Mission Details:

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Honnari assumed that normally, things like short bows and longbows required years of training, and a level of proficiency. Often putting those who could wield them proficiently in their own superior caste. But this was in a lane in it's own right!

Jonin at the debriefing had eagerly shoved this device onto Honnari. Along with a batch of bamboo arrows with accuracy they would like to have tested it was so unlike anything he'd ever seen. So far, he deduced that it didn't take much skill to use it. It fired quickly and reloaded in the same vain. Perhaps at the cost of it's own accuracy. Moreover he noted that whoever made it, had the right idea. He raised the weapon, and fired. Likewise he noted very interesting characteristics.

First of all, the arrows shot in a very straight line but don’t have as much of an impact and penetration as arrows of a metal arrow. They don’t have a whipped thread to keep the fletching together but are glued to the wood giving the fletching more sturdiness whilst keeping the traditional look.

That was the dumbest thing Honnari had seen since supper past dawn. These looked completely, aesthetically driven during their production. Honnari was no expert bowman, but, wasn't the idea of the bow to wound targets. Not dazzle them with cute traditional designs. "Who on earth would take this to battle?"

But more on the bow...

Fired from the hip, the bolts were fired in sequence from pumping the corking lever forward and backward, arming and releasing in a continuous cyclic process until the magazine was emptied. This rocking action did not allow for precise firing, nor did the inability to sight along the barrel as in a crossbow. The bolts of one magazine are fired and reloaded by simply pushing and pulling the lever back and forth.

The repeating crossbow had an effective range of 70 meters and a maximum range of 180 meters. Its comparatively short range limited its usage to primarily defensive positions, where its ability to rapidly discharge 7–10 bolts in 15–20 seconds can be used to prevent assaults on gates and doorways. In comparison, an arbalest, as Honnari might ponder, could only deliver about two bolts a minute. The repeating crossbow, with its smaller and lighter ammunition, had neither the power nor the accuracy of an arbalest. Thus, it was not very useful against more heavily armoured troops unless poison was smeared on bolts, in which case even a small wound might prove fatal.

All of these conclusions could be drawn as measured back in forth, hitting disclosed targets, and perhaps small animals. The interesting and unique feature of this crossbow is its repeating action, which though so crudely simple acts perfectly and enables the crossbowman to discharge ten arrows in fifteen seconds. When bows, and crossbows which shot one bolt at a time, were the usual missive weapons, it is probable that a repeating crossbow could be very effective for stopping the rush of an enemy in the open, or for defending fortified positions.

He decided to separate the piece into a makeshift diagram, persay. The magazine in which the ten or twelve small arrows are laid (one on the other) when the weapon is made ready for use, the stock in which the bamboo bow is fixed. The lever that works the crossbow. The lever is hinged to the stock of the crossbow and its magazine by metal pins, the piece of wood along the upper surface of which a groove is cut for an arrow to rest in, and that also has a notch in it to hold the bowstring.

By pushing forward the magazine by means of the lever, the bow-string is automatically caught in the notch above the trigger. At the moment when the bow-string is thus secured, an arrow falls from the magazine into the groove cut out in front of the notch. An arrow cannot drop from the magazine into the groove till the bow-string is in the notch.The trigger consists of a little piece of hard wood. But Honnari ascertained that When the lever is fully pulled back the trigger pushes the stretched bow-string upwards out of the notch that holds it. The trigger works in an upright slot. It has its upper end enlarged to prevent it from dropping out of the slot in which it moves up or down.

The lever is here pulled back, with the result that the bow is bent and the bow-string stretched. By pulling back the lever a little farther than shown in this sketch, the projecting end of the trigger will be pressed against the surface of the stock of the crossbow. This causes the upper end of the trigger to lift the bow-string out of the notch and set it free. The arrow is then discharged and the crossbow returns to the position shown in fig. 171, and is ready for the next shot.

From this description, it will be understood how simple and rapid is the action of the crossbow. All that need be done to shoot off the arrows contained in its magazine, is to work the lever to and fro as slowly or as quickly as desired.

It is even possible to discharge a dozen arrows in fifteen seconds.

By a slight alteration in the construction of the crossbow, Honnari discovered it that he could also make it shoot two arrows, instead of one, every time its bow recoiled. Just adjust the elastic near the rise, like one would a normal bow.

In such a case, the magazine and stock were about ¾ in. wide.  The magazine had a thin partition down its centre which divided it into two compartments. On each side of the central partition a dozen arrows were laid, one over the other. The bow-string passed over two parallel grooves instead of over a single one, each groove being, of course, exactly beneath a compartment in the magazine. As the lever was worked, two arrows dropped from the magazine and remained side-by-side, one in each groove, both arrows being propelled together when the bow-string was released.

In conclusion, the effective range of these weapons was about 80 yards; their extreme range from 180 to 200 yards.

Combine this persay, with the bamboo arrows, though short and light, were well made and had steel heads that were heavy in proportion to the length of their shafts. They had no feathers, so that their freedom of movement might not be impeded as they dropped one by one from the magazine when the crossbow was being used. Not like more archaically fashioned arrows anyway.
For the same reason, the width of the magazine-inside-was slightly in excess of the diameter of the arrow.
The length of the arrow was from 12 in. to 16 in according to the size of the crossbow; its diameter 5/16 in. to 3/8 in.

The bow was made either of one stout piece of would (and other things)bout 3 ft. 6 in. long, or of several flat strips lashed together. That might perhaps be a ploy of this piece. It might be more efficient in a different material. The same bamboo the arrows were made of perhaps?

In the latter case, the bow-string passed through a hole in each end of the bow. The bow-string consisted of animal sinew twisted into a cord of suitable strength.

By means of this arrangement, perhaps one hundred men could discharge two thousand arrows in fifteen seconds, or double the number which one hundred men could shoot off in the same time with the ordinary repeating crossbow. With this type of math, Honnari suggested a small fleet, foregoing the theme of defense, could possibly use something like these as a last (and effective) stance against invaders. Shrouding themselves throughout this vast forest, or using the gates to the village as a citadel as a stronghold for bowmen.

This was quite a good invention, if he had a say. Therein it's lack of defense, it's true herald would be revealed in suprise of lightweight, and in any event single-handed use. As long as on were to go into battle with it loaded, one could simply offset with this repeating crossbow to attack at range and create it.

It really was a pleasant suprise. With how eager they were to get him alone with thing, he assumed that it might just blowup in his face. Or impale him in an unfortunate event. He think they might relish in the fact that a genin like him had found a use for such an unusual thing. It was ingenious, and Honnari really didn't want to part with it. It was safe, and under appropriate circumstances, it could be highly effective. A device like this would surely remain on his lips and ears for a long time.





[Thread Exit]

Mission Complete

WC: 1509

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