They asked about how the trigger mechanism works. I decided to do a separate article on this issue.
Consider how the crossbow trigger works.
Externally, the crossbow looks like this:
Crossbow appearance
The crossbow trigger is painfully simple. Its purpose is to make the descent smooth and easy. Smooth and easy descent of the bowstring is the key to hitting the target.
The proposed trigger is not only easy to manufacture, but also durable. At the same time, it allows the trigger to automatically return to its original position.
It all looks simple. Saw the stock of the crossbow into two parts in order to place the trigger mechanism between them. We cut out two steel or brass plates. They must be the same, in the figure they are indicated in purple. They can be made in various shapes, the main thing is that they fulfill their role. We fasten two pieces of the stock and hold the mechanism.
Crossbow trigger device
The drum holds the bowstring. The trigger holds a drum. As soon as the trigger is pulled, the drum is released from the obstacle and begins to rotate. The bowstring flies off the drum, and the arrow goes into the target.
Boom drum
After the shot is fired, we pull the string back, while the drum hooks onto the string with a protrusion and rotates to its original position. Here the trigger spring works, and the trigger falls into the groove of the drum. That's it, the drum is again rigidly fixed and does not spin. We put the bowstring on the hooks of the drum and that's it. The crossbow is ready for another shot.
Smol comments:
Well written! Thanks!
syama comments:
very intelligible, respect))
The crossbowman comments:
3 Drawings and nothing else and everything is inappropriate =) thank you very much .... I especially liked the animashka
I comment:
very good written! And there are pictures. Super!
comments:
unclear
unknown comments:
but write more clearly to me 11 I don’t understand
comments:
cool, thanks!
dima comments:
and there is a lighter mechanism
geo comments:
if you hang 20-30 kg on such a mechanism, you fucking pull the trigger. the construction is theoretical, for practice, significant changes are needed ...
Ilya comments:
I did like nothing, by the way, a magpie with 20m knocked down
Dimonchyk comments:
cool, let's try to do
Dimonchyk comments:
and where to get the drum?
Maxima comments:
Strange, only I noticed that the drum is turned upside down on the GIF? It seems to me correct as in the picture, especially since the setting in a combat position is implied by a bowstring.
RH comments:
Animated? He's not just turned over there, he's spinning there !!! :)
With regard to the difficulty of descent on a crossbow of 60 kg - 1. they are prohibited, 2. you can put a sear.
vang helsing comments:
luche chem nichego
V.A.Zh. comments:
Thanks a lot!
Daemon comments:
And if you need to shoot down, then how?
FyLL comments:
Make a boom hold-down frame. It should rise at the moment of the shot.
Shooting, as a kind of sport and the ability of self-realization, has long been a success with humans. The countless competitions with the use of various kinds of tools serve as an indicator of this. The first of the oldest types is the throwing weapon. The overestimated emotionality of these days finds a response in archery and crossbow tournaments.
Sport crossbow shooting in our country is not as developed as bow shooting. This state of affairs is not due to a lack of interest, but an obvious shortage of shooting equipment. Crossbow sport itself certainly contains many advantages. We offer today to make a crossbow with your own hands. It will be a wide field for the development and application of some kind of talents.
Do-it-yourself crossbow made of wood
As a way out, it is worth making a crossbow with your own hands. This is not as problematic as it might seem at first glance. The design of the crossbow is lightweight. At the sections of bullet or bow shooting, there are weapons workshops, in which it is easy to find professional master craftsmen. Such a specialist has the right to make a crossbow from what he contains at hand, replacing the missing building materials with identical ones. For target shooting, a homemade crossbow is sufficient.
We drew a drawing of a crossbow and assembled it with our own hands. When creating a crossbow, the developments of foreign manufacturers and fellow athletes were taken into account, who themselves make crossbows without the help of specialized firms.
Our crossbow differs in that we chose the shoulders from the bow as an elastic component. This selection is justified by the lighter weight, in contrast to steel shoulders. The plastic shoulders also even out the physical contact from the powerful recoil. To get the ability to shoot aiming at distances of up to 60 meters, you just need to pull these shoulders without applying any special force. The ability to use shoulders from broken bows is another positive personality of our device. The main thing is to find a pair according to strength. We advise you to carefully study the blueprints of the crossbow and start assembling. To create a crossbow is not to cross a field. Read on how to make a crossbow with your own hands.
Crossbow device: bed, shoulders, trigger, sighting devices.
To create the bed, real wood is used, solid or glued, mostly hard wood. Approximate dimensions can be seen in the pictures (1 and 3)- crossbow blueprint. We choose the shape of the arrows ourselves, guided by the convenience and ergonomics of the bed, the desired image. When choosing, you must also take into account the possibility of correct manufacturing.
The use of a stock from small arms makes it possible to significantly reduce the energy consumption for making a crossbow. The trail from the trunk left in such a bed must be hammered in with wooden blocks, firmly planting them on epoxy glue.
Special attention should be paid to the processing of the boom and bowstring guides. Their finish is highly dependent on hitting accuracy. The guide lines must be perfectly straight and smooth. The preferred option is grinding on a milling machine and subsequent processing with a fine grit sandpaper. Then polishing of the guides is required. Examine the proportions of the groove of the boom rail, the diameter of which is 8 mm, possibly on rice. 3... The crosspiece, with the shoulders attached to it, is mounted from the end end of the bed. As a rule, it is cast from an aluminum alloy alloy, but it is also permissible to create it from an aluminum blank. Wood can also serve as a suitable material.
The window from which the crossbow arrow will fly out must be opposite the groove that directs it. This is how the window must be located on the cross-piece, which contains elastic elements. In this case, at the time of departure, the bowstring can be pressed against the smooth plane of the stock. Fastening of each arm to the crosspiece is carried out using 2 M8 screws. The triggering mechanism of the trigger is created in accordance with the description of the device of crossbows of the Middle Ages. It can be done without any special problems even with an average level of illumination in the workshop.
Diy crossbow trigger mechanism
How this mechanism works and how it works becomes clear from Figure 4- Diy crossbow diagram.
When the bowstring 1 is cocked, it is engaged with the protrusion a of the lever 2. When the lever is rotated, it restrains the trigger 3. When the hook is pressed, the lever is simultaneously released, at this moment the bowstring, straightening, sends an arrow. The limitation of the stop 4 occurs during the movement of the lever. In order to soften the force of the impact on the stop, it is necessary to put a rubber tube on it. The stop should be in such a position in which the extreme position of the projection a of the lever is lower than the guide surface of the stock. This prevents the bowstring from sliding. After the shot is fired, the spring 5 holds the lever in the extreme position.
In the process of pulling the crossbow, the bowstring rests on the protrusion 6, the lever 2 takes its original position. The spring 6 acts on the trigger so that it turns, the lever and the bowstring are fixed. To prevent the bowstring from accidentally jumping off the ledge a, the trigger mechanism is closed with a cover 7. A flat-type spring 8 is attached to this cover, which holds the arrow on the guides at the time of aiming the sight. The bearing 9, which is attached to the tip of the trigger, sufficiently weakens the trigger force. The selection of the trigger force level is carried out by sawing the surface resting on the bearing of the lever 2. In order to reduce the weight of the lever, it is better to make it from light alloy D16T. Safety pins can serve as a replacement for springs 5 and 6. The release mechanism can be mounted in a metal case, after which it is inserted into the socket of the stock and secured with two screws. In this way, reliability and ease of adjustment can be significantly increased. But this method makes the design more complex, and metal-cutting machines will also be needed for its implementation.
The crossbow sighting device consists of a rear sight and a front sight. Vertical corrections are carried out entirely, fixed on the cover of the trigger mechanism, and horizontal - with a front sight, fixed on the bracket of the elastic element.
There can be many design options for these devices, depending on the possibility of manufacturing, the availability of ready-made sights from sports bullet weapons, etc.
It should be borne in mind that the trajectory of the arrow of the crossbow is quite high, so the rear sight should be set significantly higher than the front sight. The angle of exceeding the aiming line ( cm. Figure 1 - Crossbow Drawings) depends on the weight of the arrow, the tension of the bowstring, the firing distance, etc. In our crossbow at a distance of 50 m, it is approximately 6 °.
Convenient design of the rear sight of the crossbow, allowing it to be removed or folded during transportation.
Our homemade crossbow, the manufacture of which is described above, is designed to shoot arrows for a crossbow with a diameter of 8 mm and a length of 350 mm. Arrows for a crossbow can be easily made from a duralumin (alloy D16T) tube with a wall thickness of 0.5 mm. Equipped with an arrow head and plumage, as is done for archery. It should be borne in mind that the shank of an arrow for a crossbow, unlike an arrow for a bow, should not have a cutout for the bowstring. It is convenient to carve it out of wood in the form of a cork and insert it into the end of the tube with glue.
In conclusion, I would like to express the hope that you have understood how to make a crossbow, making it on your own will give you a lot of pleasure, and shooting from it will give you the opportunity to have a good time in the fresh air. Do not forget only that the crossbow, like any weapon, requires a responsible attitude and adherence to all safety measures when firing. And the amount of pleasure directly depends on how the crossbow is made.
Crossbow Arrows (Bolt)
The bolt is considered to be the striking element of the crossbow. It has an even greater stopping power than an arrow. Even kevlar vests lose their effectiveness against this seemingly simple medieval weapon. That is why you should not forget about observing safety rules when firing a crossbow. Even though the article is somewhat different, it is very appropriate to recall the rules. In most cases, a bolt injury is fatal. Even the sight of a bolt sticking out of the body can cause the death of the victim.
For the manufacture of the bolt, a strong material is used, which is characterized by sufficient elasticity plus a small mass. The bolt is also made from straight grained wood, that is, from suitable blanks. A prerequisite for the flexibility of the boom is the longitudinal arrangement of the wood layers. In order for there to be small mechanization, it is necessary to use, for example, an electric drill. The bolt must be of perfect shape.
The center of gravity is between the second and first thirds of the bolt. And this, mind you, is already assembled. True, the parameter can be changed at your own discretion. Also, due to the different material used for the shaft, the sizes and materials of the socks and tips, the weight of the bolt can also be changed.
To protect the wooden shafts of the bolts from moisture, they are impregnated with special protective compounds, and also stored in a horizontal position.
Great bolts are made from broken telescopic fishing rods (from their sections) made of fiberglass. They weigh relatively little and, at the same time, they are all very durable, and they are also not afraid of dampness.
For firing a crossbow, you can use fairly heavy arrows, even welding electrodes. That is why clearly defining the optimal bolt is a serious matter. In the process, the necessary mass of bolts for your crossbow is selected, it is worth remembering the golden mean: if the bolt is heavy, it does not fly far, and the light one loses speed rather quickly.
If the string is of high quality plus you take good care of it, you will use it for a long time. As a rule, steel (strings or cables) or weaved from silk are used for the bowstring. True, in our time there is a huge amount of synthetic materials. If you make a bowstring from Kevlar, it goes like a material with high resistance (specific) to breaking.
In powerful crossbows, they use a thin steel cable, which serves as a bowstring. You can find one in both cars and motor vehicles. Breaking loads are most easily tolerated by a braided bowstring. This is due to the fact that a particle of energy goes into friction between synthetic threads. In order to keep the bowstring from abrasion on the stock, use special plastic or metal pads.
DIY crossbow drawings
Follow the download link to create a crossbow.DIY block crossbow
Sport crossbow shooting in our country is not as developed as bow shooting. This state of affairs is due not to a lack of interest, but to a banal shortage of shooting equipment. Crossbow sport itself undoubtedly has a lot of advantages. It is a vast field for the disclosure and application of certain kinds of talents.
Specifications of a homemade block crossbow:
Overall length -730 mm .;
Overall width - 530 mm .;
Shoulder length -300 mm .;
Height without sight - 180 mm .;
Height with a sight - 230 mm .;
Weight ~ 3kg;
Cocking force ~ 30 kg;
Bowstring stroke - 210 mm.;
Sight type - only optical (software 3.5x17.5 installed, dovetail type brackets).
The material of the shoulders of the spring from 412 "Muscovite", cut with the "Bulgarian", to avoid vacation, constantly watered with water, just burned the holes with electric arc welding (the edges did not seem to be released);
The trigger force varies from about 1 to 1.8 kg, the trigger works with a warning, an increase in the effort is felt before the shot. Shooting indicators (shooting was carried out prone from a support in an enclosed space, distance 25 m in three series of 5 shots, arrows made of fiberglass, weight 25 g. Length 300 mm. Plumage triple height 8 mm):
- the maximum radius from the midpoint of hit is 75 mm.
- the maximum diameter between extreme hits is 120 mm.
- the average radius of 100% hit in three series is 68 mm.
The trigger mechanism "swivel nut with a sear", made of spring scraps, first annealed (t0 = 8500C red heat, exposure 10 min. friction, then hardened to about 45-46 HRC, (t0 = 8300C light cherry scarlet heat, exposure 10 min.) and leave (t0 = 2950C bright blue tarnish, air cooling). Then all rubbing surfaces were polished. The mechanism itself is installed directly in the guide on the pins. The springs are made of a folding metal ruler.
The butt was cut from solid wood (oak taken), the basis was a 30x180 board, the groove in the center was selected using a jigsaw, a drill and a narrow chisel, the processing was first done with 10% ferric chloride (gives black color), and then varnished, but such a coating is not for me I liked it, too slippery in wet or sweaty hands.
I had to grind everything and process it with a special impregnation (I used Danish Oil, it is used specifically for impregnating wood on knife handles), covered it several times until it stopped absorbing, and then sanded it with fine sandpaper in the places of retention (~ 500-100 grit for imported paper).
The size of the butt was tailored for me personally, so if you repeat it, do it with a margin, and then adjust it. The guide is assembled according to the type of duralumin / getinax / dural / getinax / duralumin, on M3x35 screws, the central plate comes out from below for fastening with a butt, assembled on M6x30 furniture bolts with a semicircular head, from the opposite side it is attracted by nuts (holes for nuts on the butt are hexagonal, I burned them out with several nuts fixed to a long bar).
The material for the guide was a 30x4 duralumin strip, the getinax was taken 8 mm from the instrument panel of the electrical cabinet. The drawing of the guide is made with a margin, because during the manufacture of the bowstring stroke may differ, therefore, initially it is necessary to assemble the bow and measure the bowstring stroke, and then drill holes for fastening the deck. The deck is welded by argon welding from a 50x5 aluminum plate (bus from the transformer) and duralumin corners 40x20x4, to the guide it is attached with two M6x40 bolts ...
Fastening the shoulders to the deck through spacers (this is necessary because the shoulders have an initial bend, and the deck is straight) and pressure plates with three M6x25 "furniture" bolts (for one shoulder); Earrings for blocks are made of steel, like the blocks themselves, the weight of one block is ~ 65 g, if you make the same ones from aluminum alloys, the weight will decrease to 25 g, I tried to make blocks by casting in a sand-clay mold, it worked, but they were quickly cut with a cable.
The material was technically pure 99% aluminum, and the aging of the material could not be done, so I am content with steel, and I think where to find a duralumin blank of a suitable size (or maybe try using epoxy plastics). Block diameter 46 mm, eccentricity 11 mm. The bowstring is made of 3 mm steel rope. in a PVC sheath, in places of contact with surfaces, additional layers of a heat-shrinkable tube are put on, I use loops and squeeze the ends in a tube, like a grip on a motorcycle, and the use of studs is necessary both for initial tension and for subsequent tightening during operation.
The bowstring is attached to the blocks through a pin that is inserted into the central hole, and opposite the hole with an 8 mm dimer, which is opposite to the hole through which the axis of rotation of the block passes, two holes with a diameter of 3 mm are drilled in the block groove through which the cable goes inside the block and is thrown onto the pin. The bowstring enters the blocks through the holes perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the block, and the loops at the ends are thrown over the pin, one loop on the upper part, and the other on the lower part of the pin. It was through these holes that I cut aluminum blocks.
The stirrup is a cloth belt that is thrown around the deck, although you can attach a steel one to the deck, and having made it swivel, you can use it as a bipod when shooting prone or from a stop.
When pulling, I use a device consisting of a pair of blocks and a rope, when I hock, the rope is thrown onto the butt, and I hook the bowstring to the clips of the blocks, and pull at the ends of the rope, a twofold gain in strength which is quite enough for not tiring shooting, the idea was taken from the book by Yu. V. Shokareva "History of weapons bows and crossbows".
Video how to make a crossbow, super powerful
The crossbow trigger is one of the most important components of this melee throwing weapon. To make the trigger yourself, you must have a complete understanding of its structure. In addition, you need to be able to use various tools and equipment. Know turning and plumbing, at least at the student's level. In other cases, if you have no idea what a lathe is, you can simply order the necessary parts from professionals. We will start making the crossbow trigger with the simplest entry-level blueprints.
When making any complex mechanism on your own, you need to act according to the principle - the simpler the better. Because the more parts there are in the mechanism, the more accurately they must be fitted to each other, otherwise frequent breakdowns are possible. Therefore, do not chase the factory blueprints for modern crossbows. Making them at home is often technically difficult.
The simplest descent mechanism used by the warriors of ancient Russia of the eighth century is shown in the figure below.
All parts can be made of wood, they do not require any special technical knowledge. The principle of operation of the mechanism is as follows: a wooden lever, which is fixed on the stock of the crossbow with the help of an axis, pushes up a special pin. This pin pulls the bowstring off the ledges, and the arrow is sent flying. True, this trigger mechanism is suitable for crossbows with a slight pulling force on the shoulders (arcs).
I think that comments on such not complicated devices are superfluous, everything is clear without words. It is recommended that such crossbow release mechanisms be made by home-made people who do not have access to turning equipment, or who simply want to reconstruct old crossbows.
Now let's touch on more complex drawings of triggers. But their manufacture already requires turning and locksmith skills.
Here is a drawing of one of the less complicated escapement mechanisms.
To make it, you only need two main parts, which you can do completely yourself. This drawing shows the detailed dimensions of the crossbow trigger.
If such drawings seem childish to someone, due to their technical savvy, then let them pay attention to the following drawings. They are measured in inches.
And one more option
There are a lot of drawings of various escapement mechanisms. And there is no point in citing all of them, but, perhaps, for comparison, I will post one more option. This drawing is a more modern and professional escapement. There are no dimensions for this drawing, and hardly anyone wants to bother with such complex technical bells and whistles.
For our purposes, and the goal is to make a crossbow with a reliable trigger, the following design may well be suitable. This trigger design has the original name - walnut. Its principle of operation is also quite simple. The shooter presses a lever with two arms, the nut is released, turning around its axis, and lowers the bowstring. When cocked, the lever rests on a special nut protrusion, preventing it from turning arbitrarily.
These pictures are pretty self explanatory too. The only drawback is that there are no detailed dimensions for each part, but here you can include your thinking. A competent turner can easily grind these details, focusing only on the drawings and dimensions of the stock of the crossbow being made.
In addition to a strong arc with excellent tension, a reliable trigger, a comfortable bed, a cocking system is also required to make a good crossbow. We will analyze its various options in the next article.
If you do not want to buy an expensive crossbow (and prices sometimes exceed $ 1000), you can make a crossbow with your own hands. This is 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. For target shooting, a homemade crossbow is fine.
General view of a crossbow, which can be done by hand according to the drawings
In the design of this crossbow, the experience of manufacturers in the field of weapons was used. The drawings show a block-type crossbow. By following the instructions and observing all sizes, you can make a high-quality and good crossbow with your own hands, even at home
General scheme of a homemade crossbow in the assembly:
To begin with, it is advisable to carefully study the drawings of the crossbow and start assembling with your own hands. Making a crossbow with your own hands is not an easy task. But this increases the interest in work! After all, a homemade crossbow can bring great joy and respect to the performer.
Crossbow device: stock, shoulders, butt, trigger, sighting devices, block system. For the manufacture of the bed, natural wood, solid or glued beams, mainly hardwoods, are used. The exact dimensions of the crossbow can be seen on the blueprints. You choose the shape of the crossbow yourself, guided by the convenience and ergonomics of the stock, the desired image. When choosing, you must also consider whether you can make such a shape correctly.
Drawing of the shoulders and crossbow deck:
The use of a stock from small arms allows you to significantly reduce labor costs for making a crossbow. The main thing is to choose the right size. The trace from the trunk left in such a bed must be hammered in with wooden blocks, firmly seated on epoxy glue. The butt and grenade of the crossbow can also be made of wood. The stock will be attached to the rail and serve as the base for the trigger.
Stock drawing:
Proposed for do-it-yourself assembly, the crossbow has a block design. This allows you to compensate for the load when cocking the bowstring and save power. Block crossbows are the most popular among hunters because they are you can wear a crossbow cocked for a long time. This design is actively used by Horton in the production of its crossbows.
Detail drawing of block assembly:
Pay particular attention to the handling of the boom and bowstrings. The clarity of their finish greatly affects the accuracy of shooting. The guide lines must be perfectly straight and smooth. The best choice would be sanding on a milling machine and subsequent processing with fine-grain sandpaper. This is followed by polishing the guides. View the dimensions of the boom rail groove in the drawings. The crosspiece, with the shoulders attached to it, is installed from the end end of the bed. It is usually made from an aluminum blank. Wood can also be a suitable material.
The crossbow sight should consist of a rear sight and a front sight. Also, an optical sight can be installed on a crossbow, providing a mount for the aiming bar. Vertical corrections are carried out entirely, fixed on the cover of the trigger mechanism, and horizontal - with a front sight, fixed 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 trajectory of the arrow of the crossbow (crossbow bolt) is sufficiently high, so the rear sight must be set much higher than the front sight. The angle of exceeding the aiming line depends on the weight of the boom, the tension of the bowstring, the distance of fire, etc. In our crossbow at a distance of 50 m, it is about 6 °.
Convenient are the constructions 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 can shoot the crossbow under different conditions (distance to the target, arrow weight).
The crossbow, the manufacture of which with your own hands is described above, is designed for shooting with 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 the liner are attached to the front of the bolt, the plumage is attached to the back, as is done for archery. It should be borne in mind that the tail 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 out of wood in the form of a cork and inserted into the end of the tube, having previously greased it with glue.
In Europe, starting from about the XI century. and for 500 years the crossbow was an extremely widespread weapon. It (in the easel version) was used mainly to protect various objects, such as castles and ships. Hand crossbows were commonly used in field battles. In addition, the crossbow played a significant role in understanding the properties of various materials (since the action of many forces had to be taken into account in its manufacture) and the laws of motion in the air (after all, the crossbow arrow had to have certain flying qualities). Leonardo da Vinci has repeatedly addressed the study of the principles underlying crossbow shooting.
The craftsmen who made bows, crossbows and arrows did not know mathematics and the laws of mechanics. Nevertheless, tests carried out at the University of Pardue on samples of old arrows showed that these craftsmen managed to achieve high aerodynamic qualities.
In appearance, the crossbow does not seem difficult. His arc, as a rule, was strengthened in front, across a wooden or metal machine - a box. A special device held the bowstring stretched to failure and released it. The direction of flight of a short crossbow arrow was set either by a groove cut out at the top of the box, in which the arrow was laid, or by two stops that secured it in front and behind. If the arc was very elastic, then a special device was installed on the stock to pull the bowstring; sometimes it was detachable and worn with the crossbow.
The design of the crossbow has two advantages over the conventional bow. Firstly, the crossbow shoots farther on average, and the shooter armed with it in a duel with the archer remains inaccessible to the enemy. Secondly, the design of the stock, sight and trigger mechanism greatly facilitated the handling of weapons; it did not require special training from the shooter. The hook teeth that held and released the taut bowstring and arrow are one of the earliest attempts to mechanize some of the functions of the human hand.
The only thing in which the crossbow was inferior to the bow was in the rate of fire (not quite so, there is one more parameter by which the bow is superior to the crossbow - this is the price. The bow is much cheaper in production, of course this applies to ordinary weapons). Therefore, it could only be used as a combat weapon if there was a shield behind which the warrior took cover during reloading. It is for this reason that the crossbow was mainly a common type.
armament of fortress garrisons, siege detachments and ship crews.
A classic medieval crossbow with a composite bow from South Tyrol in 1475.
The CROSSBOW was invented long before it became widespread. There are two versions regarding the invention of this weapon. According to one, it is believed that the first crossbow appeared in Greece, on the other - in China. Around 400 BC. NS. the Greeks invented a throwing machine (catapult) for throwing stones and arrows. Its appearance was explained by the desire to create a weapon more powerful than a bow. Initially, some of the catapults, resembling a crossbow in principle, apparently did not exceed it in size.
In favor of the version of the origin of the crossbow in China, archaeological finds of triggers made of bronze, dating back to 200 BC, speak. NS. Although the evidence for the first appearance of the crossbow in Greece is earlier, written Chinese sources mention the use of this weapon in battles in 341 BC. NS. According to other data, the reliability of which is more difficult to establish, the crossbow was known in China another century earlier.
Archaeological finds indicate that the crossbow was used in Europe throughout the entire period from ancient times to the 11th-16th centuries, when it became the most widespread. It can be assumed that its widespread use until the XI century. two circumstances hindered. One of them is that arming troops with crossbows was much more expensive than bows. Another reason is the small number of castles during that period; castles began to play a historically important role only after the Norman conquest of England (1066).
With the increasing role of castles, the crossbow became an indispensable weapon used in feudal strife, which was not without fierce fights. Fortifications in the pre-Norman period were usually very simple and served mainly as shelters for people living nearby. Therefore, it was necessary to keep weapons behind the fortress walls in order to repel the attacks of the conquerors. The Normans exercised power in the conquered territories with the help of small, heavily armed military units. The castles served them as shelter from the indigenous people and to repel attacks from other armed groups. The firing range of the crossbow contributed to the reliable protection of these shelters.
Over the centuries after the appearance of the first crossbows, attempts were made to improve this weapon. One of the ways may have been borrowed from the Arabs. Arabian hand bows belonged to the type that was called compound, or compound.
Their design is fully consistent with this name, since they were made from various materials. Composite bows have clear advantages over bows made from a single piece of wood, as the latter has limited resilience due to the natural properties of the material. When an archer pulls the bowstring, the bow of the bow on the outside (from the archer) is under tension, and on the inside - squeezed. With excessive tension, the wood fibers of the arc begin to deform and permanent "wrinkles" appear on its inner side. Usually the bow was held in a bent state, and exceeding a certain limit tension could cause it to break.
In a compound bow, a material is attached to the outer surface of the bow that can withstand more tension than wood. This additional layer takes up the load and reduces the deformation of the wood fibers. Most often, animal tendons were used as such material, especially the ligamentum nuchae, a large elastic knot that runs along the spine and over the shoulders of most mammals. Tests have shown that such material, if properly processed, can withstand tension up to 20 kg / sq. mm. This is about four times more than the most suitable tree can handle.
For the inside of the bow, a better compression material than wood was used. The Turks used a bull horn for these purposes, the permissible compression force of which is about 13 kg / sq. mm. (Wood withstands compressive loads four times less.) The unusually high awareness of archery craftsmen about the properties of various materials can also be judged by what glues they used in the manufacture of bows. The glue made from the sky of the Volga sturgeon was considered the best. The variety of unusual materials used in archery suggests that many design solutions were achieved empirically.
16th century Italian crossbow with steel bow. Pull the bowstring into a firing position on such a "monster"
it was impossible manually, for this special devices were used, which will be described below.
Crossbows with compound arcs were common in the Middle Ages, including the Renaissance. They were lighter than steel-bow crossbows, which began to be made in the early 15th century; with the same tension on the bowstring, they fired further and were more reliable (this is most likely a translation inaccuracy: the steel arc was clearly more powerful than the composite one). Leonardo da Vinci was interested in the action of compound arcs. His manuscripts show that he used them to study the behavior of various materials under load.
The appearance of the steel bow in the Middle Ages was the zenith in the development of crossbow design. In terms of its parameters, it could be second only to a crossbow made of fiberglass and other modern materials. Steel arcs were flexible in a way that no other organic material had ever been able to provide. Victorian athlete Ralph Payne-Gallvy, who wrote a treatise on the crossbow, tested a large military crossbow, the tension of the bowstring of which was equal to 550 kg, sending an 85-gram arrow at a distance of 420 m.E. Harmuth, an expert on the history of the crossbow, claims that arcs existed with a tension twice as large. However, in the Middle Ages, the most common were crossbows with a tension of less than 45 kg. Even with special lightweight arrows, they shot no further than 275 m.
With the achievement of higher tensions, steel arcs ceased to gain in efficiency. The increase in arc mass limited its ability to impart greater acceleration to the arrow. Because of the difficulty in producing large steel ingots, crossbow arcs were generally alloyed from many pieces of metal. Each fusion point lowered the reliability of the crossbow: at any moment, the arc in this place could break.
More powerful crossbows required reliable triggers. It should be noted that the triggers used by Europeans, which usually consisted of a pivoting tooth and a simple lever escapement, were inferior to the Chinese ones, which had an intermediate lever that allowed a shot to be fired with a short and light pull on the trigger. At the beginning of the XVI century. in Germany, they began to use multi-link escapements of a more advanced design. It is interesting that a little earlier Leonardo da Vinci came up with the same design of the trigger mechanism and by calculation proved its advantages.
Swiss crossbow with composite bow. Around 1470. In the inset at the top left, there is a section of the arc of this crossbow. In the lower part, the horn plates are laid, which in the picture turned out to be orange. The surface of the plates is covered with notches, thanks to which they fit perfectly together. It is not known what kind of glue was used to connect the horn parts, but on the whole the technology was very successful, since the crossbow was symmetrical, balanced and capable of withstanding a heavy load. thick paper with a pattern.
The CROSSBOW arrow has also evolved over time. Before tracing its evolution, consider the forces acting on the bow arrow. When shooting from a regular bow, the arrow at the time of aiming should be located between the center of the archer's chest and the fingers of his outstretched hand. The relative position of these two points determines the direction of flight of the arrow after the bowstring is released.
The forces acting on the arrow at the moment of its release, however, do not quite coincide with the line of sight. A released bowstring pushes the end of the arrow towards the center of the bow, not to the side. Therefore, so that the boom does not deviate from the given direction, it must bend slightly at the moment of launch.
The required flexibility of the arrow for a traditional bow places a limit on the amount of energy imparted to it. For example, it was found that an arrow designed for a bow with a tension of up to 9 kg, when fired from a crossbow with a tension of 38 kg, can bend so much that its shaft will break.
In this regard, in the ancient era, when crossbows and catapults began to be used, arrows of a new design were invented. Due to the fact that the surface of the box of the crossbow ensured the coincidence of the direction of movement of the bowstring with the initial direction of flight of the arrow, and a special guiding device made it possible to hold it in a certain position without the help of hands, it became possible to make crossbow arrows shorter and less elastic. This in turn made them easier to store and carry.
The design of arrows that appeared at that time can be judged by two main types that have survived to this day. An arrow of one type is half the length of a conventional bow arrow. It widens sharply towards the rear end and has several blades, or feathers, that are too small to stabilize the boom in flight. The end of the boom is gripped by the hook teeth.
Other types of boom do not have blades. Their metal forehead is a third of their length, and the wooden shaft has been reduced to a minimum. These arrows also have a widening shape towards the tail. Their total length is less than 15 cm.
The design features of these arrows indicate that the masters of Ancient Rome, who were the first to invent them, were familiar with the flight qualities of bodies of various shapes. Today we understand that the feathering, which prevents the boom from spinning in flight, is the main reason for the braking. Reducing its size would increase the range of the arrow, provided that it does not turn to the side, which would further slow down its flight. This can be avoided by sharpening the shaft, i.e. making it narrower in the front than in the back. If an arrow with such a shaft begins to turn to the side, then the air pressure on the wider rear part will be higher than on the front; due to this, the direction of flight of the boom is aligned.
It can also be assumed that the shaft has a center of pressure (the point of equilibrium of all aerodynamic forces acting on it) located behind the center of gravity. On a cylindrical boom without feathers, this point will be approximately in the middle of the shaft. With an expanding boom, the center of pressure shifts to the rear. Since the center of pressure is located behind the center of gravity, the stability of an arrow with an expanding shaft is higher than with a cylindrical one, and due to the absence of feathering, its drag is less.
The expanding shaft also contributes to a more even distribution of the air mass pressure on its surface. Using the terminology of modern aerodynamics, we can say that the boundary layer is less susceptible to destruction. Decreasing the boom length also improves its flight performance, because as the boom increases in length, the turbulence of the air flow parallel to the cylindrical surface increases, absorbing more energy.
ANOTHER factor that affects the effectiveness of shooting arrows with an expanding shaft is the design of the tail. To hold the bolt with the gripping teeth of the trigger, a special notch was made in its plumage. Like the expanding shape of the shaft, the notch contributes to a more even flow of air around the boom, reducing energy-absorbing turbulence behind it.
In the early Middle Ages, the craftsmen who made bows and crossbows were not familiar with the laws of air movement and the forces that arise on the surface of bodies when they move in an air environment. Concepts such as airflow and drag did not appear until the time of Leonardo da Vinci. There is no doubt that crossbow arrows were created primarily by trial and error. Probably, their creators were guided by the desire to achieve the maximum flight range and the greatest impact force.
Nevertheless, the design of the crossbow arrows is perfect. Wind tunnel tests carried out by us at the Aerodynamic Research Laboratory of the University of Pardue confirm this. A common arrow for a combat bow, which was used in the Middle Ages, a crossbow arrow belonging to the same period, and two types of arrows for a catapult were tested. The results obtained should be interpreted with some caution, since the dimensions of the objects under study, especially the smallest, approached the sensitivity threshold of the measuring equipment. But even under these limiting conditions of the experiment, it was possible to obtain very interesting data. Firstly, the smallest arrow, which was completely preserved, except for minor damage to the plumage, judging by the data obtained, it stably maintained its position at all permissible flight angles.
Secondly, a comparative analysis of the drag-to-mass ratios for all four types of arrows showed that the arrow for a bow was significantly inferior in its flight qualities to the other three. An arrow's mass can be viewed as a measure of its ability to store kinetic energy. If all these arrows were launched at the same speed, then the mass of each of them would determine the energy reserve of the arrow at the initial moment. The rate at which energy is expended depends on the drag. A small value of the drag-to-mass ratio means the likelihood that the range of the boom will be large.
For a bow arrow, this ratio is about twice that of a crossbow arrow. It can be assumed that if the medieval and earlier masters in the creation of arrows for a bow had managed to overcome design constraints, they could have developed a more optimal design. The existing arrow design was so well matched with the materials available at that time that its geometry did not improve during the period when the bow was considered the main weapon.
ALL THESE improvements were dictated by the urgent need for crossbows. Often in peacetime, garrisons were deployed on the territory of the castles, consisting mainly of riflemen armed with crossbows. Well-defended outposts such as the English port of Calais (on the northern coast of France) had 53,000 crossbow arrows in stock. The owners of these locks usually bought arrows in large quantities - 10-20 thousand pieces each. It is estimated that in the 70 years from 1223 to 1293 one family in England produced 1 million crossbow arrows.
Based on these facts, we can say that the beginning of mass production was laid long before the industrial revolution. This can be confirmed by a simple device used at that time of two fastened wooden bars, forming something similar to a vice: an arrow blank was inserted into the grooves in the wooden bars for subsequent processing. For the manufacture of tail blades, metal plates with grooves were used, into which blanks were inserted. Such a device made it possible to obtain the desired dimensions and symmetrical shape of the blades.
Another device is a planing machine, which was probably intended both for turning the boom shaft and for cutting the grooves into which the feather blades were inserted. Bars from small-diameter wooden blanks were not easy to make on the primitive lathes of the time, since the blanks were bent when machined with a cutting tool. In a planing machine, a metal cutting tool was fixed in a block of wood with two clamps on opposite sides.
The block was moved along the clamping device, which firmly held the boom blank. The cutting tool removed the chips until the bar reached the surface of the clamping device. Thus, automatic control of the thickness of the cut layer and the direction of cutting was achieved. As a result, the arrows were almost the same size.
A firearm has come to REPLACE the crossbow. The popularity of the ancient crossbow began to decline. However, they still continued to use it in naval battles. The reason was that the crossbow did not have a fuse, and for the shooter it was safe, unlike firearms, which at first often hit the shooter himself. In addition, the bulwark on the ship served as a good cover, behind which it was possible to safely reload the crossbow. Heavier crossbows continued to be used in the whaling industry. Firearms have gradually supplanted the crossbow in hunting on land.
The exception was crossbows, which fired stones or bullets. This type of weapon was used in hunting small game until the 19th century. The fact that these crossbows, firing shot or bullets, had much in common with firearms, indicates the mutual influence of the two types of weapons in the process of their evolution. Elements of firearms such as the stock, the trigger, which requires a weak pressure, and the sighting device, were borrowed from crossbows, and primarily from sports. Such crossbows have not yet gone out of use.
Appearance in the XX century. fiberglass materials led to the creation of a new generation of composite crossbows. Glass fibers have the same properties as natural veins, and their cellular structure is as strong as a bull's horn. Although in the revival of archery, the crossbow still lags behind the bow in many respects in its popularity, it also has many adherents. The modern crossbow shooter has at his disposal a "weapon" much more advanced than what it was in the Middle Ages.
ENGLISH CROSSBOW. The date of manufacture is indicated on its wooden bed - 1617. An ivory plate with inlay indicates that this crossbow was a hunting crossbow; a military crossbow would hardly have such an artistic finish. To pull the bowstring of the crossbow required a force in excess of one hundred kilograms, so the crossbowman used a special gear mechanism. There is a socket in the stock of the crossbow, which was probably intended for this mechanism. The bowstring is shown taut. In this position, she was held by hook teeth, which released her when the trigger was pressed, located at the bottom of the box. A short arrow 30.5 cm long released from the crossbow flew a distance of about 400 m. The bow of the crossbow was attached to the stock using a ring and a harness. The drawing was taken from a crossbow from the collection of the Museum of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.
THREE CROSSBOWS are depicted in a painting by an Italian artist of the 15th century. Antonio del Pollaiolo "St. Sebastian". One shooter aims with a crossbow, the other two draw the bowstring using the crossbow "stirrup", since it took a lot of effort to pull the bowstring. The painting is kept at the National Gallery in London.
FRENCH BATTLE CROSSBOW XIV century. and two arrows to it from the collection of the Museum of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. It was impossible to pull the bowstring of such a crossbow by hand, therefore, a gate was installed at the rear end of the machine, or box. The stock has a length of 101 cm, a crossbow width of 107 cm, and an arrow length of about 38 cm.
The CROSSBOW consists of a curved arc, a bowstring, a toe tooth (which the bowstring clung to) and a trigger. When the lever was pressed, the tooth released the bowstring, and the arrow flew out of the crossbow. The stop fixed the position of the tensioning mechanism, with the help of which the bowstring was retracted. Tensioner design is one of the earliest examples of gear train use.
PARADOX ARROW partly explains why short arrows were used when firing a crossbow. The paradox is demonstrated for the case when the shooter uses an arrow from a regular bow. When aiming (1), the arrow is located on one side of the bow. The line of sight runs along the arrow. However, when the shooter releases the arrow (2), the force with which the bowstring acts on it causes the tail of the arrow to move towards the center of the bow. For the arrow to maintain its direction to the target, it must bend in flight (3). In the first few meters of flight, the arrow vibrates, but in the end its position stabilizes (4). The need for flexibility in the bow arrow limits the amount of energy that can be imparted to it. In contrast, the crossbow arrow should be shorter and stiffer, since the crossbow gives it significant energy. Such arrows also had better aerodynamic properties.
The release mechanisms of the crossbows had a different design. In China, 2000 years ago, a mechanism (a) with a tooth for engaging a bowstring was used, which was attached to the same axis as the trigger. A curved intermediate lever connected both parts, due to which the descent was carried out with a light and short press. On the right is the direction of movement of the bowstring during descent. In the West, trigger mechanisms were first used in catapults (b). In these mechanisms, when the bowstring was released, the tooth did not fall, but rose. In medieval Europe, the most common was the escapement mechanism (c); its position was fixed with a simple release lever, which hooked into the recess at the bottom of the wheel. When pressed on such a lever, the crossbow could move from the aiming position. Over time, an intermediate lever was used in all designs of escapement mechanisms, which facilitated the descent.
ARROW TYPES for bows and crossbows: regular arrow for combat longbow (a); the arrow used by the Romans (b) for a crossbow-like catapult; a typical arrow for a medieval crossbow (c) and two types of arrows for a catapult of another smaller Roman design (d). Under the images of arrows, you can see their view from the side of the tail unit and the view from the side of the tip.
RESULTS OF TESTING in a wind tunnel of the five types of arrows shown in the upper figure. The tests were carried out with the participation of the author of the article in the aerospace research laboratory of the University of Pardue. In the calculations carried out by W. Hickam, it was assumed that the initial velocity of each arrow was 80 m / s. While longbow arrows were unlikely to have this speed, the accepted value was convenient for comparative analysis.
The story about crossbows and crossbowmen would probably not be complete without an overview of pavez - specific shields of crossbow shooters.
What is a paveza - PAVEZA (pavese, pavise, pavise, pavese) - a type of shield widely used by the infantry in the XIV-XVI centuries. The shield was rectangular, the lower part could have an oval shape. The paveza was often supplied with an emphasis, sometimes spikes were made on the lower edge, which were stuck into the ground. Usually, a vertical ledge (from the inside - a groove) passed through the middle of the shield to strengthen the structure. The pavese was 40 to 70 cm wide and 1-1.5 m high. The shield was made of light wood and covered with cloth or leather. The paveses were often painted with emblems with heraldic or religious content.
One of the most famous paveses is the pavese from the Cluny Museum (Paris). Mid 15th century, painted by David and Goliath.
Pavese of the Swiss crossbowman with the image of the coat of arms of Bern - a bear.
End of the 14th century. Stored in the Historical Museum of Bern.
Depending on the method of application, there were manual and standing pavises (the latter were often used by crossbowmen due to the long reload time of weapons during the siege of castles and cities). The hand pavises were rectangular, often tapering downward. They were used by both infantry and knightly cavalry. Paveses were widely used by the Hussites during the Hussite Wars.
Traditionally, it is believed that the name of the shield comes from the Italian city of Pavia, where it was invented in the 13th century. It is also noted that the classic infantry version of the paveza took shape during the Hussite Wars.
Unusual Belgian (Flemish) Pavise of the 15th century, with a loophole for firing in the center
shield and two thorns for driving into the ground, from the collection of the Brussels Historical Museum.
Later researchers came to the conclusion that the paveza could have entered Western Europe through the Baltic Crusaders, who borrowed this type of shield from the local Baltic population. The lands of Rus' (XII century) or the Lithuanian-Mazovian region (XIII century) are called the place of origin of the paveses. At the turn of the XIII-XIV centuries, the pavises spread to Mazovia, to the lands ruled by the Teutonic Order, in Western Russia and, probably, in the rest of Poland. Belarusian archaeologist Nikolai Plavinsky notes that around the 14th century, the area of distribution of the paveza covered the entire Baltic-Polish-Russian region
There are a lot of these shields (oddly enough, much more than their contemporary crossbows), so the view can be endless.
The strength and convenience of shields of this type quickly led to their widespread use by the knightly class and ordinary warriors (not crossbowmen) throughout Western Europe. Naturally, mostly in the manual version.
The age of paveza ended with the proliferation of hand-held firearms.