You always see these on Ebay or wholesale or martial arts catalogs. They're usually around $9. I've never bought or seen one, but I'm guessing they're junk. Anyone tried one of these? Bargin bin gem or worthless for anything but seeing a shaft fly? Accurate? Dangerous? Or what? Thanks in advance!
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is available! Price is $250 ea (shipped within CONUS).
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/
50lbs pistol crossbows... good for anything?
- Thread starter Xian
- Start date
I would put them in the same class as the gun show blowdart "guns". Lots of fun for putting little darts in phone books and beer cans. Dangerous, yes as they would penetrate a 1/2" of phone book paper.
The little crossbow pistols I have played with were not very accurate, but, like mentioned above, they were fun on a Sunday afternoon popping beer cans.
Neither of these items would be appropriate for childern you would not turn loose with a high power pellet rifle. Miss use could cause harm to potentially themselves, playmates, and property.
The little crossbow pistols I have played with were not very accurate, but, like mentioned above, they were fun on a Sunday afternoon popping beer cans.
Neither of these items would be appropriate for childern you would not turn loose with a high power pellet rifle. Miss use could cause harm to potentially themselves, playmates, and property.
Many years ago, one of the gun magazines did a "test" of a pistol-sized crossbow of mideaval vintage. Thing was kind of unique since it actually had a pistol-like "barrell", with the bowstring moving through a slot. You loaded it by sliding the bore-sized quarrell down the muzzle.
The testers were of the opinion that the thing was a child's toy, made up for some prince or whatever. However, the first discharge sent the bolt through thier improvised target and also the wall behind it! They concluded it was more likely an assasin's weapon...
The testers were of the opinion that the thing was a child's toy, made up for some prince or whatever. However, the first discharge sent the bolt through thier improvised target and also the wall behind it! They concluded it was more likely an assasin's weapon...
I have been toying (pun partially intended) with the idea of getting one of these small crossbows but was deterred by both the price versus my priorities, and my uncertainty as to the effectiveness for any actually practical purpose. In other words, it was too much for just a toy if that is all it is.
Does anyone have a link to an archers semi standard formula or table (I assume there is one somewhere) that will take the pounds of pull, the length of draw and the weight of the projectile to give an approximation of "muzzle" velocity for a bolt or arrow? This will not be a linear formula, I don't think, so a 25 pound pull with a 2 foot draw will probably not have the same velocity on an equal weight projectile as a 50 pound pull with a 1 foot draw, and I am probably being very overly generous with a 1 foot draw for these small crossbows..
Once the "muzzle" velocity (can someone also help me out with the proper term for this in archery?) and the weight of the projectile are known then we have the projectile's kinetic energy. I also assume that there are tables or formulae for calculating trajectories, fall of projectile, drag, delivered energy at different distances given weight and velocity.
There should also be some table/formula suggesting the relationship between kinetic energy or mass and velocity of the shaft or arrow and the expected penetration on various targets/species given a type of point.
Since the crossbow bolts have a different form factor than arrows, the standard wisdom of arrow flight will not apply perfectly, but should give us a ballpark.
Does anyone have a link to an archers semi standard formula or table (I assume there is one somewhere) that will take the pounds of pull, the length of draw and the weight of the projectile to give an approximation of "muzzle" velocity for a bolt or arrow? This will not be a linear formula, I don't think, so a 25 pound pull with a 2 foot draw will probably not have the same velocity on an equal weight projectile as a 50 pound pull with a 1 foot draw, and I am probably being very overly generous with a 1 foot draw for these small crossbows..
Once the "muzzle" velocity (can someone also help me out with the proper term for this in archery?) and the weight of the projectile are known then we have the projectile's kinetic energy. I also assume that there are tables or formulae for calculating trajectories, fall of projectile, drag, delivered energy at different distances given weight and velocity.
There should also be some table/formula suggesting the relationship between kinetic energy or mass and velocity of the shaft or arrow and the expected penetration on various targets/species given a type of point.
Since the crossbow bolts have a different form factor than arrows, the standard wisdom of arrow flight will not apply perfectly, but should give us a ballpark.
), and it has held up fine for years now. But it was a bit more than $9, though.- Joined
- Mar 28, 2001
- Messages
- 2,491
A buddy of mine shot a fellow through the arm with one once. It stuck in his arm pretty deep.
Adolescent stupidity...
Adolescent stupidity...
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2000
- Messages
- 3,002
Helluva lot of fun for just plinkin' around wasting time. I've had a couple of the cheapies and actually found them to be pretty darn accurate within ten yards or so.
hard to justify them as a real tool or weapon of anysort, but still alot of fun. I did have a friend of a friend of a friends uncles brothers cousins nephew who says shot Spruce Hen and rabbit in his yard pretty effectively with one. Of course I'd never do something like that myself, since it's illegal and all.
hard to justify them as a real tool or weapon of anysort, but still alot of fun. I did have a friend of a friend of a friends uncles brothers cousins nephew who says shot Spruce Hen and rabbit in his yard pretty effectively with one. Of course I'd never do something like that myself, since it's illegal and all.