A tale of two bows

Hi guys, as I posted in "Chinese Crossbow Trigger - Improved" I have been waiting for a bow to finish my test bed build. So after waiting almost two months for the recurve bow I ordered from TheCrossbowStore.com, I thought I would try to make a loose leaf stacked one like I had before from a boat cover bow but with the same dimensions as the recurve so it would fit the Xbow stock I built for it. I ordered a 96" Attwood fiberglass bow from Sportsmens guide. ($29.95 with free shipping) But it was way wider and thicker than the one I purchased locally. It was 1.75" wide and 1/4 inch thick. So I ended up cutting off a 33 inch length and then splitting it. (Diamond wheel in a die grinder type air tool) I cut one of the half's into two lengths of 22 and 11 inches. That gave me a loose leaf stack of 33, 22, and 11". And I think I have enough of the original bar left over for a Reverse Draw experement that I want to try next.
Here is a picture of it ready to mount.




I sanded down the back of the tips and glued some hard wood to the back to make nocks like this: 


The inter groove is for the bastard string.
I measured the the weight at 140 Lb at 17 1/2" of draw. Here it is on the Xbow stock:


Performance was not too bad at and average of 208 FPS with a 460 grain arrow.
As luck would have it, I finally received the recurve in the mail the very day I finished the loose leaf bow. So I thought it would be a good chance to compare. I didn't measure the recurve but it is a Barnett Panzer replacement rated at 150 LB at 17.5"of draw.( 12.5" power stroke)  As expected with the slightly higher weight (specified not weighed) and the recurve design, it gave higher speeds at an average of 227 FPS with the same 460 grain arrows. 
Here is a picture of the recurve mounted:


Here is a close up of the trigger showing how the "improved" version allows room for the down fletch to clear so I can shoot modern bolts/arrows.


I do love this trigger! After some tuning it gave a very light and fairly crisp trigger pull. And after each shot it ends up in the ready to cock state so I don't have to fool around each time like I do with the roller nut types to get them to the ready to cock state.
Now I just need to shoot it a bunch to see how it holds up. So far so good. . .

Very, Very cool my friend.I've been playing similar and it's great to see yours. I've a dumb question , how close do you set you knock to the release roller. I've been breaking a few knocks and kinda think maybe I'm setting out a little tooooo much. Thank you and keep up the good work.

Thanks C.
I am not sure I totally understand the question but I will try to answer what I think you are asking.
Actually all my triggers (and most others) use a two claw approach such that the arrow goes in the middle and sets hard against the string. Even though the picture above does not show the string, you can see that it is flush against where the string goes.
In this picture you can clearly see the double claw arrangement. 

And this one with an arrow in place:



I believe it is important that the arrow be against the string or as close as possible. With a single claw or pin type trigger of course, it is not possible to have it touching. I assume with those types of triggers you would want to get the arrow as close as you can.
Hope that helps.
John

I understand you now. I didn't realize your nut had the tow fingers. I have been using a single finger finger hook, and that slaps the end of the bolt. One problem I have, is I'm a 60 years long regular archery nut. I've been trying to learn this crossbow stuff cause it's fun building everything.

A bow to be proud of Jeager,clean simple lines,excellent craftsmanship,and a finish that shows care and attention to detail.
                         Hermit.

C wrote:One problem I have, is I'm a 60 years long regular archery nut. I've been trying to learn this crossbow stuff cause it's fun building everything.

Exactly the same here! New to Xbows and having a ball building them. It seems like every time I finish one I have ideas for the next 3.

Hermit wrote:A bow to be proud of Jeager,clean simple lines,excellent craftsmanship,and a finish that shows care and attention to detail.
                         Hermit.

Thanks Hermit! I am happy with the way this came out. Light and simple and fun to shoot.
I am thinking I will tackle a RDT design next. I am inspired by the fantastic builds patndjali and Ali posted here! But of course I have some new twists to test in mind. . .I just can't leave a good design alone.