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stonebow

Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 3:34 pm
by markdem
Otherwise known as a pellet/bullet shooting crossbow. I built this thing to see:
A) how accurate are they?
B) how fast do they shoot?

What I've learnt is that these things are super finnicky! I've shot paintballs with insane ball-on-ball accuracy at 25 yards, then tweaked the string/pouch and had paintballs fly way off target. On a semi-interesting note, paintballs don't suffer from the magnus effect because there is no barrel to impart spin, so they fly very straight. Sights are more of a necessity than I had expected. There is no long, straight barrel to point at your target so sights are a must. The rear sight is static. The front sight is fully adjustable.

I dont have chronograph readings but my guess is that paintballs travel at around 200fps. that speed would obviously change depending on what limbs the crossbow has (this one is powered by cross-country ski's)

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Re: stonebow

Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 8:15 pm
by hectmarr
Nice work, congratulations! I love crossbows, maybe I'll ever try to build one. It is interesting what you comment on the precision of the balls in the absence of a firing cannon, and the magnus effect.

Re: stonebow

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2020 5:55 am
by jackssmirkingrevenge
Very clean work, kudos! Nice repurposing of the skis :D

It doesn't seem like it takes a lot of effort to cock. Have you tried something heavier than paintballs?

Re: stonebow

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2020 7:47 am
by markdem
if i had to take a guess, i'd say the draw force is around 30-40lbs. I can use downhill ski's to double the coking force, but I'm effectively dry-firing the crossbow when shooting lightweight paintballs which puts a shitload of stress on the string and limbs. I havnt shot any metal/clay projectiles yet, but from what I read on other websites, the velocity doesnt drop much. I'd relate it to a big diesel truck: slow but torquey

Re: stonebow

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2020 9:59 am
by jackssmirkingrevenge
markdem wrote:
Sat Oct 17, 2020 7:47 am
I havnt shot any metal/clay projectiles yet, but from what I read on other websites, the velocity doesnt drop much. I'd relate it to a big diesel truck: slow but torquey
Essentially the velocity of the string is the velocity of the projectile, so you need a heavier projectile to better exploit the available energy.