960lbs crossbow vs 150lbs crossbow - TESTED!

Man, Tod is really strong. Being able to lift 960 pounds is not a small feat.

Momentum really defines the amount of damage, and so does the shape and material of the tip. A heavy arrow with a hardened steel tip has so much more penetration than a soft lead bullet, even at a fraction of the speed. It is the effective range that makes a difference. Muscle operated weapons never really exceed 150 m/s, in most cases they are at about half that. So the effective range for aimed shots is about 50 to 100 meters, anything beyond that requires so much hold over that it is more like random. Targets within that range are in mortal danger though. Guns can easily exceed 150 m/s, so they can be effective for looooong distances.

The sound those heavy crossbows made must have made quite a psychological impact, especially when you had hundreds of those firing a volley!

Replace the medieval steel bow part with a high density carbon fibre made one, also in the 900 pounds range. That will make the inertia problem many times smaller and the arrow speeds will go up accordingly. Crossbow balance will benefit at the same time. I'd really like to see that experiment done! Thanks for your marvelous videos!

Why does his jacket look 500 years older than the medieval crossbow

I’d be really curious to see 500lb draw on a modern compound bow system

Video Idea: What if you combined the two, could you use modern technology to build a 1000lb composite compound crossbow.

It would have been nice to see a comparison of the penetration abilities of these two bows, in terms of going through X inches of wood or metal. It looked like the older bow would have been the more deadly weapon on a medieval battle-field.

I'd like to see a medieval crossbow made out of modern materials like Polymers and carbon fiber, with lighter arrows.

9:43 There is an old saying, to train a longbowman, begin with his grandfather. Longbows as a weapon of war were made obsolete by the ease of training men to use crossbows and muskets.

Tod's video are always thoughtful and meticulous. And he's such a calm and nice guy. Great job!

The ringing you hear is because the wood acts like an amplifier for the vibrations in the weapon. When you cock the crossbow up, a lot of energy gets stored in the wood itself.

"You might walk away wondering why anyone would ever want to shoot a crossbow" Because it takes two weeks to train someone to use a crossbow, instead of the 20 years you need to be a successful longbow archer.

Tod always gives me such strong “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life” vibes

Absolutely brilliant comparison! I am hunting this year with a crossbow for the first time. I have wondered how the two technologies compare. Thank you for bringing this to light!

Easy to learn, easy to shoot, penetrate armour and great range. The advantages of crossbows instead of bow are many.

This is a great demonstration and comparison! You explained the difference in efficiency between medieval and modern crossbows in a clear and easy to understand way. I definitely appreciate the relative lack of maintenance on modern crossbows compared to how much you have to keep up with a medieval one. Oddly enough I've found that modern crossbows with light carbon fiber bolts just annihilate a gambeson and riveted mail, where a medieval crossbow bolt (depending on the draw weight and shape of the point of course) may not penetrate as far or even bounce off. Can't beat the old designs in style though. :)

What I learnt from this: I want a medieval 900lb crossbow with a compound mechanism

You sir, are nothing short of amazing. I've never seen anyone else so thorough and precise with such tests and gear.

Well done for explaining these issues, there are plenty of videos on bows but yours is the first to go into these matters.