Well, well, searches on the Internet yielded results. I finally found normal drawings in compliance with GOST.
In the presence of available material and some equipment, it will not be difficult to make a real (or almost real) one.
At the end of the page there is photo of a homemade crossbow, made according to these drawings from scrap materials.
Naturally, it will not replace a purchased crossbow (after all, the build quality and structure of the material in the factory version are not much higher), but shoot at
So, in front of you general scheme homemade crossbow.
What does it consist of? this type crossbow:
Stock, shoulders, butt, trigger mechanism, sighting device, block system.
The stock is best made from natural wood hardwood, solid or laminated timber. Choose the size at your discretion, but
Shoulders and decks of a crossbow
If you have a small arms stock, then this would be an ideal solution, but you can try to plan “Pinocchio” yourself.
Block crossbow design makes it easier to cock the bowstring, but perfectly retains power and allows you to carry it cocked for a long time.
The processing of the guide boom must be carried out particularly precisely. The lines must be smooth and straight. The accuracy and
bowshot. It's best to do this on milling machine, and then carefully sand it with sandpaper. Then polish the groove.
It is better to make a crosspiece with shoulders installed at the end of the stock from an aluminum plate, but you can also make it from wood
Don't forget to make a sighting device consisting of a rear sight and a front sight. You can make a mount for an optical sight.
where you can order the execution of any drawings.
All that remains is to pick up the instrument, recharge yourself in a good mood and set about achieving your goal. Good luck!
P.S.
The article is a rewrite. The administrator is not responsible for the accuracy of the information. Everything you do is done at your own peril and risk.
What needs to be said in the very first lines of this article: in Russia, the CIS countries and most countries of the world, hunting with a crossbow is illegal, and the crossbows themselves (if their tension exceeds 40 kg) are equated to edged weapons. There is a fine for wearing and using them. Why, then, am I giving recommendations on how to make an objectively dangerous thing that can cause problems for readers? Because the ability to hunt using a wide variety of weapons, including homemade and even illegal ones, may one day be useful to each of us. Few people think about this while store shelves are filled with food products - but we live in too unstable times to say with complete confidence that this will always be the case.
In one of the previous articles, I wrote about hunting: with the help of this seemingly frivolous weapon, it is easy to hunt small fur-bearing animals, birds and reptiles. You can shoot medium-sized game from a crossbow. Of course, we are not talking about toys from legal gun stores: you may have seen these on sale - elegant, light and low-powered. A weak crossbow is intended for sport shooting - you should understand how great the difference is between it and a real combat device. That is why the latter are prohibited. An arrow fired from a powerful combat crossbow pierces a person right through, even if he is wearing a Kevlar body armor.
But until the BP strikes, you and I are peaceful hunters, and we do not think about using lethal weapons against people. Why am I writing now about homemade crossbow for hunting? Why not buy ready-made or order from an experienced craftsman? Because legally they won’t sell you anything worthwhile. And it’s better not to buy illegal weapons at all if you don’t want to get into trouble with the law. Yes, having something killer in your bins and knowing how to use it is useful, but not a single living soul should know that you have it. It’s better not to introduce even your friends and family to this, not to mention complete strangers like sellers and couriers.
How to make a crossbow at home?
So, how to make a crossbow with your own hands? First of all, decide what kind of power you need from the weapon - its design and materials directly depend on this. For hunting ducks and hares, the simplest device with a wooden arch is suitable. Larger animals already need a metal one. There are also so-called composite arches, which are a combination of several materials (traditionally - wood, antler, veins, but now various types of plastic are more often used). Their technical characteristics are excellent, but it is almost impossible for a non-professional to produce such a part “on the knee” with high quality. In order to avoid injury among readers, I will not even give here a description of the assembly of a composite arc.
My opinion: it is advisable to use a metal arc. The power reserve will not be superfluous - besides, wooden parts fail faster, which also poses a risk of injury to the shooter. Because your goal is to do enough powerful crossbow, look through friends or on the secondary market for auto parts for springs from Soviet passenger cars. Humanity has not yet come up with anything better for use as an arc. But if you still couldn’t get this rarity, take any elastic metal strip 2-3 cm wide and 3-4 mm thick.
The stock is most often made of wood (spruce, aspen), less often of metal. The more powerful the crossbow is planned, the more durable and massive this part should be. The designs of the stock may differ, but there must be a groove for the arrow on it, as well as a butt and fastenings for the trigger mechanism, arc and other functional elements.
An inelastic rope made of synthetic fibers is used as a bowstring, steel rope IR or guitar string. You may be surprised, but it is the first of the three options that demonstrates the best tensile strength. Durable, cheap and accessible - what else is needed?.. But here's what: beeswax impregnation will extend the life of a synthetic bowstring, protecting it from moisture and friction.
The crossbow mechanism, rollers and fastenings are the most interesting. It is difficult to make them “on your knees” if you do not have the skills to work with metal. Below I provide drawings of a homemade simple crossbow (1) and a powerful combat one (2). All parts that you cannot make yourself, order from the workshop, providing drawings of the parts you are interested in.
Drawing of a simple crossbow (1) *click to enlarge*
Drawings of a combat crossbow(2) *click to enlarge* 
How to make arrows for a crossbow?
Bolts - arrows for a crossbow, are easy to make with your own hands. For these purposes, wood is most often used, less often plastic and metal. Why is wood better? A wooden bolt has an optimal weight: a light plastic arrow quickly loses speed, and a piece of steel wire is heavy and will not fly far. The shaft should be planed along the grain for better flexibility, and then dried well. At the end we leave a cut into which the tip will be inserted.
The tip itself must be cut out of a steel sheet (thickness no less than 0.7 mm) with metal scissors and refined with a sharpening stone - smooth and sharpen the edge. We insert the tips into the cut, lubricating it with epoxy. You can also tie it with thread for strength, and apply a layer of epoxy on top.
There are also many options for making bolt feathers, but the best, in my opinion, is bird feathers. Ideally, goose, but even from the tail of a pigeon, which is much easier for a city dweller to find - they lie underfoot. We split the feather in two, cut each half in half and glue it to the arrow. For strength, we wrap it with threads.
Here's what we ended up with:
It is important that all the bolts are the same in weight and length - this will make it easier to shoot your homemade crossbow. But you definitely need to shoot him: the hunt can wait, first you need to master the new weapon well, get a feel for it. Even if you have experience shooting a crossbow, this one will be a little different, more “yours” - like any thing made with your own hands.
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Hunting crossbow - enough effective weapon, which, if necessary, can serve as a worthy replacement for a rifle. The main advantage of the weapon is its silent shooting. Therefore, when using it, it is quite difficult to scare the animal.
Design features
What does a hunting crossbow consist of? Photos presented in this material, allow us to see that the following components can be distinguished in it:
- The body is the main power unit, which bears the load when lowering the bowstring. Serves as a basis for installing functional parts.
- Blocks are part of the structure for installing bowstring tension arcs.
- The stock is the part of the crossbow that is used to place the arrow.
- The bowstring is a functional part that serves to propel the projectiles used.
- The shoulders are an elastic structural element that releases energy when the bowstring is pulled.
- A stirrup is a part that makes loading a crossbow easier.
- The trigger mechanism is a device due to which the lock opens and the bowstring is released when fired.
- Sight - mounted on the crossbow to facilitate aiming at the target.
Hunting crossbow with wooden shoulders
Represents the simplest design. As follows from the definition, the shoulders here are made of wood. Such a crossbow cannot be called a model of reliability. Products in this category are frankly short-lived and therefore are not in very high demand. Most often, such a hunting crossbow is used as a collectible, decorative weapon.
Crossbow with metal arcs
An extremely common option. Hunters pay attention to such crossbows because they demonstrate high power when shooting. Hunting bows and crossbows with metal arches are suitable not only for training, but also for use in the field when tracking down prey. For manufacturing, both solid arcs and composite structures are used, which are assembled from several symmetrical parts.
Recurve crossbow
Classic version with curved shoulders. Such a hunting crossbow is an extremely easy-to-handle and convenient device to use. It has small dimensions and improved characteristics. Easily disassembled and transported.
Recurve crossbows contain reinforced arms, the tension force of which can reach about 50 kg. This, in turn, opens up the possibility of hunting small and large animals.
Compound crossbow
The design includes a whole system of eccentrics, thanks to which the process of loading the weapon is facilitated and the acceleration of the arrow is ensured. Compared to recurve models, a compound hunting crossbow is more compact. The power figures here are also excellent.
Small dimensions are ensured by installing short arcs. The use of this solution makes it easier for the weapon owner to overcome areas covered with thickets and bushes.
The characteristics of a block-type hunting crossbow provide simple cocking of the bowstring and insignificant recoil, which is achieved due to the rational distribution of the force vector.
type
- due to their reduced dimensions, they are extremely convenient for transportation;
- have high power and allow you to hit targets at both medium and long distances;
- have lower destructive power compared to block systems, but throw arrows at a higher speed;
- in addition to arrows, they can fire darts, harpoons, and metal balls.
Sights
The main feature of crossbow shooting is a significant shift in the aiming line. In other words, after firing the shot, the fired projectile begins to gravitate towards the ground quite quickly. Therefore, it is advisable to install optics with a special crossbow reticle on such weapons. To effectively target a target, it is enough to equip crossbows with optical sights with 4x zoom.
Some hunters prefer collimator systems, which also prove to be quite effective. Moreover, this option makes it possible to hunt both during the day and in the evening. Collimator sights are extremely convenient to use when aiming at moving targets.
DIY hunting crossbow
Having decided on necessary parameters and the characteristics of the future weapon, it is worth moving on to developing the corresponding drawing. You can use it as a sample ready-made diagram or compose the latter yourself. Be that as it may, a home-made hunting crossbow will ultimately have to be customized to suit you.
When preparing a drawing, you should focus not only on personal wishes, but also take into account accessibility necessary materials, based on their cost and processing complexity.
How to make a hunting crossbow with your own hands? Usually, to begin with, a stock is prepared, onto which the shoulders, stirrup, guide, and trigger are subsequently attached. Difficult for self-made the elements are arcs. Therefore, in some cases it is better to purchase them ready-made.
They will help you make hunting drawings, examples of which are shown in the photos below.
Frame
The base on which the stock and shoulders of the product are fixed is the body. It is advisable to cut it from a metal blank with a thickness of about 2.5-3 mm.
The crossbow stock is fixed in the central part of the body and at the end using bolts. The use of such a solution facilitates the rapid assembly of weapons to bring them into combat condition and disassembly during transportation.
A stirrup is welded to the body at the bottom. The latter makes it possible to hold the crossbow with your foot when the bowstring is pulled. It is recommended to use wire with a diameter of 6 to 8 mm as the material for making stirrups.
Shoulders
The material for manufacturing the structural element can be a car spring. In such metal arms, semicircular recesses are made for bolts, with the help of which the part will be screwed to the body.
There is a widespread opinion that the use of metal springs as the basis for making shoulders is a rather dangerous decision. And in fact, when using a homemade crossbow in low temperature conditions environment the likelihood of a part breaking increases, especially at fastening points. Such cases are accompanied by the release of small fragments. Therefore, you should apply the idea at your own peril and risk.
Blocks
Ready-made drawings of a hunting crossbow often include block devices. The latter ease the tension and give an advantage in strength. It is easier to put such a crossbow into combat condition than by simply connecting the ends of the bowstring to the ends of the arms. Moreover, during the descent, the starting speed of the arrow increases, which is reflected in the increase in the range of the weapon. The main disadvantage of installing a block system is the complexity of manufacturing and the increase in the overall weight of the crossbow.
Bowstring
As a bowstring, you can use a metal cable with a diameter of about 2-3 mm. A thicker string will be more difficult to attach to a weapon, and a thin one will begin to stretch as the product is used.
To fix the bowstring at the ends of the arms, it is enough to make a regular loop. It is better to place pieces of leather or any other dense material under the cable fastenings. This solution allows you to avoid chafing of the bowstring when in contact with metal shoulders.
Lodge
To make the part, you can use an easily processed wooden blank in the form of a board about 30 mm thick. It is worth noting that, despite the high strength indicators, oak is not very suitable for these purposes due to its significant weight. As for spruce and pine, the latter are not sufficiently resistant to mechanical damage and warp when in contact with moisture. Therefore, the type of wood should be selected depending on the goals and conditions of future use of the crossbow.
How to make a hunting crossbow truly practical? During manufacturing, special attention should be paid to the guide in the form of a groove for the arrow, which you should try to make as even, smooth and polished as possible. The condition of the groove largely affects the accuracy of shooting. It is advisable that the width of the stock be equal to the diameter of the arrows used. You can cut it using a circular saw.
It is rational to use a spring as a means of holding the arrow, which will press the projectile to the stock and will not allow the latter to slip out of the groove before firing.
Trigger
The material used to manufacture the part will be sheet iron. It is desirable that its thickness be at least 6-7 mm. The mechanism drawing is presented in the following diagram:
All parts are placed directly into the stock. Here a special nest is cut out, through holes are made under the axes of the mechanism, onto which the trigger elements are subsequently installed. An example of setting the trigger is shown in the figure below.
Sighting optics
Factory optics from firearms can be used as a crossbow sight. A fairly practical solution is to use a front and rear sight. Using the latter, you can make vertical corrections. It is convenient to make horizontal adjustments using a front sight mounted at the intersection of the shoulders and the stock.
To ensure ease of transportation of the crossbow, it is worth making the sighting device removable. To do this, you can install a so-called Picatinny rail on the weapon, which makes it possible to mount individual factory-assembled sights.
Finally
Making and operating a hunting crossbow with your own hands is a rather radical solution. Often, in the absence of experience in this type of activity, the quality and reliability of a homemade device leaves much to be desired. In reality, even crossbows of the budget category, factory-made, the cost of which is about 3000-4000 rubles, turn out to be much more effective, convenient and practical compared to the creations of your own hands.
As you can see, making a hunting crossbow is quite possible. However, by purchasing a weapon in a specialized store, the user receives guarantees of its safety and reliability of assembly. When using a homemade crossbow, you can only rely on yourself.
IN retail outlets There are many different crossbows for sale to suit every taste. But you can not only buy it, but also make it yourself, if you were inspired to create it by a movie or a visit to a museum. Of course, manufacturing requires certain skills in handling tools, but if you really want it, there are no barriers.
When making a crossbow, start with an arc. Since it was decided that it should be powerful, then for the arc you need to take a leaf from the spring of a UAZ car. Then, using a grinder, we cut out an arc from this petal. It should be 85 cm long, 3 cm wide in the center and 1.5 cm at the edges. Next, using a sharpener, give the thickness in the center 0.8 cm with a gradual transition to 0.4 cm at the edges. Further processing Make arcs using files of different grain sizes and sandpaper. It is good to process a spring lengthwise; it is almost impossible to process it crosswise with a file. Then, using a pobedit-tipped drill, make holes for attaching the arc to the stock and for fixing the bowstring holders.
The next step will be making the stock. It is better to make it from ash. This is a fairly strong tree that does not splinter or crack. Take a board 90 cm long, 20 cm wide and 6 cm thick, plan it on a jointer until it is level. Then draw a drawing of the stock with a pencil; you can take a hunting rifle as a sample. Further with a hand jigsaw cut the bed out of the board. Using a woodworking rasp, finely process the stock, giving it the necessary and convenient shape. The process is long and quite labor-intensive. For finer sanding, use different types of sandpaper. The groove for the arrow must be made with a whetstone. Take used soft abrasive stone, give it a round profile using a stone of greater hardness, and placing it on a sharpener, make a cut. The groove will be smooth and of the same depth.
Next we will work on manufacturing the trigger mechanism. Using a chisel in the stock, make a recess for the “nut” and the spring. Make the “nut” that will hold the bowstring from a piece of iron without welding so that it is stronger, since it will bear the entire main load. On the stock, where the “nut” is attached, install iron “cheeks” so that the force of tension does not tear it out of the wood. Place it under it return spring and connect to the trigger guard with a rod. Next, close the trigger mechanism with metal decorative overlays. Screw the pads to the stock with powerful screws to make it stronger.
Then start making fastenings, with the help of which the arc is fixed to the stock. To do this, take two iron bars and bend them in an L-shape. Use a tire with a thickness of 6 mm and a width of 25 mm. Drill holes in them for attachment to the stock and to the arc. First, secure the L-shaped parts with two M6 bolts to the stock. Then make a “stirrup” for the leg and weld a tire to it, which was supposed to become an additional mount for the crossbow arc. Then secure the “stirrup” and the bow to the stock with two M8 bolts and nuts. To hold the arrow, make a piece of spring steel. Bend the iron bar into an L-shape and attach it to the stock with a bolt, and a piece of spring tape to the bar. As a bowstring, use an iron cable 4 mm thick. Paint all metal parts with black paint, and paint the wooden stock with stain and clear varnish, which will give the crossbow a rather elegant look.
Make arrows from pine. File on circular saw smooth slats of dry boards. Then use glass and sandpaper to give them round shape required thickness. Make the feathering on the arrows from thin fiberglass, and the tips from old files. Attach the tips to the shaft with epoxy glue and thin wire. They will turn out light with right center heavy and strong enough, they should be 40 cm long and 1 cm thick.
In general, it will turn out to be a great crossbow. The target combat range of such a device is about 70 meters, the arrow's flight range is close to 400 meters, it pierces a slate sheet from 10 meters, and if the arrow is driven into a tree, then it must be removed with a hammer and chisel. The accuracy is also quite good, and if you use it as a sight laser pointer, is made generally fantastic.
In order to assemble a real rapid-fire combat crossbow at home, which can be quickly and automatically reloaded without any extra effort, you need to have a lot of spare parts that you naturally won’t find at home (rollers for a nylon cable instead of a bowstring, a sight and a high-quality trigger). In this article, I’ll tell you how to assemble a simple crossbow in a home workshop or in the utility room, I’ll describe some practical basic subtleties that will make your toy crossbow a fighting machine!)
The shoulders of a crossbow can be made from the same material as for a bow: wood, iron or fiberglass (iron - a spring from a Moskvich car is good for this, and a polypropylene pipe, which you can buy, is good for fiberglass at any hardware store). The crossbow stock, the recess where the arrow will be inserted in the future, is perhaps the most difficult part to manufacture, which requires very precise processing and a lot of time spent.
In the absence of a well-processed metal stock on a factory machine, you can use a well-turned and then sanded wooden stock. Do not forget that the advantage of a combat crossbow over a wooden bow is not only in shooting power (although a homemade crossbow without rollers and a block system is unlikely to exceed a bow in this indicator), but primarily in the convenience of its design and the ability to conduct aimed fire.
To do this, you need to calculate the flight path of the arrow, adjust the stock so that it is located at an angle (average value 5-6 degrees), but I advise you to decide on the distance at which you are going to send the arrows, and what is called “shooting” the finished product , after each series of shots, changing the angle of the stock, until the crossbow made by your hands begins to shoot at the center of the bull's eye.
You can come up with your own trigger mechanism for a simple crossbow. Usually this is a lever that holds the bowstring, which can be removed by pressing the trigger. A necessary condition is that it fires exactly when you need it (with a high tension on the bowstring, a weak trigger can break and shoot on its own). The string should move so that when it is released it returns close to the stock, but without any friction. Below is a diagram and drawing of making a simple combat crossbow at home:
Attention! Manufacturing this type of weapon may be punishable by law! Information for peaceful purposes only. All responsibility falls on the shoulders of the person.
Below are more detailed drawings and diagrams (with indicated dimensions) that can be used to make a professional crossbow.
Despite the abundance of online stores selling throwing weapons, as well as a fantastic range of products, there are many who want to make a crossbow on their own. Most of them don't know where to start. Today we will tell you about the main design features crossbow. This knowledge will help you avoid manufacturing errors, as well as frustration and injury when using it.
Before starting work, there are two main points to know.
1. In our country, a crossbow is an entertaining and sporting weapon. Hunting with it is prohibited. Any throwing weapon with a tension force of more than 43 kilograms is considered a combat weapon, the right to use which is given by the licensing authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
2. A crossbow is a structure that experiences enormous loads during operation. Therefore, any carelessness in its manufacture will most likely lead to injury. Any part of it must have a multiple safety margin.
So, let's learn how to make a simple crossbow at home.
The video below will tell you how to make a crossbow at home:
Onion
The crossbow's energy source is the bow - an elastic plate of complex shape, having one main bend and, as an option, two additional ones at the ends. You need to start making a crossbow with this particular part and adjust everything else to it - choosing the type of tension (recurve or block), the size of the stock, the type of trigger.
Wood and composite
The urgent question is what to use as a material for the bow: wood, composite or metal?
· Wood is the worst choice. Available “pieces of wood” lying underfoot are garbage, suitable only for lighting stoves. Branches cut down in the forest lose their elasticity as they dry, crack and fall apart. From this material you can only make something for short-term entertainment in the country.
· A composite made from fiberglass and epoxy resin is very attractive and simple in appearance. But there is an obstacle - the need to scrupulously adhere to the technology of all work. Mix proportions, drying, aging. At home this is almost impossible.
Metal
There is only one option left - metal. If you have an old Moskvich with a set of leaf springs on hand, consider yourself lucky. One sheet is taken from the entire package - the second. If you are not too scared by the dimensions, then the first one will do. Moreover, it has tubes at the ends - an almost ready-made bracket for attaching blocks or bowstrings.
A block is used to attach the bow to the stock. This is a U-shaped design that wraps around the stock from the front. It can be welded tightly to the spring leaf, but in this case, when the bow is bent, the welds will experience excessive pull-out stress. Therefore, it is better to attach the ball joint from the VAZ 2108 to the block. The bow is attached to its pin. This is also convenient because there is a hole on the spring leaf.
If you are very strong, then you can choose the recursive method of tensioning the bowstring. To attach the blocks to the bow, if you have chosen a second spring leaf, you need to attach brackets to its ends. A bolted (or even better, rivet) connection is preferable to welding, since this unit experiences strong vibration loads. As pulleys, use parts of the window lifting mechanism of the same Moskvich.
Regarding the bowstring, an obvious solution arises: a thin metal cable. But it is not entirely correct, since steel cables do not withstand variable loads well. It is better to choose a climbing cord with a diameter of 5-8 mm.
Once you've made your bow and attached the string to it, you can conduct full-scale bending tests. It’s great if you have a dynamometer of 100-150 kilograms. As a result, you will learn two parameters necessary for further work: the length of the bowstring stroke and the load.
Read below to learn how to make a stock for a powerful crossbow at home.
Lodge
For this part of a homemade crossbow, wood is the only option. But not everything. In any case, not aspen, alder, spruce or pine. Better beech, elm, oak. The product has been dried for twenty years. It is clear that you will never find something like this anywhere. Therefore, use moisture-resistant plywood with a thickness of 7-9 mm. 3 or 5 contours of the stock are cut out of it, and then this package is glued together with epoxy resin. Not very pretty, but extremely reliable.
· Regarding the shape - give up the semi-pistol style and use a straight English stock. It is not only easier to manufacture, but also stronger.
· When assembling the stock package, it is necessary to take into account both the stroke of the bowstring and the load. The first determines the distance from the block to the slot for the trigger mechanism. The second is the thickness of the stock walls at the place of its attachment. It is the straight English stock that will allow you to avoid excessive thinning when moving from the forearm to the butt.
· The most important part of a crossbow stock is the arrow guide. It should be smooth and durable. For it, you can use the plates framing the side windows of the Moskvich, furniture fittings, and other similar-shaped parts.
· If you use a block type of bowstring tension, then there should be a groove in the forend under the guide for the cable system. This is another element that weakens the stock, so give up the idea of making the forend dainty. High will protect your fingers from getting caught under the bowstring and traumatic amputation of the phalanges.
Typically crossbows have a plastic stock.
Below we will tell you how to make a homemade trigger mechanism for a crossbow at home.
This video will tell you how to make a crossbow from wood (plywood) with your own hands:
Trigger
If you are not a sixth-class mechanic, then give up the idea of making this element yourself. Make an effort and find the trigger for any spring-piston air rifle. In the most difficult case, you will only have to modify its tooth that holds the piston - it may be too small for a thick bowstring.
A casing with a height of 2 to 5 cm is placed above the trigger mechanism, which is necessary to protect it from moisture and dirt, and also serves as the basis for sighting devices - rails for optics or rear sights. Weaver, Picatinny or dovetail rails can be purchased at any online store that sells pneumatics.
The front part of the casing above the trigger mechanism is made in the form of a long (no more than 10 cm) elastic “tail”, which holds the back of the arrow on the guide.
Making arrows
Canonically correct crossbow ammunition is called a “bolt”. But many online stores sell crossbow arrows. For crossbows with a rifle stock, lengths of 14, 16, 20, 22 inches are suitable. To be completely honest, you won't find better magazine arrows. Unfortunately, none of them are worth less than 150 rubles. Therefore, it is worth trying to make them yourself.
They can be made from straight-layer wood without knots. As an option, use furniture parts - balusters from chairs, railings of cribs. Good arrows are made from aluminum tubes up to 2 cm in diameter. If desired, you can even use electrodes of the maximum diameter, but they bend hopelessly when hit and it is difficult to attach the feathers to them.
Thin plastic is used for the plumage. Natural bird feathers can give the unexpected effect of chaotic changes in flight direction, since they have natural curves that must be taken into account.
The main condition for a good, smooth flight is balancing. The center of gravity of a crossbow bolt should be after the first third of its length from the tip. If it is not metal, the end of the arrow can be loaded with lead wire wrapped around the shaft.
The issue of equipping an arrow with a tip must be treated without fanaticism. Sharpening metal on lathes, milling and polishing, giving it exquisite shapes - these operations are accessible to few. In addition, such a tip is extremely dangerous. If you do not need to pierce knight's armor, then a wooden bolt can simply be sharpened at an angle of 30 degrees using a regular knife.
There are classic models, they look like ancient ones, and their design is simple. There are also modern crossbows, they are called "block" crossbows. Such weapons have more complex design because of the blocks and other innovations that enhance its power. It will be much more difficult to make such a crossbow at home, but the description of this process and the drawings, which will be detailed in the article, will help you with this. The crossbow has many components: onion; bed; trigger mechanism; bowstring; some modern models have blocks at the ends of the bow.
All of these rocks are dense enough to withstand the enormous stress that will be placed on the bow and crossbow stock. Material Preparation For a weapon to fire long and powerfully, its material must be properly dried for a year. Having cut the required trunk or branch, both cuts must be painted over. To do this, you can use any glue, paint or varnish. If you close the cuts in this way, moisture will not be able to quickly leave the workpiece, so the wood will dry more slowly and evenly. This way, internal cracks do not form in the material, and a crossbow made with your own hands at home will serve for a very long time. After this, the log is placed in a dry place where it will not be dropped on. Sun rays. It should remain like this for a year. After time, the bark is removed from the workpiece, so it dries for another week. The log is then sawn in half. It sits like that for another week, only after that you can start creating a crossbow. Tools for making a crossbow Knife. Saw. Plane. Sandpaper of different grits. Carpenter's cutter. Chisel. Drill. Making a bow On the workpiece, choose the side in which the annual rings of the tree are thinner.
This is the north side, the fibers on it are denser than in other parts. This is what we will use when creating a crossbow with our own hands at home. From this part you need to make a bow. Mark the middle, put about two centimeters on both sides of it, marking the part that will be clamped in the crossbow stock. This will be the thickest part of the onion. They begin to cut the material from it, gradually moving towards the edges. They chip the workpiece gradually on both sides, checking until it begins to bend at least a little. After this, you need to take a strong rope and make loops at its ends. This will be a test string. It is necessary to check the bow tension. It is very important that his shoulders bend evenly. By putting on an improvised bowstring and drawing the bow, you can see where to remove the material. They are marked and carefully cut with a knife. This must be continued until the product begins to bend evenly on both sides. Processing of knots Very often there are knots on the material: some are visible immediately, others can open during the processing of the material. What makes them dangerous is that they can cause chips. Therefore, you need to treat such places with a well-sharpened knife. If you don't have confidence or experience, it's better to tinker a little longer and sand them down with sandpaper.
You can also use a file for this purpose. Bed When the bow is ready, put it aside and begin making the stock. To begin with, they choose where there will be a groove through which the arrow will fly out, and make this place perfectly level. It will depend on him how accurately the crossbow will shoot. To understand everything, it is better to look at the drawing of the crossbow. How to make its stock is shown in detail here. After this, the gutter is cut to the required length. Usually it is about 30 cm. Then a recess is made for the bow and trigger mechanism. They are convenient to cut with a chisel and a carpenter's knife. Trigger As mentioned above, it can be made of dense wood or, if the crossbow is powerful, of metal. The simplest mechanism is the so-called “nut”. It consists of a cylinder, where on one side there is a hook for the bowstring, and on the other there is a stop for the trigger. In high-power crossbows, the trigger is more refined for an easier trigger pull when loaded. We looked in detail at how to make a crossbow with your own hands. A master class with drawings, we hope, will help you understand all the intricacies. This is a common medieval model. Now we’ll find out how to make the same weapon, only a modern model. Compound crossbow Such a device is much more difficult to make; it will require much more tools than for normal. So, we create a crossbow with our own hands at home from fiberglass.
This material is ideal for making bows because it is tough and yet lightweight. It can be cut from a single piece of fiberglass 1 cm thick or you can make it yourself. If you’re not too lazy to tinker, it’s better to make it yourself. Making fiberglass shoulders for a crossbow You need to take fiberglass or Kevlar and cut it into strips. You need from 30 to 40 of them. In general, it is better to try everything experimentally. These strips are glued with epoxy resin so that everything becomes monolithic when it hardens. You also need to think about how to put this entire “sandwich” under the press. It is best to use boards, place the shoulders between them, and clamp everything with clamps. The epoxy adhesive should have less thickener than normal, ranging from 8 to 10%. Everything hardens within 24 hours, but if the room is cold, the time may increase. When everything has hardened, the shoulders are finalized by cutting off the protruding edges with a knife and sanding with sandpaper. Now we will look in detail at how to make a crossbow with your own hands at home and what additional elements of its design need to be made.
Making a figured stock To do this, you need to take a board at least 4 cm thick. Mark where the butt, handle, trigger mechanism and mounts for the arms of the bow will be. In general, everything is according to the drawings. After this, you need to drill all the necessary holes and cut them out. Blocks These can be made from aluminum. It would be better if they were on bearings. The middle parts of roller skate wheels are perfect. They are strong enough to withstand heavy loads and are the perfect size. The axles for them need to be 5 mm thick. You can take them from rollers or make them yourself. The fasteners are made of sheet steel or similar durable material. You can also make the ends of the bow arms thicker before pouring epoxy resin to install the blocks, in which case fastenings will not be needed. After this, you need to install a trigger mechanism with a trigger and an arrow holder on the crossbow you made yourself at home. In general, all parts are connected with bolts; washers are always used. They will allow you to twist everything more tightly without damaging the material. In compound crossbows, the bowstring is longer and is tensioned differently. It seems to cross, and when drawn, this system allows the arrow to give twice as much energy to flight as in the case of a conventional crossbow with the same bow. In powerful block models, the bowstring is a steel cable, only it is able to withstand enormous sharp pressure when fired. In crossbows whose power is no more than 40-50 kg, it can be woven from nylon threads.
Making a bowstring for a crossbow Using the described method, you can make a bowstring for both a recurve and a classic crossbow. It’s just that their length will be different due to the design features of both models. They take a board the length of the planned bowstring, drive in two pegs, onto which a nylon thread is wound in a circle. When the thickness of this long oval becomes 5 mm, it is wrapped, leaving a gap of 2-3 mm between the turns. Near the pegs you need to braid without gaps, because there will be loops for hooking. Regarding the bowstring, one can also say that if you make it too thick, the strength of the crossbow is reduced. However, thin ones can tear.
So in this case you need to choose an intermediate thickness. It is better to study similar sports models with the same tension and make a bowstring of their thickness. When this is done, the two halves are joined and wrapped together. Again, special care is needed near the hinges. Then they wrap the middle where the string will catch and push the arrow. This place is also done carefully, because it will be subject to a tremendous frictional force. All cut edges of the threads must be coated with glue. This will make them denser and more monolithic. This article presents drawings and a description of how to make a real crossbow at home. It's not that difficult, especially if you do wooden weapon. If the product is manufactured for hunting in order to achieve enormous power, then you should choose a block model. Its design is a little more complicated; you may need a machine to make some parts.
In Europe, starting around the 11th century. and for 500 years the crossbow was an extremely widespread weapon. It (in the easel version) was used mainly to protect various objects, such as castles and ships. Hand crossbows were widely used in field battles. In addition, the crossbow played a significant role in understanding the properties of various materials (since during its manufacture it was necessary to take into account the action of many forces) and the laws of movement in the air (after all, the crossbow arrow had to have certain flight qualities). Leonardo da Vinci repeatedly turned to the study of the principles underlying crossbow shooting.
The craftsmen who made bows, crossbows and arrows did not know mathematics or the laws of mechanics. Nevertheless, tests of samples of old arrows carried out at Purdue University showed that these craftsmen managed to achieve high aerodynamic qualities.
At first glance, the crossbow does not seem complicated. Its arc, as a rule, was strengthened in front, across the wooden or metal machine- lodges. A special device held the bowstring stretched to the limit and released it. The direction of flight of a short crossbow arrow was set either by a groove cut into the top of the stock into which the arrow was placed, or by two stops that secured it in front and behind. If the arc was very elastic, then to tighten the bowstring, a special device was installed on the stock; sometimes it was removable and carried along with a crossbow.
The design of a crossbow has two advantages over a conventional bow. Firstly, on average, a crossbow shoots further, and a shooter armed with it in a duel with an archer remains out of reach of the enemy. Secondly, the design of the stock, sight and trigger greatly facilitated handling of the weapon; it did not require special training from the shooter. The hook teeth, which held and released the drawn string and arrow, are one of the earliest attempts to mechanize some of the functions of the human hand.
The only thing in which a crossbow was inferior to a bow was its speed of fire (not entirely true, there is one more parameter in which a bow is superior to a crossbow - price. A bow is much cheaper to produce, of course this applies to ordinary weapons). Therefore, it could only be used as a military weapon if there was a shield, behind which the warrior took cover while reloading. It is for this reason that the crossbow was mainly a common type
weapons of fortress garrisons, siege detachments and ship crews.
Classic medieval crossbow with a composite bow from South Tyrol, 1475.
The crossbow was invented long before it became widespread. There are two versions regarding the invention of this weapon. According to one, it is believed that the crossbow first appeared in Greece, according to another - in China. Around 400 BC. e. The Greeks invented a throwing machine (catapult) for throwing stones and arrows. Its appearance was explained by the desire to create a weapon more powerful than a bow. Initially, some catapults, similar in principle to a crossbow, apparently did not exceed it in size.
The version of the origin of the crossbow in China is supported by archaeological finds of bronze triggers dating back to 200 BC. e. Although evidence of the first appearance of the crossbow in Greece is earlier, written Chinese sources mention the use of this weapon in battles in 341 BC. e. According to other data, the reliability of which is more difficult to establish, the crossbow was known in China one century earlier.
Archaeological finds indicate that the crossbow was used in Europe throughout the entire period from the ancient era to the 11th-16th centuries, when it became most widespread. It can be assumed that its widespread use before the 11th century. There were two obstacles. One of them is that arming troops with crossbows was much more expensive than with bows. Another reason is the small number of castles in that period; Castles began to play a historically important role only after the conquest of England by the Normans (1066).
With the increasing role of castles, the crossbow became an indispensable weapon used in feudal feuds, which were not without violent battles. Fortifications in the pre-Norman period were usually very simple and served mainly as shelters for the people living nearby. Therefore, it was necessary to keep weapons behind the fortress walls to repel the attacks of the conquerors. The Normans exercised power in the conquered territories with the help of small, heavily armed military units. Castles served them to hide from the indigenous inhabitants and repel attacks by other armed groups. The firing range of the crossbow contributed reliable protection these shelters.
Over the centuries after the appearance of the first crossbows, attempts were made repeatedly to improve these weapons. One of the methods may have been borrowed from the Arabs. Arab hand bows were of a type called compound or compound.
Their design fully corresponds to this name, since they were made from various materials. A composite bow has distinct advantages over a bow made from a single piece of wood, since the latter has limited elasticity due to the natural properties of the material. When an archer pulls the bowstring, the arc of the bow on the outer side (away from the archer) experiences tension, and on the inner side it experiences compression. If the tension is excessive, the wood fibers of the arc begin to deform and permanent “wrinkles” appear on its inner side. Typically the bow was kept bent, and exceeding a certain tension could cause it to break.
In a compound bow, a material that can withstand greater tension than wood is attached to the outer surface of the bow. This additional layer takes on the load and reduces the deformation of wood fibers. The most commonly used material was animal tendons, especially the ligamentum nuchae, a large elastic knot that runs along the spine and over the shoulders of most mammals. Tests have shown that such material, if properly processed, can withstand tension of up to 20 kg/sq. mm. This is about four times more than the most suitable tree can support.
For the inside of the bow, they used a material that works better in compression than wood. The Turks used bull horn for these purposes, the permissible compression force of which is about 13 kg/sq. mm. (Wood can withstand compressive loads four times less.) The unusually high awareness of archery craftsmen about the properties of various materials can also be judged by the kind of glues they used in the manufacture of bows. The glue made from the palate of the Volga sturgeon was considered the best. Diversity unusual materials, used in archery, suggests that many Constructive decisions achieved experimentally.
Italian crossbow from the 16th century, with a steel bow. Pull the bowstring into a firing position on such a “monster”
manually was impossible, for this they used special devices, which will be discussed below.
Crossbows with compound bows were common in the Middle Ages, including the Renaissance. They were lighter than crossbows with a steel bow, which began to be manufactured at the beginning of the 15th century; with the same bowstring tension, they shot further and were more reliable (there is most likely a mistranslation here: the steel arc was clearly more powerful than the composite one). The action of compound arcs interested Leonardo da Vinci. His manuscripts indicate that he used them to study the behavior of various materials under load.
The introduction of the steel bow in the Middle Ages was the zenith in the development of crossbow design. In terms of its parameters, it could be second only to a crossbow made of fiberglass and other modern materials. Steel arches had such flexibility that none of them could provide before. organic materials. The Victorian sportsman Ralph Payne-Gallwey, who wrote a treatise on the crossbow, tested a large military crossbow with a string tension of 550 kg, sending an 85 gram arrow to a distance of 420 m. E. Harmuth, an expert on the history of the crossbow, claims that there were arcs with twice the tension. However, in the Middle Ages, the most common crossbows were those with a draw weight of less than 45 kg. Even with special lightweight arrows they shot no further than 275 m.
With the achievement of higher tensions, steel arches no longer benefit in efficiency. Increasing the mass of the arc limited its ability to impart greater acceleration to the arrow. Because of the difficulty of obtaining large-sized steel ingots, crossbow bows were typically fused from many pieces of metal. Each fusion point reduced the reliability of the crossbow: at any moment the arc in this place could break.
More powerful crossbows required reliable triggers. It should be noted that the trigger mechanisms used by the Europeans, which usually consisted of a rotating tooth and a simple lever release, were inferior to the Chinese ones, which had an intermediate lever that allowed the shot to be fired with a short and light pull on the trigger lever. At the beginning of the 16th century. in Germany, multi-lever triggers of a more advanced design began to be used. It is interesting that a little earlier Leonardo da Vinci came up with the same design of the trigger mechanism and proved its advantages by calculation.
Swiss crossbow with a composite bow. Around 1470. In the inset at the top left is a section of the arc of this crossbow. At the bottom there are horn plates, which turn out orange in the photo. The surface of the plates is covered with notches, thanks to which they fit perfectly together. It is not known what kind of glue was used to connect the horn parts, but in general the technology was very successful, since the crossbow was symmetrical, balanced and capable of withstanding heavy loads. The “back” of the crossbow arc is made of tendons, the outside of the horns was covered with parchment, birch bark or, as here, thick paper with a pattern.
The crossbow arrow also changed over time. Before tracing its evolution, let's consider the forces acting on a bow arrow. When shooting from a conventional bow, the arrow at the moment of aiming should be located between the center of the archer's chest and the fingers of his outstretched hand. The relative position of these two points determines the direction of flight of the arrow after the bowstring is released.
The forces acting on the arrow when it is released, however, do not exactly coincide with the line of sight. The released string pushes the butt of the arrow towards the center of the bow, rather than to the side. Therefore, in order for the arrow not to deviate from the given direction, it must bend slightly at the moment of launch.
The required arrow flexibility for a traditional bow places a limit on the amount of energy imparted to it. For example, it was found that an arrow designed for a bow with a tension of up to 9 kg, when shot from a crossbow with a tension of 38 kg, can bend so much that its shaft breaks.
In this regard, in the ancient era, when crossbows and catapults began to be used, arrows of a new design were invented. Due to the fact that the surface of the crossbow stock ensured that the direction of movement of the bowstring coincided with the initial direction of flight of the arrow, and a special guiding device made it possible to hold it in a certain position without using hands, it became possible to make crossbow arrows shorter and less elastic. This in turn made them easier to store and carry.
The design of arrows that appeared at that time can be judged by two main types that have survived to this day. One type of arrow is half the length of a regular bow arrow. It flares sharply towards the rear end and has several vanes, or fletchings, that are too small to stabilize the arrow in flight. The end part of the boom is captured by the hooking teeth.
Other types of arrows do not have blades. Their metal front is a third of their length, and the wooden shaft is reduced to a minimum. These arrows also have a shape that flares towards the tail. Their total length is less than 15 cm.
The design features of these arrows indicate that the craftsmen Ancient Rome who first invented them were familiar with the flight qualities of the bodies various shapes. Today we understand that the fletching, which prevents the arrow from rotating in flight, is the main reason for its braking. Reducing its size would make it possible to increase the range of the arrow, provided that it does not turn to the side, which would further slow down its flight. This can be avoided by sharpening the shaft, that is, making it narrower at the front than at the back. If an arrow with such a shaft begins to turn to the side, then the air pressure on the wider rear part will be higher than on the front; Due to this, the direction of flight of the arrow is leveled.
It can also be assumed that the shaft has a center of pressure (the equilibrium point of all aerodynamic forces acting on it) located behind the center of gravity. On a cylindrical arrow without fletching, this point will be located approximately in the middle of the shaft. With an expanding boom, the center of pressure moves toward the rear. Since the center of pressure is located behind the center of gravity, the stability of an arrow with a flared shaft is higher than with a cylindrical one, and due to the absence of feathers, its drag is less.
The expanding shaft also contributes to a more uniform distribution of air pressure on its surface. Using the terminology of modern aerodynamics, we can say that the boundary layer is less susceptible to destruction. Reducing the length of the boom also improves its flight characteristics, since with increasing length the turbulence of the air flow parallel to the cylindrical surface increases, absorbing more energy.
ANOTHER factor that affects the effectiveness of flared shaft arrows is fletch design. To hold the bolt with the gripping teeth of the trigger mechanism, a special recess was made in its plumage. Like the flared shape of the shaft, the presence of a notch helps air flow more evenly around the arrow, reducing energy-absorbing turbulence behind it.
In the early Middle Ages, the craftsmen who made bows and crossbows were not familiar with the laws of air movement and the forces that arise on the surface of bodies when they move in the air. Concepts such as air flow and drag did not appear until the time of Leonardo da Vinci. There is no doubt that crossbow arrows were created primarily through trial and error. Probably, their creators were guided by the desire to achieve maximum flight range and greatest impact force.
Nevertheless, the design of crossbow arrows is perfect. Wind tunnel tests we conducted at the Purdue University Aerodynamics Laboratory confirm this. An ordinary arrow for a combat bow, such as was used in the Middle Ages, a crossbow arrow dating from the same period, and two types of arrows for a catapult were tested. The results obtained should be interpreted with some caution, since the sizes of the objects under study, especially the smallest ones, approached the sensitivity threshold of the measuring equipment. But even under these extreme experimental conditions, it was possible to obtain very interesting data. Firstly, the smallest arrow, which was completely preserved, except for minor damage to the tail, judging by the data obtained, stably maintained its position at all permissible flight angles.
Secondly, a comparative analysis of the drag-to-weight ratio for all four types of arrows showed that the bow arrow was significantly inferior in its flight qualities to the other three. The mass of an arrow can be thought of as a measure of its ability to store kinetic energy. If all these arrows were launched at the same speed, then the mass of each of them would determine the energy reserve of the arrow at the initial moment. The rate of energy consumption depends on the drag. A low drag-to-weight ratio means the arrow is likely to have a long range.
For bow arrows this ratio is approximately twice that of crossbow arrows. It can be assumed that if medieval and earlier craftsmen had managed to overcome design limitations in creating arrows for bows, they could have developed more optimal design. The existing design of the arrow corresponded so well to the materials available at that time that its geometry was not improved during the period while the bow was considered the main weapon.
ALL THESE improvements were dictated by the urgent need for crossbows. Often in peacetime, garrisons were stationed on the territory of castles, consisting mainly of shooters armed with crossbows. At well-defended outposts, such as the English port of Calais (on the northern coast of France), there were 53 thousand crossbow arrows in reserve. The owners of these castles usually purchased arrows in large quantities - 10-20 thousand pieces each. It is estimated that over the 70 years from 1223 to 1293, one family in England produced 1 million crossbow arrows.
Based on these facts, we can say that mass production began long before the industrial revolution. This can be confirmed by the simple device used at that time from two fastened wooden blocks, forming something similar to a vice: an arrow blank was inserted into the recesses in the wooden blocks for subsequent processing. To make the tail blades, metal plates with grooves were used into which blanks were inserted. This device made it possible to obtain the required dimensions and symmetrical shape of the blades.
Another device was a planing machine, which was probably intended both for turning the arrow shaft and for cutting grooves into which the feather blades were inserted. Rods from wooden blanks of small diameter were not easy to produce on primitive lathes of that time, since the blanks were bent when processed with a cutting tool. In a planing machine, a metal cutting tool was fixed in a wooden block with two clamps on opposite sides.
The block moved along clamping device, which firmly held the arrow blank. Cutting tool removed the chips until the block reached the surface of the clamping device. In this way, automatic control of the thickness of the cut layer and cutting direction was achieved. As a result, the arrows were almost the same size.
The crossbow was replaced by a firearm. The popularity of the ancient crossbow began to decline. However, they continued to be used in naval battles. The reason was that the crossbow did not have a fuse, and it was safe for the shooter, unlike firearms, which at first often hit the shooter himself. In addition, the bulwark on the ship served as good cover, behind which one could safely reload a crossbow. Heavier crossbows continued to be used in whaling. Firearms gradually replaced the crossbow in hunting on land.
The exception was crossbows, which fired stones or bullets. This type of weapon was used in hunting small game until the 19th century. The fact that these crossbows, which fired shot or bullets, had much in common with firearms indicates the mutual influence of the two types of weapons in the process of their evolution. Such elements of firearms as the stock, the trigger, which requires a slight pressure, and the sighting device, were borrowed from crossbows, and primarily from sports ones. Such crossbows have not yet gone out of use.
Appearance in the 20th century. fiberglass materials led to the creation of a new generation of composite crossbows. Glass fibers are not inferior in their properties to natural veins, and their cellular structure is as strong as a bull's horn. Although the crossbow still lags behind the bow in many ways in the revival of archery, it also has many adherents. A modern crossbow shooter has at his disposal a “weapon” that is much more advanced than what it was in the Middle Ages.
ENGLISH CROSSBOW. On its wooden stock the date of manufacture is indicated - 1617. The plate is made of Ivory with inlay indicates that this crossbow was a hunting one; a military crossbow would hardly have such artistic decoration. To tension the crossbow string, a force exceeding one hundred kilograms was required, so the crossbowman used a special mechanism with a gear drive. The crossbow stock has a socket that was probably intended for this mechanism. The bowstring is shown in a taut state. In this position, it was held by hooking teeth, which released it when the trigger, located at the bottom of the stock, was pressed. A short 30.5 cm long arrow fired from a crossbow flew a distance of about 400 m. The crossbow's arc was attached to the stock using a ring and a harness. The drawing was made from a crossbow from the collection of the US Military Academy Museum at West Point (New York).
THREE CROSSBALLETS are depicted in a painting by an Italian artist of the 15th century. Antonio del Pollaiolo "St. Sebastian". One shooter takes aim with a crossbow, the other two draw the string using a crossbow "stirrup", since it required a lot of force to pull the string. The painting is kept in the National Gallery in London.
FRENCH COMBAT CROSSBOW XIV century. and two arrows for it from the collection of the US Military Academy Museum at West Point (New York). It was impossible to tighten the bowstring of such a crossbow manually, so a collar was installed at the rear end of the machine, or stock. The stock has a length of 101 cm, the width of the crossbow arc is 107 cm, and the length of the arrows is approximately 38 cm.
A CROSSBOW consists of a curved bow, a bowstring, a hook tooth (to which the bowstring clung) and a trigger lever. When the lever was pressed, the tooth released the bowstring and the arrow flew out of the crossbow. The stop fixed the position of the tension mechanism, with the help of which the bowstring was retracted back. The design of the tension mechanism is one of the earliest examples of the use of gearing.
THE ARROW PARADOX partly explains why short arrows were used when shooting crossbows. The paradox is demonstrated for the case when the shooter uses an arrow from a conventional bow. When aiming (1), the arrow is positioned on one side of the bow. The sight line runs along the arrow. However, when the archer releases the arrow (2), the force exerted by the bowstring causes the tail of the arrow to move towards the center of the bow. In order for the arrow to maintain its direction towards the target, it must bend in flight (3). During the first few meters of flight, the arrow vibrates, but eventually its position stabilizes (4). The need for flexibility in a bow arrow limits the amount of energy that can be imparted to it. In contrast, a crossbow arrow must be shorter and stiffer, since the crossbow imparts significant energy to it. Such arrows also had better aerodynamic properties.
TRIGGER MECHANISMS of crossbows had different design. In China 2000 years ago, a mechanism (a) was used with a tooth to engage the bowstring, which was mounted on the same axis as the trigger. A curved intermediate lever connected both parts, due to which the release was carried out with a light and short press. The direction of movement of the bowstring during descent is shown on the right. In the West, trigger mechanisms were first used in catapults (b). In these mechanisms, when the bowstring was released, the tooth did not fall, but rose. IN medieval Europe the most common mechanism was the one with the escape wheel (c); its position was fixed by a simple release lever, which hooked into a recess at the bottom of the wheel. When such a lever was pressed, the crossbow could move from its aiming position. Over time, all designs of trigger mechanisms began to use an intermediate lever to facilitate the descent.
TYPES OF ARROWS for bows and crossbows: regular arrow for a combat longbow (a); an arrow used by the Romans (b) for a catapult, similar to a crossbow; a typical arrow for a medieval crossbow (c) and two varieties of arrows for a catapult of another smaller Roman type (d). Below the images of the arrows is their view from the tail and the view from the tip.
Wind tunnel test results for the five types of arrows shown in the top picture. The tests were carried out with the participation of the author of the article at the Aerospace Research Laboratory of Purdue University. In calculations performed by W. Hickam, it was assumed that the initial speed of each arrow was 80 m/s. Although arrows for a longbow were unlikely to have such speed, accepted value was convenient for comparative analysis.
The story about crossbows and crossbowmen would probably not be complete without a review of pavez - specific shields for crossbow shooters.
What is a paveza - PAVEZA (pavez, pavise, pavise, paveze) is a type of shield widely used by infantry in the 14th-16th centuries. The shield was rectangular shape, the lower part could have an oval shape. The paveza was often equipped with a stop; sometimes spikes were made on the lower edge, which were stuck into the ground. Usually, a vertical protrusion (from the inside - a gutter) passed through the middle of the shield to strengthen the structure. The width of the pavese ranged from 40 to 70 cm, height - 1-1.5 m. The shield was made of light wood and covered with fabric or leather. Pavezes often painted emblems with heraldic or religious content.
One of the most famous paveuses is the pavese from the Cluny Museum (Paris). Mid 15th century, David and Goliath painted.
Pavesa of a Swiss crossbowman with the depiction of the coat of arms of the city of Bern - a bear.
Late 14th century. Stored in historical museum Bern.
Depending on the method of use, there were hand-held and standing paveses (the latter were often used by crossbowmen due to the long time it took to reload weapons during the siege of castles and cities). The hand paveses were quadrangular, often tapering downward. They were used by both infantry and knightly cavalry. Pavezes were widely used by the Hussites during the Hussite Wars.
It is traditionally believed that the name of the shield comes from the Italian city of Pavia, where it was invented in the 13th century. It is also noted that the classic infantry version of the paveza took shape during the Hussite Wars.
Unusual Belgian (Flemish) pavese of the 15th century, with a loophole for firing in the center
shield and two spikes for driving into the ground, from the collection of the Brussels Historical Museum.
Later researchers came to the conclusion that the paveza could have entered Western Europe through the Baltic crusaders, who borrowed this type of shield from the local Baltic population. The lands of Rus' (XII century) or the Lithuanian-Mazovian region (XIII century) are called the place where paveza originated. At the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, the Pavezes spread to Mazovia, the lands under the rule of the Teutonic Order, Western Rus' and, probably, the rest of Poland. Belarusian archaeologist Nikolai Plavinsky notes that around the 14th century, the distribution area of the paveza covered the entire Baltic-Polish-Russian region
A lot of these shields have survived (oddly enough, much more than contemporary crossbows), so the review can be endless.
The strength and convenience of shields of this type quickly led to their widespread use by the knightly class and ordinary warriors (not crossbowmen) throughout Western Europe. Naturally, mostly in the manual version.
The age of the paveza ended with the spread of handguns.
