Posted on 12/10/2013 5:12:07 AM PST by Carriage Hill
"Unless you're fighting zombies, skip the crossbow."
While many preppers are busy stockpiling hordes of rifles, shotguns, and handguns plus cases of ammunition for a looming doomsday scenario, others are thinking more broadly about other weapons options. Thanks to the success of AMC’s The Walking Dead, one of the options that has become popular with preppers is the crossbow. On TWD, one of the main characters (Norman Reedus’s Daryl Dixon) uses a crossbow with quite an astonishing amount of lethal success. But is this even remotely realistic? Let’s take a look at this bolt (arrow) shooting implement to see its implications as a true SHTF tool.
Back in the 1960s one of my parents worked at the local college and befriended some visiting British chemistry professors. These guys had got it into their heads to make a crossbow (for laughs, I guess) out of channel iron and an automobile leaf spring.
The fired it once[1]. It shot a steel bolt (I don’t remember re-bar or just rod stock) through the wall of a classic New England tobacco barn[2], across the width of the barn, and embedded half its length through the far wall.
It scared them so badly, they gave it away. (Not to me — I was too young back then.)
P.
[1] It took a bumper jack to draw the thing — not a rapid-fire weapon.
[2] These barns were the OLD ones made from native oak — that stuff was hard!
Me, too! Either the walker's skulls are very thin or they use a very sharp knife.
I would like to master the slingshot. Quiet. They will never outlaw rocks. And it was good enough for David.
Wow. That is one brave woman to hunt bear with arrows.
My Horton has a 150-lb pull, and it doesn't nearly cut my fingers off cocking it. The guy needs to either grow a set of ba**s, or put on a dress.
While I've never shot anyone with it, zombie or otherwise, it's a great silent hunting tool, making it possible to stay ready to go at a moment's notice, without killing your shoulder holding a bow draw. After TSHTF, my crossbow will be great for procuring meat; it's reliable, accurate and silent.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
The long range activity will probably be guerrilla activity against a superior force.
***For that, you could use a crossbow with explosive tipped ammo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1IEdkc9IAU
People!
People!
People!
crossbow’s not for fightin’
They are for gathering food without the badguys knowing that you exist.
“The accuracy of mine amazed me. I can put the same bolt through the same hole every time with a bench rest at 40 yards.”
And I guess that was sort of my point. When I think of “long arms” or hunting arms I am not thinking of accurate within that range. I am thinking longer. I’m not anti-crossbow rather I simply find the appropriate firearm to be the better choice in just about all occasions for my liking.
If you like your crossbow and it works for you, amen. I have just never found them to be my cup if you will.
I have one, but I can’t draw it anymore since my shoulder went out. I keep thinking I should look for one that has a crank you can draw it with. They are nice and quiet for hunting with.
I doubt you’re going to bring down a big fat delicious buck with a slingshot, though.
driftdriver, I bought the Cold Steel Trail Hawk a few years ago. It too has the hammer on the reverse side which is useful. I can’t throw it worth a darn though but that’s me.
Now if I had a few more bucks, this is what I’d get...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgyY7uAAXic
Also, I just took up another goofy obsession. EDC (every day carry) LED Flashlights. Helpful when self defense is needed at night.
The most I’ve used my tomahawk/ax for is opening a coconut I picked up down at the beach. it did a bang up job on that
I use mine all the time to open Heinekins.
Good points!
Already been removed, don’t want this uncouthyness to hurt anyone.
Good Point. My purchase was a very practical one. My state began allowing X-bows during our deer hunting season in 2012. The firearms season only goes for about 2 weeks and ends on T-giving weekend. However, "bow season" goes from October to January. Seeing as I do not want to invest in the money or time to get proficient with a compound bow and x-bows are pretty easy to learn and use, I chose the lazy bow hunter's way to exploit the opportunity to get more time in the field.
I would not even comment about folks considering a x-bow (or any bow for that matter) for self defense. Hunting only.
bttt
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