1960 crossbow
 

This is an A Ruegg 1960 crossbow. Weighs about 40 plus pounds and this one was supposedly used in the 1960 Olympics.

It looks like one that might have been used to defend a castle. What a difference between then and now.

Hete is another picture with the Cocking device

I have a matching pair that are I think from the late 60's
got them off a old farmer that used to have guys from down southern USA fly up north each deer season to hunt deer with em, then they got old and never came back for them after about 20 yrs of sitting in farmers closet, he gave them to me

I had then at a buddy's archery shop where he re strung them, as original strings seen better days LOL

But after installing new strings, I have never shot them but my bow shop did measure the poundage on them and think if memory recalls right, only about 48 lbs of drawn weight
Now things could have gotten weaker over time, but I really don't think they ever had much for power behind them

I stuck them on a wall in a hunting camp as directions, no plans to ever use em, never mind trying to kill a deer with em

next time up camp if I don;'t forget i'll take some pic's and add em here!

there rather similar in looks, less fancy on stock and limbs are thinner, but others pretty close in overall looks

The limbs are metal.
as far as draw weight I have no idea. But lifting this xbow to try to site it on a target the dang thing is heavy.
Took me 3 tries.

I asked the owner to send me a picture of the bolts it fires.



Interesting. No feather vanes. The tip is metal and spiral threaded.
Owner said. They go thru car doors.

JW

They were made to go through armor so I do not doubt it.

never really seen bolts like that, looks really short, not even past limbs when cocked??
leaving a lot of room for things to go wrong IMO
mine don't use anything like that, as I also got a box of bolts with them when I got em, all wooden shafts, feather vanes, and mor or less like a modern bolt, just fixed heads and nocks ( some of them were modified for plastic one's too, I gather the old owners did so as things advanced)
and all wood shafts!
not very thick either, but they did kill deer with em according to farmer I got em off of

The original bolts did not have feathers, They were created for one thing, to fend off attackers of the castle, just a projectile that would penetrate armor, distance accuracy was not a requirement since they were shooting down from the castle walls to the ground. The feathers and distance accuracy came later. However, unless the crossbow that JW posted was a historical reproduction, I doubt a 60s crossbow fires the kind of bolt JW posted.

yeah I get the historical side of X bows, did a bunch of reading on them yrs back
I was just thinking that an X bow from the 60's that was in the Olympics.
as again, a bolt that short, doesn't have a LOT of support on the barrel of the bow and being behind the limbs, would be pretty darn dangerous IMO

NOT saying they didnl;t use things like that or that is what this shot, just saying
that would scare me to try to fire out of it, even if bow was in safe working order.
As time has a way of doing strange things under tension and being bent!
I seen a few X bows come apart over the yrs, NOT a pretty sight to see

well after a little looking, just cause borded LOL

I doubt this X bow was used in the 1960 Olympics, as seems there wasn't any at all events Archery was first introduced to the Olympics in 1900. It was included at the 1904, 1908 and 1920 Games, then had a 52-year hiatus from the Olympic Programme.

In 1972, archery returned to the Games and it has remained an Olympic sport ever since.


and they only used Recurve bow's NOT X bows at all!
so, looking like the story you were told with it, was maybe a little off on things??


sorry to bust any bubbles here, still a cool X bow