Damn @5:46 that casual bolt to ground chuck!

Also, with a crossbow, you can wait for somebody to pop out of cover. Try that with the one hundred forty pound bow...

Also, in regards to "fire" the Online Etymology Dictionary says: Fire: Meaning "to discharge artillery or a firearm" (originally by application of fire) is from 1520s; extended sense of "to throw (as a missile)" is from 1580s. So it seems late 16th century individuals might have said "fire" in regards to bows or crossbows.

I always have a dilemma when I see Tod's website. All of his work is amazing and I love the crossbows especially but they are just so expensive (not a criticism, the quality more than matches the price as far as I can say). I could afford to buy one or two crossbows but I feel like it would be really hard for me to justify such an expense (especially since I'd love something like that central European hunting crossbow which he's showing on his website and equip that with a cranequin...one of the most pricey options). Watching videos like this one, I don't know how much longer I will be able to resist the temptation though :D

That backwards held crossbow is EXACTLY like Sonny Puzikas's hold of an AK rifle for the "blooming death" technique; except a pistol (not reins) is held in the other hand and the operator is on foot (not horseback) and spinning in circles to shoot in all directions while displacing horizontally and or vertically because he is alone, surrounded, and without cover. The pistol is precisely used while the rifle suppresses. It came from a "lone survivor" story and is very cool to see Sonny demonstrate. I've shot my AK that way (no pistol!), its easy and accurate with a bit of practice at across the room distances.

Thanks to you two, I have an unholy desire for a crossbow now, lol.

This Joe Gibbs character must be one strong guy. Years of practice and Muscular skeletal development. Tod's crossbows are things of beauty.

Looked up Joe Gibbs as recommended, returned to this video a humbled man.

I'm not simple and I'm hardly a man, but when I see Matt and Todd, I press like.

That throw! 5:45

Awesome insightful video and a great guest. one of the more educational vids in a long time

Fascinating stuff. I've read somewhere that the fastest way to shoot crossbows was perhaps for crossbowmen to team up in groups of two, and one man to be the shooter, while the second man loaded. They use two crossbows and pass them between one another. I think the evidence for this is images of crossbowmen operating in pairs behind pavisses, where only the man in front has a quiver of quarrels, suggesting that he is the only one doing the shooting.

I can't get enough of those Matt & Todd videos !

What a thoroughly pleasant and knowledgeable chap.

amazing content in this video, Matt. Tod is very eloquent and precise on his teachings. :)

"Mastery of their weapons, especially the crossbow, was one of the reasons why the Genoese were so highly esteemed in war. Ramón Muntaner, a Catalan knight who fought against them earlier in the 14th century, records that the Genoese were well provided with sharp arrows and would shoot off many. They have a fashion of shooting ceaselessly and they shoot more quarrels in one battle than Catalans would shoot in ten." Part of the reason is that their muscle groups, like the longbowmen, were trained on the windlass and could wind faster with a higher gearing. They also had two man shields on a support where they and their loaders could shelter before pepperpotting forward.

Those are gorgeous crossbows!!!

As a boater who frequently canoes down quiet country rivers... I question your safety views slightly... :P I wonder if a pavise can be made as a flotation device.

@24:00 I never knew about the sights, thanks Todd! (Great video Matt!)

9:44 unless there's _fire arrows_ involved!

Rounds per minute- c.1 or 2 at a push with the windlass & 7 or 8 with the goats foot. Great video guys. Thanks.

Tod seems like a really cool guy to hang with.

These old style crossbow just look so fun to use. So much ritual in it! ;)

Very interesting video! Great that you discuss missile weapons as well on your channel.

Amazing video!

Thank you sirs for the excellent video.

one of my favourate armies in DBM is the granadine crossbow army (mass peasant crossbowmen supported by some knights, professional crossbowmen and mounted crossbows) it is said that in Granada nearly every peasant owned a war crossbow. so it would be interesting to know if they were like english longbows (in the sense they were trained regularly and thus were fairly elite, or if they were more closer to militia crossbowmen.

I can't own one... In Poland it is much easier to get firearm license than crossbow license. Crossbows must be super deadly. In UK does it require any special license, or you just buy one?

Very cool! I like that little one!

Loved this collaboration, very informative and interesting. Recently had the pleasure of ordering a mace from todcutler.com and I'm very pleased with the result. Thank you Matt for not only providing me with historical insights but also for bringing Tod's work to my attention!

Matt-Tod collabs are fantastic

Bullets always lift to! Your sights are level, your barrel is tilted slightly up (with proper alignment) so you "mini-mortar" all rounds into place. If you zero at 200 yards you are high before then and low after. Being a bit high helps close up, aim at belly/sternum and you can hit center mass or the chest or head/shoulders while a very low shot still gets the pelvis or legs. It also helps compensate for the drop.

Tod's a legand

got some really good info about crossbows that I didn't know about... but that mic cord...

Nothing like two bald Englishman holding long lengths of wood

Spin stabilized allows a more aerodynamic shape adding range as well as accuracy for bullets. Spinning bolts does increase accuracy.

really interesting, cheers

Love them Crossbows!

Already saw Tod's video, but you deserve a view too.

(Not to imply one is better than the other, but...) The advantage of a crossbow over a longbow is that you can train an effective crossbowman in just a few hours. It takes years of practice to be effective with a longbow, mainly due to the need to develop the strength to draw it, and to hold the draw long enough to aim.

Ok, I'm going to resubscribe :) Great video!

Hi Mat, great video as usual. Could you specify the approx. loading time for the two different crossbow types (to avoid the bad "rate of..." word ;-)?

I'd be interested in seeing crossbow (and longbow/warbow) power measured by chronograph and projectile weight, like one might do with a firearm. That should allow one to get down to newton-meters or foot-pounds regardless of efficiency, let-off, and any other complexities.

19:10 the technical way to see it is you're sacrificing/converting some linear momentum into angular momentum. This is why most main battle tanks today matches a saboted flechette round with a smoothboore gun to defeat armor, by maximising linear momentum.

I had a replica crossbow bought from a european castle town gift shop back in 2nd grade and it was only about a foot long, but it functioned exactly like the hand-crank version shown here. And that thing was NOT just a toy. I remember bringing it in for show and tell and the first time we shot it out in the yard the teacher was like "ok then, class let's go inside and I'll hold on to that thing for the rest of the day).

I usually stick to RPM, either "rate per minute" or "repetitions per minute" as there's also a difference from rate of fire of a fully automatic firearm vs firing then reloading & firing a lower capacity firearm. I also shoot a recurve bow, so I've adapted it to that as well.

Well that was a lot of info and well... Neat.

In regards to the genoese crossbowmen, the pavise is the first thing that comes to mind that differentiates them from other crossbowmen, well, that and a servant to carry the pavise to the battlefield lol.

in Ventimiglia in Liguria i saw a few times a crossbow competion, but the crossbow used were too big to be shoot from shoulder and their bolts were long as my forearm and at least two fingers thick

If you want to compare stored energy in bows and crossbows you basically need Hooke's law leeding to a stored energy E ~ kx² (with k beeing the spring constant of the bow), or more prcise the integral over the draw-weight ( F(x) ) from where you start drawing to the final draw-length. Differences in the efficiency factor may also play a role....

For those who like a TL:DW :- 'Click', 'Twang!', 'ARGH!', 'Reload!'

Those old guys weren't dum at all... I'm just imagining Genuese crossbow snipers. Horrifying.

I have never shot a crossbow of that era but I have owned modern crossbows. I also shoot regular archery but I shoot modern archery as well. So a compound bow with sights. I have messed around a bit with traditional recurves though. Honestly crossbows are not all people believe them to be. They are a bit fiddly in their own ways. They are also heavier and a bit more cumbersome to hold and lug around. Yes you could show someone now to load one and pull the trigger fairly quickly but there is a bit more to it than that. You still have to set the string correctly so it is centered or your shots will be off from shot to shot. Not so much of an issue with that lever you are using though. Seems like that does a decent job of centering it for you. However regardless of how easy it may be to cock, load and shoot it is still archery and you have to learn the weapon, how it shoots and what is capable of. It isn't a rifle that shoots laser flat out to 50 or 100 yards. You still have to be able to judge distance and learn how to aim appropriately or you will miss. I can teach someone to properly shoot a regular bow in about an hour or two. And most pick it up quicker. After that is just practice and getting your form and release down. Then learning where it shoots at different distances which you would have to do with the cross bow as well. It took me about two weeks to get pretty decent with a bow and about six months before it was second nature and muscle memory. Crossbows have a few advantages though. For one they will let a smaller, weaker or handicapped person shoot an arrow at the same speed or energy that an average or larger person can. For example someone that is little like me (5'3") simply can't shoot an arrow as fast as someone that is 6 foot tall and stronger. Lets say 300 fps for a lighter arrow. I only have a 26 inch draw length and can comfortably draw around 60 lbs. Where as a larger person might have a 30 inch draw and can pull 70 lbs or maybe more. It is just basic math, my arrow simply won't go as fast or have as much energy. Now if I take a 150 lb crossbow I can probably reach those speeds. So for a larger person the power advantage really isn't there. What a crossbow can do though is let you cock it and load an arrow and sit and wait. Or shoot from cover more easily. Me personally though I can shoot a bow as accurate (if not more) and faster than I can a crossbow. Like Tod said the reason they have such high draw weights is because they are just not that efficient. Especially ones like that with huge strings, 6 inch power strokes and heavy metal limbs. I would think that one with 800 to a 1,000 lb draw weight will probably throw a bolt with more energy than the average archer could with a long bow.

best crossover ever

I looked at Tod's site, the large crossbow in this video is GBP2,400. And worth every penny, I would say.

it´s the same as a rifle, most pepole can learn how to shoot one in a few hours. master it, that is where the work is.

In storage a wooden bolt is likely to warp spinning reduces the effect of warp on accuracy.

It appears the stirrup also helps keep the bolt from tipping over when aiming low (?)

Can you please do a video on whether it would be practical to use daggers and knives with shields. I would like to know if it would be practical compared to a sword or an axe . Thanks a bunch!

Very informative ! I'm wondering how cavalry would operate in a battle using these cumbersome weapons ?

I am super interested in how fast these bolts are going. You or Tod have chronograph?

Hey Matt Easton, I have a question for you about a potential future video on your channel. Is there any chance you could do a video or two where you have an interview, sparring session, whatever, with Mike Loades? He's become my personal idol as a military historian, and I'd really love to see the two of you discussing medieval military history together.

Hello Mat I was just wondering if you can make a video about Bolognese sidesword fencing

The way Tod toss those bolts into the ground looked very practised. They'd be all over the place if i'd done it. 5:43

And... btw... Could you, please, describe two other ways of working with crossbows: horsshoe foot realoading (I'm sorry if it sounds stupid and makes no sense) and horseshoe and hooks on the belt of the shooter. What was the fastest, the most usefull, the most powerfull setup? And was the steel bow the best in all situations? How about wooden bow, fast loaded (different wood type)? It would be great if you could make comparison - Bow lenght, bow strenght, steel and different wood types, windless, horseshoe, hand reloaded and so on. What do you think? Such "benchmark" whould be great adddition to any historical works on crossbows! All the best!

I have been lead to believe spin stabilisation leads to longer range for bullets that have a length greater than the diameter due to reduced tumbling. IE the tumbling looses you more than the rifling does. Tumbling of course has a hideously detrimental effect on accuracy too.

Great video. By the way, I'm doing research for a novel that I'm writing, and I've been trying to find information about medieval Scottish warfare. I was wondering, what did they use when it came to ranged weapons like bows and crossbows?

Isn't there a sort of stand for the windlass? I see them being put on the floor and it take time to pick them up.

Hi! Which books/treatises do you guys recommend for understanding weapon fighting?

Joffrey would be impressed

Wow, those crossbow bolts lifted up like a plane taking off!

Should have had a Wilhelm Scream in the distance when the bolt flew over the target.

Wouldn't it be possible to make a crossbow that would work with three-flighted bolts if you added a groove along the front of the stock for the third flight to slot into?

In Germany crossbow and lance​ were seen as two valid choices (and thus the two most common) for non-men-at-arms cavalry, called "Ringerpferde", from "Geringere Pferde" (lesser horsemen).

Did Tom every tried to recreate the crossbow that was described by Anna Comnena? A crossbow with a lock in the Middle ( thus longer draw back ) and the user had to law down on the ground with his feet on the bow and both hands on the string to draw it back to arm it.

I wish crossbows weren't illegal where I live.

Can you talk more about the accuracy of medieval bows and crossbows? At what distance can you expect to hit a human size target 100% of the time?

Pherhaps rate of Volley, or Rate of Release, or something similar may be more fitting Then rate of fire?

If you were to design a crossbow with modern knowledge, but with only period-appropriate materials, what would you change from the traditional design? I'm thinking to start, just from an ergonomics perspective, some better handles/triggers could be designed. I wonder if you could design a version of the windlass that wouldn't get tangled so easily...

Now that's a lot of celebrities for one video! ))

That's a beautiful Bolt, Would it work with a six inch spring steel spike? Have you seen the Lithuanian Crossbows? Their Bolts look like big darts with long spikes

Rate of shot, could be a useful alternative to fire id think.

Would the earlier introduction of muskets end the medieval age and knights earlier as well?

I'd definitely like to own one, but I'm pretty much out of money at the moment so it'll have to wait.

What is the typical rate of loose on one of those? Do they make extended quivers for combat assult situations?

Are windlasses faster or slower than cranequins? And how do they compare to each other in general (price, ease of use,...). I would expect cranequins to be more expensive and more difficult to make using medieval technology.

Hi thanks a lot for your videos. Is it possible that the chinese uses crosbows back at the time of Confucius.i.e 5th B.C ?

Can you use the word _cadence_ to mean rate of fire? In German _Kadenz_ has the same meaning as rate of fire.

In Germany it`s the other way around. Owning a rifle? very difficult. Walking around with a knife/blade longer than 12 cm? You`re fucked.. Walking through the middle of a town with your crossbow, loaded and ready to "fire"? No Problem! Shooting in a public park with a crossbow or a longbow? Perfect! ... Great video, by the way!

Only 25 min? More please

It would seem, a bolt from a crossbow typically flies high. So where was William Tell aiming ? Apple or Adams apple ???

In are 18th century small swords better than 17 century small swords video you said that Spanish were still using cup Hilted rapiers instead of small swords well in 1810 where they still using rapiers or were they already using small sword? I really need your help

accuracy while leading a moving target? Maybe that's why not anyone used them ages ago?

What are your thoughts on "inswinger" ballista?

that dude is cool lol good info too!

"Yes and No" - Todd... Good answer Todd. :-)

Funny, my internet browser protection blocked me from todsworkshop due to it being 'unsafe' webpage... why?

Rate of release?

If work =force x distance does that mean a 300 lb crossbow with a 1 foot power draw will deliver 300 ftlbs of force?

Wait, so the wooden fletchling basically gave the equivalent advantage of having a rifling in a firearm?