TOT; Crossbows

[spuorgelgoog]

Only as a sculpture against urban gang violence modelled in fire-retardent polystyrene.

Owain

[Rick Hughes]

Would they accept hitting it on head with a lump hammer is more acceptable ? Or do they have stance that only wringing it's neck will do ?

However if you were to claim to be a Muslim you can kill inhumanely as much as you want ... Halal being fully acceptable in UK.

[Dave Liquorice]

No they let them go.

Hum, at least some Halal abattoirs allow stunning before slaughter. I suggest you look up the rules for Kosher.

[Robin]

The only person I know (who owns up to) using a crossbow sent me a link to this Home Office leafelt which only says "offences include causing unnecessary suffering to a domestic or captive animal, and killing or injuring any wild animal or bird" which suggests there may be some room for skewering. But I accept it may well not be up to date as there has been recent legislation (EU and domestic) on slaughtering.

[Cursitor Doom]

ISTR you can test the relative power of different x-bows against each other by firing bolts from them at your apprentice and measuring the depth of the resulting holes.

[Windmill]

You could have shortened that a great deal by simply saying 'It is illegal.' Applies almost universally.

[Huge]

Define "lots".

I have one and know a little about them. I suppose I can be persuaded to unkillfile you to discuss it.

[Huge]

Depends on how strong a prod you fit.

Using the 100lb prod on mine, it is unsafe to fire wooden quarrels, I assume because they bend under the acceleration load applied and set off in more or less random directions.

[Dave Liquorice]

Depth? Out to 100m or more the bolt will have gone straight through. Don't underestimate the power of a crossbow.

[newshound]

Euler buckling!

[Andy Dingley]

Good steel, but you're looking at a draw weight comparable to a quarter of a car, or else a lot of forging. One of the best is the fibreglass transver se spring from the back of a Volvo 960 - much lighter. These are all for p retty big windlass-cranked bows.

If you have the _slightest_ interest in crossbows (or siege engines) get a copy of Payne-Gallway's "The Book of the Crossbow".

The Chinese repeating crossbow (Payne-Gallway) is great fun and one of the easiest to make - the magazine is simple and as it's rapidly drawn by a lev er, it's only a light draw weight, so the prod is easy to make (mine is lam inated ash veneers). It'll still shatter bolts (chopsticks) if they hit a h ard target.

In my tradition of making weapons out of things bought from the pacifists o f Ikea, their laminated bed slats make an excellent light crossbow prod.

[Nightjar]

So, you line them up and measure it by the number of apprentices it will penetrate.

Colin Bignell

[John Rumm]

Or for economy, fold (or otherwise section) your apprentice, such that the bolt gets to pass through (parts of) the same one several times...

(or use them lengthways)

[Huge]

Thank you! I didn't know about that.

[The Medway Handyman]

Thank you.

But how will you rad my reply?

[harryagain]

It's illegal to release a grey squirrel once you have captured it. They are considered to be vermin.

[harryagain]

Talking of which, as a sub-teenager I got a book out of the children's library all about how to make fireworks and explosives. Our local chemist was very helpful on the parts I didn't understand.

[Dave Liquorice]

That hasn't stopped the RSPCA releassing them after capture in the past but can I find that story now?

There is no really reliable legal definition of "vermin", so it is best to avoid the term.

There are lists of animals and plants that it is illegal to introduce to the wild as Schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act Section

14.

[Robin]

Yes. The RSPCA have (had?) licences from Natural England for release after treatment of injured animals in some areas where there are no reds left. I don't think even the RSPCA like/encourage it though: they know the reds have the better PR.

[Jethro_uk]

ISTR Mythbusters making something similar