Crossbow question

[Faithless]

I've been thinking on making some DIY bolts for a crossbow as a challenge.

I'm going to have a go with sharpened sticks and see if that works.

Any other ideas?

 

[leadbutt]

I still shoot a few of the fire harden bamboo bolts out of my crossbow I brought back from Vietnam, and there over 30 years old. Most of the bolts I make are out of standard arrows cut down to fit my Excaliber, but if you want to use wood,I would think any of the wood used to make arrows would work

 

[Rottweiler]

How bout some aluminum rod or tubing?

 

[gordo b.]

I once made a cross bow out of a thin leaf spring from some vehicle and steel cable for a string. Had to be 'comealonged' to cock it. I had a lot of the needles (9" long hardened sharpened rods) out of some locomotive injectors. They would go thru walls close range. Shot about 1/4 mile!

 

[Faithless]

Thanks for the replies.

I've got some inspiration and am going to make some fire bolts.

 

[Jim Watson]

What are you doing with a Frenchie weapon? Where's your longbow, yeoman?

Anyhow, I seem to recall that some quarrels were just sticks with iron heads, not even any vanes but dependent on the weight of the head to keep them point on. If you don't have a head you will need vanes. I think.

 

[4V50 Gary]

1/4 a mile Gordo? Now that's long range shooting with a bow!

 

[gordo b.]

700-900lb pull, 6oz steel 'fletchettes' AND it LOOKED like 1/4mile to me -really!