Can you folks like SD, Tartar etc help me please.
How long should a modern glass fiber prod last on a recurve crossbow?
Do they break very often?
How long do strings last?
How many spare prods and nock ends and strings should I be caching?
Are the 20 in bolts better than 14 or 17 inch bolts??
Is there a better quality after market make of prod and string i can buy ?
Sorry. Have no idea on how long these things last, my crossbow though is still going strong after 30 years. Not one break.
My method of stocking up is simple. i keep adding to them. I have two strings and bits. Dozens of bolts. I add some bolts every now and again when I have spare cash.
(25 January 2012, 13:49)NorthernRaider Wrote: [ -> ]Can you folks like SD, Tartar etc help me please.
How long should a modern glass fiber prod last on a recurve crossbow?
Do they break very often?
How long do strings last?
How many spare prods and nock ends and strings should I be caching?
Are the 20 in bolts better than 14 or 17 inch bolts??
Is there a better quality after market make of prod and string i can buy ?
Only too happy to help you out mate
Prod life is determined by one factor-qaulity, on mid range to high end -Excaliber, horton etc the limbs will last you a lifetime, but shit happens bro, and some have broken but it is a rare event. On the lower end crossbows you have more risk due to the manufacturing techniques and materials used, but to be honest if anything the lower end prods tend to be overengineered anyway so have an inbuilt "toughness"to them. If in doubt buy a spare prod and you are sorted.
String life is proportional to the number of times the crossbow is shot, and the quality of the string. There are other factors like using string lube on the rail, this will prolong your string by reducing friction. I would always get some spare strings made from a good maker (I have used Longbow shop before and World of archery in Preston) both did a good job. But once you buy or make a string jig, you can make them yourself
then you have to rely on no one.
I would have four strings put aside for cross bow (and then get string jig)
Nock ends can take a battering and seeing as they are quite cheap I would buy 10.
Bolt size is determined by the stroke of the crossbow and rail length. You can have a compact crossbow shoot 17inch bolts and still have the same energy as a crossbow shooting 20inch ones. but generally the bigger bolts because they have more mass will produce more energy (foot ponds), but it's horses for course mate.
Excellent info, its really appreciated, I'm Ok with the pistol bows I've for 4 spare prods, 10 nock ends, 6 strings ( I think) and about 100 bolts now. But I did not have any experience with bog standard imported 150 Lb Draw recurve bows using the same sort of fibreglass limbs.
(25 January 2012, 22:37)NorthernRaider Wrote: [ -> ]Excellent info, its really appreciated, I'm Ok with the pistol bows I've for 4 spare prods, 10 nock ends, 6 strings ( I think) and about 100 bolts now. But I did not have any experience with bog standard imported 150 Lb Draw recurve bows using the same sort of fibreglass limbs.
I have not had any experience of pistol style crossbows before last weekend when a friend brought this round- Cobra MKII 80lb self cocking pistol crossbow
http://ant-supplies.co.uk/PistolCrossbows.aspx. I was gob smacked by its performance and pointability. At 15 yards it buried itself over halfway through a phone book!! Using the open sights you can get respectable groups out to twenty yards, i reckon with a decent single point sight-sub twenty yards this would be a fantastic weapon, and would easily take down small game and birds (yes I know about the laws regarding hunting with crossbows/bows)
At fifteen to twenty yards we were getting from Four to six inches of penetration on a variety of targets from the small darts- 6.5 inches. From a defence point of view it may seem a puny weapon to put your life on, but make no mistake if this hits you anywhere in the chest or vitals you are fckued, and inside a house it is VERY manoeverable. I am waiting delivery of mine and can't wait to give it a thorough testing. If i can sort out the cam corder I will attempt to put an honest review on here.
sorry folks the link is not working
Try this
http://ant-supplies.co.uk
Yup we have both the Mk1 and Mk 2 versions for home security.
(26 January 2012, 13:42)NorthernRaider Wrote: [ -> ]Yup we have both the Mk1 and Mk 2 versions for home security.
Having only used the cobra a couple of times I would apreciate your feedbank on the overall durability, like does it lose accuracy over time etc, what's your thoughts
Obviously its designed to a price and over the years I've read of the little circlips that hold the cocking rods to the pistol grip coming adrift, but it has not stop the bow from functioning, I've heard that at times leaving the bow string causes prods to weaken or take a set, but what I do know that does happen to bloody often is the nock end caps break alarmingly often, thats why I keep loads of em.
Accuracy has always been remarkedly consistant but i only have em for close range use not more than sort of 15 to 20 yards.
Some string suppliers provide the strings the way Barnett intended with a nylon tube over the center section as a wear guide, but many of the after market suppliers sell strings without the wear guide.
The Mk two now has a P rail instead of the Mk 1s 11 mm rail, and the Mk2 is also drilled and tapped under the forgrip to accept more p rail to carry forgrips or lasers etc.
Inexpensive, reasonable quality, deadly silent, piss easy to cock, easy for novices and smaller folk to use. Wet & Cold before he buggered off did a good post on tarting up the bolts for the Cobra.
(26 January 2012, 14:52)NorthernRaider Wrote: [ -> ]Obviously its designed to a price and over the years I've read of the little circlips that hold the cocking rods to the pistol grip coming adrift, but it has not stop the bow from functioning, I've heard that at times leaving the bow string causes prods to weaken or take a set, but what I do know that does happen to bloody often is the nock end caps break alarmingly often, thats why I keep loads of em.
Accuracy has always been remarkedly consistant but i only have em for close range use not more than sort of 15 to 20 yards.
Some string suppliers provide the strings the way Barnett intended with a nylon tube over the center section as a wear guide, but many of the after market suppliers sell strings without the wear guide.
The Mk two now has a P rail instead of the Mk 1s 11 mm rail, and the Mk2 is also drilled and tapped under the forgrip to accept more p rail to carry forgrips or lasers etc.
Inexpensive, reasonable quality, deadly silent, piss easy to cock, easy for novices and smaller folk to use. Wet & Cold before he buggered off did a good post on tarting up the bolts for the Cobra.
Good point on the bolts issue, I'm thinking about trying some of my wooden shafts on it 5/16 Port Orford Cedar, when it comes. I think the shafts will handle the power surge and not bend due to them only being 6 half inches long. If you could use wooden shafts I reckon you could make quite cache of bolts. What ya think
(26 January 2012, 14:58)Tartar Horde Wrote: [ -> ]Good point on the bolts issue, I'm thinking about trying some of my wooden shafts on it 5/16 Port Orford Cedar, when it comes. I think the shafts will handle the power surge and not bend due to them only being 6 half inches long. If you could use wooden shafts I reckon you could make quite cache of bolts. What ya think
String, bolt and prod making skills are definately very desirable. I've just put my back out trying to cock this effing 150 thing.