What's your experience with crossbows? Do you own one?

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  1. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    your mom is very experienced with my crossbow.

  2. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    The crossbow from Half life would have to be more powerful than any crossbow ever built, and that includes Ballistae, to hurl people around like that when it hit them.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous
  3. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    i love that you're hoping for an experienced crossbow hitman to chime in with tips and tricks when the best youre going to get is somebody who bought a 7lb draw pistol crossbow off Amazon to pop cans with

  4. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    If I was a wall guard in Europe in the year 1200, a crossbow would be pretty neat. But in the year of our lord, 2023, they are a gimmick popularized by The Walking Dead. Unlike in movies, they are very hard to reload, and I’d be surprised if you could get more than 4 shots off in a minute. With modern compound bows, making arrow shooting incredibly effortless, I see no reason to use a crossbow, unless using an explosive round or something.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      They have a longer hunting season than firearms in many places and in theory the bolts would be reusable in a survival situation, although in reality the things are not the easiest to maintain.

      They can give you a way higher pull than bows, which in turn gives you a flatter trajectory out quite far. Sights are easier to adjust on them too.

      That said, I have found them to be as boring as target shooting due to this reason. I never got the allure of shooting targets with rifles either. You learn to adjust properly and it's fairly dull.

      Today, I shoot my recurve at targets more than anything simply because it's a b***h to hit shit with because you get a lot of drop and there are no sights, plus the pull is actually heavy. I only have 200 yards or so on my backyard before the woods, so I'm fairly limited otherwise. I also have a farm behind the woods were cows are sometimes out, so I like that bows of all sorts don't require a backstop. My backstop is small because I used most of the lumber to build a bouldering wall instead, so shooting options are limited anyhow since I don't want a miracle round making it through the trees and doming an expensive cow in some freak accident.

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        It's also very easy to take recurves apart, put them in a backpack, and then have them reassembled and strung in no time at all. You normally just have two screws and and two limbs to attach quickly, then the stringer, although step through is quick if you're in a rush.

        50-60lbs is plenty for hunting if you've practiced enough anyhow. That will still potentially send an arrow straight through a deer's torso. The bigger thing is making sure you can get shots that will be rapidly lethal.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      >and I’d be surprised if you could get more than 4 shots
      You can get 30 shots per minute using a proper repating crossbow. Even 60 shots per minute using repeating pistol crossbows, which are still lethal for home defense ranges if you use broadheads.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      At the high end crossbows are more powerful, and outside of tactical theorizing more power means flatter shooting at equal range, or a theoretical longer range if that's a necessity.
      While compounds are much easier to keep drawn than traditional bows, it's still easier to keep a crossbow drawn back, obviously, and they can be fired from a greater variety of positions.

      If "rate of fire" is really something that matters to you, the "Siege Adder" is a magazine fed compound crossbow, substantially more powerful than any other repeating crossbow design to date, and I think it answers your challenge on that front very well.

      Now saying all that I still prefer traditional archery to all of them just because I like how it feels, how it looks, I enjoy the history, and I like the novel exercise. But if it was life and death I'd take a crossbow.

  5. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    I've had bows and crossbows my whole life. Currently don't have a crossbow because I don't really have a practical need for one atm and don't feel like spending money on one when I could use that to get another fire arm.

    Anyways, in general: Crossbows travel faster (and thus with more energy) than a bow out to about 75-100 yards depending on the draw weight, but loose accuracy and speed past that point that a bow might retain. They take significantly longer to reload, even if it's a lighter draw weight and you can draw it by hand. Cranks are finicky and break often, even on expensive models. Regular bows are basically better in every way other than the initial projectile velocity out to a certain point. The only conceivable use I could see for a crossbow is against a human target wearing armor of some kind. In every other situation a modern bow is faster, more accurate, hits with nearly as much power, and is capable of far more interesting techniques than a crossbow. I will say a crossbow is probably easier to train a novice how to shoot than regular bow though, so they are great for taking kids hunting who aren't sufficiently proficient with a regular bow.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      I only recently took up archery and I must say the difficulty is much overrated. Diligent practice at a low poundage will make you competent enough in a short time, after which you can start getting good with heavier bows.
      Crossbows are pointless with the only value being the cool factor.

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        I didn't mean to imply archery is a super difficult thing to learn, just that crossbows are piss easy for even a beginner. Like

        They have a longer hunting season than firearms in many places and in theory the bolts would be reusable in a survival situation, although in reality the things are not the easiest to maintain.

        They can give you a way higher pull than bows, which in turn gives you a flatter trajectory out quite far. Sights are easier to adjust on them too.

        That said, I have found them to be as boring as target shooting due to this reason. I never got the allure of shooting targets with rifles either. You learn to adjust properly and it's fairly dull.

        Today, I shoot my recurve at targets more than anything simply because it's a b***h to hit shit with because you get a lot of drop and there are no sights, plus the pull is actually heavy. I only have 200 yards or so on my backyard before the woods, so I'm fairly limited otherwise. I also have a farm behind the woods were cows are sometimes out, so I like that bows of all sorts don't require a backstop. My backstop is small because I used most of the lumber to build a bouldering wall instead, so shooting options are limited anyhow since I don't want a miracle round making it through the trees and doming an expensive cow in some freak accident.

        they hold a flatter trajectory.

        • 10 months ago
          Anonymous

          Yeah I just glanced over your post. How is bowhunting in the US? My country might see it legalized in the future after some studies being made and I took the opportunity to get into it since frick if I can afford shooting the amount I want to shoot.
          I got myself a 40 pounder as a gift but I tend to practice my stance and pull with a borrowed 20-25. Just wanted to see if you guys have laws/recommendations for roe, whitetail and the like.
          I dont think we'll ever see a moose hunt with bows.

          • 10 months ago
            Anonymous

            It's probably the best place in the world for bow hunting, tons of game everywhere and a deep hunting/forestry culture in the rural areas. Most people hunt Whitetail and turkey with bows, but you can pretty much hunt anything if you have the proper equipment. I personally know people who hunt Elk and Bear with compound bows. In the South and Western states, wild boar and feral pigs are also very popular.

            Regulations are state by state, and some cuck coastal states have tons of mindless regulations. But generally most states have a specific hunting season (usually fall and part of winter) in which it's legal to hunt most big game. Big game requires a tag, which you purchase from the local forestry/fish and game service for a small fee. Depending on the type of game you may have a limit of how many tags you can hold. Deer are usually as many as you want assuming you can afford the tags, they are considered a pest animal in most places because they breed fast and have few natural predators. Bigger animals like Elk and Bear tend to be limited to only a few (or one). Small game like hares/rabbits, tend to be unregulated in most places. Pest animals like coons, possums, and coyote, are pretty much fair game in most states. Most states have regulations about things like baiting and what kind of stands you can use but they are usually pretty lenient. Biggest thing is that the US has a LOT of public land, like 25% or more of most midwest and western states, and nearly all of that land is possible to hunt on. Most hunters wind up hunting on public land if they don't have a large tract of personal property. Where I live it's crazy common for people to own acreage in the unpopulated part of the state specifically for hunting. They usually build a small cabin or shed on said property and they can do nearly anything they want in terms of baiting and stands. There are even people who rent out private lands for this purpose, it's a lucrative side gig.

            • 10 months ago
              Anonymous

              [...]
              >I dont think we'll ever see a moose hunt with bows

              My local Cabelas (it's like a hunting/fishing/camping department store of America huge proportions) has a 400lb mounted Moose head supposedly taken with a bow. They claim it took several shots to actually put the thing down. I've heard of hunters attempting it but I personally haven't met anyone whose tried it.

              What I do know is that people who bow hunt elk or bear always bring a large caliber (.45 or more) sidearm because large animals might not stop running at you even when you hit them in what should be a kill spot with a heavy poundage bow. I know a guy who hunts bear with a 60lb bow who shot a bear through the lung with it, then had to draw his revolver and put 6 in it's head because it just kept fricking coming at him.

              What game could be considered reliable to take down with a 40 lvs bow? I'm trying to predict the cucked laws that will be introduced with a legalization. Roe would be a given, moose a hard no. But sturdier creatures such as boar would be hard to predict. Maybe allowed with a requirement on poundage. It mostly depends on stats from other countries.

              • 10 months ago
                Anonymous

                Lbs*

              • 10 months ago
                Anonymous

                40 is fine for white tail and roe.

                Boar and wild pig are generally 55-60, just like bear and elk. Boar are actually pretty dangerous to hunt from what i've heard because they will charge you just like bear when you hit them.

                I don't know anyone who hunts big game (meaning bigger than a white tail) without a sidearm of at least .45 on them because even with a high poundage bow it can be dangerous.

              • 10 months ago
                Anonymous

                Shit, then we might not see any boar hunt with boar where I live, that's a shame. We have plenty of roe but the amount of boar here is more akin to an infestation than anything.

              • 10 months ago
                Anonymous

                >With bow*
                I am tarded.

              • 10 months ago
                Anonymous

                >the amount of boar here is more akin to an infestation
                Boar are invasive where I live and i've never actually seen one as far as I know.

                We do have a frick ton of wild pigs though and they are enough of a problem that farmers are allowed to shoot them on their property without a tag. I'm not sure if you need a tag to hunt them normally but I know they are pretty popular in some circles. In my area though wild pig hunting is all firearms, I don't know anyone who bow hunts them.

              • 10 months ago
                Anonymous

                In my c**t they actually want to allow bow hunting (especially boars, they are spreading here too) around cities and villages because they don't want to disturb the populace with gunshots

            • 10 months ago
              Anonymous

              >the US has a LOT of public land
              That's weird, I've talked to a lot of Americans who come up here to Canada to hunt, and they always tell me how lucky we are to have shitloads of public land, because the US has next to none .

              • 10 months ago
                Anonymous

                We are being polite

                Anyway I don't know if it was mentioned and the rules vary by state but most places have a bow hunting season and a regular season. The thing is, you can always use a bow in regular season too, so you just get twice as much time to hunt

              • 10 months ago
                Anonymous

                >because the US has next to none .
                The US has huge amounts of public parks, they're probably being nice and trying to flatter you, though the last two presidents have sold some of it to corporate interests which is horseshit.

              • 10 months ago
                Anonymous

                Coastal and East of the Mississippi public lands are not as common, but in the Midwest and West there is a TON of public land. IIRC in many Western states like 45-50% of the land is public, except in the coastal states. Nevada is like 75% public land.

                >because the US has next to none .
                The US has huge amounts of public parks, they're probably being nice and trying to flatter you, though the last two presidents have sold some of it to corporate interests which is horseshit.

                National Parks and forests usually ban hunting actually, or they have very, very specific rules and regs and you have to apply for a super limited hunting tag. For example I think Yellowstone gives out a handful of tags for Wolves and Grizzly every year but only like 2 or 3 and they have thousands on the waiting list.

                Public lands used for hunting are usually State owned lands held in public trust and administered by that State's forestry service or fish and game service.

                The real issue with public lands in the US is that they can actually get crowded because there are way more people that want to hunt on them than they can support, even as big as they are. I live in a Michigan and hunting on public land sucks here, particularly on opening day/week, because public lands will have a stand every five fricking feet and hunters get all territorial and pissy about being too close.

          • 10 months ago
            Anonymous

            It's probably the best place in the world for bow hunting, tons of game everywhere and a deep hunting/forestry culture in the rural areas. Most people hunt Whitetail and turkey with bows, but you can pretty much hunt anything if you have the proper equipment. I personally know people who hunt Elk and Bear with compound bows. In the South and Western states, wild boar and feral pigs are also very popular.

            Regulations are state by state, and some cuck coastal states have tons of mindless regulations. But generally most states have a specific hunting season (usually fall and part of winter) in which it's legal to hunt most big game. Big game requires a tag, which you purchase from the local forestry/fish and game service for a small fee. Depending on the type of game you may have a limit of how many tags you can hold. Deer are usually as many as you want assuming you can afford the tags, they are considered a pest animal in most places because they breed fast and have few natural predators. Bigger animals like Elk and Bear tend to be limited to only a few (or one). Small game like hares/rabbits, tend to be unregulated in most places. Pest animals like coons, possums, and coyote, are pretty much fair game in most states. Most states have regulations about things like baiting and what kind of stands you can use but they are usually pretty lenient. Biggest thing is that the US has a LOT of public land, like 25% or more of most midwest and western states, and nearly all of that land is possible to hunt on. Most hunters wind up hunting on public land if they don't have a large tract of personal property. Where I live it's crazy common for people to own acreage in the unpopulated part of the state specifically for hunting. They usually build a small cabin or shed on said property and they can do nearly anything they want in terms of baiting and stands. There are even people who rent out private lands for this purpose, it's a lucrative side gig.

            >I dont think we'll ever see a moose hunt with bows

            My local Cabelas (it's like a hunting/fishing/camping department store of America huge proportions) has a 400lb mounted Moose head supposedly taken with a bow. They claim it took several shots to actually put the thing down. I've heard of hunters attempting it but I personally haven't met anyone whose tried it.

            What I do know is that people who bow hunt elk or bear always bring a large caliber (.45 or more) sidearm because large animals might not stop running at you even when you hit them in what should be a kill spot with a heavy poundage bow. I know a guy who hunts bear with a 60lb bow who shot a bear through the lung with it, then had to draw his revolver and put 6 in it's head because it just kept fricking coming at him.

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        It really depends on your target. People who can hit squirrels out of trees with recurves or long bows are quite impressive.

        They do have target throwers for bows, similar to skeet, and they aren't easy. You have to get used to considering the trajectory of the target and the arrow. Also unfortunately expensive because they are so rare, but hitting skeet targets, which are cheaper to set up but way smaller, would be some next level shit.

        In any event, you have to mow right before or finding your arrows is impossible, so I don't see the hobby taking off.

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        you are right that getting the basics under control is not that hard but as

        It really depends on your target. People who can hit squirrels out of trees with recurves or long bows are quite impressive.

        They do have target throwers for bows, similar to skeet, and they aren't easy. You have to get used to considering the trajectory of the target and the arrow. Also unfortunately expensive because they are so rare, but hitting skeet targets, which are cheaper to set up but way smaller, would be some next level shit.

        In any event, you have to mow right before or finding your arrows is impossible, so I don't see the hobby taking off.

        said if you want to hunt or hit smaller targets, then you have to train a lot

  6. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    I have a few, plan is to get a larger rifle sized one that comes apart

  7. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Bows have always been useless. Just being a shield and wait until they run out of arrows lol.

  8. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Somewhat fun yet completely pointless. I can't use them during archery season where I live and I'm not going to gimp myself using it for rifle season. I'm not going to "waste" my time training with them when I have my compounds I can use. The ones I have are pretty much exclusively used for lobbing glow bolts at targets way out in the field at night with the boys.

  9. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    heard crossbows with sufficient speed and proper heads can pen 3A armor. wonder how far we can push the engineering on modern materials. want to see an auto ballista with crazy velocity. apparently the tenpoint 505 can hit, well, 505fps.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      Of course they can penetrate soft armor you dumbass. They're pistol rated, not stab rated.

      I knife or ice pick can defeat pistol armor too.

  10. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Crossbows are louder than you think, I was shooting inside my apartment while drunk and it made my ears ring.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      >I was shooting inside my apartment while drunk
      Normal /k/ behavior

  11. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    It's a really cool concept that completely defeats modern soft body armor. It's quieter than a suppressed firearm, you can easily produce your own ammunition, broad heads fly through everything like butter. If you had to use it in the apocalypse you could maintain it or even replace it if you had to with a little knowhow. There are certain kinds of crossbows which are essentially assault crossbows, they function as a repeating firearm, essentially. https://youtu.be/LTAI3zWXHX4

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