Chinese repeating crossbow
| Chinese repeating crossbow | |
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| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Bow weapon |
| Designations: | Chinese repeating crossbow, Zhūgě nǔ, Chu-ko-nu |
| Use: | crossbow |
| Region of origin / author: |
China , gunsmiths |
| Distribution: | China |
| Lists on the subject | |
A Chinese repeating crossbow ( Chinese 諸葛 弩 / 诸葛 弩 , Pinyin Zhūgě nǔ , "Zhūgě crossbow") is a bow weapon from China .
description
A Chinese repeating crossbow is made of wood, horn and metal. It is equipped without a trigger , as is usual with other firearms, but fires the shot automatically when repeating. On the shaft there is a flat piece of wood that has a groove for receiving and holding the bowstring . A magazine that can hold up to ten bolts is placed on this piece of wood . A movable lever with a bolt is attached to the shaft and the magazine, which is used for reloading. When the lever is moved forward, the magazine rises slightly and slides forward. The groove in the flat piece of wood engages the bowstring. When the lever is moved back, the tendon is withdrawn with it, a bolt is released from the magazine and comes to rest on the shaft. Once the lever has reached its starting position, the tendon is released by a small horn pin located in the flat piece of wood by pushing the pin upwards when it hits the shaft. This pushes the string out of the locking groove and the crossbow fires. By moving this lever back and forth, high rates of fire are possible. The crossbow had no aiming device and was fired from the hip, the end of the shaft is designed for this position. The relatively low penetration power was offset by the mass of the arrows fired. Often the arrows were also prepared with poison . The arrows themselves are round and thinner towards the end of the shaft, and two springs are attached to the shaft end for flight stabilization. The tip is made of metal and has no barbs .
The crossbow was named after the Chinese politician and strategist Zhūgě Liàng at the time of the three empires , although he was probably the inventor of a forerunner of the Zhugenu , the Liannu .
literature
- Henry Hodges: Technology in the ancient world . Barnes & Noble Publishing, New York 1992, ISBN 978-0-88029-893-3 , pp. 265 (English).
- Joseph Needham, Krzysztof Gawlikowski: Military technology: missiles and sieges . In: Science and civilization in China. Vol. 5, Chemistry and chemical technology Pt. 6 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1994, ISBN 978-0-521-32727-5 (English).
- Ralph Payne-Gallwey: The Crossbow: Its Military and Sporting History, Construction and Use . Skyhorse Publishing Inc., New York 2007, ISBN 978-1-60239-010-2 , pp. 239-241 (English).
Web links
- Chapter XLIX: The Chinese Repeating Crossbow from Ralph Payne-Gallwey: 'The Crossbow', Longman's, Green & Co., London 1903 (accessed January 7, 2012).
- Construction drawing at Arco-Iris.com
- Detailed description with references to literature
Individual evidence
- ^ Ralph Payne-Gallwey, The book of the crossbow , Courier Dover Publications, 1995, pages 239-242, ISBN 978-0-486-28720-1
- ↑ George Cameron Stone, Donald J. LaRocca, A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: in All Countries and in All Times, Courier Dover Publications, 1999, page ISBN 978-0-486-40726-5