Sign in or 
Location: Zombie Survival & Defense Wiki
Discussion: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
Category:
Discussion Forum /
General Discussion
Share this
White76Knight |
40. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 23 2012, 1:23 AM EDT
"thanx mate ive just done a beginners course and joined a club for the re-curve bow with my son. 800 bucks sounds good though ive been speaking to the members of the club and it seems the best ones are around £2000 or £1200 for an average one just shows how much were ripped off here thanx for the info though"LOL - Always fun when you realize that you've been jacked on the price of something. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
|
lupinedog |
41. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 23 2012, 5:18 AM EDT
A couple of quick thoughts. Make sure that you have a couple of back-up strings and wax for whatever bow you do get. Make sure that you have enough backup arrows, fletchings, glue, and then a bunch of a variety of tips (field, small game, broadhead). If you hit something in the head or the tip gets stuck in bone or a tree, you may not have time to get the whole arrow out. You just spin the shaft off. And of course, you may want a Kevlar glove when dealing with a bloody arrow to reduce possibility of an accidental infection by a superficial cut. Then lastly, I used to have a fishing rig for my bow. Screws into the counter weight hole for a compound. Not sure if a budget long or recurve have this ability. It would allow you to fish but it does take practice to hit something below the water line due to the refraction (is that the word?) of the image. But I only had one arrow. Break your line and you may lose your arrow. So get a backup if you go this route.
Do you find this valuable?
|
Filadog |
42. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 23 2012, 6:11 AM EDT
"thanx mate ive just done a beginners course and joined a club for the re-curve bow with my son. 800 bucks sounds good though ive been speaking to the members of the club and it seems the best ones are around £2000 or £1200 for an average one just shows how much were ripped off here thanx for the info though"Maybe an expensive competition target bow could cost that much . After saying that I've sold a couple of top of the line used Hoyt target bows complete with case, bunch of arrows and etc. on ebay for $300-$450. This is the Bow that has won many olympic competitions Unless you are planing to shoot in competitions why get a target bow? You can get a brand new high quality Bear recurve for between $350-$500 retail. The same models on the used market would be half that or less retail Lots of very good deals out there on older vintage bows at flea markets, yard sales and auctions.I just bought a nice Ben Pearson last week at a flea market for $20, seller wanted $25 but looked like a $20 bow to me. I don't know how many Bows I have bought but up in the dozens and most I got for less then $60, with many under $40.....Think the most I ever paid was $120 for a real nice early Bear Kodiak Magnum Check for twists or warping and any cracks but most older recurve bows I see are fine Other then you just want to there really isn't any reason you have to pay a bunch for a good bow Do you find this valuable? |
|
White76Knight |
43. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 23 2012, 11:20 AM EDT
"A couple of quick thoughts. Make sure that you have a couple of back-up strings and wax for whatever bow you do get. Make sure that you have enough backup arrows, fletchings, glue, and then a bunch of a variety of tips (field, small game, broadhead). If you hit something in the head or the tip gets stuck in bone or a tree, you may not have time to get the whole arrow out. You just spin the shaft off. And of course, you may want a Kevlar glove when dealing with a bloody arrow to reduce possibility of an accidental infection by a superficial cut. Then lastly, I used to have a fishing rig for my bow. Screws into the counter weight hole for a compound. Not sure if a budget long or recurve have this ability. It would allow you to fish but it does take practice to hit something below the water line due to the refraction (is that the word?) of the image. But I only had one arrow. Break your line and you may lose your arrow. So get a backup if you go this route."I agree, but as I've mentioned in another thread, I would add the proviso that anyone who intends to use a bow should look into learning how to make arrows from scratch. They may not end up working as well as the store bought ones, but they may save your life if all of your store bought arrows are lost or broken. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
shadowmancer |
44. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 23 2012, 5:53 PM EDT
| Post edited: May 23 2012, 6:05 PM EDT
Whats better? simply put the one which matches your body type , hight and upper body strength.If you can't actually use the thing then it is worthless. ex: a guy at 5'2 with narrow shoulders and weights 100lbs soaking wet would have no use for a english longbow (lol comic example) 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
|
White76Knight |
45. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 23 2012, 8:32 PM EDT
"Whats better? simply put the one which matches your body type , hight and upper body strength.But presupposing that you can find a longbow/recurve/compound bow that matches your body type, height and upper body strength, or that you can find a crossbow that matches your body type, height and upper body strength, you still have a decision to make. The crossbow generally wins out in power and ease of marksmanship, whereas the bow wins out in rate of fire. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
|
shadowmancer |
46. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 23 2012, 8:41 PM EDT
true but without that data you can't claim one is best to use
2
out of
2 found this valuable.
Do you?
|
|
White76Knight |
47. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 23 2012, 8:43 PM EDT
"true but without that data you can't claim one is best to use "No, but you can make the decision based on which of those factors is most important to you, which of those factors you feel is more likely to come into play in your particular situation. 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
|
shadowmancer |
48. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 23 2012, 11:35 PM EDT
another vaild point white
1
out of
1 found this valuable.
Do you?
|
|
White76Knight |
49. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 24 2012, 12:40 AM EDT
"another vaild point white"LOL - I try. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
sl0-m0-ti0n |
50. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 27 2012, 8:10 AM EDT
Well, personally, I think a recurve would be best. Crossbows take less skill and can remain strung for a long time without the string going loose, but recurves are easier than longbows to use, have a longer range, and you can reload faster. With a crossbow you will have to put the bolt in place, pull the string up and over [which could take a lot of strength] and clip it in place. With a recurve it is easier.Longbows or flatbows would be a bit better, though they would take a lot of strength to use and sometimes are much too big to handle. There are ones that have 90 pound drawstring weight, which is not good if you haven't been properly trained. Basically it's up to you, if you are tall and strong and well trained, then one of the larger bows. If you aren't well trained but tall and strong, then crossbow. If you are slighter and shorter then I suggest recurve. Phew, I sure know a lot about bows for a kid XD 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
|
White76Knight |
51. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 27 2012, 10:27 AM EDT
"Well, personally, I think a recurve would be best. Crossbows take less skill and can remain strung for a long time without the string going loose, but recurves are easier than longbows to use, have a longer range, and you can reload faster. With a crossbow you will have to put the bolt in place, pull the string up and over [which could take a lot of strength] and clip it in place. With a recurve it is easier.One thing you forgot to mention. While they do suffer in the reload speed department, a crossbow is not only more accurate for the untrained, but will generally be more powerful as well. Mechanical aids of one form or another can be used to c*ck the heavier draw weight ones, which generally can't be done with a bow, and the heavier draw weights thus possible allow for greater penetration than a bow will usually generate. 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
JPTank |
52. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 27 2012, 5:44 PM EDT
It really depends on what experiance you have. I'm half aboriginal, so I've actually been around bows a lot. Personally I feel more confident with a recurve/ longbow because I simply know how to use one; as opposed to having not shot a crossbow. The good thing about a recurve bow is that it allows you to be agile on the reload. You need to stop to reload a large crossbow. You don't need to stop to reload a recurve. With enough experience, you can turn on a dime and reload at the same time. You need a lot of upper body strength to have to continually shoot from a normal bow, too. However, they are much lighter to carry. 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
Blacula |
53. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 27 2012, 8:12 PM EDT
Just an add-on note about the high-performance air rifles -- they are expensive, and the really powerful ones require serious secondary equipment to charge the air tank -- such as a scuba tank WITH a backup pump -- not really 'survival' equipment. A great sport, maybe a great specialty hunting item...but you're not going to be doing much of any long-term surviving with it. Even the high end rifles with a hand-pump never get nearly the PSI for serious hunting damage unless you have a scuba tank and pump for backup.Oh yeah, and the even half-way decent hunting air rifles are kind of pricey. Between that and all the backup equipment needed, it's more of a specialty sport than a serious survival tool. Now...the .177" air pistol CAN be useful if you're kneecapping the guy next to you so his quivering body will serve as a distraction...hmmm...but seems like a poor weight/space investment. 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
|
White76Knight |
54. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 27 2012, 11:30 PM EDT
"It really depends on what experience you have. I'm half aboriginal, so I've actually been around bows a lot. Personally I feel more confident with a recurve/ longbow because I simply know how to use one; as opposed to having not shot a crossbow. "I've heard guys in medieval reenactment organizations disparage the crossbow for exactly the opposite reason. One anecdotal story concerned a fighter who normally scored between five and ten "kills" during an hour long battle using melee weapons, and who had scored about the same the few times that he had used a recurve bow. Now on one occasion when no recurve was available, he picked up a crossbow after an injury temporarily prevented him from using the melee weapons to which he was accustomed. Like you he had never fired a crossbow before, but after picking it up FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, he scored seventeen kills in the first ten minutes of the battle. He quit the battle at that point, declaring that the crossbow was so unsportsmanlike that, unless he could find a recurve or some other conventional bow, he would rather sit out of the battles entirely until his injury healed rather than take it up again. Now I wasn't there, so I can't attest to the validity of this story, but if accurate it illustrates that even for the inexperienced, or perhaps ESPECIALLY for the inexperienced, the crossbow may be a better survival choice. While a bow certainly has advantages in rate of fire over a crossbow, a novice might still be better served by the latter, at least until their marksmanship improves enough to take make best use of the bows advantages. 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
flynntaggart |
55. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 29 2012, 2:25 AM EDT
unless you already have lots of experience with the bow, just go for a crossbow. and melee.
1
out of
1 found this valuable.
Do you?
|
|
JPTank |
56. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 29 2012, 4:43 AM EDT
"I've heard guys in medieval reenactment organizations disparage the crossbow for exactly the opposite reason. "I find that very interesting. I've always loved archery, so just using a simple wooden bow just became so natural to me. I even wanted to get into the sport at one point. I believe the thing about the crossbow being pretty much unchallenged untill the introduction of gunpowder. At one point it was deemed so evil a weapon that it was banned for a while. (I can't remember the exact dates or anything). - it would be much more accurate, no kickback or strain on muscles. So I'm sure someone could shoot through the weekend without tiring much. - I'm sure they have much more power too - many being armor piercing. I'm sure a zed would be done for. However, the recurve/Longbow has great advantages. - easier to make and arm enough people who could learn. (learning can take time, but when it's done in a group in a fun competitive - but safe - way, shooting becomes more intuitive; quicker). - Bows still were rather efficient opposed to muskets in the sence that they reload faster. (in this day and age it's a different ball game). - the mongols, for example; could shoot from horseback multiple times with ease and decimate their enemies. I'd really like to see a deadliest warrior show featuring different kinds of bows - that would be so cool! >:-D 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
|
White76Knight |
57. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 29 2012, 10:41 AM EDT
To tell the truth, I think it's kind of like debating AR vs AK47, or .45 vs 9mm. Each side has those who will champion one over the other, but at the end of the day, both are pretty decent choices and you can't really go wrong with either.
1
out of
1 found this valuable.
Do you?
|
|
bolvark |
58. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 30 2012, 7:50 PM EDT
I would say that a crossbow would work better for direct line of fire. I would like to point out that a lot maby most bow ware fare was indirect fire by formations at enemy formations. Indiredt fire. Works great for situations like above but when you got a singel archer and a singel target things change. For indirect fire rate of fire would make more sence fvor direcdt fire your wanting acurcy and penetraion Do you find this valuable? |
|
JPTank |
59. RE: which are better crossbows or re-curve/composit bow
May 31 2012, 2:59 AM EDT
"I would say that a crossbow would work better for direct line of fire.Very true, very true. However; although regular bows were normally used for indirect shooting, if one learned how efficient it can be directly; you can probably out-do much better armed people. There's that thing max Brooks said in the zombie survival guide - "a well trained person with a rock can do far more damage than a mob armed with the best battle gear." same applies here depending on training. For instance, bows (crossbows and regular bows) took on a new role after the musket and more-so as technology progressed. Instead of shooting indirectly in large regiments; bows took on a role in guerilla warfare simply because they're quiet, easy to make, and perfect for hit and run tactics. For instance; arrows do not show trajectory (I may have the terms wrong). If no one saw where the arrow came from - it could have come from anywhere. That could prove very confusing to opponents such as raiders. That being said; I still wouldn't doubt that overall a crossbow is "better". Afterall, there is a reason why technology has progressed since the bow, right? Because the new stuff is "better". Do you find this valuable? |
