Target ideas?

I seem to be shredding through my normal foam targets extremely quickly. I guess I will have to get a little archery target for the pistol crossbow.

So what did you end up using?
I was thinking of setting out a 4’x4 sheet of wood as a back stop and using a large box with a rug in side.

I live on a boat, and have an excess of PFDs, including a couple of those square cushion types. I found that the cushion, backed by a piece of 1/8" ply for safety, stops bolts just perfectly - buried to the vanes.

I have noticed a big difference in power between the Two 80lb crossbows. This makes a big difference in target material needed.
I noticed that the rails are not the same length.
From back of Prod to trigger
50LB is 6-7/8”
80LB is 6-7/8” Manual
80LB is 8-3/8” Self cocking
I plan on comparing the 3 on a phone book as soon as I can find an old one to see the differences in penetration. I suspect the 50lb and the 80lb manual are close to the same.

Intereseting... I'll have to check my 50# when i get it, against my 80#. Do you have a scale that you can actually measure the draw weights with at those distances?

KenH wrote:Intereseting... I'll have to check my 50# when i get it, against my 80#. Do you have a scale that you can actually measure the draw weights with at those distances?

No I don’t I was thinking the same thing because that would tell all.
I also could not find an old phone book and don’t think wife would like me shooting the good one.

Tonight I wanted to see how much of the difference there was between my 50LB and the manual 80LB do to the fact that they felt close to the same when cocking. I laid down a piece of carpet on the ground and shot two bolts of same color into it, with my arm fully extended straight down.
First with the 50LB then did the same with my manual 80LB with two bolts of a different color, the results seemed mixed as I was getting different results with the same crossbow, however did not see much of a difference between the two pistols either. I decided that this needs more test due to the fact of how the grass / ground may not be consistent in backing the carpet causing, mixed results with the same pistol.

I also agree what you said before about the self-cocking not really being cocking its self, I think that we should call the self-cocking a lever action, or lever cocking