Crossbow as a weapon has been used in military warfare for more than 2000 years. These crossbows were invented by the Chinese but spread across the world in no time. Theoretically speaking, crossbows are considered to be the link between the bow and the firearm. It gives the user more power and accuracy compared to a traditional bow that is being used in battle field and for hunting. Crossbows have been used extensively in warfare in North Africa, Asia and Europe, however, today - crossbows are mainly used for hunting and target practicing.



Crossbows have a short lath or bow which is fixed to a tiller. The tips of the bows are connected by means of a cord. The bow consists of a pair of leaf springs and its main purpose is to store energy. When the string is drawn back to the latch, and the latch released, the string moves forward to push the arrow or bolt, which is guided by a bolt rest.

Crossbows are available at the market in many different styles, some of which are match crossbow, target crossbow, sporting crossbow and traditional replicated crossbows. Accessories consist of cases, silencers, quivers, scopes and crossbow bolts. Match crossbows are spanned with a lever and quite heavy. Such crossbows are used mainly in shooting competitions, for distances ranging between 10 and 30m. Target crossbows draw a weight of around 95lb and are mainly used at archery clubs.

Toy crossbows are available with safety sucker darts. Wildcat crossbows have devices permanently attached to the crossbow and require a tension of 16 lbs to function. The crossbow consists of one crank and handle and have anti reverse gear facility. A recurve crossbow set is usually used by people who want to learn about archery. The set consists of a 15 lb target recurve bow, finger tab, quiver, multi colored target face and two target arrows. This type of crossbow has tips curving away from the archer.

High quality 80 lb crossbows are available with self locking features. These crossbows are made of high tech fiberglass. The crossbows come with an auto safety feature and have a range of 100m.

Rifle crossbows with a 150 pound draw, foot pull, adjustable sights and durable fiber construction are available. Using such a crossbow you can fire to a distance of 250 ft per second and with an accuracy of 65 yards. This is a heavy duty and a powerful crossbow and is used for target practicing and hunting. This type of rifle crossbow requires immense strength to string and to cock the bow. Usually two people are required to string such a bow. The smallest crossbows available are the pistol crossbows.

Crossbow accessories like extra strings with plastic end caps and string wax is available. When wax is applied on the string it enhances the life of the string. It is advisable to apply wax after every 10 to 12 shots to enhance the life of the string.

Almost all the hunting stores and gun shops have crossbows in their stock, making it easy for the interested people to possess one.