Crossbows?

[Ruddyduck]

I'm considering a crossbow, too. I'll be unable to pull a bow 'til Feb. '08 at least due to some shoulder and neck surgeries, and sure don't wanna miss hunting season. I may be too cripped to even make a crossbow. I'm so desparate I might even buy one-what a concept !

In many Texas counties, does can only be taken during bow season. Crossbows aren't allowed without a doctor's letter of upper body disability. I'm more into venison than trophies, so does are fine with me. Also, some of these counties are over-populated with deer, so I don't feel bad about harvesting does. The rest of the general season, crossbows are allowed, just not does. I'd like to have one to harvest feral hogs without scaring the rest of the herd off. They're pretty bad for the habitat, and tasty.

I've checked out some crossbow sites, seems to be a decent crowd. Sure is more appealling than a rifle ! Please post any hints you come accross. They gotta be 150 pounds in Texas for hunting, which seems like a lot for one-handed cocking, and a lot for a wooden prod. Anyone ever make one that heavy ?

[jcougar]

Light leaf springs, such as those from a small trailer will make a nice prod that could easily reach 150#.  You could use a windlass or a goat's foot to help cock it.

[PepeLep]

Anybody ever make one?

I haven't yet, but I would like to someday.

I think it's a great topic.

[Loki]

I can appreciate the skill it takes to make one and the fun to be had shooting them but Crossbows are the enemies weapon, and we know what happened to the Genoese at Crecy      .

[Dane]

I'm a bit of a Roman History buff too  ,i used to play Spartacus on Hadrians wall when i was a kid and i've been hooked ever since  .
I was wondering if you had any info on Cohors I Hamiorum Sagittariorum,the Syrian Bowmen stationed at Magnis fort (Hadrians wall)in the second century? i'm interested in there equipment (Bows).
Thanks
Andy

Andy, sorry, I've been swamped. I'd have to look up that bit of info, and I've been swamped lately. The Romans in general used auxillaries in particular for specialized skills, such as cavalry and archery, slinging too.

Not much in the way of bow artifacts, as you know. Bone plates from the ears of the composite bows, and many many arrow heads. Some nice stone images as well survive to this day (Trajan's Column, etc). The Roman army traveled with a small army of specialists, and they had fletchers, bowyers, bronze casters and smiths, black smiths, etc. I think it is safe to assume that the peoples they enlisted (Germans, Syrians, Egyptians, etc) would have brought their own type of bows along, and the Romans would have adapted those designs, or contracted locals to make and repair them as well. 

Say, I had no idea Sparticus hung out in England! Must have been such a cool playground. All I had was a ratty old park near me.

[Loki]

No worries mate,
It was great playing on the wall (I'm Spartacus!!!  )nowadays they dont let you on it,which is probably for the best  .

The Auxillia were the Bowmen (no Roman Citizen would entertain anything but Infantry,much like a Saxon) but part of a Legionaries training including Slinging!(the early years) along with Swimming and reading  .
I've seen the tombstone of the Bowman from the Hamii cohort,his bow is recurved because like you said,he brought it from his home land (must of been a nice suprise for the Syrians,25yrs service in windy Northumbria  ) but you cant make much out,there is supposed to a example what was found in a desert somewhere but i cant remember the info  .

Have you seen the Type 18 arrowhead hector cole makes?thats based on a Roman armour piercing head but it looks more like a Manuballista bolt to me.
He allso makes a copy of a design found at the marvelous (sp) Vindolanda fort (hadrians wall),it may of been what the Syrians were shooting  .

[Dane]

Roman legionaries were also taught to throw stones at the enemy! If all else fails, bludgening always works, and rocks dont rust.

As excellent as the Romans were as heavy infantry and artillarymen and engineers, not so good at bows and such. And you know as well as I do how good they were at adapting and improving on exisiting things, and adapting foreign troops in special roles was fiscally prudent, and won wars and seiges. I'll bet the Germans they enlisted in various auxillarie cohorts were suprised to be off in Egypt or other arid places too! "Welcome to the Army, maggots, now sweat - only 25 years till you get your discharge. Think of the great tan you will get."

I've seen the same tombstone, with the pointy helmet and the long flowing gown / tunic, yes? There is other iconography of bows and archers, not much, but after 2000 years, pretty nice we have anything left.

I've seen Cole's work, and lust after it. Amazing stuff, and pricy alas.

Dane

[Loki]

At Vindolanda fort they found mounds of rounded stones piled up,these were thrown at the Pict's trying to get over the outer ditch,its a lot cheaper than arrows and has the same results  .
They had the finest Bow wood in the world on there doorstep in the Alps,shame they didnt utilise it  ,i'm sure they used the Yew for Siege engines and artillery but i cant find any sources actually saying it  .


We all think of the Roman Legionarie as a fine disciplined soldier but the reality of the Principate Citizen soldiers is a bit different,the legionaries were the men who built the great Aqueducts,Walls,City's,they could nock a fort up in under 3 hrs!complete with ditches and stakes!
The men who did the fighting were the Auxilia,at least in Britain and the Dacian wars.




Hey Dane,i think we have hijacked this Crossbow thread  ,sorry..

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[Dane]

Aye, we have!

Yew, I think, would be a lousy seige engine material - far too soft for onagers and such. Ash is the wood of choice for reconstructed machines, including my little Scorpio. Just finished rough cutting the slider and stock parts. Soon, Rome's enemies will fear me! ]

It is amazing how quickly they would create an entire fort each day. When we had to dig defensive fighting positions, how we would whine - the Romans would have laughed at us modern warriors.

[Dane]

Oh, Andy, if you get a chance, make yourself a staff sling. The cheapest 15 bucks of fun ever. It is amazingly satisfying to hurl a stone the size of your fist 200 or 300 feet downrange and bury itself in the ground. Imagine an entire cohort of guys doing this at once, and the lowly sling becomes a much more impressive weapon.

But that isn't about crossbows, is it? I'm sorry too.

[Loki]

Lets carry on till we get told off  .

Staff slings,i've seen them in use but never had the pleasure of trying one out  ,i'm a right bosseye with a Sling! i'd probably smash my own teeth out with a staff sling  .How about Hannibals Balaeric slingers who could take a Romans eye out just for a laugh  ,they did that to the defeated at Cannae,they'd wager each other who could hit the Roman in the mouth,Eye,Ear,Groin etc etc......little bugger's were payed in Woman instead of coin!


When i was a nipper we used to make a projectile out of a piece of garden cane with playing cards cut into it for fletches and a tack or small nail for a head.You wrapped some string or twine around the bottom (what would be the nock end on a arrow) and keeping hold of the end of the string hurl it with all your might into the air,they went pretty far too,hours of fun .
 

[jkekoni]

Did you know That Lucius Cornelius Sulla is presumable the 1st inventor of trench?

[Loki]

Nope didnt know that 

[Dane]

I didnt know that either. The only thing I recall from my college archeology class (to escape anthro 101, and dont even get me started on garbology expeditions we were forced to go on) is that the most durable thing mankind has invented, and really never goes away, is the hole in the ground. Trenches must also qualify?

Yeah, let's get yelled at, Loki.

When I was a kid, I used to make these stupid but fun paper match rockets. You put a pin against the side of a paper match, so the tip of the pin is against the head of the match. You wrap it tightly in foil about half way down the match, and pull out the pin, which makes nice little vent from the head to where the foil ends. Your launch gantry is a paper clip bend at an angle, and you heat up the now deadly rocket with another light match. When the foil wrapped match ignites, the jetting gas shoots the rocket up about 5 feet. Mom hated them

Hard to smash your own teeth, and they are great as you can beat things up with the stick in nothing else. And that betting sounds like a good deal of fun. I'd try for the pale skinned redheaded Celtic wench, if you please.

[Bikewer]

In starting to assemble materials, I'm having the greatest problem finding something to make the "nut" (the bit that holds the bolt and string at full-cock).

Most sources say aluminum or delrin plastic rod stock at about 1 1/2" diameter.   You'd think in a big city like St. Louis this would not be too hard to find....All the plastics suppliers that carry Delrin are happy to sell me a minimum of 10 feet or so....  I need inches.

I suppose it might be easier to find aluminum, we have a number of scrap and recycling centers here.

There is one crossbow source I found that will sell appropriate-sized chunks of ABS plastic rod stock for a mere four bucks; that might be the way to go.