There are some USA folks on utube building stuff like elastic powered crossbow type affairs. I can not remember any links but you should be able to find it quite easily doing a search on utube. It must be borne in mind, that what testing looks good on line is not necessarily the complete sequence of events in reality and also most of the stuff is tested when it is recently built and so does not take in to account robustness of longevity. These last two are crucial requirements.
As I said on another post recently - the OSS during the 2ndWW experimented with elastic powered bolt firers and similar weapons and whilst some achieved impressive results, the lifespan of the elastic was minimal. It would stretch or fray or shred or snap or any combination of these. This was due to the high loading of a weapon the size of a crossbow or similar. For smaller projectile weapons, then the elastic performed ok. By the time these experiments were complete, it had become apparent that the spys and Resistance behind German lines could be equipped with expedient 1 shot or "Liberator" pistols more easily.
For elastic, you need a weapon design that does not require too great a force to be asked of the elastic and so a lighter projectile is also beneficial. The stretch wants to be momentary and not held in the cocked position. The launching distance wants to be long to achieve greater acceleration with a lower force. Much like a catapult! lol
I will give you one great piece of advice >>> Go buy this book >>>>"The Practical Guide to MAN-POWERED WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION" by Richard Middleton.
It will all make sense after that.....
Regards, TL
SOE, not OSS!! Got mixed up nationalities..
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