Excalibur crossbows

[Pete Grey]

(16 December 2018, 11:03)Mortblanc Wrote:

(15 December 2018, 22:27)Pete Grey Wrote: I have an old Barnet Wildcat crossbow, not used it for years, it’s been relagated as a wall hanger in the loft “den”, it’s been replaced by an Anglo Arms Hornet only 120 lbs, but i do want to put my back out with a high power bow like some prepper (MB knows who). And there’s not much big game to take down around here. I’m thinking of treating the OH to an Armex Blackhawk 99 lbs, also fires 8mm bb’s, useful.

As for air rifles due to the pathetic 12 f/lbs limit here over penetration is not really a problem, with pigeons 22 pellets can bounce off the feathers, while 177s get through, as for fitting more powerful springs whose to say was the gun upto the 12 f/lbs in the first place ?.

Aaahaa the great tomato slayer. I had not thought about him in some time!

Pete, I have been using pellet rifles for most of my life and I guarantee that if .22 pellets are bouncing off pigeon feathers they are not traveling at even half the 12 pound limit, or the range was truly excessive.

I know the trend today is long range target shooting with pellet rifles but the 12 pound guns are best used on game inside the 25 meter limit and 10 meters is better. It is only out there at the long ranges where the trajectory of the slightly faster .177 really makes any difference in accuracy mostly due to easier range estimation. If you are inside 25 yards hold over or under is negligible. Less than an inch high or low from muzzle to 25 meters.

It starts dropping rapidly after 25 and goes wild past 35.

And what is that difference in speed between .177 and .22 ??? Well when you are near the 12 pound limits it is going to be about 800 fps for an 8 grain .177 pellet and 700 fps for an 11 grain .22 pellet.

I have killed many rabbits, squirrels and birds with 11 grain .22 pellets traveling at 550 fps. That is just a hair over 7 lbs. I did not know it was 12 lbs energy, or the velocity either for that matter. I just knew my multi-pump Crossman was a whole lot more powerful than my old Daisy!

Most of those were not head shots, but solid body shots to the vitals. I did not know a pellet gun required head shots when I was a kid, and apparently no one told the critters either so they died in ignorance.

And you are correct almost all the manufacturers insure that their products are well under the 12 lb limit. No manufacturer is going to put their power levels consistently up there at the 11.97 level for fear of a bad chronograph reading or machine malfunction. What you will get at best is a speed consistently 50 fps slower than the legal limit. Most will not do that much.

Over here there is an extreme search for top pellet speed to the complete destruction of accuracy, as well as very loud report due to many of the air guns breaking the sound barrier and giving a crack as loud as a .22 rim fire. The speed race has some makers advertising velocities of 1400-1600 fps with .177 pellets and over 1000fps in .22. Some of the springer rifles in use over here have 50-60 pounds cocking effort.

A person could throw his back out and kill all his tomato plants!

Takes all the fun right out of it!

On doing some research it turns out that my bsa meteor was designed to produce just 7.5 to 8.5 lbs when new. It got to be at least 30 years old so it must be really down on power.

So do i fit a new stronger spring (like a titan) and risk damaging the gun and possibly braking the law ?.

Or strip, check all parts (replacing standard spring if it’s damaged) and then lubricate as i reassemble to original specification and hope stopping power increases to designed poundage ?.

Or i could do both, overhaul the gun but get a stronger spring to fit for when we are WROL.

It looks like i have an interesting project coming up.