Help identifying replica crossbow.

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English Bowman

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I have been given an old crossbow, and I would like to know more about it.

All I know about it is that it was made by someone who made replicas for museums, but I don't know if this one is a replica of an historical weapon, or if he just made this one for fun. If anyone has any ideas of if this is based on a real weapon or not, I'd love to know.
The lever that is up in this pic, is the spanning mechanism.
 

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Deleted member 7654

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It's a stonebow, designed to shoot lead balls or pebbles, used for small game.
Your one looks like a repro of a 'fancy' one, maybe a ladies game weapon. they were a sort of percursor to airguns.
It has a string which has a leather pouch built into it, Ralph Payne Galweys book has illustrations of the string , trigger mechanism and cocking lever. Type stonebow into google images, you'll see some pics.
Many years ago a friend and I refurbished one which a colleage found in a lft, he'd tried to clean it up with a disc sander <groan> we restored it to working order.
Del
 

English Bowman

Well-known member
It's a stonebow, designed to shoot lead balls or pebbles, used for small game.
Your one looks like a repro of a 'fancy' one, maybe a ladies game weapon. they were a sort of percursor to airguns.
It has a string which has a leather pouch built into it, Ralph Payne Galweys book has illustrations of the string , trigger mechanism and cocking lever. Type stonebow into google images, you'll see some pics.
Many years ago a friend and I refurbished one which a colleage found in a lft, he'd tried to clean it up with a disc sander <groan> we restored it to working order.
Del
I see where you're coming from on that idea, but the string didn't have a pouch, it was a "normal" string. I've taken it off to make a new one as it was almost worn through at the centre. (centre serving gone, and several stands broken) It's also got a groove in the bow that would support a bolt, of a similar size to the bolts supplied with pistol crossbows. It could be that the string wasn't the original, but it looked like it was. Maybe the guy who made it modified the stone bow idea.
 
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Assuming you didn't get it from the maker it's most likely the string has been lost and replace by someone who didn't know what they were looking at.
If the latch that holds the string at full draw just a small single curved steel finger (bit like a release aid), pointing upwards and there's no flat runway (or groove) for the bolt it's definitely a stone bow.
It's not too hard to make a split string with pocket if you can see the illustrations.
It's one of those things that's on my 'to make' list.

It looks too well made for the maker to have got it wrong. Presumably the ends of the prod are kicked up a a fair bit above the centreline?
It should shoot marbles with good accuracy as they are about the right size projectile.
Yours looks very much like this one http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6755535
Del
BTW. The one me and my pal refubished didn't have a string at all.
 

English Bowman

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Assuming you didn't get it from the maker it's most likely the string has been lost and replace by someone who didn't know what they were looking at.
As far as I know I was given the original string. The guy who gave it to me inherited from the maker. He put it in a cupboard for 10 years because he didn't know what to do with it. Then he heard that I had the mobile museum and gave it to me for display.
If the latch that holds the string at full draw just a small single curved steel finger (bit like a release aid), pointing upwards and there's no flat runway (or groove) for the bolt it's definitely a stone bow.
You're right about the latch, but it does have a groove for a bolt.
It's not too hard to make a split string with pocket if you can see the illustrations.
It's one of those things that's on my 'to make' list.

It looks too well made for the maker to have got it wrong. Presumably the ends of the prod are kicked up a a fair bit above the centreline?
It should shoot marbles with good accuracy as they are about the right size projectile.
Yours looks very much like this one A prodd (or stone bow) : Lot 1353
Del
BTW. The one me and my pal refubished didn't have a string at all.
You're right about the bow you link to, almost identical, apart from mine has a bolt runway. The ends of the prod are only kicked up enough to give a string minimal clearance above the runway. I'll post some more close ups for you to get a better look. The info you've given me so far is brilliant thanks.
Crossbow details (3).JPG
 

English Bowman

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The runway for the bolt Crossbow details (4).jpg

This and the clip above the latch is why I don't think that it's a stone bow. I think the guy who made it modified the stone bow design that you've linked. Since he made replicas for museums, and he kept this one, maybe he made a copy of that bow at one stage, liked it, and made another one, but wanted it to shoot bolts. Unfortunately the guy who gave it to me had no interest in it and therefore didn't ask his dad about it whilst he was still alive.
 
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Deleted member 7654

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Jeez that's weird and interesting.
If it were mine I'd reinstate it as a stonebow.
I could imagine having an attachment to allow it to shoot bolts rather than balls, but I can't really fathom why someone with that undoubted skill would make a hybrid like that unless he'd found some historical precedent.
Ah! Maybe it's the built in cocking lever he liked? I've not seen bolt shooting crossbows of that era with built in cocking levers, and it is an elegant solution, saves messing about carrying a separate lever.
Any chance of a pic of the string catch pretty please prrrrrrr?
Confuse a cat!
Del
 
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Deleted member 7654

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I some how missed some of the pics.
I've had a closer look and scoured my Ralph Payne Galwey, can't find any reference to stone bows or bullet bows having a bolt shooting attachment, so maybe it's unique.
The mechanism has a touch of the chinese repeating crossbow about it in the way the track slides forward as it's cocked.
Any idea of the draw weight? Looking at it I'd guess around the 90# mark?
I'm rather jealous!
Del
 

English Bowman

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Del, I've had a closer look at the bow, and the track and spring clip come off with 4 screws leaving the bow almost identical to the one that you've linked to. So I think that it was made as a stone bow with a conversion to a bolt shooting bow.
 
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Deleted member 7654

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Ah, excellent, sounds like a nicely executed adaptation.
Del
 
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