The crossbow trigger is one of the most important components of this cold throwing weapon. To make a trigger yourself, you need to have a complete understanding of its structure. In addition, you need to be able to use various instruments and equipment. Know turning and plumbing, at least at the student level. In other cases, if you have no idea what it is lathe, you can just order necessary details professionals. We will start production trigger mechanism crossbow from the simplest entry-level drawings.

When making any complex mechanism yourself, you need to act on the principle - the simpler, the better. Because the more parts there are in a mechanism, the more accurately their fit to each other must be, otherwise frequent breakdowns. Therefore, do not chase factory drawings of modern crossbows. Making them at home is often technically difficult.

The simplest escapement mechanism used by warriors ancient Rus' eighth century, shown in the picture below.

All parts can be made of wood; they do not require special technical knowledge. The principle of operation of the mechanism is as follows: a wooden lever, which is fixed to the crossbow stock with an axis, pushes up a special pin. This pin pulls the bowstring off the ledges, and the arrow begins to fly. True, this trigger mechanism is suitable for crossbows with a small tension force of the arms (arch).

I think comments on such simple devices are unnecessary, everything is clear without words. Such crossbow release mechanisms are recommended for home-made people who do not have access to turning equipment, or simply wanting to reconstruct antique crossbows.

Now let's touch on more complex drawings of trigger mechanisms. But their production already requires turning and metalworking skills.

Here is a drawing of one of the not so complex mechanisms descent

To make it, you only need two main parts, which you can make entirely yourself. This drawing shows the detailed dimensions of the crossbow's trigger mechanism.

If such drawings seem like baby talk to someone, due to their technical knowledge, then let them pay attention to the following drawings. Their dimensions are indicated in inches.

And one more option

There are quite a lot of drawings of various trigger mechanisms. And there is no point in citing them all, but perhaps for comparison I will post another option. This is a drawing of a more modern and professional trigger mechanism. There are no dimensions for this drawing, and it’s unlikely that anyone will want to bother with such complex technical bells and whistles.

For our purposes, and the goal is to make a crossbow with a reliable trigger mechanism, the following design may well be suitable. This design of the trigger mechanism has an original name - nut. Its operating principle is also quite simple. The shooter presses the lever, which has two arms, the nut is released, turning around its axis, and lowers the bowstring. When cocking, the lever rests against a special protrusion of the nut, preventing it from turning at will.

These pictures are also pretty self-explanatory. The only drawback is that there is no detailed dimensions every detail, but use your own judgment here. A competent turner will easily turn out these parts, focusing only on the drawings and dimensions of the stock of the crossbow being manufactured.

In addition to a strong arc with excellent tension, a reliable trigger mechanism, and a comfortable stock, making a good crossbow also requires a cocking system. Her various options, we will look at it in the next article.

If you don’t want to buy an expensive crossbow (and prices sometimes exceed $1000), you can make a crossbow with your own hands. It's not as difficult as it seems at first glance. The design of the crossbow is quite simple. A crossbow can be made from what is at hand, replacing missing materials with similar ones. A homemade crossbow is quite suitable for target shooting.

General view of a crossbow that you can make with your own hands according to drawings

The design of this crossbow uses the developments of manufacturers in the field of weapons. The drawings show a crossbow of a block design. If you follow the instructions and observe all the dimensions, you can make a high-quality and good crossbow with your own hands, even at home

General diagram of a homemade crossbow assembly:

To begin with, it is advisable to carefully study the drawings of the crossbow and begin assembling it yourself. Making a crossbow with your own hands is not an easy task. But this increases interest in work! After all, a homemade crossbow can bring great joy and respect to the performer.

Crossbow structure: stock, shoulders, butt, trigger mechanism, sighting devices, block system. It is used to make a stock natural wood, solid or laminated timber, mainly hard rocks. The exact dimensions of the crossbow can be seen in the drawings. You choose the shape of the crossbow yourself, guided by the convenience and ergonomics of the stock and the desired image. When choosing, you must also consider whether you can make such a form correctly.

Crossbow shoulders and deck drawing:

Use of stock from small arms, allows you to significantly reduce labor costs for making a crossbow. The main thing is to choose the right size. The mark left by the barrel in such a stock must be hammered wooden blocks, firmly placing them on epoxy glue. The butt and under-barrel pad of a crossbow can also be made of wood. The stock will be attached to the guide and serve as the basis for the trigger mechanism.

Butt drawing:

Offered for DIY assembly, the crossbow has a block design. This allows you to compensate for the load when cocking the bowstring and maintain power. Compound crossbows most popular among hunters, because You can carry a crossbow in a cocked state for quite a long time. Horton actively uses this design in the production of its crossbows.

Drawing of block assembly parts:

Pay special attention to the processing of the arrow guides and bowstring. The clarity of their finish greatly influences shooting accuracy. The guide lines must be perfectly straight and smooth. Optimal choice there will be polishing on milling machine and subsequent processing sandpaper with fine grain. Next comes polishing the guides. You can see the dimensions of the boom guide groove in the drawings. The crosspiece, with the shoulders attached to it, is installed at the end of the stock. It is usually made from an aluminum billet. Wood can also serve as a suitable material.

A crossbow sight must consist of a rear sight and a front sight. You can also install an optical sight on the crossbow, providing a mount for the aiming bar. Vertical adjustments are made entirely, mounted on the cover of the trigger mechanism, and horizontal ones - with a front sight mounted on the bracket of the elastic element.

There can be many design options for sights and sighting devices for a crossbow, depending on the possibility of manufacturing, the availability of ready-made sights from conventional weapons (air rifles), etc.

It should be borne in mind that the flight path of a crossbow arrow (crossbow bolt) is quite high, so the rear sight must be installed significantly higher than the front sight. The angle of elevation of the aiming line depends on the weight of the arrow, the tension of the string, the shooting distance, etc. In our crossbow at a distance of 50 m it is approximately 6°.

Convenient are the designs of the rear sight, which allow it to be removed or folded during transportation. It will also be convenient if the rear sight can be adjusted manually by raising or lowering the bar. Thus, you will be able to shoot the crossbow under different conditions(distance to target, arrow weight).

The crossbow, the manufacture of which is described above, is designed for shooting bolts with a diameter of 8 mm and a length of 450-470 mm. You can easily make them yourself from a duralumin tube with a wall thickness of 0.5 mm. The tip and liner are attached to the bolt in front, and the feathering is attached to the back, just as they do for archery. It should be borne in mind that the shank of a bolt for a crossbow, unlike an arrow for a bow, should not have a cutout for the bowstring; it should be flat. It can be carved from wood in the form of a cork and inserted into the end of the tube, pre-lubricated with glue.

A hunting crossbow is a fairly effective weapon that, if necessary, can serve a worthy replacement rifle. The main advantage of the weapon is its silent shooting. Therefore, when using it, it is quite difficult to scare the animal.

Design features

What does a hunting crossbow consist of? Photos presented in this material, allow us to see that the following components can be distinguished in it:

1. The body is the main power unit, which bears the load when lowering the bowstring. Serves as a basis for installing functional parts.
2. Blocks are part of the structure for installing bowstring tension arcs.
3. The stock is the part of the crossbow that is used to place the arrow.
4. The bowstring is a functional part that serves to propel the projectiles used.
5. The shoulders are an elastic structural element that releases energy when the bowstring is pulled.
6. A stirrup is a part that makes loading a crossbow easier.
7. The trigger mechanism is a device due to which the lock opens and the bowstring is released when fired.
8. Sight - mounted on the crossbow to facilitate aiming at the target.

Hunting crossbow with wooden shoulders

Represents the simplest design. As follows from the definition, the shoulders here are made of wood. Such a crossbow cannot be called an example of reliability. Products in this category are frankly short-lived and therefore are not in very high demand. Most often, such a hunting crossbow is used as a collectible, decorative weapon.

Crossbow with metal arcs

An extremely common option. Hunters pay attention to such crossbows because they demonstrate high power when shooting. Hunting bows and crossbows with metal arches are suitable not only for training, but also for use in field conditions when tracking prey. For manufacturing, both solid arcs and composite structures are used, which are assembled from several symmetrical parts.

Recurve crossbow

Classic version with curved shoulders. Such a hunting crossbow is an extremely easy-to-handle and convenient device to use. It has small dimensions and improved characteristics. Easily disassembled and transported.

Recurve crossbows contain reinforced arms, the tension force of which can reach about 50 kg. This, in turn, opens up the possibility of hunting small and large animals.

Compound crossbow

The design includes a whole system of eccentrics, thanks to which the process of loading the weapon is facilitated and the acceleration of the arrow is ensured. Compared to recurve models, a compound hunting crossbow is more compact. The power figures here are also excellent.

Small dimensions are ensured by installing short arcs. The use of this solution makes it easier for the weapon owner to overcome areas covered with thickets and bushes.

The characteristics of a block-type hunting crossbow provide simple cocking of the bowstring and insignificant recoil, which is achieved due to the rational distribution of the force vector.

type

• due to their reduced dimensions, they are extremely convenient for transportation;
• have high power and allow you to hit targets at both medium and long distances;
• they have lower destructive power compared to block systems, but throw arrows at a higher speed;
• in addition to arrows, they can fire darts, harpoons, and metal balls.

Sights

The main feature of crossbow shooting is a significant shift in the aiming line. In other words, after firing the shot, the fired projectile begins to gravitate towards the ground quite quickly. Therefore, it is advisable to install optics with a special crossbow reticle on such weapons. To effectively target a target, it is enough to equip crossbows with optical sights with 4x zoom.

Some hunters prefer collimator systems, which also prove to be quite effective. Moreover, this option makes it possible to hunt both during the day and in the evening. Collimator sights are extremely convenient to use when aiming at moving targets.

DIY hunting crossbow

Having decided on the necessary parameters and characteristics of the future weapon, it is worth moving on to developing the appropriate drawing. You can use a ready-made diagram as a sample or create one yourself. Be that as it may, a home-made hunting crossbow will ultimately have to be customized to suit you.

When preparing a drawing, you should focus not only on personal wishes, but also take into account accessibility necessary materials, based on their cost and processing complexity.

How to make a hunting crossbow with your own hands? Usually, to begin with, a stock is prepared, onto which the shoulders, stirrup, guide, and trigger are subsequently attached. Difficult for self-made the elements are arcs. Therefore, in some cases it is better to purchase them ready-made.

They will help you make hunting drawings, examples of which are shown in the photos below.

Frame

The base on which the stock and shoulders of the product are fixed is the body. It is advisable to cut it from a metal blank with a thickness of about 2.5-3 mm.

The crossbow stock is fixed in the central part of the body and at the end using bolts. The use of such a solution helps quick assembly weapons for bringing into combat condition and disassembling during transportation.

A stirrup is welded to the body at the bottom. The latter makes it possible to hold the crossbow with your foot when the bowstring is pulled. It is recommended to use wire with a diameter of 6 to 8 mm as the material for making stirrups.

Shoulders

Material of manufacture structural element may serve car spring. In such metal arms, semicircular recesses are made for bolts, with the help of which the part will be screwed to the body.

There is a widespread opinion that the use of metal springs as the basis for making shoulders is a rather dangerous decision. And in fact, when using homemade crossbow in low temperature conditions environment the likelihood of a part breaking increases, especially at fastening points. Such cases are accompanied by the release of small fragments. Therefore, you should apply the idea at your own peril and risk.

Blocks

Ready-made drawings of a hunting crossbow often include block devices. The latter ease the tension and give an advantage in strength. It is easier to put such a crossbow into combat condition than by simply connecting the ends of the bowstring to the ends of the arms. Moreover, during the descent, the starting speed of the arrow increases, which is reflected in the increase in the range of the weapon. The main disadvantage of installing a block system is the complexity of manufacturing and the increase total weight crossbow.

Bowstring

As a bowstring, you can use a metal cable with a diameter of about 2-3 mm. A thicker string will be more difficult to attach to a weapon, and a thin one will begin to stretch as the product is used.

To fix the bowstring at the ends of the arms, it is enough to make a regular loop. It is better to place pieces of leather or any other dense material under the cable fastenings in advance. This solution allows you to avoid chafing of the bowstring when in contact with metal shoulders.

Lodge

For the manufacture of parts, you can use easily processed wooden blank in the form of a board about 30 mm thick. It is worth noting that, despite the high strength indicators, oak is not very suitable for these purposes due to its significant weight. As for spruce and pine, the latter are not sufficiently resistant to mechanical damage and warp when in contact with moisture. Therefore, the type of wood should be selected depending on the goals and conditions of future use of the crossbow.

How to make a hunting crossbow truly practical? Special attention During manufacturing, a guide should be given in the form of a groove for the arrow, which you should try to make as even, smooth and polished as possible. The condition of the groove largely affects the accuracy of shooting. It is advisable that the width of the stock be equal to the diameter of the arrows used. You can cut it using a circular saw.

It is rational to use a spring as a means of holding the arrow, which will press the projectile to the stock and will not allow the latter to slip out of the groove before firing.

Trigger

The material used to manufacture the part will be sheet iron. It is desirable that its thickness be at least 6-7 mm. The mechanism drawing is presented in the following diagram:

All parts are placed directly into the stock. Here a special nest is cut out, through holes are made under the axes of the mechanism, onto which the trigger elements are subsequently installed. An example of setting the trigger is shown in the figure below.

Sighting optics

Factory optics from firearms can be used as a crossbow sight. Enough practical solution- use of front and rear sights. Using the latter, you can make vertical corrections. It is convenient to make horizontal adjustments using a front sight mounted at the intersection of the shoulders and the stock.

To ensure ease of transportation of the crossbow, it is worth making the sighting device removable. To do this, you can install a so-called Picatinny rail on the weapon, which makes it possible to mount individual factory-assembled sights.

In conclusion

Making and operating a hunting crossbow with your own hands is a rather radical solution. Often, in the absence of experience in this type of activity, quality and reliability homemade device leave much to be desired. In reality, even crossbows of the budget category, factory-made, the cost of which is about 3000-4000 rubles, turn out to be much more effective, convenient and practical compared to the creations of your own hands.

As you can see, making a hunting crossbow is quite possible. However, by purchasing a weapon in a specialized store, the user receives guarantees of its safety and reliability of assembly. When using a homemade crossbow, you can only rely on yourself.

They asked about how the trigger mechanism works. I decided to make a separate article on this issue.

Let's look at how the crossbow trigger mechanism works.
Externally, the crossbow looks like this:

Crossbow appearance

The crossbow's trigger mechanism is painfully simple. Its purpose is to make the descent smooth and easy. A smooth and easy release of the bowstring is the key to hitting the target.
The proposed trigger mechanism is not only easy to manufacture, but also durable. At the same time, it allows the trigger to automatically return to its original position.

It all looks simple. We saw the crossbow stock into two parts to place the trigger mechanism between them. We cut out two steel or brass plates. They must be the same, they are indicated in the figure purple. They can be made various shapes, the main thing is that they fulfill their role. We fasten two pieces of the stock and hold the mechanism.

Crossbow trigger mechanism

The drummer holds the string. The drum holds the trigger. As soon as the trigger is pulled, the drum is freed from the obstacle and begins to rotate. The string flies off the drum and the arrow hits the target.

Drum with arrow

After the shot is fired, we pull the string back, while the drum hooks onto the string with a protrusion and rotates to its original position. Here the trigger spring works, and the trigger fits into the groove of the drum. That's it, the drum is again firmly fixed and does not rotate. We put the string on the hooks of the drum and that’s it. The crossbow is ready for a new shot.

Smol comments:

Well written! Thank you!

Syama comments:

very intelligible, respect))

Crossbowman comments:

3 Drawings and nothing else is needed, everything is clear =) thank you very much....I especially liked the animation

I comment:

very nicely written! And there are pictures. Super!

comments:

unclear

unknown comments:

but write more clearly I don’t get it 11

comments:

cool, thanks!

Dima comments:

But there is an easier mechanism

geo comments:

If you hang 20-30 kg on such a mechanism, you’ll be crazy about pulling the trigger. The design is theoretical, but significant changes are needed for practice....

Ilya comments:

I did something like nothing, by the way I shot down a magpie from 20m

Dimonchyk comments:

cool, let's try it

Dimonchyk comments:

where can I get the drum?

Maxima comments:

Strange, am I the only one who noticed that the drum on the hypha is upside down? It seems to me correct as in the picture, especially since placing it in a combat position is implied by a bowstring.

RH comments:

Animated? It’s not just that it’s upside down, it’s spinning there!!! :)

Regarding the difficulty of descending on a crossbow weighing 60 kg - 1. they are prohibited, 2. you can install a sear.

vang helsing comments:

luche chem nichego

V.A.Zh. comments:

Thanks a lot!

Daemon comments:

And if you need to shoot down, then how?

FyLL comments:

Make a holding frame for the arrow. It should rise at the moment of the shot.

In a post-BP world, cartridges and other firearms will be valued extremely highly, everyone will save them, so it makes sense to think about alternative small arms.

In this guide, I would like to consider options for constructing a crossbow from various materials at hand.

So. The design of a crossbow can be divided into 3 parts:
-bow (the one that pulls the string + the string itself)
-stock (this is both a butt and a guide for bolts (that’s what arrows for crossbows are called))
- trigger mechanism

Onion.
I myself made a bow for a crossbow from a spring from a Cossack. Insanely powerful, it turned out to be an infection, it’s scary to even shoot from it. Once I shot into the sky, the arrow flew off somewhere into the blue and, what is most surprising, did not return. So my forged tip flew off into the distant distances:-(Also, when I fired for the first time, it made a hole metal roof to a neighbor living 300-350 meters from the place of the shot :-) there was a roar :-) nightmare :-) good thing he wasn’t at home :-) So you yourself can imagine that you can make a powerful weapon from a crossbow.

In principle, you can use any other elastic springs (usually springs from the Volga), textolite and fiberglass, as well as other elastic plastics, such as fiberglass, carbon fiber, composite materials whichever ones you can find. You can also try to make the bow yourself - fiberglass, epoxy and plasticizer in your hands (as well as 3-4 vices and wooden matrices). It is important to follow the rule - there should be an odd number of layers of fiberglass. There are also all sorts of elastic metals left. Although these are certainly not the most accessible materials, who knows what you will be able to get in the next marauding foray??
Attachment of bow limbs can be of two types - regular and recurve, i.e. the shoulders of the bow will “look” forward in the direction of the crossbow when the bowstring is lowered, and when tensioned they will look like two “waves”.

Bed.
The stock is what everything will be attached to. Consider the loads that the bed will experience:
-the bow will be in front - the heaviest load, the bow is attached using a block, so take into account the dimensions for attaching the block
-in the middle there will be a trigger mechanism
-a bed for bolts will be machined from above and along the surface
-Next comes the butt, an important part of the crossbow, because the next element after the butt is YOU :-)
The materials here are also varied.
The most common material is wood, spruce and aspen are the most used. Next come metal stocks, aluminum and other light metals that you can smelt yourself.
And of course, all kinds of plastics, although this requires special equipment.
Personally, I used the remnants of an old double-barreled shotgun, removed the metal parts and it turned out very convenient, and the butt is ready, and there is a place for the trigger mechanism and somewhere to screw the block.
A special bracket is also screwed to the block into which you will insert your foot when tensioning.
Also take into account the following factors - the depth and length of the guide groove should be suitable for the length and thickness of the arrows, and also take into account the weight distribution that you still need to shoot with it, and probably carry it with you.

Trigger mechanism.
It's a castle. The design of locks is varied and bizarre. I used the so-called "nut"

And my friend used the following scheme (I liked it better)

It is important to take into account that the load on the mechanism will be large, and the wear will be sufficient. Do everything as reliably as possible, God forbid the crossbow fires accidentally. The mechanism itself must be mounted in the stock as securely as possible. Remember, you have a real weapon in your hands, you must be confident in it.

Addition
From my experience, I will say this - if you are going to make a crossbow, then make it a block one. I’m telling you this as a user of the NON-block system :-) I won’t talk about the block system here, after all, we’re looking at a primitive crossbow device here.

Below are examples:

Here is an example of a crossbow from available materials, the bow was glued together by the author himself, the butt (also handmade, by the way) and the stock, as can be seen from the photo, are separate

And here is an excellent block tension system

Here is a photo that shows that the trigger mechanism can be made from suitable pieces of metal

This photo shows an example of the same leg brace, as well as a rather interesting design of paired shoulders

And here is an excellent example of using parts from a pistol, smelting the necessary parts from aluminum and using springs from the Volga

This is just an unusual crossbow

The same recurve bow

Materials used from a wonderful site