements are not very conveniently located on the attachment point, the hinge-roller mechanism vibrates when the shot is fired. The disadvantages of a crossbow of reverse design with shoulders bent in the opposite direction can also be attributed to its non-separable scheme of the device, it is simply impossible to remove the assembled bow from the base, its large dimensions and weight, limited balancing ability.

There are many disadvantages, but there are also positive aspects, for example, for many in a crossbow, power is in the first place, this is an indisputable quality that is considered by experienced hunters in the first place and which a crossbow of reverse design possesses. Therefore, the rest of the shortcomings for them are practically invisible and very insignificant. True, making a crossbow of a reverse design with your own hands requires some skills and experience, it is not so easy to make it. Therefore, we propose to consider another option, namely, how to make a block crossbow with your own hands, the drawings will help us with this.

Photo. what does a crossbow look like

How to make the simplest block crossbow at home: block crossbow diagram and device

If you decide what kind of crossbow you want to make, then you can look for the necessary drawings, well, at least the fact that on the Internet you can find information about everything, not only about the necessary schemes of crossbows and bows. You can try to draw up a drawing yourself, but no matter which option you choose, you still need to slightly change the data in the drawings, taking into account your physical parameters.

When creating drawings, you must also take into account the type of material, its reliability, quality, availability, and, of course, its cost. After all, why buy expensive material and suffer with the manufacture of a crossbow, if you can buy a ready-made version of a weapon for the same price. In addition to all, when choosing a scheme, you should pay attention to the complexity of making a model, its processing, therefore, for a novice self-taught master, we recommend choosing drawings that do not differ in too complex design.

Before you start making a crossbow, you need to carefully study all the drawings and only after that start assembling its structure.

Diy crossbow stock and stock butt, making bows for crossbows

A stock or stock should combine beautiful design, comfort and durability. Natural wood is chosen for its manufacture. A very high quality stock is obtained from beech, ash, walnut, maple and other durable wood species. Such material is characterized by sufficient viscosity, does not prick, and is easy to grind. In many modern crossbows, the buttstock is made in a lightweight shape, which makes the weapon more ergonomic and beautiful.

When making a butt for a crossbow with your own hands, take into account your physical parameters, the size of the part, the parameters of the retraction of the stock in the heel and toe. This part must meet all the parameters. If you make the stock too long, then you won't be able to react quickly when firing. At the same time, a stock of insufficient length is inconvenient when firing, since at this time a strong recoil to the shooter's shoulder can occur. If you are interested in more about making a crossbow stock, you can browse the Internet for additional information.

To make a butt, you will need to prepare the necessary tools, namely a pencil, with which you will need to draw a wooden block. Of the tools, a plane, a mallet, a locksmith's hammer, a round spatula and a file, a drill for wood and metal, an electric drill are suitable. First, you need to make a template of a stock of paper, attach it to a tree and cut the butt out of it. When printing or drawing on sketch paper, the stock does not miss even the smallest details. The fact is that the butt for a crossbow with your own hands must exactly repeat all the smallest details of the paper sketch, they are very important in drawing up the further design of the weapon.

If you decide to make a regular bow, and not with back shoulders, you can use the following scheme for making a deck and shoulders:

Do not forget to carefully study the diagrams and drawings before making any part, especially if you are making bows.

Do-it-yourself sight and blocks for a crossbow

In the manufacture of block assemblies, special attention must be paid to the processing of the guides, the accuracy of shooting depends on their accuracy and quality. The guide lines must be processed to perfect smoothness and evenness. It is better to do this work with a special tool: a milling machine, and then fine-grain sandpaper. After that, you will need to polish the guides. The dimensions of the groove that serve as guides for the arrows are shown in the drawings below. The installation of the cross, to which the shoulders are attached, is performed at the butt end. The stock or stock can be made of aluminum or wood.

The sight consists of a front sight and a rear sight. True, if you wish, you can put an optical sight, having previously installed a special mount for the bar on the crossbow. With the aiming mechanism, you can make vertical and horizontal corrections using the rear sight and front sight.

The sight can be very different, like other sighting devices. It all depends on your wishes, capabilities and selection of materials. Moreover, some people prefer to buy a ready-made sight than to do it yourself, but if you firmly decided to do all the work with your own hands, then this option does not suit you.

The rear sight is set much higher than the front sight. The angle of exceeding the aiming line depends on the weight of the arrow, the force with which the bowstring is pulled, the shooting distance and some other parameters. It is very convenient when the rear sight can be removed or folded during transportation, you can adjust it and attach it to the crossbow yourself. This will allow the crossbow to be zeroed in under different conditions.

Well, that's all we told you and provided you with drawings of how to make a block crossbow with your own hands. Such a weapon can be used to shoot arrows that are about 8 mm in diameter and 45-47 cm long. You can also make arrows with your own hands from scrap materials, you can use a duralumin tube for this purpose. But we will talk about how to make arrows for a crossbow with our own hands another time. And now, if you have a desire and free time, you can start looking for the necessary materials for making a crossbow, and our tips and drawings will help you with this. Good luck and see you next time!

DIY block crossbow video

The crossbow was invented by the Romans many centuries ago. Later, they stopped using it in battles, but after seven hundred years, the Europeans returned the weapon to use, modernizing it well. You can try yourself in the role of a warrior even now. If there is no opportunity to buy expensive weapons, then we will delight you. A simple crossbow can be made with your own hands at home.

Handmade homemade crossbow is made of wood, paper or metal. It all depends on what is at hand at home, and what you will use it for.

There are recommendations on how to easily assemble a block, spring, toy and multiple-shot crossbow yourself, using step-by-step instructions and simple diagrams. Therefore, everyone has the opportunity to use the hidden weapon of the assassin or arrange a battle with colleagues using a small wrist office crossbow made of cardboard.

The history of the appearance of the crossbow

The main advantage of a block or simple crossbow compared to a bow is that there is no need for training or special skills. There is no need to use force to aim. Due to the levers, the device helps to cope with the bowstring.

In past centuries, many officials and rulers considered the possession of these weapons a dangerous undertaking, as they feared rebellion. Therefore, the order "On the control of weapons" was soon issued when crossbows were banned throughout Europe. But after the outbreak of hostilities with the Turks, the decision was canceled. Richard the Lionheart made it a staple in the equipment of his warriors.

It is not so easy to make a crossbow yourself, but it is possible if you have the simplest construction skills, blueprints and a few power tools. You are required to comply with safety precautions, since you, after all, create weapons. Therefore, it is impossible to direct it to people, as well as to give it to small children.

Now you no longer need medieval spare parts in the form of animal bundles or special fibers, materials at hand will do. But that's enough to shoot cans or bottles.

How to make a crossbow out of wood

Wooden shooting crossbow made of PVC or plywood block type is the most famous option.

Manufacturing instruction:

• take a bar of wood, which will be the base, fix a metal plate or corners at the end;
• take another block, smaller (width about 5 cm, thickness - 2 cm), make holes on the sides, set at the base, 10 cm from the edge;
• make fastenings for the springs in two 15 cm plates in the middle, make a hole at the edge to install the shoulders to the base;
• on the other side of the plate, make holes for a roller that is sold in any market. Repeat these steps with another bar;
• attach the shoulders to the base;
• use small spring springs (they act as a return mechanism), attaching one end to the shoulders, and the other to a steel plate;
• install rollers on the edges of the smaller timber, fix the part at the base;
• create two organic glass guides;
• build a trigger from clothes pegs, rubber bands or something more powerful;
• paint the device and place the stock in a suitable place for your hand.

How to make a paper crossbow? Even easier!

Making a paper crossbow out of cardboard that also shoots is as easy as shelling pears. Paper weapons fire arrows from pencils, pens, matches, Lego skewers or rulers. In general, anything that is lightweight and looks like real arrows. For manufacturing you will need:

• 12-18 sheets of paper;
• three spatulas or ice cream sticks;
• threads;
• scissors;
• pencil;
• paper knife;
• Scotch.

Step-by-step instruction:

• fold five sheets in half;
• unbend and cut at the fold;
• wind the halves onto a pencil and secure with tape;
• put a mark on the stick (spatula) and on the tube 4 cm each;
• insert the spatula to the mark, then break off;
• wrap the tube with tape for strength;
• bend the sides of the crossbow;
• take five sheets of paper and wrap around a pencil;
• attach the sides to the tube;
• fasten the bowstring, pull it and make a mark at the extreme point;
• make a hole for the hook;
• make a hook from a piece of stick and fix it in the hole;
• cut one sheet in half, twist the tubes and secure in the area of ​​the descent;
• make another 5 cm tube, insert into the front (it will be a guide).

How to make a mini crossbow for a child

A small children's crossbow will be an unusual gift for a child. The power is small, since the bowstring will be a simple elastic band. This requires a minimum of materials. It is done like this:

• you need to connect three small boards to each other;
• make the shoulders of metal and fasten with screws;
• cut off the grabbing part from the clothespin;
• the handle can be taken from a ski pole and installed with glue;
• you can make a couple more shoulders for rubber bands; for this, bearings that are attached to a common plate are suitable;
• for the pusher, a small piece of wood is taken, which is driven under the clothespin;
• a groove is made for attaching the bowstring;
• a bowstring is created from a strong elastic band;
• for the trigger, it is enough to take a spare part from a children's pistol, attach a metal part to it;
• connect the shoulders and base;
• attach the trigger with a screw;
• fasten the elastic;
• fix the sight, if desired.

How to make a powerful crossbow for hunting or fishing

To create a real combat weapon for hunting or fishing, more serious details and diagrams are required. What are the shoulders made of? Take a metal arch, make a bed of wood, and a bowstring of elastic synthetic fibers.

The bolt mechanism and fasteners are the most difficult thing, only those who know how to work with metal can do it. But you can order the necessary spare parts in the workshop according to the drawings, and then assemble all the houses. But bolts and a nod are easily made of wood or plastic, arrows with tips are made of wood or iron rods.

Not everyone can assemble a hunting or underwater crossbow. Therefore, it is better to entrust the work to the master in order to be sure of the result.

The most popular simple homemade weapon is the bow. Its improved modification with mechanical tension retention, that is, the crossbow, is also very popular. You can make a crossbow with your own hands without much difficulty according to the drawings, while it is the most convenient, powerful and accurate throwing type weapon.

What materials are suitable for making a crossbow

For the design and assembly of a crossbow, available tools are suitable. You can assemble a crossbow at home from the trash in the garage. Its main materials are

• wood for the manufacture of the frame
• metal arc
• steel thin rope for the throwing part

Fasteners can be made from bolts and glue, or wooden pegs and rope. For making crossbow bolts, thin and even sticks are suitable, and aluminum for the tip.

Required elements and tools

To make a crossbow at home you will need:

• A board with the dimensions of the desired crossbow dimensions;
• plywood for fitting the stock;
• automobile spring;
• thin steel cable, such as from a motorcycle brake lever.

The main structural elements are a frame with a bed, shoulders with a bowstring and a trigger. The frame is any wood cut to the desired shape. You should take a long board that is enough to cut the shape from the butt to the shoulders of the crossbow. The stock is cut to fit the owner's shoulder. Above should provide a guide for throwing projectiles. It can be cut in the wood itself, but it is more convenient to glue plywood on top.

IMPORTANT! From the tools you will need a jigsaw or any other sharp object for carving wood, glue, rope, a hacksaw for metal and several large bolts to connect the structure.

After making the base, you can proceed to the throwing mechanism. Most often, a spring of an old car is used for a bow in a crossbow. A section of the spring of the required length is sawn off. Between the ends of the arc, a bowstring is pulled from a cable with a thickness of 1.5-2.5 mm. The shoulders are fixed to the frame and bolted together. After that, the main part of the crossbow is ready, it remains only to make the trigger and prepare the shells.

Drawings and dimensions

There are several types of crossbow trigger. All of them are designed to release the bowstring when the trigger is pulled. It is not difficult to assemble the lever with your own hands, it is enough to follow the given drawing. It should be noted that the given dimensions can be increased or decreased for the assembly of more or less powerful weapons and for your own convenience.

Step-by-step instructions for making a crossbow

A crossbow at home is made in stages from the following elements:

1. Crossbow stock;
2. guide;
3. bow and shoulders;
4. bowstring;
5. trigger mechanism;
6. shells (bolts).

How to make a bed

The stock is cut from a solid piece of wood. It is advisable to choose a viscous, moisture resistant, smooth and aesthetic wood species. These include beech, oak, ash, birch and oak. In principle, any type of wood or board can be used, since the choice of material for this part is purely aesthetic. The optimal dimensions are approximately 3 cm thick and 90 cm long.

In the front of the bed, a notch for the bow is cut out. At a distance of 8-10 cm from the edge, a hole is drilled for attaching the bow. A bolt is then inserted into it, to which the throwing mechanism is tied with ropes. At the rear of the crossbow, a butt is cut out to fit the owner's shoulder, for ease of aiming and accurate shooting. Optional additional decorative work can be done to make the shape of the crossbow more attractive.

REFERENCE: For ease of aiming, an aluminum or wooden cross is screwed onto the front of the stock. It should be screwed over the onion fixed to the stock. Additionally, the scope can hold the shoulders of the crossbow, which will slightly increase the power.

Guide chute

A guide for throwing bolts should be placed on the top edge of the stock. It should be at least smooth and ideally slippery. In modern crossbows, fiberglass and metal linings are used. At home, you can use plywood with a recess for the diameter of the bolts. The standard shape is a semicircle, but when working with plywood, you can make a triangular notch, which is somewhat simpler and at the same time will increase accuracy. Cut corners are carefully sanded.

Spring shoulders

The choice of shoulder material depends on the desired power of the crossbow. If the product is made for a decorative function, old skis are suitable for the shoulders. For a historically accurate product, a branch of a strong and elastic tree species, ideally hazel, is used that has been pre-dried for at least 4 months.

If you want to assemble a crossbow at home, which you can not only boast of, but also use for sport shooting and even hunting, you should use a metal arc. A popular and affordable material is an automobile spring. It has optimal flexibility and resilience, providing excellent tension and high power.

Bowstring

The bowstring of the crossbow must be both strong and thin. A thin steel cable is recommended for a powerful shot. To accelerate it, less energy is required, and its durability resource will be enough for long-term use with a margin. You can use the standard shoulder attachment with a strap.

IMPORTANT! if the crossbow is planned to be used for shooting at long-range targets and hunting, it is better to prefer the block system.

For this, rollers are welded to the ends of the arches of the shoulders, between which a bowstring is wound. The roller system significantly increases the bolt acceleration, thereby increasing the power of the shot.

Trigger mechanism

The organization of the trigger is the last step in making a homemade crossbow. The standard trigger is the lever type... At the moment of pressing the bracket, the pin holding the bowstring is lowered and the bow releases an accelerated projectile. It is recommended to assemble this mechanism clearly according to the above scheme.

This video shows the manufacturing process in detail with all the subtleties:

Types of homemade crossbows

The crossbow is a weapon with a long history, and over the entire period of its existence, mechanical weapons have had many modifications. The most effective and interesting are used to this day.

Blocky

In modern crossbows, to increase their power, an improved type of fastening the bowstring to the rollers is often used. In the standard version of the reversible bow, the projectile was released with acceleration corresponding to the elasticity of the shoulders. When using a block launch mechanism, acceleration increases many times over and, accordingly, such crossbows, even home-made at home, are suitable for hunting and sports shooting.

Wood Repeating Crossbow

Multi-shot crossbows first appeared in China. Their specificity lies in the original guide and in the simplified charging mechanism. The power of such a crossbow is much lower than that of a standard crossbow and it is not suitable for accurate shooting, and even more so for hunting. It can be assembled as an original wood craft. The shells are used light, without feathers and tips.

The bolts are laid in the cell above the bed and fall onto the guide as they are expended. The trigger is an ancient “goat's leg” system, where a pull on the lever is enough to cocking.

Underwater

Underwater crossbows are structurally almost no different from ordinary ones. Due to its design features, any crossbow can be used for spearfishing. For more convenient operation under water, the guide can be closed with a half of a plastic pipe, as well as using bolts with harpoon tips.

Mini crossbow for a child

Mini-crossbows are smaller copies of weapons. They are usually made for fun and for children, using less durable materials, such as paper shells, elastic instead of a bowstring, etc. By design, the power of the crossbow directly depends on its dimensions, therefore mini-crossbows are significantly weaker in terms of shot power. You can also use a spring mechanism instead of a bowstring, but this will not be a crossbow.

How to make crossbow arrows (bolts)

When all the elements are made, assembled, installed and fixed, the crossbow is ready to fire. It remains to prepare shells for him. Crossbow bolts are a shortened version of arrows. They are distinguished by a length of about 30 cm and a short tail. It is not necessary to make a tip, it is enough to sharpen the tips of the bolts.

But for repeated use and to increase the penetrating power, the sharp points can be wrapped in aluminum. Also an easy option is to buy pre-made crossbow bolts, which are sold separately and are inexpensive.

Is the crossbow suitable for hunting

Most self-assembled crossbows have a tension of 30-40 kg, which makes it possible not to count their XO and at the same time use them for hunting small game. The crossbow can be used for shooting birds. When hunting small game such as hares and foxes, a shooting license is required. When you receive it, you can register the crossbow without any problems. For hunting big game, the crossbow is ineffective.

In this video, you can see with your own eyes how accurate and powerful a crossbow can be:

Conclusion

The main purpose of the crossbow is shooting sports. It can also be assembled for the purpose of reconstructing historical scenes. Collecting and using for legal purposes a crossbow with a pulling force of up to 42 kg is allowed in Russia without restrictions. It should be noted that it is prohibited by law to sell non-certified crossbows with a pulling force of more than 42 kg, however, no liability is prescribed for their manufacture, storage and transportation.