No research table stands between you and this one. The crossbow is a default blueprint, so every player can craft it from the first hour of a wipe, and your first scrap can go elsewhere. The bowless crossbow is not a second blueprint either: it is a skin, crafted from this same recipe if you own it.
What holds the craft back is the pair of ropes. Rope cannot be crafted at any bench, so every coil comes from barrels, crates and the recycler: pocket each one on the road and keep two aside for the next crossbow. A broken one in the recycler hands a rope back, too.
Go easy on the extras. A few fire arrows for night roams are fine, but the stack you actually shoot should be wooden. For a follow-up shot without a reload, look at the mini crossbow, which trades one rope for a gear.
