Existence of the Chinese Repeating Crossbow
I am quite confused about some issue. There was this museum that has explicitly stated that the repeating crossbow, as in the one that we know of today, was found during the Warring States. However, some of the reliable people that I know say that the one was not a repeating crossbow, but just a regular crossbow with a magazine.
Who was correct? And how many bolts can be fitted into that magazine? Were there any repeating crossbows that were found during Han Dynasty?
Who was correct? And how many bolts can be fitted into that magazine? Were there any repeating crossbows that were found during Han Dynasty?
I wrote an article on an excavated Warring States repeating crossbow from the state of Chu. It was published in the Journal of the Society of Archer-Antiquaries. It had a magazine for 14 small arrows and shot two at a time. The mechanism was different from the more modern Zhuge Nu. It used a reciprocating rod rather than a cranked lever. Both it and the Zhuge Nu crossbows had an automatic shooting mechanism.
There is a 19th century Korean crossbow with a magazine that is sometimes to be said to be a single shot weapon, but I have seen no proof for that assertion.
The two Chinese models could only be shot in automatic mode so they were true repeating crossbows.
There is a 19th century Korean crossbow with a magazine that is sometimes to be said to be a single shot weapon, but I have seen no proof for that assertion.
The two Chinese models could only be shot in automatic mode so they were true repeating crossbows.