Crossbows and compound bows are two different weapon systems that throw arrows at a target. Whether you’re an ambitious archer aiming to participate in an archery competition or someone who likes hunting, it’s important to know the difference between crossbows and compound bows to choose a tool that suits your goals and requirements. is. This article emphasizes the difference between crossbows and compound bows for the reader.
What is the Crossbow
A crossbow is a weapon system that throws projectiles at a target in much the same way you shoot with a gun. Crossbows are not what most people imagine when they think of archery or bows and arrows. This is basically a weapon system that throws a projectile with the help of a string that stays in the loaded position of the bow, and the user has to pull the trigger to throw an arrow at the target. This is an upgraded bow that is held in place with the help of stock, firing a bolt when the lever is released. The bow is fixed to a wooden board and has a mechanism for pulling and releasing the arrow. The crossbow is not a new invention used in China in the 6th century.
The gunsmiths and builders who designed the crossbows and related weapons ignored math and other formal technical notions. Yet the tests carried out at Purr due University show that those craftsmen managed to achieve a high degree of refinement with regard to aerodynamics and that they had a good knowledge of the principles of mechanics. Compared to other machines, the crossbow is not complex.
An arch, usually too powerful to be stretched without mechanical aids, is mounted transversely on the front of a wooden or metal stem called properly teenier. There is also some device to bring the rope to the fully tensioned position and then trigger it. The short arrow is guided either inside by a groove recessed in the upper face of the tenant or by supports that hold it at the two ends. If the bow is powerful enough, a device for tensing the rope is either incorporated in the teenier or carried separately.
Learning to shoot using a crossbow is very easy and has a higher range than traditional bows. The user does not have to hold the bow in one hand while pulling the string in place while holding the bow in the other, as with a long bow. You can shoot accurately with a crossbow up to 360 meters. Crossbows are mainly used for hunting. This is to ensure that hunters do not waste energy drawing strings and aiming at the game. It also operates quietly, which is advantageous during hunting.
Advantages of Crossbow
The crossbow offered advantages over the bow. First of all it had a greater range, so that the crossbowmen could shoot in absolute tranquility against archers and knights still too far away to be able to hit them in turn. Secondly, the teenier and the devices to tension the rope and to release it made the shooting cycle partly mechanical, thus requiring less effort and skills in the use of the weapon.
The hooks that hold and release the rope and arrow represent one of the first attempts to mechanize some functions of the human hand. A significant disadvantage of the crossbow was the lower shooting frequency than the bow. As a result, its military use was limited mainly to situations where shelter was available during the reloading process.
What is the Compound Bow
A compound bow has a system of cams or pulleys on both ends of the bow that allows the strings to pass through like a wrist press. The limbs are made of hard carbon compounds and are pulled inward when the archer pulls on the strings that move the pulleys. This mechanism allows more energy to be stored in the weapon system, making it more effective than a simple longbow. The compound bow was invented in the second half of the 20th century and is used by archers in the Olympic and other archery competitions.
Compound onions are an improved version of regular onions. His man used for hunting and battles since ancient times. Initially, bows were made of solid wood, but the strength and tension of the bowstring was insufficient. In addition, large bows were inconvenient, and small bows could not provide a sufficient boom range.
It was then that some people came up with the idea of making onions from several components. It was done in different ways – somewhere it was simply additionally glued with a horn or harder layer of wood, somewhere in it a handle and shoulders were made separately, and sometimes both of these methods were combined. To glue the components of the onion, special fish glue was used, which was made from bones cooked for a long time.
Advantages of Compound Bow
They have a number of significant advantages. The first advantage is that it provides similar combat power at a much smaller size. This makes it more comfortable to wear, when hunting and in combat conditions compared to bulky conventional devices. Such a bow makes it easy to shoot with a horse and a wagon. Another advantage is much greater power. Compound bow can shoot arrows much further, and they are easier to pierce the armor.
The details that make the difference between crossbow and Compound Bow
The mechanism is the main difference between a crossbow and a Compound Bows. Compound bows are generally oval or round in shape at the end of the branches. While for recurve crossbows, the rope is immediately sealed to these branches.
The advantage of the pulley system is that it offers a reduction in the effort obtained when stretching the rope, similar to the principle of the hoist. This mechanism then gives the possibility to those who use it easier to arm their crossbow. It is at the level of power that the difference between a crossbow and a Compound bows is felt.
Power difference
After a comparison, we can quite notice that the compound bow is more powerful than the other model. This power is linked to the branches of the crossbow which in mono branch version are stiffer or more flexible in double branch compared to that of the crossbow.
Difference from a mechanical point of view
A crossbow is easier to use than a compound bow. This simplicity in the system is favorable to the proper functioning of this model of crossbow. As the latter does not have cables unlike the compound bows, its maintenance is then simpler and does not require any specific tool.
Indeed, if for example a shooting line breaks, you can repair it yourself. With a compound bows, it will not be the same. If you are breaking your string, you will need to find a bow compression system and also a professional to repair it. Be aware that crossbows are easier to store than compound crossbows.
Difference in aesthetics
Compound crossbows are shorter than crossbows. This makes it easier to transport pulley types, unlike recurves. This reduced size of the crossbow gives the possibility of being easier to handle in fairly narrow places. At the moment, the trend is more towards super compact bows with large pulleys. In the compound bows market, we see inverted bow models.
The Barnett brand is the one that started to launch this brand-new concept. Subsequently, famous designers of crossbows like Horton, Ten Point, Mission or Ravin also opted for this trend by creating their own model of their own crossbow with super compact reverse bow pulley.
Finally, Crossbow vs compound bow
- Crossbows have a longer range than compound bows, which allows hunters to fire accurately even further from the target
- A crossbow saves the hunter's energy as the shooter does not have to pull the string to hold it in place
- For crossbows, the locking mechanism holds the arrow on the hunter
- The crossbow is heavier than the compound bow
- Composite bows are smaller than crossbows, making them easier to carry
- When silence is important, hunters prefer crossbows
- Crossbows may be easier to shoot than compound bows, but compound bows are more accurate than crossbows