Has anyone ever used a crossbow to fling paintballs? It seems quite a simple task to rig a crossbow to fire balls instead of bolts, and you wouldn't have to keep changing the CO2 canister required by guns. I did a quick google search but couldn't find a Paintball Xbow.
-- simonj, Jul 12 2004

You want a slurbow. They are available.
-- angel, Jul 12 2004


+ for the name.
Bet Robin Hood wishes he had paintballs. SO much more humiliating for the Sheriff to come home rainbow-coloured.....
-- blueturtle, Jul 12 2004


Trebuchets...
-- RayfordSteele, Jul 12 2004


Tahomas...
-- spiritualized, Jul 12 2004


I thought the whole point of chivalry was that it was hand-to-hand combat that counted, and crossbowmen and archers were either maimed or simply executed when caught. Which in this context would entail going at it with paint brushes.
-- DrCurry, Jul 12 2004


Tacos?
-- gnomethang, Jul 12 2004


Or a paintball sling for a really low-tech experience.
-- half, Jul 12 2004


I have heard of doing paintballs with wrist rockets (sling-shots). It really changes the strategy because of the time it takes to reload. I imagine that the crossbow could be loaded slightly faster, but would still be closer to a slingshot game than to a game played with semi-automatic markers.

I've also seen blow-gun paintball markers, but they use a smaller paintball than normal, and if I remember right the reviews were mixed.
-- scad mientist, Jul 12 2004


Fill a sock with paint and you've got yourself a mace.
-- WordUp, Jul 12 2004


[WordUp] That would be more like a morningstar.
-- simonj, Jul 12 2004


Replace the paint with half a brick and you have something that kills people but leaves the buildings standing.
-- RobertKidney, Jul 12 2004


the problem you get here is one of aerodynamics... crossbows (more specificly the bolts) were designed to take advantage of the stablizing effect that the shaft had on the bolt and therefore had decent accuracy... a ball of paint hasn't got this advantage. In the case of paint-guns, the barrel helps propel it in the right direction and in some cases even uses rifling to give the proper spin needed for long range accuracy...

however, the idea of medival themed paintball just appeals to me on an animal level..
-- photojunkie, Jul 13 2004


[photojunkie]: Way up there --^, I mentioned the slurbow. It's a crossbow with a barrel, designed to shoot lead balls.
-- angel, Jul 13 2004



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