[Sara Stessel]

Hello....
I'm new to the forum and new to Arms and Armour. I have an antique crossbow that I would like to know more about. Any information would be helpful. I am especially interested in knowing how old it is and where it came from--guessing Europe. It is 25" long x 23" wide.

Thank you in advance for all input.
Sara
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[Lloyd Winter]

The pics of the string, especially the 2nd to last pic sure look like it's a stonebow or pellet bow.
That and the sights lead me to believe it's a birding bow, probably Victorian, but that's just a guess.
Check out The Book of the Crossbow by Ralph Payne-Gallwey for more info.
Or it's little brother The Crossbow: Its Military and Sporting History, Construction and Use by the same author.
Both available on Amazon.
NB. The Crossbow has a rather nice 16th century Italian Stonebow on it's cover.