Ozzy Fudd Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 im just sitting here wondering, whats the actual point of crossbows? what do people use them for? when i broke my ankle and couldnt go shooting i bought an 80lb hand bow for target practice in the back garden; that lasted 5 mins before i realised i could use the shotgun for the same job (living in the countryside had its advantages, the closest neighbours were 500m away ) so that was the end of it, it sits on top of a wardrobe now. last night i was offered a 180lb crossbow for £60 by a friend who works for a market trader. i was tempted to go for it but luckily i was still sober enough then to ask myself whats the point, and im still wondering? is there crossbow touraments? or is it just something you pull off a shelf every so often to mess about with for an hour? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchester Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 A cross bow is more deadly than your shotgun out to 100 yards and the best part is there quiet but i dont get why you can not hunt in tthis country with the oldes tool known to man for killing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Fudd Posted January 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 A cross bow is more deadly than your shotgun out to 100 yards and the best part is there quiet but i dont get why you can not hunt in tthis country with the oldes tool known to man for killing true, but what use is it then (unless i wasnt to assassinate sum1??) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Crossbows are horrific. When we were teenagers,a friend had one and i fired it at a willow tree on his grandads land from a good distance.The steel bolt imbedded itself so deep that we couldnt get it out and 25 years later-i bet its still there.Back then there wasnt any laws or legislations for them and they are just as deadly as a gun. Im pretty sure they still arent licenced which i think is rather odd considering how dangerous they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Fudd Posted January 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 still dont need a licence for them, which is a bit scary i admit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeinVA Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 In most of the states the Crossbow is used by the handicapped.. Here in the commonwealth the earliest season for Deer is with bow, that includes Crossbows, then Black powder, then Rifles/shotguns & handguns.. It just gives us one more option when hunting.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirnovember Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Have you seen the bowtech stryker? I wouldn't buy a crossbow but that thing does look fun. Funny how you can buy it of the internet, but you need to visit a RFD for an airgun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Fudd Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 im surprised more gang hits arent done with crossbows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 (edited) Yeah I always wanted to get a crossbows, they look very good and are pretty powerful. I have an archery friend who is intp bows and crossbows, shot with a longbow (surprised how powerful it is) but never had the opportunity to shoot with a crossbow. Even a longbow is not registered and trust me those things are deadly, I shot one in an open field and the arrow flew and imbedded itself in a tree. I was shocked. Being used to guns I kind of mocked my friend's bow liek saying what can that thing do I bet it goes liek 10M and after I shot it full power it flew blindigly fast to approximately 200m and did that to a tree I was like: sheet! powerul stuff. Shooting bows and crossbows is perefctly legal even in a quiet place like a wood or a field, that si what the guy at the archery shop told us anyway. So the laws are definately super realxed for bows which are in my opinion as dangerous if not more so than air guns. Edited February 1, 2009 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 I have seen my own and others' livestock and horses, and wild deer shot with crossbows. The injuries, not all of them fatal, were horrific. I firmly believe that crossbows should be a restricted weapon. The fact that any filthy ***** can buy a 180lb crossbow and then start wantonly shooting cattle and horses, is beyond me, considering the controls I face as a SGC and FAC holder. I am sure that NTTF will jump to the defence of legal bowhunting, but I think bows are cruel and medieval weapons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hehe well what about people wanting to shoot them for target practice archery for example. My friend has exactly the same opinion about firearms as you have about bows. I personally like both and no the answer is not for more restrictive legislation, look where the handgun legislation got us. Law abiding citizens unable to use handguns for target practice or humane dispatch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrick1 Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 crossbows are great for target practice really surprised the power my 150lb can get Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiltsmark Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 If you get the chance guys, check out Extreme marksmen on the history channel, the guy on there with the bow is awseome he puts the Robin Hood splitting the arrow to the test to see if tis possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Fudd Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hehe well what about people wanting to shoot them for target practice archery for example. My friend has exactly the same opinion about firearms as you have about bows. I personally like both and no the answer is not for more restrictive legislation, look where the handgun legislation got us. Law abiding citizens unable to use handguns for target practice or humane dispatch. im not saying anything about legislation (not getting into that argument); what im saying is its astounding that you can still buy a crossbow so powerful over the counter, no questions asked - especially here in northern ireland, where ANY air rifle needs to be kept on an fac, even ones which fall far lower than 12ft/lb (unlike the mainland). so my original question then; is there crossbow competitions then, or are they just something you take out into a field to mess about with for an hour or two? ps - kiz08 hand guns are still legal here in ni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 In this country, there isn't much use for crossbows aside from field target shooting, which is still mostly vertical bows so far as I know. In the US though, crossbows are effectively used for hunting where they are legal. The advantages over regular bows is that you can draw it and leave it drawn. When the deer comes, you don't have to draw which is one of the hardest parts of archery. Fairness and comparisons to vertical bows aside, they are more effective than vertical bows because you can shoot them from a rest with a low powered scope. In that regard, they are much easier to shoot accurately than vertical bows. As far as baldrick's comments above, bows and crossbows can be very effective hunting tools. I'm going to guess that the animals that you saw shot were not shot with broadheads, rather someone used field points. Also, they were probably shot with underpowered and light bolts that on a cow sized animal will just hurt and maim. To shoot big animals (moose, elk, big red deer, etc) you need a heavy arrow/bolt and plenty of draw weight so that you get penetration and lots of cutting. Unllike over here, moderators are essentially illegal in the US. That means any deer to be shot around populated areas needs to be done with archery equipment. Also, in the US most states have a safety zone rule for hunting near houses (i.e. must be x distance away from a building). When that distance can be 500 feet or so, that effectively eliminates hunting around most suburban areas where there are problems with deer. Archery equipment normally has a safety zone of half or 1/3rd of a gun which means that you can hunt areas with a bow that you can't with a gun. As far as effective killing goes, they are just about as effective as a rifle. Both tools can cause great injury if used incorrectly. A gut shot with a bow and a gut shot with a rifle means the animal is going to suffer. But a shot in the vitals with either is going to kill the animal very quickly. I've shot deer with the bow that have expired in less than 30 seconds. I've shot deer with the bow that didn't realize they were shot. The arrow passes right through and the deer barely flinches. Ten seconds later the deer just falls over from bleeding. I've shot deer with the rifle that have run hundreds of yards (shot through the heart and lungs). Thanks rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy. Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Crossbows have no use in this country, especially for hunting. Animals will be wandering around the country with bolts sticking through them, all because this stupid country bans broadhead "expanding" bolt heads, which are able to humanely kill a large deer, if used in a powerful enough crossbow or bow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 why you can not hunt in tthis country with the oldes tool known to man for killing Because there are much more effective weapons.If they're that good-why dont the military still use them? I think they should be licenced like any other firearm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traztaz Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 I was very sceptical about the whole bow hunting thing untill I saw a video of bow hunting , in the right hands a bow is as effective as a rifle..................should x bows be legal to sell to anyold person , errrrrrrrm no as I said as effective as a rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeinVA Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 In this country, there isn't much use for crossbows aside from field target shooting, which is still mostly vertical bows so far as I know. In the US though, crossbows are effectively used for hunting where they are legal. The advantages over regular bows is that you can draw it and leave it drawn. When the deer comes, you don't have to draw which is one of the hardest parts of archery. Fairness and comparisons to vertical bows aside, they are more effective than vertical bows because you can shoot them from a rest with a low powered scope. In that regard, they are much easier to shoot accurately than vertical bows. As far as baldrick's comments above, bows and crossbows can be very effective hunting tools. I'm going to guess that the animals that you saw shot were not shot with broadheads, rather someone used field points. Also, they were probably shot with underpowered and light bolts that on a cow sized animal will just hurt and maim. To shoot big animals (moose, elk, big red deer, etc) you need a heavy arrow/bolt and plenty of draw weight so that you get penetration and lots of cutting. Unllike over here, moderators are essentially illegal in the US. That means any deer to be shot around populated areas needs to be done with archery equipment. Also, in the US most states have a safety zone rule for hunting near houses (i.e. must be x distance away from a building). When that distance can be 500 feet or so, that effectively eliminates hunting around most suburban areas where there are problems with deer. Archery equipment normally has a safety zone of half or 1/3rd of a gun which means that you can hunt areas with a bow that you can't with a gun. As far as effective killing goes, they are just about as effective as a rifle. Both tools can cause great injury if used incorrectly. A gut shot with a bow and a gut shot with a rifle means the animal is going to suffer. But a shot in the vitals with either is going to kill the animal very quickly. I've shot deer with the bow that have expired in less than 30 seconds. I've shot deer with the bow that didn't realize they were shot. The arrow passes right through and the deer barely flinches. Ten seconds later the deer just falls over from bleeding. I've shot deer with the rifle that have run hundreds of yards (shot through the heart and lungs). Thanks rick Very good.. Spot on Rick.. If you put the right optics on a X bow it can be a tack driver, but i would not extent the range any more than what you have shooting a compound bow.. The common misconception is you have a heavier pull therefore a greater range? Not true.. In the old days they were a permit item and used sole by those persons with a handicap? Missing an arm or hand, bad shoulder, etc.. They are now used in most states during the bow season as we have too damn many Deer.. They estimate our Deer herd here in Virginia to be around 18 million.. Anyone care for some Venison? My treat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 There are some videos about if you search on crossbow hunting. Mostly seem to get used in this country for poaching. We bought one years ago but couldn't get the accuracy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullbore Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Do you really think we need yet more legislation in this country? And as for all the worry about criminals and gangs using them, show me one case. They don't seem to have any problems scoring AK 47's Glocks and MAC 10's for their nefarious purposes. That is the trouble with this country, just because one person doesn't agree with something, they want it banned. Which is why it was so easy to take our handguns from us. The rifle shooters didn't see they point of them. Side by side shooters don't even like over and unders, and god forbid anyone should want to shoot with a semi or a pump. What I'm saying is if everyone with similar interests stuck together that would be a formidable force to get in the way of restrictive legislation. I remember a sign from years ago, when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Law abiding people don't need new laws, and criminals don't take any notice of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breastman Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 I went to an archery club a few years back and they were using crossbows as well as standard bows there. The people i spoke to said they had club competitions with them but didn't say if there were inter-club or national comps. I'm 100% with Fullbore on the legislation issue, until we all get out of the silo mentality way of thinking and start working together as one sport, each and every type of shooting/gun will be eventually banned. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEREALTHRILLER Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Whats the point?... It's the sharp bit on the end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Spot on Fullbore. This is what I have been trying to explain in this thread but somehow I wondr how committed to shooting some people on here are. It seems from their views that they would rather hinder shooting rather than promote it letting the fear of some "criminals" which are not going to follow some law get in the way of their judgement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullbore Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Spot on Fullbore. This is what I have been trying to explain in this thread but somehow I wondr how committed to shooting some people on here are. It seems from their views that they would rather hinder shooting rather than promote it letting the fear of some "criminals" which are not going to follow some law get in the way of their judgement. I have found through life that people judge other people by how they are themselves, and there's an awful lot of cynics on this forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.