cross bows your view

  • Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.

DS1150

Tenderfoot
Jul 27, 2010
61
0
London
I think they look great and would love one but as far as I understand, most, if not all, archery clubs aren't too keen with people turning up with crossbows. i don't know if it's the image or the power of them.
 

boatman

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 20, 2007
2,444
4
77
Cornwall
Eldest son has one of the miniatures. shoots as well as modern pistol crossbow. Very nice thing to add to posing kit at reenactments. Could be taken for a late horseman's bow ti satisfy authenticity police.
 

marcelxl

Settler
May 2, 2010
638
0
Kamloops, B.C.
I shoot in NFAS shoots and there is a crossbow class which gets pretty well attended. Don't see the appeal myself!

Each to their own though, and I shoot a little compound unlimited so I cannot judge on the merits of cheating archery practices!!:lmao:

One thing that does bug me about xbows, compound crossbows............. bowhunting is not legal in the uk, none of the governing bodies allow them and they are silly fast, accurate by anyone and easily available yet air guns get restricted at 12ft lbs. Bonkers
 
Last edited:

alan whelan

Need to contact Admin...
Nov 5, 2010
94
0
Cork Ireland
I have 3 recurve bows and managed to shoot a 59 with the 6th arrow just outside the line, I have two xbows and I it will be some time before I will be able to achieve this score with my xbow unless I spend alot more money on xbows I don't believe xbows are very repeatable to the same extent as a recurve bow is.
Alan.
 

Jock

Forager
Feb 26, 2009
181
0
East Kilbride
Problem is getting something to use as a safe target
They shoot through most things like butter so its difficult to get the scope zeroed in without wasting bolts
A lot of fun though:)
 

marcelxl

Settler
May 2, 2010
638
0
Kamloops, B.C.
I have 3 recurve bows and managed to shoot a 59 with the 6th arrow just outside the line, I have two xbows and I it will be some time before I will be able to achieve this score with my xbow unless I spend alot more money on xbows I don't believe xbows are very repeatable to the same extent as a recurve bow is.
Alan.

I would put a sighted compound & release aid to be hands down the most accurate archery form there is. The problem is convenience, and anyone can pick one up and hit what they point it at - pretty much.

My old feller was a wildlife protection officer and he had no end of issues with both wildlife and livestock with bolts in them and last year during an open shoot I met one of the chaps spearheading the movement to get bowhunting back in the UK and to quote him "one of the problems we have is idiots with crossbows"
I have a compound, shoots at around 300fps and when I shoot it I can get every arrow in a 12" group @ 100yds but Mr Chav cannot go down the the second hand shop in Shipley and choose from loads of them and just go and stick projectiles in anything he wants.
 

Paul72

Nomad
Jan 29, 2010
280
0
Northern Ireland
I'm an archer (longbow) and you can call me a snob if you like but I've never been keen on crossbows. I think the negative image they have might have something to do with it, but they seem too easily accessible to the wrong people who do bad things with them.
 
Last edited:

woof

Full Member
Apr 12, 2008
3,647
5
lincolnshire
There certainly does seem to be some anti crossbow feelings on here, i've had as much fun using a cross bow, as i have a normal bow. you cannot legistate for idiots unless you ban everything, and i would not want to see that.

As regards hunting, it is strange that you can with an air rifle & a catapult, but not a bow ?, weird, perhaps its to keep the peasants in check, so the gentry can carry as normal.

Rob
 

hobson

Tenderfoot
Jan 4, 2012
57
0
Devon
Hunting any animals with bows is illegal in the UK, probably due to accuracy over distance.
An air rifle even at 12ftlbs is far more accurate than a crossbow, this should (depending on who's pulling the trigger) mean a quicker more efficient kill, I get 1p size groupings at 30 metres with my air rifle, which means i can hit the kill zone on a rabbit and drop them straight away probably nine times out of ten.
A bow/crossbow will of course kill an animal but with less accuracy, which means more suffering.

Personally i don't rate crossbows as they're just not efficient enough for my needs, i'm in charge of the rabbit population on our farm you see...
 

Aaron Rushton

Tenderfoot
Jul 27, 2011
92
0
S. Wales
i dont really see the appeal of crossbows. they're awesome looking things, very powerful and accurate and if you want to blwo holes in a pumpkin consistently at 60 yards the there just right for the job. the reason i took up archery is because i was getting bored of shooting with my air rifle. i still hunt all the time with my airgun, and i love it, perfect tool for the job, but it's become too accurate. i can consistently hit 10p pieces at 45 yards on a windless day (although i would never hunt at this distance.) this isnt me boasting, just the fact that modern pcp air rifles are just so consistent and accurate that theres very little margin for error. i took up archery because of the whole 'instinctive' shooting thing, and almost a year later its still challening and fun and i still sometimes don't hit what im aiming at! putting sights on it and with pre stored pwoer is just like shooting a gun in my opinion.
 

dwardo

Bushcrafter through and through
Aug 30, 2006
6,451
475
46
Nr Chester
Hunting any animals with bows is illegal in the UK, probably due to accuracy over distance.
An air rifle even at 12ftlbs is far more accurate than a crossbow, this should (depending on who's pulling the trigger) mean a quicker more efficient kill, I get 1p size groupings at 30 metres with my air rifle, which means i can hit the kill zone on a rabbit and drop them straight away probably nine times out of ten.
A bow/crossbow will of course kill an animal but with less accuracy, which means more suffering.

Personally i don't rate crossbows as they're just not efficient enough for my needs, i'm in charge of the rabbit population on our farm you see...

I believe the law was put in place without consideration of bow hunting rather than being against it. A bow in the right hands is a very capable weapon, just not too many of the right hands or the discipline to train hard to make a good bow hunter, my self included :)
The old cross bow was considered evil from the outset many many years ago and i remember somthing about it not being used upon christians only heathens, cant find the reference now.
I guess because it took so long to train an archer in the noble art of archery and along comes a machine to do it for you.
One thing to remember though is that cross bows by design are very in-efficient in delivering energy to the arrow not to mention the back breaking reload. A 100lb crossbow will deliver about the same energy to an arrow as a well made 50lb bow. This is simply down to the length and draw of the prod against the bows length. They to go on a lot about arrow speed as do the wheel bow shooters but a light arrow makes for a fast arrow and doesnt mean it is a whole lot more efficient.
 
Last edited:

Aaron Rushton

Tenderfoot
Jul 27, 2011
92
0
S. Wales
Hunting any animals with bows is illegal in the UK, probably due to accuracy over distance.
An air rifle even at 12ftlbs is far more accurate than a crossbow, this should (depending on who's pulling the trigger) mean a quicker more efficient kill, I get 1p size groupings at 30 metres with my air rifle, which means i can hit the kill zone on a rabbit and drop them straight away probably nine times out of ten.
A bow/crossbow will of course kill an animal but with less accuracy, which means more suffering.

Personally i don't rate crossbows as they're just not efficient enough for my needs, i'm in charge of the rabbit population on our farm you see...
this is untrue i believe, air rifles need a head shot on a rabbit or a squirrel to kill them, whereas bows have a much wider killzone. you hit a squirrel or a rabbit in the head/chest/neck/ ribcage area with a metal blunt with a 40lb bow and it will die almost instantly from hydraulic shock of something hitting it so hard. of course, the range is limited to about 20 yards with a good shot, whereas airgun ranges are up to 40yards with a less powerful but make up for it with much more accuracy.
 

hobson

Tenderfoot
Jan 4, 2012
57
0
Devon
this is untrue i believe, air rifles need a head shot on a rabbit or a squirrel to kill them, whereas bows have a much wider killzone. you hit a squirrel or a rabbit in the head/chest/neck/ ribcage area with a metal blunt with a 40lb bow and it will die almost instantly from hydraulic shock of something hitting it so hard. of course, the range is limited to about 20 yards with a good shot, whereas airgun ranges are up to 40yards with a less powerful but make up for it with much more accuracy.

To be honest i can't disagree with that completely as i've never shot an animal with anything other than a rifle, however, i can say that yes, rabbits and squirrels need a headshot for a quick, clean kill, by that i mean they will drop as the shot hits, not run around and then die slowly, i believe anyone shooting an animal for whatever reason is obliged to ensure the animal is killed as quickly and cleanly as possible, and a headshot in the kill zone (between ear and eye) ensures this.

I have no doubt that a crossbow bolt or indeed an arrow hitting an animal in the chest/head/neck will kill it, but the risk of massive injury and a slow death is definitely higher than using a rifle, and that to me makes it unsuitable.
 

marcelxl

Settler
May 2, 2010
638
0
Kamloops, B.C.
Hunting any animals with bows is illegal in the UK, probably due to accuracy over distance.
An air rifle even at 12ftlbs is far more accurate than a crossbow, this should (depending on who's pulling the trigger) mean a quicker more efficient kill, I get 1p size groupings at 30 metres with my air rifle, which means i can hit the kill zone on a rabbit and drop them straight away probably nine times out of ten.
A bow/crossbow will of course kill an animal but with less accuracy, which means more suffering.

Personally i don't rate crossbows as they're just not efficient enough for my needs, i'm in charge of the rabbit population on our farm you see...

As far as I am aware hunting with bows got banned because there was not enough resistance.

In a country which just seems to ban without a good enough reason it was always going to happen sooner or later. I just hope the day never comes when some eejit "goes postal" with an olympic recurve complete with all the stabilisers, sights, bell & whistles or a nice bickerstaff longbow........ or do I!?

BTW, was only a couple of years ago when a local fruitcake spiked a few hookers with a crossbow before slicing and dicing and eating them.
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE