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a different type of horn-bow

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lonbow:
Some italian sources mention goats horn as a material for crossbow prods.
There are some swiss crossbow prods made out of cowīs horn.

But all these horns were regarded as inferiour compared to ibex horn. Thatīs probably one of the reasons (apart from the medical use of ibex horn) why the alpine ibex was almost extinct in many regions by the 16th century. But today, the population is growing again thanks to reintroduction. I dream of making a late gothic crossbow with ibex horn, but I didnīt do it yet  because because ibex horn is very expensive. You need at least 6 ibex horns or even more for making a composit prod. The material alone for one crossbow prod would cost 1000 Euro or even more. However I got hold of two ibex horns and I cut a strip out of it. The material is indeed much tougher than water buffalo horn. I would even say itīs almost unbreakable.

For more information about late gothic crossbows, have a look at:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7516

lonbow

lonbow:
I see you have water buffalo horn. This works too. I know someone who has made crossbow prods with water buffalo horns with draw weights up to 600 kg! Please go on :)

stuckinthemud:
I also think the Ibex were hunted almost to extinction for the horn to make crossbows from, but you should need only one or at most two horns to build a composite bow, the horn is sawn into many narrow strips no more than between 5 and 8mm thick and 12mm wide, and even though you cannot use much of the side pieces, the front and back can be used and should supply plenty of material. You can use strips as short as 15cm, perhaps even shorter, I do not think the medieval builders wasted any material, even building bows just out of scraps but double layered to compensate, though this is just my theory.

loefflerchuck:
You can get mouflon sheep horns for about $200-$300 a set.

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