- published: 30 Apr 2016
- views: 4572
A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.
Historically, crossbows played a significant role in the warfare of East Asia since the 4th century BC, as well as Europe and the Mediterranean. Today, they are used primarily for shooting sports, hunting, and when shooting in silence is an important consideration.
A crossbow is a weapon bow mounted on a stick (called a tiller or stock) with a mechanism in it which holds the drawn bow string. The earliest designs featured a slot in the stock, down into which the string was placed. To shoot this design, a vertical rod is thrust up through a hole in the bottom of the notch, forcing the string out. This rod is usually attached perpendicular to a rear-facing lever called a trigger or "tickler". A later design implemented a rolling cylindrical pawl called a "nut" to retain the string. This nut has a perpendicular center slot for the bolt, and an intersecting axial slot for the string, along with a lower face or slot against which the internal trigger sits. They often also have some form of strengthening internal "sear" or trigger face, usually of metal. These "roller nuts" were either free-floating in their close-fitting hole across the stock, tied in with a binding of sinew or other strong cording, or mounted on a metal axle or pins. Removable or integral plates of wood, ivory or metal on the sides of the stock kept the nut in place laterally. Nuts were made of antler, bone, or metal. Bows could be kept and ready to shoot for some time with little effort, allowing crossbowmen to aim better.
I can't remember
a single word you said
didn't make much sense anyway
You can't deliver
the right words to say
and I hope that you can
Make some sense of statements you've made
your lies and your claims
curiosity is eating my brain
I'm going insane
Save yourself from drowning alone
how long have you known
curiosity is eating my bones
how long have you known
Why don't you get me through this
why can't I get out of this mess