A fun but not historical test, since a modern bow combined with armor obviously doesn't match at all.
Tod's workshop did a very serous and very exciting test where a historic longbow could not shoot through armor: [ Ссылка ]
Armin Hirmer had tested this modern Oneida Osprey 30-50 pound bow: [ Ссылка ]
Armin sent the bow to me and since I only otherwise shoot historical bows I immediately started changing it to something I could use.
After the bow was rebuilt it now works pretty well for me and the way I do archery but with amazingly much power.
My 100 pound traditional bow shoots a large wooden arrow about 12 cm. into one of my target plates.
But the Onida bow and the small surface iron arrow shoot 40 cm. into the target plate!!!
Then I tried on my not authentic 2 mm. armor helmet (which none of my regular bows can shoot through) The iron arrow went right through and it was fun to shoot,
So I made a quick video.
It has never been a historical test, I say that in the video
and I made it clearly funny, (rotating jump shot on in remote-controlled skateboard)
This bow did not exist in history (that type of materials and fine mechanics did not exist)
Armor is of unknown quality and without ring armor or gambeson underneath
I used a rather random metal armor, since this test could not be historical anyway, I did not think it made sense to spend large resources on destroy an authentically made historical armor.
But my traditional bows and arrows I can not shoot through this test armor.
Is the title wrong or wildly exaggerated?
Maybe a lot and maybe not.
Can everyone shoot through armor with this bow?
If you calculate the moment of force that is transferred with a heavy and only 5mm. metal arrow transferred from a modern bow with exchange, then it is quite high compared to even a powerful war bow with a much larger wooden arrow.
So what will a test on real authentic historical armor show?
I can't say with certainty, but I think that especially if some spend a little longer trying to find the ideal metal arrows and exchange in the bow to fit.
So maybe it's possible that everyone can actually shoot through real armor or some can.
But I can't know.
Can we learn something historical from this?
Definitely not the bow.
But the metal arrow might be interesting to test properly sometime,
of course metal arrows would be very expensive historically but compared to the price of a knight then a single backstopper arrow that could stop a knight???
An anti-tank missile is also very expensive, but not compared to the tank it can destroy
Thanks to:
Armin Hirmer for sending me the bow.
Tod from todsworkshop.com to allow me to show some of his tests.
Sincerely
Lars Andersen
