OT: "Instant Legolas" Repeating Longbow
Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2020 3:49 am
I am a huge fan of experimental archaeology since we often have little to no sources of how things were actually done, what sources we have are vague, and iconography can only get us so far. I am also a big fan of "what ifs" and this essentially a very cool combination of the two.
Repeater bows have existed in history as even a person with a passing interest in the topic will have come across the Chinese repeating crossbow. However, those bows have always been of low power and as a result are of limited use against armour. For whatever reason, the Chinese did not appear to iterate the design of the bows to higher poundages.
A German Youtuber who is handy with tools plays around with giant slingshots and around 3 years ago, made something that he dubbed the "Instant Legolas" which was a modern tool he invented that could strap on to a bow and was essentially a magazine of arrows allowing for rapid-fire of a bow without the need to reload without having to notch a new arrow for each shot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTJnyQ-bZLU
After iterating on the design for around two and a half years, he decided to send his work to Tod's Workshop, a company that reproduces medieval weapons, to try and answer his critics which claim that the device could not be made by medieval means. This company was also the one that was contracted to do the now-famous Longbow vs Breastplate video.
After receiving the design, he has recreated the device using medieval techniques, materials, and craftsmanship and it is a sight to behold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcDP9jN_FFQ
There are more videos in between these two that can easily be found on Youtube showing the evolution to get to this point.
Repeater bows have existed in history as even a person with a passing interest in the topic will have come across the Chinese repeating crossbow. However, those bows have always been of low power and as a result are of limited use against armour. For whatever reason, the Chinese did not appear to iterate the design of the bows to higher poundages.
A German Youtuber who is handy with tools plays around with giant slingshots and around 3 years ago, made something that he dubbed the "Instant Legolas" which was a modern tool he invented that could strap on to a bow and was essentially a magazine of arrows allowing for rapid-fire of a bow without the need to reload without having to notch a new arrow for each shot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTJnyQ-bZLU
After iterating on the design for around two and a half years, he decided to send his work to Tod's Workshop, a company that reproduces medieval weapons, to try and answer his critics which claim that the device could not be made by medieval means. This company was also the one that was contracted to do the now-famous Longbow vs Breastplate video.
After receiving the design, he has recreated the device using medieval techniques, materials, and craftsmanship and it is a sight to behold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcDP9jN_FFQ
There are more videos in between these two that can easily be found on Youtube showing the evolution to get to this point.