The picture for this section “Theuerdarnk Nearly Shoots Himself with a Crossbow” indicates that people have been doing stupid things with crossbows since the middle ages and DO need to be counselled on safety 😉

Treat a crossbow with the same seriousness and due care as you would a firearm. They are no less deadly and can cause devasting harm. Alot of this will sound common sense- and it is- but for potential “Theuerdarnk’s” out there it’s worth a reminder…

1. Never point the business-end of a crossbow at anything other than a target; point it at the ground- and not at feet!– until ready to load a bolt and fire it.
2. Check the safety is on- and check it again…
3. Keep your snot hooks- “fingers”- below the guard on the rail unless loading a bolt. Even when uncocked, just get in the habit of keeping fingers outside of the string.
4. Before loading a bolt, check that safety is ON.
5. Never place your finger inside the trigger guard unless ready to fire. Place your finger parallel with the rail underneath the guard.
6. Target Area Selection & Safety:
   • Perform a thorough COMPUTER recon using Google Maps to survey the surrounding area to understand the implications of a shot missing the target. Google Maps isn’t real time, so it could have been YEARS since the satellite imagery you’re looking at was captured.
   • Perform a thorough PHYSICAL recon of the target area when on site for dogwalkers, runners and other outdoorsy folks who could be within the area of a missed shot.
   • Keep a pair of binoculars in your archery bag to enable you to scan the surrounding area to satisfy yourself it’s safe to fire a bolt. You could do this with a range finder I guess, but binos seem better than a monocular for this purpose.
7. Shoot DOWN at Targets: Wherever possible, try to shoot DOWN at a target so a missed shot will impact the ground rather than travel a great distance and potentially injure or kill a bystander. And of course at £10/bolt, it’s easier to find a bolt lodged in the ground for retrieval and re-use.
8. Crossbow Safety: This caption is about protecting the CROSSBOW from damage rather than it’s shooter. To protect your crossbow’s limbs from SHATTERING, before squeezing off a bolt ensure that the limbs are not touching ANYTHING! Especially when bracing against an object to steady your shot, it is possible they could be in contact.

Whoops! Theuerdarnk accidently let’s one rip! 😱