I have been wanting to 3d print the Baraba sling bow/crossbow for a while now. So after getting hold of some PETG filament I decided to tackle the massive task of 3d printing out over 40 parts.
Now I have previously 3d printed the Adderini sling bow and that was a fun project. It has well-written instructions and easy-to-assemble parts. I was hoping for a similar experience.
I call the Baraba the Adderini clone as it is very similar but nothing has been copied. It is a completely different crossbow which just happens to look the same.
Table of Contents
Baraba 3d printed slingbow build process
I have a Creality Ender 5 Pro 3d printer which is perfect for these large builds. Printing with PETG filament is preferred as it is not as brittle as PLA and resistant to UV rays so great for outside use which is where we will be using this 3d printed crossbow.
I used the same settings which were set out in the Adderini manual – as the instructions I had for the Baraba only specified the infill percentage. Here are my settings:
3d Printer Settings Ender 5
- Nozzle: 0.4 mm.
- Resolution: 0.2 mm.
- Extrusion width: 0.45 mm
- Speed 60mm, 20mm for the base layer. (You could comfortably go up to 80mm sec on an Ender 3/5)
- Wall thickness: 1.8-2.25 mm (5 shells/perimeters)
- Top/Bottom thickness 1.6mm
- Infill: 25-30%. 70-100% for high-stress pieces.
- Filament material: PETG for added impact resistance.
- PETG temp settings: Bed 80deg C, Nozzle 230 deg C.
- Gluestick to get a sticky hot bead.
- Bream to prevent warping on long pieces.
- Minimum bed dimensions: 180x180mm, 200×200 mm recommended, and 300x300mm.
Make sure to read the instructions fully as this will let you know what parts to print out with extra infill and will also give you an idea of colors so you can print out all the same colored parts at one time.
Baraba Parts List
- Baraba 3d printed files STL
- 3mm and 4mm screws of various lengths.
- 8mm x 1mm compression springs and 4mm extension spring cut to size
- Aluminum extrusion 2×2 bar cut to size
- 1.75mm PETG filament of your favorite color – Sunlu
- 3mm paracord for crossbow string – Rated 425LB
- Silver Theraband cord rubber bands
- Cable ties
- Lube for sliding parts
- Superglue
- Glue stick
- Drill bits of various sizes
- Pistol Crossbow bolts
- Red/Green dot reticle sights.
Baraba Slingbow/Crossbow Printing Building Issues.
After 40 hours of 3d printing and parts sanding I was ready to start assembling the Baraba sling bow crossbow.
I didn’t have any issues with the 3d printing process apart from working out colors and keeping track of all of the many parts that were printed. I used Ultimaker Cura 5 as my slicing program and it worked well.
Assembly was a different matter. Now as mentioned before I was able to build the Adderini 3d printed sling bow which only took a few hours to assemble. The Baraba on the other hand took me over 12 hours to complete.
The main problem I had was that many of the parts needed sanding, screw nut prep work, springs cut to size, and accurate holes drilled out in the aluminum extrusion bar.
There is definitely a lot more work in this build compared to the Adderini. The instructions while good it is not as detailed as I would have liked. But we got there in the end.
- I printed out the drill guides as this helped mark out the holes to be drilled in the Aluminum extrusion bar.
- The parts that I superglued and bolted together are the leavers and the arrow latch mechanism.
- Make sure to lubricate all moving parts for easy movement before final assembly.
- Check the screw holes that there is no excess filament in them.
- Check the arrow bolt exit hole size. My bolts didn’t fit and the exit bolt hole had to be drilled out slightly.
Make sure all of your screws are the correct length before tightening everything down.
I chose to make the slingbow version but you can also make the crossbow version if you have access to the crossbow limbs.
Crossbow vs slingbow
I chose to build the slingbow due to not having access to crossbow limbs and wanting a compact pistol crossbow.
Attaching the rubbers was easy. All you need to do is tie a not on each end of the 3mm para cord and feed it into one end of the Theraband silver rubber.
Cable ties are then used to attach the rubber to the 3mm para cord and the slingbow. I found the smaller-width cable ties work better.
It is best to take apart the slingbow limbs before attaching the Theraband rubber.
Likes and Dislikes
Even though there are a few things I didn’t like about this build it is still a fantastic part of engineering. I appreciate the hard work that has gone into it and it is one of the best parts that I have 3d printed so far. A great showpiece with practical applications.
Likes
- Smooth cocking handle
- Solid feel
- Parts fit well together
- Uses an aluminum extrusion bar for added strength
- Recessed nuts
- Slingbow or crossbow version.
Dislikes
- Long assembly time
- More parts than the Adderini
- Heavy 3d printed sling bow compared to the Adderini
- Some parts needed drilling and extra work to make them fit.
- The trigger is hard to pull and needs smaller springs. Adderinim has a better trigger mechanism.
- The trigger failed after around 100 shots.
- Instructions need to be more detailed for new 3d printer users.
Adderini vs Baraba 3D Printed Crossbow
If you have never 3d printed out a crossbow before I would stick with the Adderini. The instructions are perfect and the build process is easy and fun. The Baraba crossbow is harder in my opinion to build and will require more tools and parts.
The Baraba is slightly larger and has extra weight. It is just as powerful as the Adderini but I find that the Adderini has a better trigger mechanism and seems to be more accurate as you don’t have to pull the trigger as hard.
Hands down the Adderini 3d printed crossbow is the winner and is my daily target practice shooter.
I have a Red/Green dot sight mounted on each one as this makes them more accurate.
Conclusion
I love 3d printing survival products. The Baraba is now a great addition to my bug-out bag as it’s small and compact.
Make sure to add a Red/Green dot sight as it is then a very accurate crossbow. If you are after a cool 3d project to print out then this one will test you and your printer. I just spent like 1h a day on the project and it took over a month in 3d printing and building. Many large parts can be sent to the printer in the morning and finished at the end of the day.
Let me know in the comments if there are any other survival products that you would like me to 3d print and I will do a review on them.
As an electrician and a survivalist prepper, I want to share some of my ideas, thoughts, hardware, and survival techniques I have learned over the past 20 years. The world is changing fast and we need to be repaired for what may come if society breaks down.
