The earliest European designs featured a transverse slot in the top surface of the frame, down into which the string was placed. When the trigger blade is pulled, its notch disengages from the sear and allows the latter to drop downwards, which in turn frees up the nuts to pivot forward and release the bowstring. During shooting, the user will hold the crossbow at eye level by a vertical handle and aim along the arrow using the sighting spine for elevation, similar to how a modern rifleman shoots with iron sights. The two bearing surfaces between the three trigger pieces each offers a mechanical advantage, which allow for handling significant draw weights with a much smaller pull weight. the actual trigger blade, which hangs vertically below the enclosure and catches the sear via a notch. The sear cannot move as it is trapped by the third piece, i.e. It is held stationary against tension by the second piece, which is shaped like a flattened "C" and acts as the sear. The string catch (nut) is shaped like a "J" because it usually has a tall erect rear spine that protrudes above the housing, which serves the function of both a cocking lever (by pushing the drawn string onto it) and a primitive rear sight. The entire mechanism is then dropped into a carved slot within the tiller and secured together by two bronze rods. The Chinese trigger was a mechanism typically composed of three cast bronze pieces housed inside a hollow bronze enclosure. The whole assembly is called ji (機), for it is just as ingenious as the loom. Within there is the xuan dao (懸刀) so called because it looks like one. The part round about the teeth is called the guo (郭), since it surrounds the gui (規) of the teeth. That which hooks the bowstring is called ya (牙), for indeed it is like teeth. Its stock is like the arm of a man, therefore it is called bi (臂). The nu (弩) is so called because it spreads abroad an aura of rage (怒). Medieval European crossbow nut mechanism:ġ6th century crossbow nut excavated at Harburger Schloßstraße, Hamburg-Harburg, GermanyĪ crossbow is essentially a bow mounted on an elongated frame (called a tiller or stock) with a built-in mechanism that holds the drawn bow string, as well as a trigger mechanism which is used to release the string. Construction Qin and Western Han dynasty crossbow trigger pieces. The lock refers to the release mechanism, including the string, sears, trigger lever, and housing. The stock is the wooden body on which the bow is mounted, although the medieval tiller is also used. Peterson, the prod came into usage in the 19th century as a result of mistranslating rodd in a 16th-century list of crossbow effects. The lath, also called the prod, is the bow of the crossbow. Īrrow, bolt and quarrel are all suitable terms for crossbow projectiles. The last two are also used to refer to the crossbow. Terminology Ī crossbowman or crossbow-maker is sometimes called an arbalista, arbalist or arbalest. However, crossbows still remain widely used for competitive shooting sports and hunting, or for relatively silent shooting. In modern times, firearms have largely supplanted bows and crossbows as weapons of warfare. The medieval European crossbow was called by many names, including "crossbow" itself most of these names derived from the word ballista, an ancient Greek torsion siege engine similar in appearance but different in design principle. Crossbows brought about a major shift in the role of projectile weaponry in wars, such as during Qin's unification wars and later the Han campaigns against northern nomads and western states. The earliest known crossbows were made in the first millennium BC, as early as the 7th century BC in ancient China, and as early as the 1st century AD in Greece (as the gastraphetes). This enables a crossbowman to handle more draw weight, and to hold it with significantly less physical strain, thus potentially achieving better precision. A crossbow has a locking mechanism to maintain the draw, limiting the shooter's exertion to pulling the string into the lock and then releasing the shot by depressing a lever/ trigger. This demands significant physical strength. Ĭrossbows and bows use the same launch principle, but an archer must maintain a bow's draw by pitching the bowstring with fingers, pulling it back with arm and back muscles and then holding that form in order to aim. A person who shoots crossbow is called a crossbowman or an arbalist (after the arbalest, a European crossbow variant used during the 12th century). Crossbows shoot arrow-like projectiles called bolts or quarrels. For other uses, see Crossbow (disambiguation).Ī crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a prod, mounted horizontally on a main frame called a tiller, which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long gun.
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