DIY long-range crossbow. How to make a crossbow at home. Making weapons with your own hands, photo. Paper throwing weapons

Just twenty years ago, a bow or crossbow for individual use did not exist in nature. Some eccentrics and fanatics of historical reconstructions took on making them at their own peril and risk, having absolutely no idea what they would get in the end. And all because the process of accumulating experience and honing skills in the manufacture and use of throwing weapons, which lasted several tens of thousands of years, in our time was once interrupted and anathematized.

Now all this rare knowledge has been taken out of dusty chests, they have learned to make bows and crossbows using modern technologies, and the army of followers of William Tell and Robin Hood is growing at an exponential rate. And today we have prepared drawings and diagrams for you that will tell you how to make a crossbow at home.

Despite the abundance of online stores selling throwing weapons, as well as a fantastic range of products, there are many who want to make a crossbow on their own. Most of them don't know where to start. Today we will tell you about the main design features of the crossbow. This knowledge will help you avoid manufacturing errors, as well as frustration and injury when using it.

Before starting work, there are two main points to know.

In our country, a crossbow is recreational and sporting weapons. Hunting with it is prohibited. Any throwing weapon with a tension force of more than 43 kilograms is considered a combat weapon, the right to use which is given by the licensing authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Crossbow is a structure that experiences enormous loads during operation. Therefore, any carelessness in its manufacture will most likely lead to injury. Any part of it must have a multiple safety margin.

So, let's learn how to make a simple crossbow at home.

The video below will tell you how to make a crossbow at home:

Onion

The crossbow's energy source is the bow - an elastic plate of complex shape, having one main bend and, as an option, two additional ones at the ends. You need to start making a crossbow with this particular part and adjust everything else to it - choosing the type of tension (recurve or block), the size of the stock, the type of trigger.

Wood and composite

The urgent question is what to use as a material for the bow: wood, composite or metal?

Tree- the worst choice. Available “pieces of wood” lying underfoot are garbage, suitable only for lighting stoves. Branches cut down in the forest lose their elasticity as they dry, crack and fall apart. From this material you can only make something for short-term entertainment in the country. Of the models sold in stores that contain wood, the one that is very popular is also the one.
Composite, created from fiberglass and epoxy, is very tempting and simple in appearance. But there is an obstacle - the need to scrupulously adhere to the technology of all work. Proportions of mixture, drying, aging. At home this is almost impossible.

Metal

There is only one option left - metal. If you have an old Moskvich with a set of leaf springs on hand, consider yourself lucky. One sheet is taken from the entire package - the second. If you are not too afraid of the dimensions, then the first one will do. Moreover, it has tubes at the ends - an almost ready-made bracket for attaching blocks or bowstrings.

A block is used to attach the bow to the stock. This is a U-shaped design that wraps around the stock from the front. It can be welded tightly to the spring leaf, but in this case, when the bow is bent, the welds will experience excessive pull-out stress. Therefore, it is better to attach the ball joint from the VAZ 2108 to the block. The bow is attached to its pin. This is also convenient because there is a hole on the spring leaf.

If you are very strong, then you can choose the recursive method of tensioning the bowstring (as in, etc.). But it’s better to choose a block one (as in models, etc.). To attach the blocks to the bow, if you have chosen a second spring leaf, you need to attach brackets to its ends. A bolted (or even better, rivet) connection is preferable to welding, since this unit experiences strong vibration loads. As pulleys, use parts of the window lifting mechanism of the same Moskvich.

Regarding the bowstring, an obvious solution arises: a thin metal cable. But it is not entirely correct, since steel cables do not withstand variable loads well. It is better to choose a climbing cord with a diameter of 5-8 mm.

Once you've made your bow and attached the string to it, you can conduct full-scale bending tests. It’s great if you have a dynamometer of 100-150 kilograms. As a result, you will learn two parameters necessary for further work: the length of the bowstring stroke and the load.

Read below to learn how to make a stock for a powerful crossbow at home.

Lodge

For this part of a homemade crossbow, wood is the only option. But not everything. In any case, not aspen, alder, spruce or pine. Better beech, elm, oak. The product has been dried for twenty years. It is clear that you will never find something like this anywhere. Therefore, use moisture-resistant plywood with a thickness of 7-9 mm. 3 or 5 contours of the stock are cut out of it, and then this package is glued together with epoxy resin. Not very pretty, but extremely reliable.

Regarding the shape, give up the semi-pistol style and use a straight English stock. It is not only easier to manufacture, but also stronger.
When assembling the stock package, it is necessary to take into account both the course of the bowstring and the load. The first determines the distance from the block to the slot for the trigger mechanism. The second is the thickness of the stock walls at the place of its attachment. It is the straight English stock that will allow you to avoid excessive thinning when moving from the forearm to the butt.
The most important part of a crossbow stock is the arrow guide. It should be smooth and durable. For it, you can use the plates framing the side windows of the Moskvich, furniture fittings, and other similar-shaped parts.
If you use a block type of bowstring tension, then there should be a groove in the forend under the guide for the cable system. This is another element that weakens the stock, so give up the idea of making the forend dainty. High will protect your fingers from getting caught under the bowstring and traumatic amputation of the phalanges.

Typically crossbows have a plastic stock, such as models and others.

We will tell you below how to make a homemade trigger mechanism for a crossbow at home.

This video will tell you how to make a crossbow from wood (plywood) with your own hands:

Trigger

If you are not a sixth-class mechanic, then give up the idea of making this element yourself. Make an effort and find the trigger for any spring-piston air rifle. In the most difficult case, you will only have to modify its tooth that holds the piston - it may be too small for a thick bowstring.

A casing with a height of 2 to 5 cm is placed above the trigger mechanism, which is necessary to protect it from moisture and dirt, and also serves as the basis for sighting devices - rails for optics or rear sights. Weaver, Picatinny or dovetail rails can be purchased at any online store that sells pneumatics.

The front part of the casing above the trigger mechanism is made in the form of a long (no more than 10 cm) elastic “tail”, which holds the back of the arrow on the guide.

Making arrows

Canonically correct crossbow ammunition is called a “bolt”. But many online stores sell crossbow arrows. For crossbows with a rifle stock, lengths of 14, 16, 20, 22 inches are suitable. To be completely honest, you won't find better magazine arrows. Unfortunately, none of them are worth less than 150 rubles. Therefore, it is worth trying to make them yourself.

They can be made from straight-layer wood without knots. As an option, use furniture parts - balusters from chairs, railings of cribs. Good arrows are made from aluminum tubes up to 2 cm in diameter. If desired, you can even use electrodes of the maximum diameter, but they bend hopelessly when hit and it is difficult to attach the feathers to them.

Thin plastic is used for the plumage. Natural bird feathers can give the unexpected effect of chaotic changes in flight direction, since they have natural curves that must be taken into account.

The main condition for a good, smooth flight is balancing. The center of gravity of a crossbow bolt should be after the first third of its length from the tip. If it is not metal, the end of the arrow can be loaded with lead wire wrapped around the shaft.

The issue of equipping an arrow with a tip must be treated without fanaticism. Sharpening metal on lathes, milling and polishing, giving it exquisite shapes - these operations are accessible to few. In addition, such a tip is extremely dangerous. If you do not need to pierce knight's armor, then a wooden bolt can simply be sharpened at an angle of 30 degrees using a regular knife.

We will tell you further how to make a crossbow that shoots with your own hands from paper, pencils and other materials.

Cool shooting games

Shooting with toothpicks or matches can be made from a wooden clothespin. To do this, disassemble it and remake it:

widen the narrow groove for the spring of one half to 1 cm, make the same on the second, but with an indentation of 1 cm;
at the front ends of both halves, on the side of the narrow grooves for the spring, make a longitudinal groove 1-2 mm deep;
assemble the halves of the clothespin “inside out” by twisting them with thread;
install the clothespin spring with its paws in the cut grooves, and with the spiral outward;
place a toothpick in the hole between the halves;
press the spring spiral, moving it into the semicircular cutout;

The spring tab will slide along the long slot, clicking on the toothpick and causing it to fly out.

To learn how to make a mini crossbow from pencils with your own hands at home, watch the video below.

A crossbow is a throwing weapon that is an improved design of a bow. Its advantage is the ability to aim without unnecessary effort. The technical characteristics of the gun increase the destructive power and shooting accuracy. In our country, the use of this type of throwing weapon is unpopular, since it is difficult to find the necessary design. There is very little inventory, but user interest is quite high. Crossbows are quite expensive. However, the design of the weapon is quite simple, so you can easily make it yourself.

What is a crossbow used for?

First of all, it is worth noting that the use of throwing weapons with a tension force of more than 43 kgf is illegal, whether it is homemade or purchased from official manufacturers. Today, the main uses of the crossbow are sports competitions and outdoor activities.

The device itself was first created two and a half thousand years ago in China. In Europe, the weapon gained popularity only at the beginning of the twelfth century and was used exclusively for military purposes. Later, homemade crossbows were used for hunting. However, only rich people could afford expensive mechanisms and special arrows.

Arrows for this type of weapon are much heavier and are more often called bolts. Their use is necessary since the tension force of the bowstring is much higher and requires the use of heavy projectiles. They, in turn, provide increased power upon impact. Now, the ban on hunting with throwing weapons in Russia and the CIS countries does not allow the use of a crossbow to catch game. Throwing weapons are used exclusively for sporting purposes.

Differences and adaptations

A bow and a crossbow have several obvious differences that must be taken into account when creating a weapon with your own hands. The main differences are:

Tension force. Since the design of the crossbow allows the bowstring to be pulled with greater force, a reliable mechanism is required that does not fail. When purchasing it, you should not skimp, because it guarantees not only safety, but also durability. It is also convenient to use a device for tensioning the bowstring.

Use of bolts. By adding a spring to hold the projectile, the gun can be used at any desired angle. Aim. Installing additional equipment will ensure accuracy and make it easier to shoot from the shoulder, similar to a firearm.

In addition, when creating a throwing weapon with your own hands, you should pay special attention to the method of tensioning the bowstring. There are several of them. The most reliable and popular are:

Leg or hand braces. A very popular type of tension. However, its use is only available for crossbows with low power. Strap and hook. This method allows you to fix the machine tool with your feet, similar to the first example. When bent, the hook clings to the bowstring, and restoring the position is done by tightening and fixing it. An improved type of the second method is a rope using rollers. The mount is also installed on the belt. The use of two curved arms placed on pins is called a goat leg. The pins protrude on both sides of the stock. The owner pulls the opposite side towards himself, thereby exerting tension. Release lever. The essence of the method is to connect the hook and bracket to the front of the stock. Thus, the bowstring is pressed back. Using rack and pinion gates. A very ancient technology that appeared in the fifteenth century in Germany. The tension is carried out by a collar, which allows the method to be used for very powerful crossbows. Very suitable for hunting because it has killing power.

There are also many other ways to tension the bowstring for certain types of weapons. However, they are used much less frequently and have been used in ancient times. Their safety is significantly lower, which does not guarantee the correct use of weapons. To create a crossbow with your own hands, it is recommended to use one of the above methods.

How to create a throwing weapon

When creating a crossbow with your own hands, it is important to understand that the design must be strong and reliable. Making homemade throwing weapons is not difficult, but it requires a very responsible approach to the work.

First you need to decide on the purpose of using the tool. If it is used for hunting, then special emphasis should be placed on the tension mechanism and stock. If you make the design correctly, then the shooting technique will be much easier to cope with.

After determining the required characteristics, you need to make drawings of the future weapon or find ready-made ones on the Internet. They will not only facilitate the creation process, but also organize the workflow. It is best to use carefully designed drawings with dimensions..

Devices and materials

Before making a throwing weapon for hunting with a small pulling force, you need to organize your workplace and prepare the necessary materials. Here are the main items you will need:

two meter-long blocks of coniferous wood; a thin strip 6x1 cm; a polyurethane tube with a diameter of 3 cm; nylon fishing line; wheels with a groove in the middle of the edge; screws and nails 5 centimeters long; glue; wooden dowels (6 pieces); tape and foam; vice and rasp; hammer, chisel, saw and drill; pen or pencil.

Also, during the work process, additional materials may be needed to give the tool an aesthetic appearance. However, you can do this at your own discretion. When using a crossbow for hunting, appearance is not so important. However, it can be polished and decorated as desired.

The working process

First of all, you need to make a gun bed. This is the main part to which the rest of the structure is attached. Take one of the prepared bars and apply it to your shoulder to determine a comfortable length. Make a mark with a pencil and saw off the unnecessary part. With your other hand, mark a comfortable position for the trigger. When creating a weapon with your own hands, it is worth considering that the power depends on the length of the stock. The longer the length, the stronger the tension force. For hunting, it is better to use a longer bar. At the location of the trigger, use a chisel and rasp to cut out a rectangle measuring 10x2.5 cm. Across the resulting hole, cut a strip in which the bowstring will be located.

Now you need to cut a groove for the arrow along the beam. Since the work is done with your own hands, it is extremely important to approach this stage responsibly. The accuracy of shooting depends on the correct position. Using a drill and hammer, knock out a 5mm deep groove exactly in the center and sand it.

Cut another block to a length of 60 cm and glue it to the main part of the crossbow. Let the glue dry. After complete fixation, if desired, you can polish the parts. You can do it with your own hands or with special polishing devices.

If you don’t want to buy an expensive crossbow (and prices sometimes exceed $1000), you can make a crossbow with your own hands. It's not as difficult as it seems at first glance. The design of the crossbow is quite simple. A crossbow can be made from what is at hand, replacing missing materials with similar ones. A homemade crossbow is quite suitable for target shooting.

General view of a crossbow that you can make with your own hands according to drawings

The design of this crossbow uses the developments of manufacturers in the field of weapons. The drawings show a crossbow of a block design. If you follow the instructions and observe all the dimensions, you can make a high-quality and good crossbow with your own hands, even at home

General diagram of a homemade crossbow assembly:

To begin with, it is advisable to carefully study the drawings of the crossbow and begin assembling it yourself. Making a crossbow with your own hands is not an easy task. But this increases interest in work! After all, a homemade crossbow can bring great joy and respect to the performer.

Crossbow structure: stock, shoulders, butt, trigger mechanism, sighting devices, block system. To make the stock, natural wood, solid or laminated timber, mainly hardwood, is used. The exact dimensions of the crossbow can be seen in the drawings. You choose the shape of the crossbow yourself, guided by the convenience and ergonomics of the stock and the desired image. When choosing, you must also consider whether you can make such a form correctly.

Crossbow shoulders and deck drawing:

The use of a small arms stock can significantly reduce labor costs for the manufacture of a crossbow. The main thing is to choose the right size. The trace of the trunk left in such a stock must be hammered in with wooden blocks, firmly seating them with epoxy glue. The butt and under-barrel pad of a crossbow can also be made of wood. The stock will be attached to the guide and serve as the basis for the trigger mechanism.

Butt drawing:

Offered for DIY assembly, the crossbow has a block design. This allows you to compensate for the load when cocking the bowstring and maintain power. Compound crossbows are the most popular among hunters because... You can carry a crossbow in a cocked state for quite a long time. Horton actively uses this design in the production of its crossbows.

Drawing of block assembly parts:

Pay special attention to the processing of the arrow guides and bowstring. The clarity of their finish greatly influences shooting accuracy. The guide lines must be perfectly straight and smooth. The best choice would be grinding on a milling machine and subsequent processing with fine-grain sandpaper. Next comes polishing the guides. You can see the dimensions of the boom guide groove in the drawings. The crosspiece, with the shoulders attached to it, is installed at the end of the stock. It is usually made from an aluminum billet. Wood can also serve as a suitable material.

A crossbow sight must consist of a rear sight and a front sight. You can also install an optical sight on the crossbow, providing a mount for the aiming bar. Vertical adjustments are made entirely, mounted on the cover of the trigger mechanism, and horizontal ones - with a front sight mounted on the bracket of the elastic element.

There can be many design options for sights and sighting devices for a crossbow, depending on the possibility of manufacturing, the availability of ready-made sights from conventional weapons (air rifles), etc.

It should be borne in mind that the flight path of a crossbow arrow (crossbow bolt) is quite high, so the rear sight must be installed significantly higher than the front sight. The angle of elevation of the aiming line depends on the weight of the arrow, the tension of the string, the shooting distance, etc. In our crossbow at a distance of 50 m it is approximately 6°.

Convenient are the designs of the rear sight, which allow it to be removed or folded during transportation. It will also be convenient if the rear sight can be adjusted manually by raising or lowering the bar. Thus, you will be able to target the crossbow under different conditions (distance to target, weight of the arrow).

The crossbow, the manufacture of which is described above, is designed for shooting bolts with a diameter of 8 mm and a length of 450-470 mm. You can easily make them yourself from a duralumin tube with a wall thickness of 0.5 mm. The tip and liner are attached to the bolt in front, and the feathering is attached to the back, just as they do for archery. It should be borne in mind that the shank of a bolt for a crossbow, unlike an arrow for a bow, should not have a cutout for the bowstring; it should be flat. It can be carved from wood in the form of a cork and inserted into the end of the tube, pre-lubricated with glue.

The crossbow is an ancient throwing weapon that was invented by the Romans. Its characteristics are similar to that of a bow.

Currently, the crossbow is not used in any army in the world; it is sold in weapons stores as an exclusive rarity, the cost of which sometimes exceeds a thousand dollars. Therefore, such products are very often decorations.

However, you can make an imitation of such a weapon with your own hands, which will become excellent equipment for any boy. In addition, a toy crossbow can be made from almost any available materials. Also, do not forget about safety measures, since this product, although not professional, can cause significant injury to a person.

In order to assemble a crossbow with your own hands, you need to make each of its parts separately:

The final stage in making a crossbow is tensioning the bowstring, which should be optimal. If the tension is weak, then the range of the arrow will be minimal, and if it is too high, there is a risk of deforming or breaking the bows of the crossbow.

Mini-crossbows from other scrap materials

If a wooden crossbow is a more professional product and can be used for sporting purposes by both adults and teenagers, then crossbows made from paper, pencils or Lego are intended for children from seven to twelve years old.

Also, do not forget that products made from seemingly safe materials can also cause harm to health if handled incorrectly.

Therefore, games with such homemade items should be supervised by adults.

Paper throwing weapons

To assemble such a toy with your own hands, you need to ensure that you have the following materials and tools:

fifteen sheets of paper (A4 format);
three wooden sticks (you can use ice cream);
thread for the bowstring, nylon is best;
pencil;
stationery knife or scissors;
scotch.

Step-by-step instructions for making a paper crossbow are as follows:

This crossbow can be equipped with a sight, trigger and arrow guides.

From pencils

To make such a crossbow you will need:

four pencils;
seven rubber bands for money;
one ballpoint pen;
scotch.

To make such a “pencil” weapon, you must perform the following steps:

Tie two pencils tightly together with rubber bands - you get two elements of a crossbow.
Next, connect these two elements perpendicularly to each other.
Place a pen case on top of the pencils. This will be the guide for the arrow.
The same elastic bands are used as bowstrings, which are attached to the sides of the arches and connected to each other with tape or thread.

You can use the shaft of a pen as an arrow.

From the Lego constructor

To make a Lego crossbow, the first thing you need to do is purchase a construction set that is sold in almost any children's goods store. After the designer has been purchased, you can begin assembling it, which is carried out according to the included instructions.

It is worth considering that the kit’s equipment varies, and therefore the assembled crossbows may differ from each other in size and principle of operation.

When the crossbow is assembled, it is necessary to proceed to the manufacture of arrows, which should, first of all, be strong and reliable. To do this, you need to observe the following nuances:

choose the right material. In this case, it is best to use well-dried pine, birch or spruce wood;
avoid knots on arrow blanks;
wood fibers should be located along the length of the future product;
if the workpiece is uneven, you can try to level it; to do this, you need to first “heat” it over the fire;
be sure to make fletching that gives the arrow stable and accurate flight;
for plumage it is recommended to use the wing feathers of a goose, wood grouse, turkey or other large birds;
it is very important that one arrow has feathers from one wing (right or left);
You can use a metal plate or a nail as a tip, or you can do without it. But to do this, you need to carefully plan the end of the arrow (like sharpening a pencil);
to store and transport arrows you need to use a quiver, which you can buy in a specialized store or make yourself;
Arrows must be stored in an upright position in places with moderate humidity, otherwise the products will be deformed.

A very popular weapon now is the crossbow. Despite its complexity, a crossbow can be made at home. In past ancient times it was used as a formidable weapon. Nowadays the crossbow is used in shooting range sports at short and medium distances. Nowadays you can buy everything, including a crossbow. But it’s much more interesting to do it yourself. For those who are skilled in craftsmanship and know how to use machines and tools, this will not be difficult.

Previously we described how to do it, if you are interested, take a look.

For a crossbow we need a wooden blank and iron.

The wooden blank is cut to these dimensions.

We take a spring plate measuring 650×100×8. Use an angle grinder to cut off the excess little by little. We make an arc measuring 35 mm - this is in the middle and with edges of 18 mm.

Using an emery machine, we reduce the edges from the middle to the edge, reaching 5 millimeters in thickness. We stretch a steel dart onto the arc (or a cable). We fix it tightly. In order not to interfere with the arc bending exactly in the middle, we place a round piece of wood. Simultaneously with tensioning, we look at the tension and tension gap.

These dimensions are used as the basis for our work on making a crossbow at home.

We saw the iron blank and get a part that will be the main one in our crossbow - the hook, it is also called the “cat”.

To make a lock we need a trigger and a sear. On top of the axle we make a hole into which the strip spring bolt should fit, which secures the pin from moving

Next we will make the lock and body.

We measure very carefully and make holes for the pins.

Then we make protection for the trigger and measure it to the wooden base.

Cut a hole for the lock.

Inserting the lock

We attach the rear sight. We make a dovetail and solder an aiming device to it. Depending on the heating temperature during bluing, this can be done with POS or PSR.