Crossbows - General Comments Thread

[workinwifdakids]

Over here, IrateIrishman and I mentioned crossbows, and I want to start a clean thread on this.

Please jump in with anything and everything, and I hope this thread will spawn others about crossbows. Lord knows I'll be following up with lots of questions.

[mekender]

I live in the only state in the union that requires a "pistol permit" to buy crossbows...

That said, I am a huge fan of the idea of them, havent ever fired one other than the $30 flea market specials that break after 2 weeks.

[1991A1]

My wife got me one for Christmas several years ago. I had wanted on for awhile, and was thrilled when I received it. It was a metal limbed kit crossbow with a 125 lb draw weight. Looked cool, felt cool (I carved the stock to fit me as a lefty), shot like a piece of crap. It would blast bolts through impressive amounts plywood, but to shoot it at anything past 25 yds required sighting akin to firing a M-79 grenade launcher at distance. Lots and lots of holdover on the target.

Hopefully the newer versions are superior.

[Lokidude]

I have a 50 pound pistol crossbow around here somewhere that needs restrung. It's a pretty neat toy, but that's about as far as it goes with me. For handicapped folks who want to bowhunt, I like em just fine. For target shooting, they're kinda neat. For historical re-enactor types, their crossbows are damn cool.

Beyond those folks and uses, I pretty much class crossbows alongside in-line muzzle loaders. Yeah, technically it's a bow, but functionally, it's so far removed from a bow that using one to hunt during bow-only seasons borders on unethical, at least to me. I'm not near as opposed to crossbows in the field as I am inlines, but they're a long way in the same direction, at least in my book.

[First Shirt]

Beyond those folks and uses, I pretty much class crossbows alongside in-line muzzle loaders. Yeah, technically it's a bow, but functionally, it's so far removed from a bow that using one to hunt during bow-only seasons borders on unethical, at least to me. I'm not near as opposed to crossbows in the field as I am inlines, but they're a long way in the same direction, at least in my book.

What he said!!!!!!

I don't have a problem with folks using in-lines and crossbows or compounds, but don't try to tell me that its "primitive weapons". Hell, Mississippi allows the use of any single-shot rifle that uses a pre-1900 cartridge originally designed for smokeless powder in the muzzleloader season. Yeah, that means a single-shot rifle in .45-70 or 38-55 is a legal "muzzleloader."

Its simply a case of following the letter of the law, while ignoring the original intent.

[Netpackrat]

Its simply a case of following the letter of the law, while ignoring the original intent.

Perhaps they are less interested in your hifalutin' sport hunter ideals than they are in putting meat in the freezer. I don't much care for the inlines either, but they wouldn't exist if it weren't for holier than thou types in the game departments mandating that people buy a second rifle (and usually also a bow) to hunt the entire season.

[First Shirt]

Around here, the rifle season runs from mid-November until mid-January, and the limit is one per day. The archery season starts in late September, and overlaps the two-week "primitive weapons" season. Somebody that's serious about putting meat in the freezer can legally harvest 60 deer per season during the rifle season. The in-line shooters are mostly doing it to brag about using a muzzleloader to take a deer, and the fact that most of them couldn't hit the ground with the thing unless they dropped it (and some would have to drop it twice) doesn't make the responsible hunters look any better to the birdwatchers.

[Termite]

I don't have a problem with folks using.........crossbows............., but don't try to tell me that it is a "primitive weapon".

The crossbow dates from around the year 500 BC. William Tell, the legendary Swiss crossbowman, lived in the early 14th century.

Sure, there are a lot of modern materials and improvements in today's crossbows, especially the compound crossbows, but the basic design is similar to the original. It is a primitive weapon, with a very limited range compared to any firearm, even a flintlock muzzle loader. It's just easier to use than a regular bow, compound or otherwise.

[Lokidude]

I'm not at all opposed to folks using inlines or crossbows during general or "any weapon" seasons in any way, shape, or form. But using them as a technicality to skirt the intent of primitive weapon seasons is where my problems arise.

[NVGdude]

I pretty much class crossbows alongside in-line muzzle loaders. Yeah, technically it's a bow, but functionally, it's so far removed from a bow that using one to hunt during bow-only seasons borders on unethical,

Besides unethical, it's also illegal in many states. Where I grew up (Kalifornistan) you could only use a crossbow during rifle season, in which case, I'm going to use a 30-06, not a glorified bow.