How to Draw a Crossbow

Crossbows are weapons that have been around for centuries. A crossbow resembles a cross between a conventional bow and a gun. Rather than simply pulling back and releasing the bow string, as with a regular bow, a crossbow locks the string in place and uses a trigger mechanism to release the bolt (arrow). Drawing a crossbow is fairly simple but, as with any weapon, should be done with caution and a knowledge of the weapon. Crossbows are becoming increasingly popular as they are now legal to hunt with in many states.

Things You'll Need

  • Crossbow
  • Bolt
  • Crossbow cocker
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Instructions

    • 1

      Ensure that you are in a safe area where you can discharge the crossbow once you have cocked and loaded it. A crossbow should never be dry fired (discharged without a bolt) and it is not safe to use the cocking mechanism to uncock the crossbow.

    • 2

      Place the front of the crossbow on the ground. At the front, there is an attachment that looks like a handle, called a stirrup. This is for placing your foot in the crossbow to keep it on the ground while you draw it. Place your foot firmly in the stirrup.

    • 3

      Firmly grasp the crossbow string and pull it back to lock it in place. This is the most basic way to draw the crossbow. Keep in mind that this requires that you pull the full draw weight of the crossbow, which is typically around 150 pounds.

    • 4

      Use a rope cocker by attaching the clips of the rope cocker to the string of the crossbow and firmly grasping each end of the rope in your hands. Pull back until the the crossbow string is locked into place. A rope cocker utilizes a simple pulley system to reduce the amount of force needed to draw the crossbow by about half. For a crossbow with a 150-pound draw weight, the archer will need to pull 75 pounds of weight to draw the crossbow.

    • 5

      Mount a crank cocking device to the crossbow, following the manufacturer's instructions. The crank device will be mounted so you can draw the crossbow by turning a handle at the stock. This usually requires about 10 percent of the force of the draw weight. A 150-pound draw weight will thus require about 15 pounds of force to draw with a crank cocking device.