File:Simple thumb lever crossbow (trigger close-ups).png

Description

A functional home-made reconstruction of an all-wooden crossbow with a simple "string-catch" and a top-mounted "thumb lever" mechanism. When pressed by the shooter's thumb, the small wooden lever swivels upward, lifting the bowstring from the string-catch and releasing it, allowing the crossbow to shoot.

Though this simple crossbow could be used in self-defence, it has a weaker bow, better-suited to hunting small prey (or just target-shooting for fun). The selfbow is made of hazel, the stock and trigger mechanism are made from a block of spruce wood.

This photo has two close-ups on the string-catch and trigger area, showing two possible variations on the thumb-operated, top-mounted trigger of the crossbow.

Info: Early medieval hunting crossbow with top-mounted lever

Attribution

By Petike - my own handiwork and my own photo (C) 2019