HEAVY Medieval 1250lbs Windlass Crossbow - TESTED in Slo-Mo
Tod of www.todsworkshop.com discussing and demonstrating a powerful medieval military crossbow, spanned by windlass. Rate of fire tested and, for the first time, distance!
Draw weight 1250lbs = 567kg
Bolt weight 3.1oz = 88g
Spring steel bow prod. Steel fittings. Ash stock. Linen string.
Slow motion: • HEAVY Medieval 1250lbs...
Distance test: • HEAVY Medieval 1250lbs...
1st bolt 227yds = 207.5m
2nd bolt 235 yds = 214.8m
For the record...
The shooting was done on a private estate and when actually shooting the road was closed, we had spotters out and no people or moving vehicles were there when we were shooting. The (unoccupied) parked vehicles are around 30m off the shooting line with two lines of trees between them and us, which I felt to be safe.
Music: Angevin 120 loop by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
If you are interested in medieval replica weapons take look at my websites:
todcutler.com for budget medieval knives
todsworkshop.com for custom knives, swords and crossbows
instagram.com/todsworkshop
facebook.com/todtodeschini
Use a crossbow, they said. You are gonna be stealthy, they said. "My ear is ringing"
Interestingly they are still used by special forces , as they won't set off (peaceful religion) suicide vests
As it turns out, bows are far from silent too. Not nearly as loud as a suppressed AR-cartridge rifle, but loud enough to turn heads in the dark.
Temenos Lykourgos yeah bows make a good “bong” noise. I put fur string silencers on mine which helped a little
@@TemenosL That's bullshit, you must be talking about recurve bows take a longbow or a compound bow and you won't have any problem
@@BigMikeTH3V1K1NG Either use Bow Limbs Dampener or get a longbow
The most interesting feats of technology are the ones developed to perfection right before the next big breakthrough comes along
that is certainly true !
Well, tbh, crossbow technogy is still being improved today. Just look at all the interesting compound crossbows in the market nowadays. They would've seemed like alien technology to late medieval people.
The distance test was really interesting cause it demonstrated a piece of historical fact from the battle of Crecy. The English archers feared the Geonesse crossbowmen because their crossbows outdistanced the average warbow. However, on the day of battle it rained in the morning. The archers could unstring their bows and keep the strings dry. The crossbows on the other hand couldn't be unstrung so their strings got wet, which affected the performance of the crossbows. So the wet strings forced the crossbowmen inside the range of the archers, which along with the fact that the Geonesse lacked their pavises played a major part in the English victory. Was fun to see that the crossbow really did outdistance the longbow, when dry.
When it rained the Arbelest was hidden under the pavis for protection. Also lost with the pavis's on the French baggage train was the special tools for changing the string....bad day at Black rock.
This is not outdistancing a warbow. Maximum distance an English longbow could shoot with the lighter Mary Rose arrows was well over 250 yards. As an example, Joe Gibbs has shot >300 yards with a 170# longbow. It was even more one-sided if (as I believe was the case at Crecy) the archers had an elevation advantage.
"bro cover me while I reload"
I was looking for this... thank you.
More like “Reload me while i shoot the first one” :P
There is a reason they were used in teams, when possible. One reloads, one fires. The same discipline that led to musket volleys later.
More like "good thing for me I have this here bigass and thick pavise, think I'll just step into cover while I reload..."
While me reload, ye archers cover me please...
Now I understand why the Eighty Years' War took so long....
Actually the 80yrs war took so long because Spain was financed by American silver (which it spent before it arrived) and the Dutch were financed by spectacular expansion in trade , and during the entire period the Spanish and Dutch continued to trade with each other : the Dutch buying wool and salt from Spain and the Spanish buying finished merchandise/manufactures from the Dutch.
r/woooosh
@@vinm300 it was a joke you jerkoff
@@vinm300 Find a bridge.
@@Wildwestwrangler , I'm a bit of an expert on the 80yrs war if you're welcome to cast a critical eye over one of my videos :- "30yrs war Spain's swan song" (The 30yr war is the conclusion of the 80yrs war) kzhead.info/sun/p5ewqZuQmYuhqXk/bejne.html
I can only blame Joerg Sprave for why this popped up in my recommended.
Somewhere in Germany, a fat and jolly laugh is echoing through the trees at your expense.
I wonder if he could make a 1250 lb crossbow...
Yep
"Let me show you it's features!"
Same!!
This guy is like that one history teacher everyone likes
Tod:"let's do a range test!" The family having a picnic in the next field:"huh, what's that bolt shaped thing coming this way?"
This is what Dirty Harry would have been rockin' with in medieval times. "Doth thou feelest favored, Knave?!"
Oh very drole !!!!
There's always one, smh. 👆👆👆
@MichaelKingsfordGray: Love how you're trying to one-up him and his fantastic comment by springboarding off of it. What a tool you are.
Well? Dos't thou?
what thou must ask of thyself is, fired he but once or err.. once?
Thank you for settling an argument in my D&D session.
what argument
Pls don't keep us hanging
WHAT ARGUMENT
What argument?!
What argument jesus dont blueball us like that.
235 yards = 214 metres for us metric folk.
ty
Rest of the World.
@GluttonousDragon nope
@GluttonousDragon nah
@GluttonousDragon Go back to watching Vox
The couch arrived in two boxes four days early, which was great because we'd just moved into a new house and needed places to sit. My son and I put it together pretty quickly kzhead.infoUgkxitRzxya-XugamYgLwa_2G1gxPg4MCJHa . Another reviewer suggested inserting the seat into the side and I'm glad they did as the instructions weren't clear on that matter. It's incredibly light and slides easily across the wood floor, making it easy to move. It's firm, but comfortable. It will even be great to nap on. I got the gray, which definitely has strong blue undertones, but I'm okay with that.
OK but this is a crossbow video not a tutorial to move to another house budy why are you talking about a couch on a crosbow video??????
10:17 Because of air resistance, the perfect shooting range is not at an angle of 45°, but at a lower angle of 30°-ish, meaning: if you shoot at a 30°-ish angle, you can shoot even further.
thanks man - I have no knowledge of this subject, but I was wondering that myself
From what i remember, a bullet shape is at 21 while an arrow is at 31 and a bolt at 27
It's definitely not 30 degrees for most projectiles. I was a firm believer in 45 not being optimal with air resistance accounted for, but in most cases it either still is or is close enough.
@@MegaAdeny air drag/resistance will effectively remove 1/pi of your energy at 45 degrees
@@angrydragonslayer I've checked using air resistance calculators, and for arrow-type drag profile projectiles, 45 degrees is still optimal, while virtually the same distance can be achieved with 40 or so. But I obviously haven't done anything scientifically rigorous. Still, 30 degrees is definitely not conducive to shooting the furthest.
"Like any craftsman, I doubt what I do, a little bit." Absolutly agree :D
It is the medieval version of a 50 bmg rifle
Enrico what was the argument
No that was the ballista
@@theaniahlator7954 handheld
@@vladimirputin2449 fair enough. I actually have a homemade ballista
@@theaniahlator7954 that is really cool, what are the dimensions?
Thank you for addressing the short power stroke. It's a reason I've suspected, but wondered about often and it's very nice to hear you clarify it.
Beastly crossbow! I love the fact that you kept the power stroke at the historical length (or as close as you could) rather than simply making it as strong as you could.
Would a crossbow like this shoot through the French steel chest plate you guys were shooting with the 160lb bow?
@OneBadMonkee Huh, interesting, I would have expected a 1000 lb draw crossbow to really eff things up for the armor guy but apparently not even that suffices.
Croft it’s typically the draw length that matters more and not the poundage
@@lorcro2000 It's a combination of draw weight and draw distance. Crossbows have significantly higher draw weights, but comparatively short draw distances, compared to warbows.
@@lorcro2000 there's a reason why breast plates survived well into the gun age.
A ballista can go through that
I am impressed, that bow is amazing. Really like the sound, pure power.
Interesting, historical and well-presented. 10/10, both for contructing the bow, and your factual demonstration.
I'd love to see it tested against 1mm, 2mm and 3mm mild steel plates
Me too, there's one "test" on youtube made by some guys in their backyard and the 1000lbs crossbow seemed pretty effective, but a lot of things with the "test" didn't look very good.
Knoloaify yeah, you would have to get the right steal, probably something soft underneath and so on.
Tod Todeschini...which kind of crossbow are the ones used in Gubbio and in other central Italy cities for the famous Palio della Balestra? Which part of Italy your family is coming from?
Why mild though?
Same
First video I watched from this guy and I loved it.... well done sir , well done .... you know what are you talking about and it was a very pleasant experience to me... Well done
*Rhodoks start sweating*
Less tawking! Moar raiding!
*King Harlaus informs you that the Lords of Swadia are gathering for a feast in Praven*
@@Swedishmafia101MemeCorporation While the Vaegirs take Dhirim and Nords attack Suno You gotta love swadia for their sense of duty
@@Swedishmafia101MemeCorporation *Butterlord
@@BuddhaBen93 omfg the butter. I was promised a sequel and received only endless caches of butter.
As an archery enthusiast, this was a very fun video to watch. One of those times Im glad the KZhead recommendations were on point.
"A god fearing man needith to ponder thou limitations putith before him" Sir Harry The Dirty
Art thou deeds worthy of justice knave? wouldest thou enter the next world in peace or in torment? thou hast nine seconds to comply.....
Mine eyes see thy thoughts. Thou dost wonder, didst he loose six bolts, or merely five? Truth before God, in all of this excitement, I have lost the count myself. Verily, the question thou must ask thyself is thus: does fate favor me? Well, rapscallion, does it?
@@bubbleheadft Meself understandeth not this form of thou English language
*Sir Harold the Sullied.* GET IT RIGHT!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👍
I love how he says that it's "1250 pounds... In draw weight." as if we were all sitting here thinking he was holding a wooden stick that weighed 1250 pounds in his one arm.
Kur (aptly named) some people are better off letting people wonder if they are idiots .....rather than opening their mouth and removing all doubt..
Ako si Wokkawokka well I guess now we all know who can't take a joke around here...
Ako si Wokkawokka Hahaha
Could be the price though :)
Was just about to comment how was he holding 566kgs lmao
I imagined he'd be screeching orders like the crossbowman in Stronghold.
Atten-CHAWN!
wot? ol'dat way?.
PitchiiiiIIIIIiiiiing SHOT!
At teh' daubawl!
Gorgeous piece of craftsmanship. I'd love to have one!
I shot an arrow in the air: It fell to earth, I knew not where: But, strangely, at my journey's end, I found it again in the neck of a friend. (Remembered from somewhere or other)
Funny, thanks!
I shot an arrow in the air; she fell to earth in Berkeley Square. - Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets. 😀
Nick, it was Dennis Price, hero/villain, who shot down Lady Agatha in the balloon.
I felt that I should salute him too, So I had a can and went to the loo.
Did a friend become a zombie ??
You know, it's funny, but I never realized that the windlass was actually removable before seeing you and Skallagrim's videos? I thought you had to fire with that huge clunky thing on your cheek.
Same tbh. I was surprised when he just clipped it off and shot. Then he just put it casually back on.
Heavy slower firing weapons like this where ideal on castle defense etc though. Clunky handles not matter when you can duck out, sit down or pass to a loader and have a ale or pop to a new loophole. longbow has more range, but this you can take your time, shoot and move easily, compact so only have to use a small hole, and this a lower odds to hit, and stronger walls. might be harder to use on the field though!
You have to, they would reduce the power drastically if they were left on, and they are in the way.
Wouldn't the handles spin and buffet your face?
@@Zorro9129 You take them off before you fire the heavy crossbows or the crank is a one way crank. It's meant to draw the weapon back only and can free gear one way. There more of a crew served weapon so to say than a one man weapon.. Its a better design than some older heavy Asian ones that required you to use sheer man power and strengh to do it pulling from knees and up.
Great video, love the craftsmanship on the crossbow. Well done 👍🏻
Wow, dude's holding 1250 lbs. like nothing. "in draw weight" oh
Nice (referring to the 69 likes)
You must be new to bows and what weight means when used in the context of bows
@@SevenPr1me The joke here is that people would assume the "heavy" and "1250lbs" together means the bow itself is 1250lbs. Not that the draw weight is 1250lbs.
@@pupper9474 "joke"
@@SevenPr1me I don't think you understand how jokes work, man.
I don't really have a lot to add, just wanted to say, really interesting and informative video, great job :)
+tod todeschini very interesting I loves anything medieval I carve. medieval spoons I subscribed to you 🐺👌🐾
i love seeing people make these ancient weapons. your a true craftsman, and the bow looks great and works amazingly! i took up blacksmithing 4 months ago now, and what a deep respect for the smiths or any craftsman of days long ago. what a blessing to be able to live in such a place that’s so rich in history! your truly lucky! keep the great work coming.
You're*
Not thàt ancient. The windlass is from the Renaissance, just 500 years ago
Fascinating and so full of technical data! Well done.
WOW!!! That is some serious firepower. Awesome as ever and always fascinating to watch. Thank you.
When you absolutely have to staple your adversaries armour to their chest...
This would deflect off the armour like the arrows did.
@Samuel Prince look at Skallagrim on KZhead test out this crossbow and watch it bounce off the armour maybe causing a bruise
daylon boender To be fair, that armor is made VERY well.
@@samuelbrice3699 not skallagrims armour. This armour is average. You can make the same armour they had.
7:51 The sound of the bolt hitting is crazy.
Like on movies and anime
Wonderful craftsmanship, thank you for showing us
I learned a lot today watching your great video, thanks!
9:36 footage of an Englishman performing surgery on a Frenchman 1455 AD.
"OI! You got a licence for that?"
@@tods_workshop i think you got wooshed bro
@Habz Brah he said wooshed, not r/wooshed
you'll never take me alive
bump stock assault crossbows
You’ll never take me alive!
@Tod's Workshop People like you are the reason I disable my YT ad blocker. Splendid work!
Great video, I enjoyed your style of explaining, very clear and easy to understand. Thanks!
I would love to see that bow's results with contemporary armor and shields, that would be an amazing video
Good to hear, I have a feeling it'll be worth the wait.
It probably wond be very impressive, even poor steel plating would gurantee the bolt wont penetrate your body. However the shock after the impact can render wearer of that armor to a condition where he can't continue fighting- cracked ribs, bruised lungs and concussion if bolt manage to hit head are very likely.
My guess is the shaft explodes into a million pieces if it were to hit something like the armor in a modern tank
@@steirqwe7956 Put some meat and bone under the armour and see what happens to it.
Short answer: The contemporary armor and shields might suffer dents, but the person underneath would be fine. Because bolts and arrows were exactly the things armor was protection from. If it wasn't effective it wouldn't be worn
Yes, finally a distance test!
Super video - thanks loads for that. 13 minutes, and I learnt more about crossbows than in my entire schooling... :)
Thing of savage beauty , I am now going to my shed. Thanks Tod 😎🇬🇧
Seeing as one bolt deviated so far off course it went over a road, imagine if it had gone through a windscreen, I would have shot the arrows and bolts into the field as far away from the roadway as possible.
Spotters plus not a public road reduced the risk enough for me and I'm annoying as hell when it comes to firearms safety.
Ah, well, tough titty for the windscreen guy. Walmart Hu Akhbar!
They were slamming home some cheap cider too, seemed like a wild day out.
And this is why you are you and he is he.
Any guy who spends his free time making crossbows is cool in my book
7:09 Tod, it's good to see your grounding cord attached. After all, these medieval instruments are very sensitive for electrostatic discharges ;-)
I'm assuming that that's a mic cord, no?
I've always wondered why the stroke was so short. Thank you for the explanation.
Man, all of your videos start PERFECTLY. i freakin' love your content Tod, it's fascinating as hell to get an insight to medieval weaponry like this!
Wow, thanks!
I was surprised to see the nut spinning during the slow mo shot...but I guess it would be a lot more strenuous on the components if it just snapped forward and had to dissipate that energy another way
The power stroke is very short on that thing. The bolt just does not accelerate much
Sorry, do what?
I noticed that too, really cool!
Imagine a wider bow would enable a longer power stroke. Be good for hunting politicians. :)
@@dannygjk even a big stick or piece of rock is good for hunting politicians
didnt know what draw weight was so i was looking at this guy like Hercules
That's quite an impressive piece of kit!
Another great research video, thank you!
7:51 That whistle the arrow makes is so satisfying
I don’t hear any whistle coming from the arrow. All I heard was the string stopping and the arrow hitting the target and stopping abruptly as a result.
1250 lbs pull? are you trying to pierce castle walls with it?
No, just the people on top of the walls.
@@KikinCh1kin And the guy behind that person. Also the 2 walls behind him.
Gabriele Di Carlo And your forces on the other side
This compares to a longbow of about 160 pounds not even because of the short draw length plus other inefficiencies of the medieval crossbow like friction etc
@Samuel Prince the friction is not the same. I shoot my bows almost every day. Listen to what Tod says. Look at the side of a medieval crossbow and you'll see how much tension is pulling down on the string. And a longer draw is always better. The string has more time to push the arrow adding momentum. Its obvious. You sir have never shot a bow. Drawing a little and drawing a lot there is a huge difference.
Omg the effort of pulling the bolts out of the boss... whoa. Great video!
I appreciate the work you do !
I just think its crazy how, despite not having gunpowder really humans still managed to invent something like this that, by stopping power atleast, I'd say is comparable to a musket.
Burnblast277 easily so, I mean it can literally punch straight through a car door, it was truly the anti tank weapon of the late medieval era.
@@Dell-ol6hb Tank meaning, in medeival times, an armored knight on his horse. Right on! But the reload time limited effectiveness.
@@harrymoto6951 Same with a musket funny enough
Well... depends on the armor... 16th century Plate Armor? kzhead.info/sun/i7GNZsyirotugYk/bejne.html (I know that this technically isn't a piece from actual Full Plate. But it's still plated armor.) Not much of a chance there. Shooting the horse, definitely. The human's a bit more of a luck game.
@@Dell-ol6hb It woudnt penetrate full plate armour buddy
shooting like that next to a picnic area might give you some data about scull penetration as well. nice plan
Love your work Tod, keep it up😁
Wow...thats great crossbow must be recomended for everyone. I loved your crossbow...Sir.
suprisingly accurate for that it has no optics, can see how this would have been a game changer
One of the most successful snipers in WW2 did not use optics. Search for White Death.
He wasn't in service during WW2. He was only in service for when the soviets tried to attack his homeland during the winter war, I believe. He killed 800 or so of them.
The winter war was 1939-1940.
jondonwayne wayne The bomb was dropped on industrial cities, and it wasn't for testing purposes, it was to stop the possible millions of deaths that would be caused by invading Japan. Learn your history before babbling like an idiot.
I want to get one (windless included) and a pavise shield to go along with it. It's the perfect shield for a crossbow.
These videos are fascinating, thank you!
Excellent craftsmanship.
Now repeat your wonderful 'arrow versus breastplate' test with this beast! Imagine being a knight, with countless arrows glancing from your armor, watching a bolt like this hit you almost anywhere!
I read that medieval siege crossbows had forces up to 5000lbs... I guess owning one of those would be highly illegal? I would love to see one tested once.
Roman ballista 😂
Absolutley AWESOME !
That was really educational. Loved it!
With the UK police seizing butter knives in the name of public safety i'm surprised you can even own that thing
That's the great thing about crossbows in the UK. Totally legal to own one, no matter how powerful it is.
@@takeoischi4156 For how long? Until next week? Don't you get it? "Maybe we can't have fully automatic guns but at least we can have semiautomatic ones." "Maybe we can't have guns but at least we can have knives." "Maybe we can't have fixed blades but at least we can have folding knives." "Maybe we can't have folding knives but at least we can have butter knives." "Maybe we can't have butter knives but at least we can have crossbows."
USA! USA! USA! @@westsenkovec
They took a spoon too!
@@takeoischi4156 For how long though, brother?
Would love to see one of these, go through a shield 🛡 metal breast plate, or the very least ballistics gel
Exceptional, Beautiful work.
Great vid, very informative. I had no idea how loud it would be to fire a bow with that draw on it.
It looks like a great finishing on the hardware, I like the simplicity of it all, and yet it has power that no armor then would withstand. Getting impaled with a bolt from this weapon, in your steel armor is a scary thing to imagine.
6:40 Just from that sound, I buy that this draws in the area of 1250lbs. I'd probably use ear protection as with a gun if I was shooting one of these!
I put together a 120 pound ash/sinew crossbow with a 31 1/2" power stroke that can fling heavy oak shaft bolts over 360 yards. Now maybe over 400 since the sinew is fully cured. It really demonstrates how important the length of push is.
if just watched 8 hrs of Tod video thanks to joerg! awesome channel
You know, I'm surprised you didn't paint the bolts, red, or neon orange, or tie red strings, or something to them so you could find them easier...
They had like 5 guys out there lol
@@Daylon91 but no burgers or fries that I saw.
@@chaisemaurice8150 they're British right?
@@wafiqnasna4638 I think so. His bio on the website says Oxfordshire. Why?
Fake they planted it 11:44 slow it down it's 2 ft to the left of the tree when they pan over to it but 2 seconds before that tree was in frame plus the dude behind it on the Rd but no bolt sticking straight up out of the ground... Sucks liked this dude Wonder what else was faked
I realise its comparing apples and pears with so many variables but would you give a very rough ballpark figure in terms of foot poundage for that crossbow??? As compared to 150 or so ftlb for a .22 long rifle cartridge. Thank you. Great channel.
depends on the efficiency of the bow and string but 1250 lb x 6.5/12 ft = 677 ft.lb. For comparison, 160 lb @ 30 inches longbow = 470 ft.lb
120 J or 88.5 ft⋅lb kzhead.info/sun/gLGofMOLeXZsmq8/bejne.html&lc=UgyJHcWT-oWsPn46XG14AaABAg.96PNv1MII3D96QeFi3zKAV
Beautiful bow.
Amazing work mate!
Has the energy imparted by an average bolt, shot by this crossbow, been stated anywhere within the 2,411 comments? Regardless of the previous note, thank you very much for the video, and congratulations for the amazing bowyer skills you developed, fine gent.
Yes, it has
This is by far the most British thing I've ever seen.
And then putting malt vinegar on it?
Nah, not enough Longbow
+Birdnose Did the British invent the windlass?
You don't get out much
+Andrew Robertson. Probably gets out a couple of times a week under the supervision of a handler.
this crossbow is awesommme... love it
this is a beautiful machine
Roughly two minutes, three shots, that's pretty good, specially for that power.
Lars could do that in 3 seconds while jumping
And 2 of 3 pigeons would be left unharmed by his toy bow with about-as-much-as-rubber-band draw weight. This is real issue designed to fight armored men, not styrofoam blocks.
i wouldnt say unharmed, im sure he could blind a pigon from 1 meter away
Ivo Wilson a skilled crossbowmen could take down just about anything from the time period with that beast. lol. its like the artillery of the time.
Ivo Wilson he was not moving at a military standard rate either. And I kind of think this weapon had a battery of 40 to 60 weapons with a piece crew of three men. Ammo, cocker, and gunner with a support crew of forward observers and team equivalent to a FIRE DIRECTIONAL staff much like the artillery and mortars which replaced this.
He shoots it at 7:45
No, he shoots it at a shirt
Captain Wealthy Penis no, he shoots it WHILE at a field
No, he fires it.
He fires a bolt AT the crossbow?
Your work is so important, Recording , investigating, exploring and conserving culture that would otherwise be lost. Thank you so much. I am going to your site to buy something, but not before I learn a little more from your other videos. (I have already watched half your library!). What FPS would this be getting? Firing a little glowstick on the end at night mght show the height of the shot. 200+M is impressive.
Why is this so cool? I can’t figure out why I love it so much.
This is incredible work Mr. Todeschini! Congratulations on the authentic results! Would a historical longbow, with a draw weight of ~ 150 lbs, shoot at a similar distance? Do you suppose a trained archer could have fired with as much accuracy as the crossbow?
One thing to keep in mind with bows is - the higher the draw weight the harder to aim. In that regard the Crossbow is superior
Danny Danko that's only up to a degree. No matter how strong you are, after you exceed a draw weight of 120-130 lbs you'll start have a much harder time drawing the bow, resulting in a technique which doesn't optimize accuracy.
Hi Jon, I have a Bickerstaff longbow of only 65lb and can loose arrows to a distance of over 230yards, many at the club can do better, but at that distance, I am happy for a six foot grouping.
if you are measuring power in foot-pounds crossbow wins. crossbows were designed to go through Knight's armor because arrows couldn't.
A heavy longbow would probably have 4 to 5 times the draw length but 8 to 10 times less draw weight, so this crossbow should put roughly twice as much energy into the bolt as the longbow would into an arrow. Of course, that's a very rough estimate. Distance would depend on drag - it looks to me as though the distance is about the same. The main advantage of the crossbow is that the greater kinetic energy gives it greater penetration against armour.
I would think a lighter draw weight x bow or bow with a much longer power stoke would deliver more KE down range.
Looks scary powerful, I like it.
That's knarley has hell man! Great video! Cheers!
Damn near dry fired it at 8:22
Very nice crossbow! Would be interested in the energy the bolt transfers into the target? What I am trying to say is, we know the draw weight, we know the weight of the arrow - do you have any infos about the speed, ergo: did you chronograph it? Ultimately it wold tell us, how effective such a design was and is in transferring energy vaio such a short power-stroke.
When it comes to energy transfer crossbows do have a quite ineffective design. The best bows have a nearly 100% energy transfer of draw weight to the arrow. With a crossbow you can be lucky if you achieve 40-50% of that. That said... 40-50% of 1250lb is still A LOT MORE than any person could draw with a bow. Would be interesting to see similiar arrows/bolts released by bow vs crossbow on the same target with a pressure plate (or other measuring device) would fare.
@@jellysquiddles3194 You can work this out from the information in the video and Tod's answer above using some basic physics. Around 10% of the energy used in loading is transferred to the bolt.
@@jellysquiddles3194 1200+ pound crossbows could approach 200 J delivered to the target. Heavier (180-200 pound) warbows can get at least into the 160-170 J range with heavy arrows.
@@alexanderflack566 Thank you.
@@jellysquiddles3194 That depends on the type of prod used. Spring steel is actually a bad material for this purpose - while it can store a lot of energy, its also very heavy. A lot of that energy is wasted to flex the heavy steel limbs back into position. Your numbers will be correct for a steel prod, though a wood or horn-sinew composite crossbow will be able to achieve better efficiency.
I did some physics calcultaions on crossbows. I assumed that a crossbow is essentially a spring and did the calculations that way. Somone on a forum wondered about making a really small "assasin" crosbow. If you wanted a crossbow with a tiny power stroke of 10 mm to have the same "muzzle" enegry as a low end 9mm parabellum round you would need a draw weight of 100 metric tonnes. If you instead had a 1 m power stroke you would only need a draw weight of 100 kg. Length of power stroke makes a huge impact on what draw weight you need. Which is why crossbows have a much higher draw weight then normal bows for the same power. Interesting that they needed to make such short power strokes because of metalurgical constraints, would have been much easier to make powerfull crossbows if they could have managed longer power strokes.
Fascinating. I have just discovered your channel and it has re-awakened my interest in crossbows, stonebows etc. The forces at work on loosing the bolt must be enormous, I would think that dry-firing that bow would be very bad idea. What energy is it sending downrange, or is that a secret?