Crossbow owners in here.

ValiantUK91 · 29 Nov 2013 at 23:19

dan958 said:
I wasn't even allowed a BB gun because I shot my cousin in the face..

I accidently shot my sister as i was messing around with it didnt realise there was a bb pallet loaded when i took out the mag.....oopppss so mum decides i dont deserve a bb gun i got given a potato gun instead safe to say i wasnt happy until i made a peg gun + a jonny poper as we called them it was like a home made catapult.

RDM · 29 Nov 2013 at 23:27

dan958 said:
You had a crossbow at that age? I wasn't even allowed a BB gun because I shot my cousin in the face. Accidentally, of course.

Joining an archery club is something I've been really interested in doing lately, if there is one local to me.

There are over 50 archery clubs in Kent I believe so you should be able to find one locally.

KautoStar · 29 Nov 2013 at 23:30

Neckbeards pretending to be Daryl.

haaammit · 30 Nov 2013 at 09:38

KautoStar said:
Neckbeards pretending to be Daryl.

I have absolutely no idea as to what that means.

Destination · 30 Nov 2013 at 09:45

Von Smallhausen said:
Who here has a crossbow? What model do you have and what do you think of it /

I've got a Jaguar one on order with red dot site for a bit of target shooting.

Are crossbows legal in all parts of the UK?
Can one own one in Northern Ireland?

DXP55 · 30 Nov 2013 at 10:18

Was in Morgans Gun room in Oswestry yesterday and they had a archery room - On wall was a nice crossbow - pistol grip and everything - Was about 170 quid and was tempted but got no where to use it - What did surprise me was the arrow tips - three blades as sharp as razers along each edge - I thought they were illegal ? -- obviously not.

They have some nice shooting kit in there but very expensive.

Dave

haaammit · 30 Nov 2013 at 10:32

DXP55 said:
Was in Morgans Gun room in Oswestry yesterday and they had a archery room - On wall was a nice crossbow - pistol grip and everything - Was about 170 quid and was tempted but got no where to use it - What did surprise me was the arrow tips - three blades as sharp as razers along each edge - I thought they were illegal ? -- obviously not.

They have some nice shooting kit in there but very expensive.

Dave

Hunting tips (broadheads) are legal in the UK, but hunting with a bow isn't!

lurkio · 30 Nov 2013 at 10:38

DXP55 said:
Was in Morgans Gun room in Oswestry yesterday and they had a archery room - On wall was a nice crossbow - pistol grip and everything - Was about 170 quid and was tempted but got no where to use it - What did surprise me was the arrow tips - three blades as sharp as razers along each edge - I thought they were illegal ? -- obviously not.

They have some nice shooting kit in there but very expensive.

Dave

Hunting with a bow is illegal (not sure if that covers zombies mind you)

Broadhead bolts are also illegal to the best of my knowledge

haaammit · 30 Nov 2013 at 11:48

lurkio said:
Hunting with a bow is illegal (not sure if that covers zombies mind you)

Broadhead bolts are also illegal to the best of my knowledge

It's legal to both own and use broadheads in the UK, however, bowhunting is illegal

Tachyon · 30 Nov 2013 at 14:26

Hikari Kisugi said:
Are crossbows legal in all parts of the UK?
Can one own one in Northern Ireland?

Aye, I think they are, pretty sure I seen one in the window of a shop in Belfast a while back.

dan958 · 1 Dec 2013 at 19:43

RDM said:
There are over 50 archery clubs in Kent I believe so you should be able to find one locally.

Thanks for the information

bainbridge · 1 Dec 2013 at 19:57

With all that power don't you need an FAC?

RDM · 1 Dec 2013 at 20:11

dan958 said:
Thanks for the information

I'm in Cheshire so don't know any local clubs in Kent but a good place to start would be the Kent Archery Association Webiste:

http://www.archerykent.org.uk/clubs/info/club-list.aspx

The website is horrible, it seems not many web designers are also archers...

Glaucus · 1 Dec 2013 at 20:15

RDM said:
There are over 50 archery clubs in Kent I believe so you should be able to find one locally.

Nearly all wont allow you to use crossbows.

dan958 said:
You had a crossbow at that age? I wasn't even allowed a BB gun because I shot my cousin in the face. Accidentally, of course.

Joining an archery club is something I've been really interested in doing lately, if there is one local to me.

Email the federation, they'll be able to tell you the nearest club that allows crossbows.
http://www.ncf-crossbow.co.uk

The Geezer · 1 Dec 2013 at 20:46

Is crossbow shooting at a target a real skill ? Don't want to come across as a snob but isn't a crossbow no more than a compound turned at 45 degrees

Von Smallhausen · 1 Dec 2013 at 20:55

Hikari Kisugi said:
Are crossbows legal in all parts of the UK?
Can one own one in Northern Ireland?

They are legal in the UK as long as you are over 18 however you are clearly restricted from carrying and using them in a public place and it is illegal to hunt with crossbows in the UK.

I'm not sure about NI though. I'll do a bit if digging and get back.

Von Smallhausen · 1 Dec 2013 at 20:56

bainbridge said:
With all that power don't you need an FAC?

No. No FAC or license required.

RDM · 1 Dec 2013 at 21:10

Glaucus said:
Nearly all wont allow you to use crossbows.

My assumption was that dan958 was making a more general query about archery rather than crossbows. You are right though that most clubs don't allow crossbows due to the damage they do to the targets.

dan958 · 2 Dec 2013 at 12:43

RDM said:
My assumption was that dan958 was making a more general query about archery rather than crossbows. You are right though that most clubs don't allow crossbows due to the damage they do to the targets.

It was. I felt making an entirely new thread would have been slightly pointless - so asked here.

Thanks for all the help.

kevmeister · 2 Dec 2013 at 14:22

Von Smallhausen said:
Who here has a crossbow? What model do you have and what do you think of it /

I've got a Jaguar one on order with red dot site for a bit of target shooting.

I have the Jaguar with 3 dot sight, 175lbs draw weight.

I really love it.

Because i cant be bothered to find a range locally, i dont get to use it that much, only a few times a year when we're up in cumbria visiting the in-laws (They have a farm and i can shoot to my hearts content).

First thing you do is fire the aluminium arrows at a wall just to get rid of them and get a feel for the bow firing, then get some 20" carbons - much better. I also was using the standard practise tips, i upgraded them to some 2-blade expanding bloodrunner broadheads. does actually make quite a difference.

the target i use is a large square bag of saw dust with a printed target on the front (just tape up the bag before i give it back to my father-in-law

)

overall, it really is great fun, just make sure you follow all the saftey guide lines etc, it probably has enough power to take your finger off if you dont keep them below the firing line, it's surprising how much stored power a crossbow can hold, they really are quite dangerous.

enjoy it though, it's brilliant.