A crossbow is an ancient hunting weapon. The history of this hunting tool or weapon whatever name you call it is older than guns. Archeologists discovered crossbows in 2,500 years old Chinese graves. Though not conclusively but a few historians believe that the Chinese know the use of crossbows as early as 2000 B.C. Elsewhere the evidence of the use of the crossbows is found in the Mediterranean region in fourth century A.D by the roman military. During the middle ages, Europeans used it extensively. However,

 

How does a crossbow work?

 

Parts of a crossbow

 

There are two kinds of crossbows. These are compound and recurve bows. However, both types have the same parts. These are

 

Stock

The stock is the part that an archer holds while shooting a target. It rests on the shooter's shoulder while aiming a target and made of either wood or plastic.

 

Foregrip

 

It is the part where an archer’s aiming hand rests before shooting. This part helps the shooter to keep his aiming hand steady. There are two types of Foregrips available-removable and collapsible.

 

Trigger

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The trigger of a crossbow is the part that releases the string and resulting in the firing of the bolt. This part is located underneath the latch that holds the string in the cocked position

 

Barrel

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This part is a grooved track that aligns the bolt with the string. Another name for barrel is rail.  It is made of different types of materials like plastic, polymer or carbon fiber. Barrels made of carbon fiber are lightweight and durable.   

  

Riser

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It is the connecting part of the limbs of the bow. Limbs are the two ends of a bow that are connected to strings.  Limbs are responsible for propelling the bolt powerfully. In the case of recurve bows limbs are longer that fire the bolt with great power.  

 

String

 

This is the most important part of the bow since it propels the bolt forward. It defines power and the overall performance of the weapon. In order to transfer the maximum energy to the bolt, the string of the bow needs to be lightweight and durable. 

 

So, how does the crossbow work?

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The working principle of the crossbow is to harness the power of stored energy. When the string of a crossbow pulls the limbs closer together, it creates a certain type of energy in the bow called elastic potential energy. When the trigger releases the cocked string, the potential energy converted into kinetic energy and launches the bolt. Though different types of bows such as long, compound, recurve,  or yumi differ in terms of design, the working principle of all types of bows is the same which is maximizing the stored energy to propel the bolt powerfully towards the target.

One great thing about crossbow is the bow is easy to learn. However, one also needs to make sure to prevent accidental shooting while using a crossbow.