# Survival > Survival Kits & Survival Products >  Bow vs Crossbow vs Air Rifle

## BrazilianSnowMan

I want a shooting platform at hand 24/7 and not get arrested for it. I took the bow, crossbow and the air rifle to test it out. Simple enough, in a minute how many and how accurate they shoot at 15 paces from a 20x20in target. My goal was not to shoot pellets/arrows/darts downrange as fast as I could, but shooting *accurately* as fast as I could.

45 lbs Compound Bow vs 180 lbs Crossbow vs 1000fps Airgun:

1st - Bow: After the first couple shots, one arrow broke the tail grip (dont know the name, its where the arrow have contact with the string), releasing the string and braking it. Not a good start for the bow. 

2nd - Crossbow: It delivered 5 shots, with all 5 hitting the target and 1 bullseye. Heavy and cumbersome to carry and take some time to reload.

3rd - Airgun: A scoped Daisy 1000 Powerline, delivered 10 shots in 60 seconds, all hit the target, being 8(!) in the 2x2in bullseye. 6 seconds to load, aim and fire each pellet.
Its my new companion, in a soft case with 2.000 pellets. Inside the case, with the rifle, there is also a blowgun + 100 darts and a machete.


Although the bow and crossbow deliver more punch, the air rifle is more suited for what I want. And one more thing, Im sure I could fire all of them faster and more accurate with practice.
PS: I sold the bow and the crossbow yesterday to a friend.

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## crashdive123

There is another member (been absent for awhile) down in Brazil.  Thought you might like his vid on air guns.  http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...h-an-Air-Rifle

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## Rick

What do you want the platform to do for you? Speed for speed's sake doesn't buy you much.

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## BrazilianSnowMan

> What do you want the platform to do for you? Speed for speed's sake doesn't buy you much.



Agree, but I was looking for the capabilitie of putting as many rounds as I could in an intended target. This way I can use it to supress any movt at a fair distance (maybe 50 or 70 meters). I know, its way underpowered, but still is a round going at almost the speed of sound. A heavy pellet (1/2 gram) still carry some energy when it hit the target. Being shot in the face with one of this is something I wouldnt want. For up close bussiness I have a big a$$ machete and a smaller, lighter one. Plus my EDC knife and pepper spray.

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## BrazilianSnowMan

> There is another member (been absent for awhile) down in Brazil.  Thought you might like his vid on air guns.  http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...h-an-Air-Rifle




I exchanged a couple Pm's with him. Looks like a nice guy, and crafty for sure

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## BrazilianSnowMan

By the way, here are the machetes with a Bic pen on the left for comparison:
IMG0263A.jpg

Edit: Yes, they are very sharp.

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## hunter63

What is your goal?.......protection?...hunting?

Just my thoughts, but an air gun isn't in the same class with bow/crossbow.... I would be real careful on what all that speed is gonna do for ya.......pi$$ someone or something off...then take the machete away from you and hurt you.......unless you are talking back yard bunny or some such.

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## Rick

Really I wouldn't even consider an air gun for self defense. For gathering small game it would be fine. If you were going to use it on someone then I assume they would be armed, which means you will be under powered. If they are not armed then you wouldn't need to shoot them. The one thing you can probably be certain of in a knife fight is you will be cut. 

If you can't own a good self defense weapon for whatever reason then I think avoidance is your best defense and more often the better choice if you are armed. Just my thoughts.

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## crashdive123

Yeah, not sure what Brazilian laws allow, but an air gun for self defense is not a good choice IMO.

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## Jimmyq

In my parts the definition of a firearm is over 500fps muzzle velocity which necessitates the firearms licences etcetc. Funny how so many sold here are rated at 495 lol. I put mine rated at 495 up against a one year old (maybe 500 shots through it) pellet rifle my buddy has that was sold at 675fps. Both on .177, at the same distance mine punched through a piece of 3/8's plywood, his impacted well and got about half way through. I also have to mention the $40 Chinese crappola one I bought a dozen or so years ago, rated on the box at 450 fps it will punch through 1/2" plywood at about 15 feet. Problem is the stock and barrel are attached so poorly that you cant aim it at anything much smaller than a sheet of plywood!

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## jcullen24

> I want a shooting platform at hand 24/7 and not get arrested for it. I took the bow, crossbow and the air rifle to test it out. Simple enough, in a minute how many and how accurate they shoot at 15 paces from a 20x20in target. My goal was not to shoot pellets/arrows/darts downrange as fast as I could, but shooting *accurately* as fast as I could.
> 
> 45 lbs Compound Bow vs 180 lbs Crossbow vs 1000fps Airgun:
> 
> 1st - Bow: After the first couple shots, one arrow broke the tail grip (dont know the name, its where the arrow have contact with the string), releasing the string and braking it. Not a good start for the bow. 
> 
> 2nd - Crossbow: It delivered 5 shots, with all 5 hitting the target and 1 bullseye. Heavy and cumbersome to carry and take some time to reload.
> 
> 3rd - Airgun: A scoped Daisy 1000 Powerline, delivered 10 shots in 60 seconds, all hit the target, being 8(!) in the 2x2in bullseye. 6 seconds to load, aim and fire each pellet.
> ...


That's the arrow nock you broke. 

That 1kFPS air gun wow. And it's got a scope?! I said best choice at first because of the FPS, but I've never owned an air gun, so I don't want to opinion or theory craft on it. 

I prefer a compound bow. I don't know what application you have in mind.  I'm thinking self defense?  Compound Bow, and the Cross Bow.   Not sure of a Blow Gun, Never had one.  BTW I never liked scopes in the military. They're good for long range, but once it gets down to < 50yrds not so good.

Now that I've read more of the thread, you're looking for lethal force.  The Compound Bow, and Cross Bow are proven lethal force. The others are not proven lethal.  Proven in combat would be the phrase I'm looking for.

OUCH you sold the 40# compound bow, your best asset.

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## Old Professor

I would choose a long bow over a compound bow! I can shoot a long bow as accuratly as a compound bow when speed counts and put more arrows into the air. Compounds are easier to shoot accuratly when using sights but with practice you can become quite accurate with a traditional bow. The most accurate bow, in my experience is a good crossbow. However they are slow to cock and tend to be noiser than other bows. Also in a survival situation, it is easier to make field expedient arrows for a longbow than for a compound bow or a crossbow. My airgun experience is limited, largely because they are illegal for hunting where I live.

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## BrazilianSnowMan

No way in hell this air rifle will work for self defense, I know that. But still I can keep a nosy dude away and if I need meat in the pot, I have a way too (but keep in mind hunting is a hideous crime here). Is just another tool at my disposal. 
I dont want to kill anybody, but (with lots of luck) it may help me to keep whomever away. 
Im not bringing the airgun with me to kill or mame someone. The one thing I really liked about the airgun is the capabilitie of send a tiny chunk of lead somehow accurately at every 6 seconds. In an neighboring area (20 km N from here) they have panthers and I would never mess with this animal. I rather have a pointy stick and a knife than an air rifle to deal with them.
I still dont know what this pellet shooter can do for me, but its there, whenever I want. I just want another tool at hand, to do whatever I need/want done, even plink a little.

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## jcullen24

> I would choose a long bow over a compound bow!


LOL we wont get into that age old debate here!   :eyepoke: 

His orginal question was on the selection of a Compund Bow; A Cross Bow, an Air Gun, or a Blow Gun.


I'm practicing with recurves at the range.  I'll probably buy a recurve in the futture. I like being diverse.  I'm also going to try my hand at flint knapping, and my compound isn't suited for wooden arrows, flintknapped heads, and feather fletching.  :P

My compound will always be more accurate than a recurve or longbow, it's a simple fact of equipment and technology, nothing for me to brag about.

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