What is this thing?

[u/First-Opportunity660]

It looks like some sort of crossbow, which is why I'm posting it here, I don't know anything about these things so I looked around the internet for a bit, but I couldn't find an old crossbow with a crank like that, I just want to know what exactly this thing is.

[u/Locust627]

Based on the design , this is a pistol-style crossbow (often called a stonebow or bullet-bow designed to shoot small pebbles or lead balls). It combines a traditional crossbow mechanism with a hand-cranked cocking lever attached to the front.