ORIGINAL: rafsob
ORIGINAL: Cossack
Bigred,
Please, they're ARROWS, bolts are for holding things together.
Why do you call them arrows and everyone else I know calls them BOLTS?
ORIGINAL: Cossack
Bolts were originally used in crossbows primarily for war. The were (are) short metallic one-piece projectiles without feathers or vanes, about the size of a common dart, intended to penetrate the armor worn by the opposition. Arrows have feathers or vanes, separate tips, nocks as well as separate shafts. They are in fact arrows, just shorter than those used by most vertical bows. My primary reason for calling them arrows is because the ARE arrows and to defuse the anti's arguments that crossbows are somehow sinister and un-bowlike because they shoot projectiles ('like a bullet") rather than arrows. Call them what you want. I, however, don't feel like playing into their propaganda by needlessly calling mine 'bolts.'
My understanding is that Cossack is pretty accurate in his response. Bolts in todays terms are arrows for crossbows but are under 14" and since that most crossbows from todays hunting world require longer arrows than 14", they are called arrows. IT has been a common practice by the anti's to disparage crossbows in any manner that they can, and since BOLTS seem to have a negitive connection to them, they try to imply them to all crossbows. Those pistol crossbows (which are illegal in many places) shoot bolts.
Sorry to hi-jack this thread, just thought this needed a small comment.