Have you considered making a homemade crossbow? If you want one that’s actually going to hunt, it’s probably best left to the professionals, unless of course you’re extremely handy, have access to a well-equipped machine shop, and a good supplier of the necessary quality materials. .
If you’re hoping to build something that you can take down a few backyard targets with, or make that possum play dead for real, you might be able to put something together. Here are some simple tips.
The key ingredients you will need for a homemade crossbow will be a quality stock, a jig cut from quality wood. Model it to your liking, with or without a handle. Stain it with a good combination stain and sealer product and let it dry for 48 hours.
Next, design a simple trigger mechanism out of steel stock, although in a pinch, a 16-pound nail could do you admirably. Pierce the stock, from the bottom up, and pull the trigger up through the stock. If possible, use your wits to determine how to lock the trigger once the string has been pulled.
Now find a durable piece of flexible aluminum. Check your garage or local home improvement store for stock that will work for the recurve limb. Cut it to size and sand the edges to make it smooth. Drill two holes in the center and secure the limb to the stock with screws at least 3.25 inches long. Coated deck screws will work just as well. With thick steel wire, form a rail and fix it from below, extending it beyond the branch.
Finally, drill holes at the end of each branch, cut the string to length, and tie it to the branch as tightly as possible.
Add any other features to your homemade crossbow to increase accuracy, select some practice arrows and head out to the backyard, or some other place far enough away where you won’t be a threat to anything or anyone, like the neighbors and their pets. You should probably wear eye protection (and full body armor if you have it!).
There you go. Now set a target at 10 yards and give it a try! And, if you were hoping to build a compound crossbow, well, that’s a bit trickier!
