Currently, you can easily purchase aluminum, fiberglass or carbon arrows for a crossbow. However, not everyone can afford to buy such shells. To save on the preparation of small arms, it is worth learning how to make arrows for a crossbow with your own hands.
Indicative parameters
- The length of the crossbow arrow is 30-40 cm.
- The diameter of the shaft is 5-10 mm.
- The number of feathers is 4 pieces.
- The height of the pen is 10 mm.
- The length of the pen is 60-70 mm.
- The weight of the finished crossbow arrow is 30-40 grams.
Quality criteria
Self-made hunting arrows for a crossbow must meet the following requirements:
- All products have the same length.
- Arrows differ in identical plumage and weight.
- The stiffness of the shaft part is the same when bent.
- Arrows have an approximately equal center of gravity.
- The rods are characterized by slight deformation during bending.
Pole preparation
To make reliable arrows for a crossbow, saving on materials, it is enough to take pine as a basis, since such a tree is extremely common in domestic latitudes and is easy to process.
It is recommended to use dried wood. The length of the pole part will depend on the parameters of the existing crossbow. As for the diameter of the rod, in most cases the optimal solution is a value of about 1 cm.
After marking the workpiece, you can proceed directly to its processing. For coarse scraping, it is enough to use a joiner planer. For fine processing, use a sharp knife with a thin blade.
How to make arrows for a crossbow so that their flight is extremely calibrated? To do this, during the manufacturing process, it is necessary to ensure that the rod remains as straight as possible. At the end of the roughing process, it is worth walking several times on the surface with coarse sandpaper. In conclusion, it is necessary to thoroughly polish the surfaces of the pole part.
In order for the arrows for the crossbow to maintain their original shape, it is extremely important to protect them from moisture. For this, surfaces can be coated with wax or other material with water-repellent properties. It is most convenient to engage in processing with an ordinary sponge or a piece of soft tissue.
Tips
When choosing material for the manufacture of tips, it is recommended to give preference to sheet metal with a thickness of about 0.7 mm. This base is easily divided into the desired segments using conventional scissors. When finalizing the material, you can use a grinding stone or a file.
If you have access to a lathe, it is much more convenient to resort to its use in the manufacture of crossbow arrowheads than to engage in metal processing manually. As a result, it is possible to obtain heavier and sharper products that have increased breakdown ability.
Once the tips are ready, it is worth starting to install them on the pole part. To do this, it is enough to cut the grooves of the corresponding thickness at the end of the rods. Prepared openings should be greased liberally with glue, insert the tips, and then fix the connection with a tight winding of threads.
Plumage
For the manufacture of this element, it is better to use tail goose feathers. A similar option seems obvious to the villager. However, where to find the material to the city dweller? If possible, you can try your luck on the market or use the alternative in the form of blanks from plastic bottles.
Feathers can be attached to the boom shaft in several ways. Let's look at the simplest option.
To do the work, it is enough to divide the feather along the axis into two equal pieces, cutting off the tapering upper and lower parts along both edges. Then it remains only to glue the feathers to the pole with a reliable glue and, if necessary, additionally fix with threads.
Sighting
If there is a factory crossbow that is adapted for the appropriate arrows, you will have to make a small reconfiguration of the sight before using your own-made shells. The task should be carried out in the expectation that the lightweight shaft with metal tips fly further and faster.
Eventually
Self-made crossbow arrows - a great solution in terms of saving money. However, so that home-made shells can be used not only for entertainment, but also for hunting, it is necessary to try to make the pole pieces as even as possible. With the slightest curvature, the likelihood that the arrow will be pulled to the side increases.
Particular attention should be paid to the tip. The heavier this element turns out to be, the greater the penetration will be different arrow, not to mention the improvement of smoothness of flight.