Introduction: Make a 100 Pound Medieval Style PVC Crossbow and Bolts

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Hey everyone! Today we're going to be building a 100 pound medieval style crossbow with a PVC prod. While I use more expensive furniture grade PVC, this bow can be made with plumbing and electrical grade PVC to bring the total material cost below $10 per crossbow.

The stock is simple and is based loosely on early medieval types. The lock or trigger is also based on early wood crossbow triggers and is known as a pin or Skane lock. Using PVC, we can make a strong and reliable trigger mechanism with safety, a bolt retainer, and a stirrup. One of the biggest issues with the last 100 pound crossbow build along was how hard it is to string the bow. In this series we'll go over how to make a simple rope stringer to help make getting the string on much easier and much safer.

Thanks for watching and enjoy!

Material List for Crossbow -

32” long piece of 2x3 (1.5“x2.5”) lumber
49“ length of 1/2” Schedule 40 PVC electrical conduit
2.5“ to 3” length of 1/2“ dowel for trigger pin
Six 2” screws or similar fasteners
30“ long piece of 1” Schedule 40 PVC pipe
4 Feet of Paracord for string
15 Feet of Paracord, 10 additional for wrapping bow
10 Feet of 1/2“ or larger rope for bow stringer
Heat source (heat gun, torch, stovetop) and flattening jig
1/2” and 3/4” drill/spade bits and a drill or drill press
Saw, files, and sandpaper for cutting and shaping pieces

Material List for String -

Dacron or Polyester string material (approx 35 pound test)
Serving thread, nylon or other string serving thread
Serving jig or string server

Material List for 6 Bolts -

Six 3/8” straight grained hardwood dowels, 16-18 inches long
Six archery points, tie-in points, or PEX points
Twelve feather or plastic fletchings. Duct tape also works
Glue for points and glue or tape for fletchings
File or grinder for tapering points and shaping nocks

Step 1: Shaping the Stock

The first step is to lay out the stock on a piece of 2x6 lumber and cut it out. We'll also be drilling the different mounting and trigger holes.

Step 2: Building the Trigger and Attachments

Next we'll build the trigger lever as well as the bolt retainer, stirrup, and simple but solid safety out of PVC pipe.

Step 3: Building the PVC Prod

Now it's time to build the prod out of PVC pipe. I used furniture grade 1" Schedule 40 pipe, but plumbing pipe works as well.

Step 4: Paracord String and Bow Stringer

Now we'll make a temporary string out of paracord, which can be used as a final string. We'll also make a simple rope stringer to help string the 100 pound crossbow.

Step 5: Making a Flemish Twist Crossbow String

If you want something more permanent than paracord, follow along to make a simple Flemish twist bowstring.

Step 6: Making Crossbow Bolts With Wood Dowels

Finally we'll make some bolts to go with our finished crossbow!

Step 7: Shooting the Finished Crossbow!

Here's the crossbow in action!

One thing to keep in mind is that this crossbow is comparable to a 35 recurve bow. It does draw 100 pounds, but crossbows with short power strokes are generally much less efficient than hand bows and need to be much heavier for the same performance. To put this into perspective, many states require a minimum of 45 pounds to legally hunt with a bow but require a minimum of 150 pounds to hunt with a crossbow.

That said, it is dangerous and should never be pointed at anyone. Make sure that you know what lies beyond your target and never point the crossbow at anything you do not want to shoot.

This crossbow is a lot of fun to shoot and is fairly easy to cock with the stirrup. Thanks for watching!