Are crossbows primitive?

[OldBow]

A current thread has an outstanding crossbow. I've never added crossbows to either categories of BOM. The problem is there would likely not be enough crossbows for their own category. This is a string backed woodbow. Any thoughts about where it belongs in BOM?

[mullet]

 Don, I don't see a place for it in BOM. I think it needs a special article with a build- along.

[huntertrapper]

i dont know about the BOM,...but i would consider the ones made here primitive....

[mullet]

 Or,, maybe a special mention, with pictures. It really is cool looking.

[majsnuff]

No

[DanaM]

What eddie said, but its your call Don.

[Cromm]

Hi,
You could do it on a yearly setup,if there is only say 3 to 9 made maybe like a Xmas special???

[Dane]

Well, a crossbow is a bow, and it can be made primitively, and it does the exact same thing a hand bow does, shoot arrows and kill things. Maybe one issue some have with the crossbow is that is is more a war weapon than a hunting weapon, but crossbows have been used to hunt, I would guess, since the first one was built. And the English Warbow was primarily a war weapon, but those get consideration for BOM.

Not many get built by board members, though. I can only recall two right now I've seen, the current one and one Ivar made a while back, so a crossbow catagory would almost always be empty.

Dane

[orcbow]

Crossbows have a long history.  The Chinese were using them by at least 500 BCE (or 2500 years ago). But consider if some one had only one hand, or one arm. A crossbow stock is the missing arm. The spinning nut is like fingers that grip the string. The rest is just a bow and an arrow.

[Dane]

Agreed, and they are an ancient weapon, as Orc said.

My only other comment that comes to mind is maybe there should be a special once a year catagory for arrow firing devices that aren't hand bows. Not that I am bucking for an award, but my two Roman / Greek torsion machines may fall under a special catagory. They, like crossbows, are mechanical arrow shooters, with the pawl acting as a crossbow nut.

What I do want to see is any non bow project having a build along or article, just to open eyes to other facets of primitive archery.

Dane

[Gordon]

Even if it was not considered for BOM, I think that particular crossbow would be an excellent addition to the magazine along with a short article.

[sailordad]

i say that a crossb ow can be primitive.
if it is made in the way of the originals(like the one posted earlier)

it would be as  primitive to modern cross bows as our selfbows are primitive to modern long bows.jmho

[mullet]

  I would like to see some myself. It's on my to do list, and the more I see helps the learning curve. With Jaroslav coming on here now, maybe he will post some of the museum quality reproductions he has made.

[Justin Snyder]

Don, I don't see any reason why they couldn't be included in BOM based on what the "bow" portion is made of. 

If someone wants to see a special issue with some crossbows, it is time for them to get writing.  These articles don't write themselves. I don't see any other way for crossbows to get special recognition.  Justin

[Hillbilly]

Marc had a good article in the last issue about building a primitive crossbow. As for where they fit in the BOM, I don't know-but I would certainly say that a traditional crossbow is a primitive weapon.