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Old 02-04-2014, 11:20 AM
simonmark6 simonmark6 is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Swansea, South Wales, UK
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I would be doubtful about longbows. The wood needs to be selected by a specialist and left to cure for a few years. In addition, they are difficult to make with maybe only 30 bowyers left in the country and hellish hard to use. English (often, but not the majority in any way, Welsh) longbowmen were professionals who had to practise for years to get the physique to fire the bow effectively.
Forensic studies of the bodies of bowmen that drowned on the Mary Rose revealed that the right sides of their bodies were massively muscled, almost to the point of deformity.
Add to that, the time it takes to get proficient with the weapon you can see why King Edward said, "If you want a good bowman, start with his grandfather."
Crossbows on the other hand are easier to use and simple to make even with basic gear (your first bow might not be very safe, but they get better). Loading is a problem but if you're in cover it's not such an issue plus it is feasible to create quick loading gear using modern kit even if it would probably be easier to just build more crossbows.
Unless you have a large stockpile of pre-cured yew and a skilled bowyer, longbows probably aren't on the menu and even then no one will be able to use them effectively for four to ten years.
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