Awesome Crossbows

A crossbow is Daryl Dixon’s weapon of choice in the zombie apocalypse. But how accurate and effective are they, really? Mike Shake put five crossbows to the test, ranging from a $300 replica of a medieval crossbow to a $4400 high-speed beast. He scored each by its energy, accuracy, penetration, and lethality. Those high-end weapons are awesomely terrifying.

Mark Rober’s CrunchLabs engineered a unique mini crossbow that shoots NERF darts. To prove the scalability of its design, they created a super-sized version that fires massive mega-NERF projectiles using bungee cords. Mark tested its destructive capabilities with the help of guest host Jesser. The mini version is available through CrunchLabs’ Build Box subscription.

Medieval weapon expert Tod’s Workshop happened to have five different types of crossbows in his workshop at the same time, so he thought it would be fun to compare how they work and how effective each is at its job. The collection ranges from a tiny handheld crossbow to massive ballista that requires a time-consuming tensioning process.

While best known for his paintings, Leonardo DaVinci also invented many imaginative machines. Among his ideas was a crazy weapon that could fire 16 crossbows in a row. How to Make Everything took DaVinci’s drawings and built a real-world replica of the weapon. It works surprisingly well, but loading the thing seems like a precarious process.

Maker Maciej Nowak is back with another awesome miniature weapon. This time, he shows how he created a tiny crossbow that’s powered by a spring and a length of skinny sailing rope. The crossbow has an aluminum body for strength and fires skinny projectiles made from wooden skewers and nails.

The guys from Corridor Crew are always on the hunt for new and unique camera perspectives. On a quest to shoot a scene from the point-of-view of a missile, they worked on rigging a powerful crossbow to fire an Insta360 X3 camera. The trick was to keep the camera’s weight from breaking the crossbow bolts mid-flight.

A triple-decker crossbow seems like an odd idea, though we guess it could improve your chances of hitting your target. The video game Hood: Outlaws & Legends features a wrist-mounted version of such a device, and now, thanks to Black Beard Projects we have a working, real-world version of this unusual weapon.

MR Custom Crafts created this miniature working crossbow with a design inspired by Batman. Powered by a rubber band, it can fire three tiny arrows at the same time, though we’re not sure of practical use for such a weapon unless you have three foes standing side-by-side, or you’re trying to hedge your bets on your aim.

Shooting an apple off of someone else’s head with an arrow is a classic archery trick. But this crazy sequence is the first time we’ve ever seen someone shoot an apple off her own head. The clip comes from a 2015 episode of America’s Got Talent, and the woman behind the crossbow is Silvia Silvia.

Unlike other miniature crossbows, builder M.N. Projects‘ palm-size weapon features an impressive upgrade to its mechanism. It has a pair of rotating cams with a spring drive mechanism, enabling more powerful and longer launches of its tiny, but dangerously sharp metal bolts.

M.N. Projects shows off a nifty little weapon he machined from aluminum. It has a set of hinged arms which are attached to springs that store up energy when the bow is drawn back. We certainly wouldn’t want to catch one of those metal-tipped arrows in an eyeball.

There’s nothing quite as joyous as the grin on Joerg Sprave’s face and his manaical laugh when he fires up one of his over-the-top homebrew weapons. In this clip, he shows off a few of his creations, a couple of commercially-available crossbows, and the real reason you came here, an insane drill-powered machine bow at 7:15.

Weapon enthusiast Joerg Sprave shows off another really cool build. Dubbed the “Sliding Legolini,” this compact bow reloads and repeats with every draw. It can fire at a rate up to 140 arrows per minute, though it only has a 4 bolt capacity. Now, Joerg needs to build a magazine for this thing.

Crossbow maker Raduka shows off a truly impressive build – a miniature version of a reverse-draw compound crossbow, capable of firing dangerous little projectiles with tremendous power. All of the parts appear to have been shrunk down from a full-size weapon, and it works just like the real deal.

DaveHax shows us how to create a tiny, but still dangerous crossbow using a plastic bottle cap, a couple of popsicle sticks and a rubber band. The ammunition? Toothpicks, Q-Tips or flaming matchsticks. Daryl Dixon approves.

Dave Hax teaches us how to craft a clever mini bow and arrow out of common household items in this tutorial. We wonder if this is the weaponry the Brotherhood without Banners would use in mini Game of Thrones.