Explosive crossbow bolts

Deimos Anomaly · Post by **Deimos Anomaly** » 2002-07-09 03:24pm

An idea I got off of a website for a sort of "grenade launcher" type device:

Saw the point off an aluminium crossbow bolt.
Pack whatever explosive you have to hand inside the bolt until it fills it.
Take a low caliber pistol or rifle round, such as a .22, and extract the bullet from the brass, leaving the primer and charge inside the casing intact.
Attach the bullet casing onto the front of the crossbow bolt where the point used to be. You may want to lengthen the pin slightly by gluing an extra bit of metal to it, to be sure it will make first contact and get depressed to touch off the charge. DO NOT try to solder the extra bit on, you don't want heat leaking from the soldering iron through the pin and setting the whole shebang off in your face.
Insert the bolt into a crossbow.
Aim at target.
Fire.

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2002-07-09 04:28pm

Why would that be useful?

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2002-07-09 04:29pm

I'd try this but I don't have a crossbow handy

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2002-07-09 04:41pm

Robert Treder wrote:Why would that be useful?

Explosive crossbow bolts have already been used before. The main advantage of a crossbow is the fact that it is very quiet (in comparison with a rifle) and also fairly accurate. With explosive or poisoned bolts, it becomes highly lethal as well.

That said, Deimos' idea is interesting if you're in some underground resistance movement. I don't think that very many of us are, however

David · Post by **David** » 2002-07-09 04:41pm

Why didn't you post this when Sith God was around???

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2002-07-09 04:52pm

Crayz9000 wrote:That said, Deimos' idea is interesting if you're in some underground resistance movement. I don't think that very many of us are, however

My point exactly.

Deimos Anomaly · Post by **Deimos Anomaly** » 2002-07-09 05:44pm

I was gonna post this in a thread in spacebattles where people were talking about pipe bombs and such. But the monkeys in charge over there oppressed all talk of such and closed the thread.

With a post all typed up and nowhere to put it, I decided to post it here instead of throwing it away.

EmperorChrostas the Cruel · Post by **EmperorChrostas the Cruel** » 2002-07-11 03:19am

I have done this. It is very dangerous, and very fun. First, you must use a centerfire, not a rimfire round. Using a quick set, high strength epoxy to glue a BB to the primer, taking care to get none of it on the shell proper. I recomend JB Quick Weld. Do the BB, in a shell that has NO powder first! Then slide the shell casing over the outside of the bolt, spinning the round to smear the epoxy you put on the OUTside of the bolt. Do NOT fill the bolt 100%! Give yourself an inch or so of empty space at the end, preferably more than the length of the shell. Assume it will blow up while curing, and keep it behind something blast proof for three times the stated curing period. (Is an extra 15 minutes worth your life or eyes?) Put a soft protective cover over over the "hot" end. Assume if you drop it, it will go off. Do not remove said protective cover until crossbow is cocked and ready for the bolt. I have great experience with pyrotecnics and explosives. So my best advise is, DON'T FUCKING DO THIS! Manufacture of such things, in the USA especially, post 9/11 will get you long jail time, if you survive your own stupidity, and are caught.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2002-07-11 09:46pm

Explosive crossbow bolts have already been used before. The main advantage of a crossbow is the fact that it is very quiet (in comparison with a rifle) and also fairly accurate. With explosive or poisoned bolts, it becomes highly lethal as well.

That said, Deimos' idea is interesting if you're in some underground resistance movement. I don't think that very many of us are, however

Dont you throw away the "quiet" attribute of a crossbow when it has an exploding tip ?

David · Post by **David** » 2002-07-11 11:43pm

Deimos Anomaly wrote:I was gonna post this in a thread in spacebattles where people were talking about pipe bombs and such. But the monkeys in charge over there oppressed all talk of such and closed the thread.

With a post all typed up and nowhere to put it, I decided to post it here instead of throwing it away.

Ehum, what's wrong with monkeys?

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2002-07-12 01:06am

TrailerParkJawa wrote: Dont you throw away the "quiet" attribute of a crossbow when it has an exploding tip ?

What I mean by quiet is that it will not give away your position like a rifle would. There's only a quiet ping as the bolt is released, unlike the sharp crack of a rifle.

Hopefully the bolt will explode a long way away from you

EmperorChrostas the Cruel · Post by **EmperorChrostas the Cruel** » 2002-07-12 06:51am

No muzzle flash either.