Paper Crossbow (warning, not bandwidth friendly)

[a-4-year-old]

Has anyone seen the episode of mythbusters where they test the myth that a prisoner made a crossbow out of newspaper and a prison tray and killed someone from 15 feet away?

I made a very non lethal crossbow using newspaper glue duct tape and 4 rubber bands. Pix 4 proof.

Those things that look like rods made out of newspaper are the bolts for the crossbow, it can shoot pencils and pens and most anything you can fit in its barrel, including rolled up duct tape.

Big images here:
above
back end
side view

[Espadon]

Could you...kinda use smaller images? Be more bandwidth friendly? Since we're not allowed to use any sig bigger than 20kb in the interest of bandwidth... ~'.'~

[FliesLikeABrick]

Could you...kinda use smaller images? Be more bandwidth friendly? Since we're not allowed to use any sig bigger than 20kb in the interest of bandwidth... ~'.'~

large images are fine, there's a reason that is just a signature rule.  He put the bandwidth warning in the thread title so anyone who clicks here should know better if they can't spare the bandwidth.

edit: and for what its worth, those aren't even very large images.

[a-4-year-old]

In all fairness, i did that after he posted.

[Espadon]

Well now it loaded up a lot faster @ 800x600 and still has great detail. Hey, nice job. I do wonder if the Mythbusters version (never saw it but I heard about it so many times) uses the actual crossbow mechanics instead of the rubber band-strut format that we've all tried to do. For one thing though, newspaper doesn't lend itself to a real crossbow because the stuff just isn't elastic. XD

What's the range on that thing?

[a-4-year-old]

Well now it loaded up a lot faster @ 800x600 and still has great detail. Hey, nice job. I do wonder if the Mythbusters version (never saw it but I heard about it so many times) uses the actual crossbow mechanics instead of the rubber band-strut format that we've all tried to do. For one thing though, newspaper doesn't lend itself to a real crossbow because the stuff just isn't elastic. XD

What's the range on that thing?

mythbusters version used underwear nylon. it has one difference, it gets its power from the elastic bands, not from bending metal/carbon fiber

The range is alright, depending on the ammo. I can get between 15-20 feet with just rolled up newspaper shown in the pictures.

[PANZERCATWAGON]

That's pretty cool. How long did it take you to make it?

About the myth. I guess it could be true considering that this is pure example of how one can be made. But I reckon the guy that did it was probably just really really lucky, I mean it's not exactly a psg1.

[a-4-year-old]

That's pretty cool. How long did it take you to make it?

About the myth. I guess it could be true considering that this is pure example of how one can be made. But I reckon the guy that did it was probably just really really lucky, I mean it's not exactly a psg1.

consider the circumstances and the myth is very plausible, you are in a prison, you have lots of time (mine took less then 2 days, counting drying glue although i did not make a bolt with a sharpened tip like in the myth) you have all the materials to do so. Depending on where you hit the victim, and how much blood loss they could very easily die from their wounds.

Mine is fairly weak, but I can always add more rubber bands.

[PANZERCATWAGON]

I say he was lucky because, assuming the guards were intelligent enough to only allow him one shot, a crossbow made of paper shooting something over 15 feet isn't going to be the most accurate thing in the world and so he had to have had a lucky shot.

[Mastadi]

@up Well, iirc, one of the mythbusters (Lol, don't remember which one it was ;p That epsiode was loooooong time ago) hit the artifical head perfectly into the neck (I think at his first try, too). So it isn't that hard

@a4yo Woah man, i wish i could do something like that ;]

[a-4-year-old]

it does have decent range and accuracy, I set up a target and walked about 15 feet away and poked through the cardboard with a dull pencil. I'll get a picture of it up eventually.


This is really really easy to do and make, and mine seems to be perfectly stable after countless shots.

[LtHerbert]

this reminds me of a site i made a while ago thats teahces u how to do some awesome shit.


http://www.freewebs.com/how2dostuff/


idk if its legal or not. P>S> ifd ur a tagger u might wanna see this cause it shows u how to put spraypaint in a deoderant can.

[Espadon]

What's that linking the 2 pairs of bands together?

[a-4-year-old]

Thermite is extremely dangerous, it burns very very hot.

the rubber bands are just tied on, the tension keeps them from undoing themselves. You can see it in the "above" picture

[Demonic]

Woah. That looks pretty wicked, I'll try to build my own during the week when I'm bored :d

How long did it take you to make this?

[Graham]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millwall_brick

Gasp! More news media weaponry!

[truup]

Now kill your mom with it.

[a-4-year-old]

Woah. That looks pretty wicked, I'll try to build my own during the week when I'm bored :d

How long did it take you to make this?

2 days. do some planning before you start. I think ill try to make a better, more efficient one.

I highly doubt mine can kill someone, maybe a small animal if I could get close.

All i shot out of it so far was a pen, a pencil and rolled up newspaper.

maybe i'll make instructions...

[Funky monkey]

maybe a small animal if I could get close.

Yeah. but what kind of tiny animal? Some of them are pritty hard to kill, you know.

[Red_Dawn]

make it shoot thermite bolts! that'll kill a small animal! but maybe use something more sturdy than newspaper and use better rubber bands.