How to make a crossbow diagram at home. How to make a crossbow for hunting with your own hands? Hunting crossbow with wooden shoulders

I don't think that when we decide to make a crossbow, we will have at hand all the tools we want and a bunch of raw materials. Therefore, it is difficult to predict what our crossbow will be made of, so we will simply consider the main components made with minimal complexity. We will also, if possible, avoid metal parts.
In order to present general form I’ll give you a picture of what should happen from the site www.daslife.ru.

Naturally, I do not suggest doing everything according to size, just taking into account the overall structure.

One of the most important parts of a crossbow is the arc. As you might guess, it has a decisive influence on the speed of the arrow, and therefore on the combat power of the crossbow. An arc can be made from both wood and metal. A wooden arch can be either made from a single piece of wood or combined.
The option using one type of wood is the simplest, but also the least powerful. Almost any type of wood is suitable for manufacturing: ash, maple, hazel, juniper, birch, oak, yew, elm, white acacia. You can use both thick branches and trunks of young trees. Ideally, take the harvest in winter when there is no sap flow; naturally, the worst time is in spring. As you might guess, a workpiece with knots is a completely unsuitable option. In general, making an arc is in many ways similar to making a bow, and you can read about it on Hobbit's blog.
Making a composite arch is not cheap, because it requires covering the arch with tendons and horny plates. Most likely you won’t have either one or the other, or glue on hand =)
Although we agreed to use wood, it is worth noting that the springs of Soviet passenger cars will make very powerful arches, and if possible, they should be used.

Attaching the arc to the stock is usually done to the end of the crossbow using ropes, through a window 10-15 centimeters from the arc. The picture shows examples of fastening the arc; as you can see, wooden wedges can be used to secure the arc.

Another important element is the trigger mechanism. Let's consider the simplest option - a pin lock.


When erected, the bowstring hooks onto the protrusion, and underneath there is a cylindrical pin (1) that rests against the body of the trigger lever (2).
Also, to ensure that the arrow does not leave the crossbow before the shot, it is recommended to apply a little pressure. Similar to the one shown in the photo.

The crossbow stock, the recess in which the arrow is located, is perhaps the most labor-intensive part of the crossbow and requires filigree processing. If we don’t have a metal stock processed on a milling machine (and we don’t), we can replace it with a carefully sanded wooden one. 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, it is necessary, taking into account the flight path of the arrow, to adjust the stock so that it is located at an angle. The average value is 5.6 degrees, but we advise you to decide on the distance at which you will send the arrows, and what is called “shoot” the finished product, after each series of shots changing the angle of the stock until your homemade crossbow begins to send arrows exactly at target.

Well, the last point is the bowstring tension device. Since the tension force of the crossbow arc can exceed 100 kg, at least the simplest device for tensioning the crossbow should be provided.

And finally, a photo of a homemade crossbow.

Making a crossbow string(taken from www.turmaster.com/)

During a shot, the bowstring receives significant tension and rupture pressure; therefore, one of the conditions imposed on it is its ability to withstand a large number of shots, i.e. have durability, vitality. In addition, the bowstring should be light and low-stretch.
The following threads are used to make bowstrings: lavsan, dacron, kevlar, deinema, SVM, fastflight and other synthetic fiber threads.
In this case, you need to have a simple device.
As can be seen from the figure, it consists of a wooden plank, in which on one side there is a slot and a movable threaded rod that allows it to be installed and secured in various places, at the other end of the bar on the axis there is a V-shaped piece made of plywood or wood about 10 mm thick. Two rods are permanently fixed at the ends of the part. The V-shaped part is fixed in two positions. The first position is shown in the figure, in the second position the two rods are in line with the movable rod.
If such or a similar device is not available, the string can be wound between two nails driven at the required distance along the length of the string. The thread is wound in a circular motion hands with even tension on the thread. The number of threads depends on the strength of the bow
After the bowstring is wound, a safety winding is made of the loops and its middle.
The safety winding is made using twisted silk thread, nylon, nylon, or cotton bobbin thread. When making a bowstring from Kevlar threads, it is necessary to strengthen the loop, either by making additional padding from the threads and weaving them into the bowstring, or by doubling the number of them in the loop. After winding the middle of the loop, the V-shaped plate is rotated to its original position and the end of the bowstring is wound.
The second loop is wrapped in this way. In this case, it is necessary to accurately maintain the middle of the winding. The string attached to the bow should not have sagging threads; their presence indicates poor-quality manufacturing of the string. As a rule, this happens if the windings are not made with the same tension.
The safety winding in the middle of the string is made at the moment it is put on the bow. The safety winding should not be made too tightly: this significantly extends the service life of the bowstring.
To protect the bowstring from moisture, lightly rub it with beeswax. The wax should be rubbed in carefully so that the string threads do not break or become deformed. It must be remembered that lubricant increases the weight of the bowstring and leads to a decrease in the speed of the arrow, so it should be lubricated with a small amount of wax.
The threads from which the bowstring is made, under the conditions created by the work of the shoulders, are lengthened (from lavsan or dacron by 2-3%, from Kevlar by 0.8%). In this regard, when making a bowstring from Kevlar, it is recommended to make it slightly longer than from Dacron and Dacron.
Shooting practice involves replacing bowstrings after 5,000-10,000 shots. Kevlar bowstrings last significantly less and can withstand about 2000-5000 shots.
By twisting the bowstring, you can change its size until the accuracy of shooting becomes satisfactory. The maximum number of turns to change the length of the bowstring is 30. If more turns are required, it means the string is too long and a new one should be made
Making a crossbow string

Metal rope string
A cable with a thickness of 1.5 - 2.5 mm is suitable for making a crossbow bowstring. But it has a number of features that must be taken into account. In general, a bowstring made of synthetic threads is more preferable.

Features of using a metal cable:
Structurally, the cable is designed for static loads. Under dynamic loads it collapses much faster.
Over time, the cable will stretch and, accordingly, the bowstring will weaken
The mass of a rope bowstring significantly exceeds the mass of the same bowstring made of synthetic materials. This indirectly affects the speed of the arrow, since the arms require more energy to accelerate the massive cable.
When chafing or excessive stress occurs, the cable, as a rule, breaks in places of kinks, knots, fastenings
You can get loops at the ends of the cable by tying it with an ordinary oak loop. Soldering, as a method of connecting cable ends, is less reliable in operation. Riveting the ends of the cable in a copper or brass tube has worked well.

Loops for attaching a bowstring to a crossbow.

Some examples of more complex trigger mechanisms

Evgenia Smirnova

To send light into the depths of the human heart - this is the purpose of the artist

Content

How to make a crossbow - this question worries both hunters and shooting enthusiasts. Shooting from a crossbow, as from a military weapon, is left far behind. Today, crossbow shooting is mainly practiced professional athletes, as well as amateurs who want to shoot at targets. Shooting with a crossbow has a number of advantages over shooting with a firearm. Firstly, it is silent shooting, and secondly, accessibility and comparative safety. A crossbow does not require any permission or medical examination to purchase it. You just need to buy a ready-made one (for which you will have to pay several hundred dollars or more), or make a weapon yourself. That's why your favorite site useful tips the site will tell you today how to make a crossbow yourself.

How to make a mini crossbow - instructions

Types of weapons and ammunition for them

Experts distinguish two types of crossbows - field and match. Ammunition for both types is considered to be feathered arrows. Carbon and duralumin feathered arrows are available on sale. You can learn and compete in shooting using a standard five-color archery target, which is also available for sale. Field crossbow shooters usually compete at distances of 35, 50, 65 meters (outdoors) and 10, 18 meters (indoors). Match shooters usually compete only in special premises - shooting ranges at distances of 10 and 30 meters.

Hunting with a crossbow is an activity for real men

Many owners use their devices for hunting. Hunting with a crossbow is fundamentally different from hunting with a gun - shooting animals from a tower, a helicopter, or driving an animal in a large crowd is not everyone’s cup of tea. Hunting, on the contrary, loves silence and solitude. In some ways, this type of hunting is reminiscent of the famous heroic pastime - hunting a bear with a spear. In fact, to shoot you need to approach the animal at a distance of 50 meters or closer. Not everyone will be able to approach a boar at such a short distance, and approaching it at such a short distance requires special hunting skills. Well, the more valuable the loot!

How to choose

Power

For hunting birds or small animals, a crossbow with a draw power of 50 kg is sufficient. With a pulling power of 50-70 kg, you can hunt large ungulates. For wild boar hunting, crossbows with a power of 80 kg are used.

What ammunition can be used

Hunting large game requires special ammunition. To hunt large prey you need to use special professional arrows made of fiberglass or carbon. These arrows are strong and light enough to be properly centered to ensure a successful hit. There are also sometimes excellent aluminum arrows on sale. But such ammunition is only suitable for hunting small animals or birds. Manufacturers of arrows provide the possibility of turning hunting ammunition into sports ammunition - to do this, you just need to change the arrow tip. The threaded connection allows this to be done very quickly. A hunting arrow weighs from 30 to 35 grams, the length of such an arrow is from 45 to 50 cm. As a rule, the length of the feather of a hunting arrow is longer than that of a sports arrow, because the arrow needs to stabilize faster in flight to assume a firing position.

For fishing

Some shooters use a crossbow not only for hunting, but also for fishing. For fishing with a crossbow, harpoon arrows of a special needle-shaped shape are used, which allows the arrow to move in the water. At the end of a fishing arrow there is a hook to which a fishing line is attached. The other end of the fishing line is tied into the crossbow itself.

A must read!

Manufacturing homemade weapons , in particular crossbows and bows, less often knives, are practiced, as a rule, by teenagers and young people up to twenty, twenty-three years old. Older people prefer buy branded factory-made weapons. However, there are exceptions.

For example, an older person may be keen self-made weapons at the hobby and collecting level. But most often his passion is to become 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 Yandex metrics). They are mainly interested in methods and methods for making any homemade weapons.

However, with an unprofessional attitude towards the subject of interest and a lack of technical skills, creating 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 interested in the idea, by all means purchase one of types of permitted weapons, then 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 valuable than a certain amount of money spent on purchasing, for example, a crossbow.

Naturally, not all young people have available 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 their age. Therefore, in specialized stores it can only be sold to a person who has reached the age of majority and has the appropriate document permitting the purchase and use of weapons for personal purposes.

Otherwise it will be the case with online weapons stores, for which it does not matter to whom the weapons are sent, and all surveys during registration are formal. But as mentioned above, teenagers under eighteen years of age 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 details for fans of ready-made stock drawings

Please note that the crossbow is made from a bow. That is, whatever bow there is, the crossbow will be adjusted to its parameters, because each bow has its own unique parameters - tension force, length of draw stroke, length of arms finally. Further, the lock also meets the specified requirements, it has its own geometry and it may not always be suitable for the desired type of stock. So there is no point in such drawings and they can only be considered as an illustration for understanding general principle layout of parts.

Some features of the manufacture of crossbow stocks deserve closer attention, allowing you to save material and nerves. When making a stock for a compound bow, please note that the groove in it for the intersecting sections of the bowstring must be extended towards the lock, since when tensioned, the ends of the bow with the blocks are bent back. Sometimes an incorrect cut forces you to radically change the location of the nodes, which entails a change in the design of the product as a whole, sometimes not in better side. Don't forget to leave at least a millimeter in reserve. By milling you can only set the initial shape, for example, of a key groove, and finalize it with the help of a small chisel and files with needle files.

A quick note about stock finishing

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

More about guides

Quality guides are the most important element, affecting shooting accuracy, since they set the initial orientation of the bolt (arrow). They can be made from any material, preferably with a low coefficient of friction. Although the guides carry virtually no load, they must have sufficient strength to maintain straightness. Therefore, it is a good idea to make them as a separate part, attached to the stock at points at its ends. This makes it possible to easily change it if necessary, for example, in case of damage or switching to another type of bolts; moreover, such fasteners allow you to “untie” the guides from the deformable stock. The longitudinal guide groove for the bolt usually has a depth of one third of the diameter of the shaft so that the plane of the bowstring coincides with the axis of the bolt. It is convenient 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 movement of the bolt.

As already mentioned, it is convenient to make the guides separately from the stock. 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 of two halves, which is also very convenient and has its advantages. A particularly important factor in manufacturing is maintaining 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 fletching. The bolt should fit freely, but without play, into the guide groove; the feathering should not touch 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 string fastening (! nuance) on the bow, and in the rear part it passes through the filling cutout of the lock. The nuance is that the front part of the guide should be slightly higher than the specified plane, which ensures some sliding 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 pads.

Lock

A lock made from a clothespin and a tin plate hardly deserves any attention. The crossbow lock is very important detail. There is an opinion that the simpler the lock, the more reliable it is, but I would interpret it somewhat differently - the better the quality of the lock, the more reliable it is. The manufacture of the lock must be treated with special attention, because convenience and reliability, as well as the clarity of operation, and therefore the accuracy of shooting, depend on its operation. A little about the functions of the lock. A good lock should ensure guaranteed retention of the bowstring on an equipped crossbow, as well as a clear release at the required moment of aiming. It is in accordance with the first point that additional blockers and fuses are introduced into the design of locks, and with the second, intermediate unloading levers and repeaters are introduced. The choice of lock design again depends on your locksmith capabilities and needs, and here you can exercise your creative inclinations to your heart’s content in upgrading existing models and developing 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 maximum simple form. That is, locks with various cavities are unlikely to be neatly packed into the stock, while flat, rectangular locks in this regard do not cause any special 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 area of ​​contact with the stock to relieve the load. What is often not taken into account is the simple fact that the lock bears the entire tension load. That is, if you are making a crossbow with a bow weighing 300 kg (probably for an elephant), then the parts of the castle will naturally receive all 300 kg of them + shock load and so on, but the stock should be able to handle it in its thinnest place (usually where it is weakened by the key groove), still survive 300 kg + torsion 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 for wood it is necessary to provide some reserve. So, summing up all the factors, we can conclude that the lock must have minimum dimensions, in particular width, have a maximum surface of contact with the groove, that is, fit its front surface tightly in the groove, and only be fixed to the stock with bolts. In addition, the stock itself must have sufficient strength in its weakest part when calculating the bow's tension load. So for monsters, it’s better to make a stock from a metal profile, and put linings made of beautiful durable wood on the body kit. I cannot give any special recommendations regarding the choice of wood due to my incompetence on this issue, although I personally prefer beech.

For those who do not live in the regions where this wonderful tree grows, I advise you to pay close attention to the old pianos of your acquaintances and friends. In them, beech is found in the form of massive power beams for hanging cast iron frames. At the risk of arousing the wrath of aesthetes, a piano these days is easier to find than a piece of good wood. Let's write off this barbarity 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 pipe made of blackened metal in.... a large inclined tablet like that of designers or draftsmen. I don’t know what the warriors have to do with it, but such a pipe can be used in powerful pneumatic and light firearms systems, as well as for fireworks mortars. 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 tension force of the bow acts on the lock! This means that the lock must withstand heavy loads without loss of functionality, so tin as a material is immediately excluded. The proposed millimeter steel, after processing is already 0.8 mm, can only be used on crossbows of small power, otherwise the lock will simply be deformed. The details of the castle are also worth taking a closer look at. The main hitch is under full load, so use stronger steel and a thicker axle. Depending on the design and lever, a lesser force acts on the release that releases the hook. Other parts can be made based on their purpose and the load on them, without forgetting the margin of safety and wear resistance. Gunsmith designers have a technology for constructing the mechanisms of real weapon locks “on pins and needles”, this is when the contours of the intended parts of the lock are cut out of cardboard, pinned at the points of their axes to the plywood. At the same time, it is possible to immediately see the interaction of parts with each other, correct them, and then translate everything into 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 trigger and equipping the lock with additional devices, adjustments, etc.

Structurally, locks with a so-called “nut” or a similar hook design are more suitable for crossbow sniping. The hook rotates freely on an axis close to the center of mass, resulting in a very soft, jerk-free descent. Such locks will appeal to lovers of high-precision shooting and the fairer sex (there are such in this business!), but the Hollywood-style clanging and clicking 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 mine, there is a safety lock and a lock that prevents the bowstring from being lowered 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 shockless interaction of the bowstring on the butt, the rear end of the bolt, in common parlance, the “butt”.

Block

Designed for attaching a bow or its limbs directly to the stock. The block works under very intense conditions and experiences shock loads, so it must have a significant margin of safety. Made from aluminum casting or metal, calculated depending on the bow used. The block for separate bow limbs is subject to more forces with different vectors. When designing pads, it is necessary to wisely use various bevels and triangles, which allows for significant savings in weight with the same rigidity of the part. The block can be removable to reduce the size of the crossbow when carrying. There is a certain peculiarity in the method of attaching the bow limbs to the block, which is that it is preferable to use threaded clamps rather than rivets, but it is better not to weaken the bow limbs with holes at all. (!) Pay attention Special attention when fastening the bow limbs, take into account the rule of leverage, which, coupled with the tension force of the bow, adds up to an immodest amount. It is most convenient to make a block 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 monobow made of durable and elastic steel, but some plastics are also suitable. The simplest thing is to use ready-made bows for sport shooting. Can be made from any elastic spring steel, such as springs. We used a powerful spring from some relict hell trap. A compound bow, consisting of a package of strips, has enormous friction losses between the strips. Even if you lubricate the stripes with something like “ER” to reduce friction, using such a bow is not advisable. If you want to make a removable bow with latches, then I advise you to secure the bow tightly to the block, but the block itself can be made tightly fastened to the stock. In general, analyzing the physics of the bow, it can be noted that better onion 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 draw stroke, which is unacceptable. Ancient crossbows, judging by the sources, fired at 200 steps. So they “beat”, knocking the riders off their horses, but for a longer firing range you already need perfect sights, and even now no one shoots from machine guns at a longer range, there is no point. We'll talk more about firing range in the paragraph about bolts.

If possible, you can forge a bow from a suitable metal, and it is better to immediately provide places for fastening the string on the block. Again, it is better to make a block pattern if the bow has a lot of power.

The block brackets, the blocks themselves, work on the tension force of the bow + the compression force of the string + shock loads. Blocks can be machined from a material suitable for strength, but it is necessary to relieve the bow's arms 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 venier 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 burstanki. On professional crossbows, the blocks are oval-shaped. This is due to the fact that the block rotates only at a small angle. I think that the fact of some gain when using a block scheme versus a conventional, recursive one is obvious, but a further increase in the number of blocks gives less and less results. So there is no point in assembling a garland of 6,8,10 blocks. Even a child can draw a four-block crossbow. I note that a compound bow works more softly than a recurve bow, which improves shooting accuracy, and besides, the force to break the string is less, apparently due to the loading of the string with blocks.

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

Bolt - crossbow arrow

The bolt is the damaging element of this type of weapon. It has a greater (emphasis on the first syllable) stopping effect than a bullet(!). Kevlar body armor also loses its effectiveness against such hello from the Middle Ages. So it would be appropriate to once again remind you of compliance with safety rules when shooting from a crossbow, despite the fact that the article is devoted to a slightly different topic. A bolt wound can often be fatal! The death of a victim can even be caused by just the sight of a bolt protruding from the body!

So, bolts. They are made from any durable material that is lightweight and has sufficient elasticity. It can be made from suitable pieces of straight-layered wood, and the layers of wood should be arranged longitudinally, which gives the arrow flexibility. It’s difficult to do without some mechanization in the form of at least an electric drill. The bolt must have a perfect shape, the center of gravity is usually located 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 mass of the bolt by selecting different materials for the shaft, sizes and materials of tips and toes. To protect against moisture, wooden bolt shafts are impregnated with protective compounds and are usually stored in a horizontal position. Great bolts can be made from sections of broken fiberglass telescopic fishing rods. They have great strength with low weight and are not afraid of dampness. Please note that all 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 quite difficult to clearly determine the optimal bolt. When selecting experimentally 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-production bolts – .

About the firing range

A crossbow is a crossbow. A bolt, like an arrow, is launched with a relatively low initial speed, has a fairly high air resistance and a small mass, so that physically it cannot fly very far, one must be realistic. For such things there is firearms. By the way, looking back to ancient times, the crossbow was valued precisely because it was used exclusively for the destruction of heavy cavalry at medium distances, having a short and heavy arrow in its arsenal. I consider articles that mention shooting almost a kilometer away to be purely humorous.

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

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, there are now a huge amount of synthetic materials. Kevlar for making a bowstring should be used as a material with high tensile strength. For powerful crossbows, you can use a thin steel cable for the bowstring. Found everywhere in motorcycles and automobiles. I note that a braided bowstring can more easily withstand breaking loads due to the fact that part of the energy is spent on friction between the woven threads. Protect the bowstring from abrasion on the stock with special metal or plastic pads.

Sights

Actually, it's a matter of your taste. The use of certain sights depends on the range and nature of the crossbow's shooting. Optical sights for weapons at a hundred meters or less are generally somehow ridiculous, although a crossbow with optics looks quite predatory. They have a large mass and prohibitive cost, require a standard mounting bar, and are convenient for shooting at a static target. Installing collimator sights in this case is more justified, and it also 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’ll keep silent about optics for now, but you can stop at making open or diopter sights. The fact is that there is some difference between the axis of flight of the bolt and the axis of the crossbow, not to mention the hinged flight path of the arrow, so for sights it is necessary to provide for the possibility of fine adjustment using the appropriate screws. To do this, the mounting of sighting devices is done with oval holes that allow some displacement, or adjusting screws with fine threads are installed in the body of the mounts, which shift the sight itself when rotated. It is best to zero in sights indoors or in calm weather. In this case, the crossbow itself is fixed on a massive fixed base, for example, with clamps. Next, test shots are made with one standard arrow. The difference between the aiming point and the actual point of impact of the bolt at a given distance is adjusted using the adjusting screws of the sight. Then the shooting distance changes and the process repeats. This way you can calibrate any sight for any shooting distance. Corrections for wind are entered in the same way (frontal against the wind, at an angle towards, at an angle downwind, at a side, downwind).

Tensioner devices, such as various “goat 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 rather necessary for cocking very powerful crossbows with recurve bows or are simply a convenient excess, since compound bows Even those with a fair amount of power can be cocked by hand, albeit with 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 650Х100Х8 was taken. Using a grinder, we slowly separate out what we need. The dimensions of the arch in the middle are 35 mm, and at the edges - 18 mm.

Using sandpaper, we narrow the shoulders, evenly from the center to the ends until we reach 5 mm. in thickness. We stretch a steel wire (cable) onto the arch in this form. We clamp it in a vice. We will insert a round timber strictly in the center so that it does not interfere with the arch when bending. We tighten and at the same time check the force and tension distance. We will dance from these parameters in the future.

As in “The Golden Calf”: we take a weight and saw. And this is what happened. The most important part in a crossbow. Hook or crampon.

But 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 bolt of the strip spring falls into this hole and fixes the pin from moving.

Let's start making the lock body

We carefully try everything on and drill holes for the pins.

Let's start making the trigger guard. We take a wooden stick and try it on.

Hollowing out a place for a lock

Inserting the lock

To attach the rear sight we make a dovetail. And solder it. I did it with PSR, but it can also be done with POS. It all depends on how we will burnish (what temperature it will be).

In the arch we drill two holes at the edges for attaching clamps. Many people ask whether it is possible to drill a spring. I answer - freely. Pobeditov drill corrected on a diamond wheel.

Grinding the rollers

Grinding the rollers

We adjust the clamps to right size. Let's start making the arch mounting clamp.

Making a stirrup

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

In production and finished form

Finished look

Let's begin a very serious operation - bluing. I specifically show the unsuccessful bluing.

Here's some successful bluing

Take a stick and make a channel for the guide

Glue the plank

Now let's take the butt, but be careful with the tools

We remove unnecessary things. The stick I took is a wild cherry. Birch, walnut, etc. are suitable.

Varnishing. But here who gives preference to which varnish.

Excess. But, in my opinion, it is pleasing to 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 I put shrink film on the arch. And it gives the appearance and protects it from fragments in the event of an arch breakage.

Finished look

After 40-50 shots the bowstring burst.

I decided to add 2 more videos.

To facilitate the design, the rollers were replaced with caprolon ones. With a distance of 30 cm from the string to the hook and a force of 85 kg. with the addition of rollers, the force on the arch decreases and the speed of the arrow increases.

Source cazac.ucoz.com

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

To view in full size, click on the picture.

To make a homemade crossbow you will need:
*A block of non-resinous wood, size 700x10x40 mm.
*The second leaf of the spring of the Moskvich car.
*Profile pipe 50x50x2 mm. 10 cm long.
*Profile pipe 15x15x1.5 mm.
*A small piece of 2mm sheet metal.
*Stainless steel metal 4 mm thick. and 0.5-1 mm. (for the descender).
*Steel corner 50x50x4 mm. 35 cm long.
*Rod D=8 mm. 40 cm long.
*Bolts with nuts D=8
*Stainless steel molding from VAZ-2106 door 2 pcs.
*Metal rollers 2 pcs., glass lifting mechanism from the door of a VAZ car.
*Cable D=3 mm. 3 m long, two terminal loops.
*Epoxy resin, wood stain, wood varnish for exterior use.
*Two small springs (working in tension).
*A dozen nails for roofing felt, one two hundred nail, tube D=6 mm, small washers.

We will use the following tools:
*Welding machine.
*Hand-held circular saw.
*Electric drill with speed control, carbide drills for metal D=3, 5, 8, 10 mm.
*Bulgarian, cutting discs for metal, grinding discs for wood.
*Keys, pliers, screwdriver, vice, narrow chisel, knife.
*File, sandpaper.
*Safety glasses.

Point 1. Making a stock.

Let's take a well-dried wooden block, mine was made of birch, and sketch out a sketch of the bed on it. We customize the size of the butt for each individual (according to your height), and the stock depending on the length of the arrows you will use. I use 440 mm arrows, but I had to save money on the butt, I left only 300 mm, so the total length turned out to be 740 mm, I didn’t dare to do more.

Let's draw a marking for the guide sample, for the arrow fletching, width 5 mm, depth 10 mm.

Using a circular saw, we cut out the groove the entire length, to the end of the trigger (lock).

It should look something like this.

Using a drill D=12 mm. We select a cavity for the trigger, level the ledges with a chisel and knife. We drill a hole for the trigger, bore it with a chisel and knife.

Point 2. Making a lock or trigger device.

Let's take the "walnut" type as the basis for the lock. To prevent anything from rusting, we will use stainless steel, take a sheet 4-5 mm thick, if you can’t find one, make it a composite of several sheets glued together and taken with rivets. Draw the shape of the parts on the metal.

Using a cutting disc and a grinder, we cut out the workpiece according to the markings.

In the center of the “nut” we drill a hole for the axis of rotation, D = 6 mm.

We process all sides with a file.

We sand with sandpaper, achieving a completely smooth surface.

It should look something like this.

We grind out the remaining elements of the lock, the sear.

I lengthen the trigger with two thin sheets of stainless steel and secure it with homemade rivets.

Using a sharpening machine we achieve the desired shape of the workpieces.

We make the housing of the trigger mechanism from a thin sheet of metal.

We drill three holes D = 2.5 mm in the body of the sear, one for the fastening axis and two for fastening the springs.

Let's attach the trigger spring into place.

Let's see on the table how the parts become in the cocked state.

And like after the shot.

Let's place one side of the case on the inside of the mechanism and drill holes in place for all the axes.

From a two hundred nail, 6 mm in diameter, we will make an axis for the “nut”.

Saw off the sharp end of the nail.

We measure the length of the future axis and saw it off.

Using thin nails for roofing felt, we will make the remaining rivet axles. Use a grinder to remove the shimmer on the nail heads.

Now they will fit well to the body.

Let's install the sear on the axle in the body, use intermediate washers.

We saw off the excess length of the nail, leaving 1 mm. on both sides for rolling.

Using an anvil, hammer the end of the axle.

We drill a hole for the axle with a spacer to attach the sear spring.

From a suitable tube we cut off a spacer sleeve for this axis.

We move one side of the body to the side.

We install the axle, bushing and engage the spring.

We assemble the body halves together.

We saw off the excess length, leaving a protrusion of 1 mm. under the hammer.

Let's roll it.

Now you can install the largest rivet axle of the lock. Aligning the holes.

Let's take the previously measured and sawed-off axis D=6 mm, and immediately tap it a little with a hammer on one side.

We install it in place.

And we’ll also roll it, the main thing is not to overdo it, so as not to jam the moving mechanism inside.

Point 3. Installation of the lock mechanism in the stock.

If something prevents the lock from sitting well in place, we modify it with a chisel or knife. After installation, check how the trigger moves.

If everything is fine, you can drill holes for the mounting screws and screw them into place.

Now we need decorations from the door of the VAZ-2006, they are also made of stainless steel, which is very good. To give them additional rigidity, epoxy resin was poured inside.

After complete hardening, in a day, we will drill four holes D = 3 mm in each for fastening screws.

Using a large drill, we will make hidden places for the heads of the screws so that the bowstring cable does not get caught when it slides along it.

We polish the hole exits with fine sandpaper to remove all burrs that damage the cable.

We install the finished guides on the bed.

We make sure that the screws do not go through in thin places.

We check that the lock moves without snagging on the guides.

Point 5. Making an arc or shoulders.

From the same donor doors, using a grinder, we extract the rollers of the glass lifting mechanism.

From these we will make blocks for the shoulders, and the arch itself from the second leaf of a spring from an old Moskvich car.

We will make pads to attach the spring to the stock.
To do this, from a 50x50 mm corner. Let's cut out the component elements to assemble them using welding, like this mount (block).

We will process the welds with a grinder. Let's drill mounting holes D=10 mm. under the bolts.

By finished sample and the dimensions of the resulting block, we make grooves for fastening in the stock. We try on the fit, achieve a tight fit and fastening. According to the calculated position of the future bowstring, we outline and make a through groove in the sidewall of the stock, 70 mm long. 10 mm wide, the lower bowstrings will go here.

We bend and weld the leg bracket (stirrup).

Ears for blocks.
From a 50x50 profile pipe we will make eyes for attaching the roller blocks to the arc (spring).

The most difficult thing in making the arc itself from a spring at home is drilling holes in it. It is necessary to drill with a drill at low speeds so that the drill does not burn, and constantly use water. If possible, drill with drills of different diameters, from thin to thick in increments of 0.5-1 mm, and constantly sharpen the tool.

We fasten the brackets with short M8 bolts and grind off the caps.

We attach the spring to the block with two M8 bolts, followed by a small weld along the edge of the fastening.

Now you need to open the bed with varnish and dry it.
We install the block with an arc on the stock, hammer down the metal-wood for a tight fit.

Insert and tighten the M8 bolts.

From long M10 bolts we will make axle bolts reduced in length with a short thread for blocks.

Let's take a tube from the anchor and use it to make spacer bushings for the block axes.

Let's drill holes D=10 mm in the ears. to install blocks. We install rigid loop ends on the cable.

We install a block with a cable on one side of the shoulder. Do not tighten the nut too much, so as not to jam the rotation of the roller.

Drill a hole in the nut and bolt for the stud.

We install the stud and press it with the nut in the direction of unscrewing.

We push the cable through the hole in the stock and do the same with installing the roller on the other side of the shoulder.

Point 6. Top part castle

From a profile pipe 15x15 mm. saw off two 120 mm sections. Using a grinder, we cut out two (L) shaped blanks from sheet metal, one rectangular plate (on the top) and a triangle (on the back).

We connect all the parts together by welding, and clean the welding seams with a grinding disc to make it look like a solid part.

From an old folding steel meter, we make an elastic boom holder.

The photo shows the mounting bolts for the rack for the optical sight.

The same thing, only the bolts also clamp the boom holder.

The sight rail itself (dovetail) is made of the same 2 mm sheet metal, with the sides ground off for mounting optics.

A square pad is visible along the optic rail to raise back and thereby tilt the sight down for correct aiming at a target further than 25 m.

We install the lock bracket on the stock and drill holes for fastening, self-tapping screws and an M6 bolt.

We tighten the small screws so that they do not go into the arrow feather channel.

We tighten the back screw.

Additionally, we drill a hole and install the last bolt.

We install an optical sight.

Now it has become fashionable to hunt with a bow and crossbow. Although this is prohibited in our country, you can still shoot at targets by practicing this difficult task. You can make a crossbow with your own hands at home for training. After all good models from well-known companies are very expensive. Or it can be made “for yourself”. It is worth remembering that if the weapon has a tension of more than 20 kg, then it is considered a cold weapon. Therefore, when creating a crossbow, it is worth considering this important nuance.

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 a more complex design due to blocks and other innovations that enhance their 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:

trigger mechanism;

• some modern models have blocks at the ends of the bow.

What to make a crossbow from

The main material from which a crossbow is made is wood. The stock and bow are made from it. The trigger mechanism in powerful samples is machined from iron. And those in which the tension force is less than 20 kg can be made of hard wood, it will withstand it quite well. Spring metal and various composites are also used for bows.

Regular crossbow made of wood

First, let's look at how easy it is to make a crossbow with your own hands, and let's start with its simple shape. This is a standard design ancient weapons, and it can be used not only for shooting, but also as an effective piece of furniture, hung on the wall.

What wood to use

To create a crossbow you need to choose:

All of these rocks are dense enough to withstand the enormous stress that will be placed on the bow and crossbow stock.

Preparation of material

In order 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 the sun's rays will not fall on it. 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

• Sandpaper of different grits.

  Carpenter's cutter.

  Chisel.

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.

Knot processing

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 most 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 powerful crossbows The trigger is more refined for an easier trigger pull under load.

We looked at it in detail, the 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 many more tools than a regular one. 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.

There should be less thickener than usual, 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 bed

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

They can be made from aluminum. It would be better if they were on bearings. The middle parts of the wheels are perfect for roller skates. 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 the only one capable of withstanding the enormous sharp pressure of a shot. 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, on which they are wound in a circle. When the thickness of this long oval becomes 5 mm, it is wound, making 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're making wooden weapons. 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.