something new..crossbow help please..

[god2]

Hi all
As an alternative to my rifle, I am considering a crossbow to add a little variety to my shooting,especially after becoming hooked when trying a pal's Barnett yesterday.
I need some advice,but have no knowledge of crossbow law.I know they are illegal for hunting and this would not be the reason I would buy one.Just purely for target practice in my back garden.
In view of this can someone please fill me in on what I should know about crossbows and make some recommendations on make and LB.pull appropriate for an 'averaged' sized garden like mine.Can they be scoped? Are they governed by the same laws as air weapons etc...any views and advice is greatly appreciated.
Peter.

[SWAT Strachan]

Well, I have a Barnett Commando crossbow, but one fitted with a 220lb crossbar rather than the standard 150lb. All I can say is take GREAT care where you use it, as I've tested mine at our outdoor range and it'll put an aluminium bolt over 2" into a tree, and up to 200m distance if fired at 45°.

Saying that though it is great fun to use, with a dead easy cocking mechanism (the stock pivots away from the bow pulling the string with it) and an automatic safety. It's also compact and rather light, although the trigger pull is pretty severe (get a trigger shoe, makes life much easier).

As for a scope... Well, I did try putting one on my bow, but it rattled off after a couple of shots. You CAN use a scope, just make sure you use strong double-screw mounts and arrester pin to hold it in place. Also you'd better use a robust scope (maybe a WTC 1.5-5 x 20?), the kick off the string is more than you'll get from most spring rifles. To be honest though, maybe just a good red-dot sight might be better.

I hope that's of some help.

To reiterate though, if you do go for a full-size crossbow with a 150lb string (or there abouts) then take great care if you use it in your garden, my recommendation though would be not to. Wait until you're on open ground (preferably an outdoor range or archery club). If you want something to use in the garden try one of Barnett's 50lb pistol crossbows and save the daddy for the fields.

Trust me on the power though, I fired mine in the back garden at a piece of wooden decking (approx 1.5" thick solid wood) with a thick chipboard backstop behind it... The bolt went through them all and still had enough energy to leave a hole in the garage wall as well...

This is SWAT <img src="http://jsramsbottom.co.uk/bbs/e/icon_cool.gif" alt="Cool" width="15" height="15"><!--graemlin:--> Strachan, signing off.

[Cornelius]

I pretty much agree with the above and would go even further. The power is such that chances are that not only will you obliterate any target but the rather expensive bolts themselves as well. For targets get proper archery targets or the bolts will get damaged very quick causing loss of accuracy. Accuracy even with new standard bolts is nowhere near as good as an airgun and even with a 50lb prod you need to take great care and ensure the backstop is heavy and large enough to catch any flyers. The 50lb pistol crossbows are a compromise but very crudely made and in my eyes a waste of money. If you are used to airguns you will be dissapointed with the accuracy unless you invest a great amount of time and effort tuning the crossbow and the bolts. My advice would be, unless you want to shoot over distances greater then normal airgun ranges don't even bother.

Did I put you off? <img src="http://jsramsbottom.co.uk/bbs/e/icon_wink.gif" alt="Wink" width="15" height="15"><!--graemlin:-->

Rob

[instantkarma]

i had a barnett compound bow kit and it had vital bits missing.tried to get them from barnett f.o.c. as the kit was new.they refused to answer my letters and didnt supply the parts that i needed.

i then bought a pse compound bow and no trouble

so a word of warning on barnett....terrible customer care.

try the compressed foam strip target butts,last much longer than the straw rope butts

[This message was edited by instantkarma on 02 November, 2003 at 9:47.]

[sundancekid]

I have a Barnett panzer and as the comments above say - its very powerfull and the backstop needs to be big.....
I started with a bale of hay & obviously the bolts went right through, so I put a big sheet of chipboard behind that & the bolts went right through both stripping the flights off, so I put a solid oak door behind the bale & the chipboard in front of the bale and that just about stops them but a few do penertrate the lot and damage my dads new fence <img src="http://jsramsbottom.co.uk/bbs/e/icon_frown.gif" alt="Frown" width="15" height="15"><!--graemlin:-->
Excellent fun, and accurate too, I don't know why they arent banned as you can do thousands of times more damage with one of these compared to an air rifle

[ogrithetrog]

Being a part time member of an archery club, I know that most clubs frown on the use of cross bows at their targets, they are so powerful that the targets (straw bosses)get shot to pieces. That is not to say that a club who accepts cross bows would do the same! Having never shot a crossbow, they seem a bit of a curiosity but carry a thuggish reputation - ie a lot of potential for damage with little thought.
Archers are a bit of a funny breed - they don't seem to want to know anyone who is not prepared to put in years of practice to get to be a good shot.
Unless you hoave a huge back garden I would not recommend the use of a crossbow as the risk of damage to you and those around you is too much to accept in my opinion.

Despite that have fun but keep extra safe.

Ogri the trog.

[Genius]

How about a pistol crossbow to start off with.I doubt they would go through a phonebook or thick catalogue so it should be safer and cheaper to use in your garden <img src="http://jsramsbottom.co.uk/bbs/e/icon_smile.gif" alt="Smile" width="15" height="15"><!--graemlin:-->

[p.j.]

Glad to see you are enjoying the crossbow SWAT,I did warn you it was a bit of a beast!

[SWAT Strachan]

hehe, that it is m8 <img src="http://jsramsbottom.co.uk/bbs/e/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="Big Grin" width="15" height="15"><!--graemlin:--> Bent a few bolts already buy thudding them into trees. I wonder, can you get solid bolts rather than the hollow ones? I'd imagine a solid steel bolt would be quite fearsome at close range... heh, if they do exist I'd probably end up putting one through wood, chipboard, garage and car!