Crossbow help needed

H

Heathenpeddler

Guest
A friend of mine, Icewytch, needs a little help with her crossbow. She lives in the Orkneys with her hubby Blu and hunts a good few dinners with her xbows :) anyway, here's her question.

I have bad arthritis in me hands, and in one shoulder. As a result ...and you guys have no idea how humiliating this is for me to admit....I more often now have to ask Blu to draw my crossbow for me as it just hurts too damn much to pull 150lb nowadays.
I did a google for a windlass, or a rope crank for my Wildcat 3, found the Barnett site and emailed them for info. Twice. Last week. got zilch back. Nothing, nada, one p***ed off me.
I can`t find anywhere else in the Uk which makes anything like this, type in Windlass in google and you get a wheen of boat cr*p!
Does anyone here have any ideas please, or info they have on where I can get either a windlass or rope crank? It would restore a great deal of my pride.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,856
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Mercia
HP,

Hate to tell you mate but bow hunting in all forms is completely illegal in the UK. Rope cocking aids (not a windlass though) do exist to assist with cocking the Barnett range of bows and there are retailers who stock them, but given the intended purpose, its probably best not discussed here - sorry :(

Red
 

pothunter

Settler
Jun 6, 2006
510
4
Wyre Forest Worcestershire
Hi HP

Reds spot on, it’s an unfortunate situation but correct.

From memory your friends x bow has a foot loop at the front, use this to hold the bow down, a stout belt with strap to a hook, bend forward over the bow place the hook on the string and straighten up. It should be easy to draw 150 lb this way.

Pothunter.
 

Dave Budd

Gold Trader
Staff member
Jan 8, 2006
2,908
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Dartmoor (Devon)
www.davebudd.com
ignoring the legal aspects and assuming that she will keep to target practice in future, I have one of the rope jobbies, but I need it for my panzer. Sorry. Most barnett suppliers would be able ot get one for her I'm sure?
 

bent-stick

Settler
Aug 18, 2006
558
12
72
surrey
www.customarchery.net
The use of crossbows in the uk is gradually being stamped out. One of the last bastions was the NFAS and they have bowed to pressure coming from somewhere to ban juniors despite a home office memo that says the crossbow act 1987 was not targeted at legitimate sport use.

I did what I could to reverse this but was hijacked by a bit of procedural jiggery-pokery.

http://www.nfas.net/webboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=591

and the last post here:

http://www.nfas.net/webboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=699

You can probably tell I was not pleased...

Rant over...I'll go and make a cup of tea and settle down a bit.

And yes, crossbows are specifically banned from hunting in the countryside and wildlife act.

In answer to the question cog, winch or ratchet bracers are rare as hens teeth and you'l probably end up having one made and may have to have the bow modified.
 
H

Heathenpeddler

Guest
I'll let her know about the legal side, thanks for the help :)
 

Tipi

Full Member
Jun 14, 2006
223
49
Wondering Wizard, UK
bow hunting is legal in scotland though, well i have a friend who (i think) goes bow hunting in scotland, isnt the Orkneys part of it?
please tell me if im wrong.
thanks alot
tp
 

grumit

Settler
Nov 5, 2003
816
11
guernsey
bent-stick said:
I'd keep it quiet...the countryside act covers scotland too

Quore from http://www.naturenet.net/law/wcagen.html
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) is the principle mechanism for the legislative protection of wildlife in Great Britain. It does not extend to Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

still a big no no to hunt with a xcross bow here in the channel islands though
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,856
2,099
Mercia
Tipi said:
bow hunting is legal in scotland though, well i have a friend who (i think) goes bow hunting in scotland, isnt the Orkneys part of it?
please tell me if im wrong.
thanks alot
tp
You are wrong tipi - sorry
 

Rob

Need to contact Admin...
bent-stick said:
The use of crossbows in the uk is gradually being stamped out. One of the last bastions was the NFAS and they have bowed to pressure coming from somewhere to ban juniors despite a home office memo that says the crossbow act 1987 was not targeted at legitimate sport use.

I did what I could to reverse this but was hijacked by a bit of procedural jiggery-pokery.

http://www.nfas.net/webboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=591

and the last post here:

http://www.nfas.net/webboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=699

You can probably tell I was not pleased...

Rant over...I'll go and make a cup of tea and settle down a bit.

I think that it was a bit of a problem with info received after the event. As far as I am aware, all should be well again soon - as it statnds, juniors just have to be supervised (which is better than not letting them shoot at all).
 

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