nasty neighbour with a crossbow!

[deandaystate]

Morning all, just had a complaint from my next door neighbour about shooting at targets in my back garden that are more than capable of stopping pellets and preventing any ricoche saying that its dangerous when the cheeky bugger owns and shoots a crossbow into a dartboard on the side of his shed! Surely he is being more dangerous than me??

[DedIdick]

If I were you I'd 'find' a crossbow bolt in my garden, in case you need any ammunition for the future!

[deandaystate]

Good point there mate am i right in thinking that he's in the wrong and important doing nothing wrong?
Thanks

[deandaystate]

Good point there mate am i right in thinking that he's in the wrong and im doing nothing wrong?
Thanks

[blooregard]

Morning all, just had a complaint from my next door neighbour about shooting at targets in my back garden that are more than capable of stopping pellets and preventing any ricoche saying that its dangerous when the cheeky bugger owns and shoots a crossbow into a dartboard on the side of his shed! Surely he is being more dangerous than me??

What sort of crossbow?? If it's one of the little 80lb recurve pistol bows then its probably quite safe, despite what many will say they only put out about 4-6 FPE. If it's something bigger shooting a heavier arrow with a compound prod then neither the dartboard, shed, or fence may provide an adequate backstop.

I've shot an arrow clean through 4mm thick steel plate at 120 yards from my 59lb target compound bow (Not a crossbow, a proper bow). Quite impressive but it wrecked a £20 arrow from a matched dozen.

I don't reckon your in the wrong at all as long as you are shooting safely, certainly the crossbow has a worse image than an airgun in the eyes of populace and there is very little reason to own one. Certainly shooting one in the garden gives you little to complain about if your neighbour is shooting airguns.

[pavling]

If I were you I'd 'find' a crossbow bolt in my garden, in case you need any ammunition for the future!

I doubt his air gun would be able to fire crossbow bolts... probs easier to go buy some pellets if he needs ammunition...





(I'll get my coat... )

[Barryg]

If I were you I'd 'find' a crossbow bolt in my garden, in case you need any ammunition for the future!

The thing is that a bow or crossbow is not a firearm but a airgun is,
bows come under knife laws, just think what ft/lb you can get with a bit of string and a stick

[reaper 1064]

As long as your pellets don't ricochet out of your boundary you are doing nothing wrong. Tell him to go and stick his head up his ass and leave you alone.

[jeff0100]

Why don't you invite him round to have a few shots with you ? He might end up as your shooting buddy.

[deandaystate]

Simple, he's a nob

[Heisenberg]

"Not a crossbow, a proper bow"....good old bow snobbery in full effect as usual.....

Crossbows are still used by many armies across the world for various reasons, I don't get why archers are so down on them. I've got an Armex Titan(200lb draw, claimed 380fps) and use it safely in my garden using a Third Hand Rag Bag as a target. I'd argue crossbows are more safe than the average PROPER bow....my neighbour has a recurve bow and has done archery for years, he can't hit 2" groupings at 40yards. I can....
(Ah, that's why archers are probably down on them...I can consistently achieve the same results with a £245 kit that an archer would need to spend a grand on, like a Hoyt?)

Anyway, I digress....As long as you both have effective and sensible backstops and don't go out firing/shooting when under the influence of anything then you should both be ok?

If he has a high powered crossbow, look at what he's aiming at and it it isn't capable of stopping the arrows(they're not technically bolts unless they have no fletchings/vanes), point it out to him and if he gets his back up and won't see sense then maybe give the plod a phone.....they may be able to "advise" what he needs...

Regardless of our choice(s) of bow/rifle, responsible usage is the most important thing....

[Rickenbacker]

Why don't you invite him round to have a few shots with you ? He might end up as your shooting buddy.

This ^^^^ if you don't 'love' eachother, you still might be able to agree eachother's safety procedures - without it involving calls to the cops and 'planting' evidence

BTW - I'd like a blowpipe and darts ... are they legal? Poison tipped?

[blooregard]

"Not a crossbow, a proper bow"....good old bow snobbery in full effect as usual.....

Crossbows are still used by many armies across the world for various reasons, I don't get why archers are so down on them. I've got an Armex Titan(200lb draw, claimed 380fps) and use it safely in my garden using a Third Hand Rag Bag as a target. I'd argue crossbows are more safe than the average PROPER bow....my neighbour has a recurve bow and has done archery for years, he can't hit 2" groupings at 40yards. I can....
(Ah, that's why archers are probably down on them...I can consistently achieve the same results with a £245 kit that an archer would need to spend a grand on, like a Hoyt?)

Not snobbery dude, sorry if it came across that way.

Using a bow properly takes skill, strength, patience and practice, using a crossbow properly can be picked up in no time. When it comes to safety, a proper bow cannot be discharged negligently and you cannot walk around with it at full draw.
As for accuracy, most accomplished archers I know can put in a sub 2" group in at 40 yards with no trouble with a recurve or compound, to be fair 40 yards is very close for most archers, I would be using 3 spot targets at anything less to avoid damaging my arrows.

I own a couple of Hoyts (Rampage XT and an Eclipse), however I also shoot a Samick SHB and a Bear Charge, both come in at under £245. I'm certainy not a snob with my archery kit, a crossbow however is a far inferior machine, finite accuracy, never as powerful or as efficient and far less skill required.

EDIT : Good call on the Bolts, most people still call them this but Bolts and Quarrels are almost unobtainable nowadays, I have certainly only ever seen short arrows sold as "bolts".

[short-carabine]

BTW - I'd like a blowpipe and darts ... are they legal?

Banned from manufacture, import or sale in 1988 IIRC, along with a variety of other "Ninja type stuff". Another Govt clampdown based on sensationalist reporting (or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- it amounts to the same intellectual level )

Of course they are not per se illegal to own. And if you owned one before the ban you are fine

[shepp1]

"Not a crossbow, a proper bow"....good old bow snobbery in full effect as usual.....

Crossbows are still used by many armies across the world for various reasons, I don't get why archers are so down on them. I've got an Armex Titan(200lb draw, claimed 380fps) and use it safely in my garden using a Third Hand Rag Bag as a target. I'd argue crossbows are more safe than the average PROPER bow.my neighbour has a recurve bow and has done archery for years, he can't hit 2" groupings at 40yards. I can.......
(Ah, that's why archers are probably down on them...I can consistently achieve the same results with a £245 kit that an archer would need to spend a grand on, like a Hoyt?)

Anyway, I digress....As long as you both have effective and sensible backstops and don't go out firing/shooting when under the influence of anything then you should both be ok?

If he has a high powered crossbow, look at what he's aiming at and it it isn't capable of stopping the arrows(they're not technically bolts unless they have no fletchings/vanes), point it out to him and if he gets his back up and won't see sense then maybe give the plod a phone.....they may be able to "advise" what he needs...

Regardless of our choice(s) of bow/rifle, responsible usage is the most important thing....

I can imagine it's like comparing a springer to a pcp.