I like that you end it with "this is my choice," not "this is better."

I personally prefer the crossbow but to argue that one is better than the other is to misunderstand the utility of both.

A friend and I actually made a crossbow for a school engineering project once. It had about a 60 pound draw weight with no power at all, but it felt awesome to shoot something we built from scratch!

Fascinating video, I always thought of crossbows as the medieval equivalent of guns, they shoot in a straight line with a lot of force, they can be reloaded without shooting, and they are shot via trigger. I never realised how versatile normal bows were though.

the main advantage of the crossbow is the low training needed and that it can be held ready rather than holding the bow at draw.

I like that you didn't just rag on the crossbow but actually compared the two with advantages and disadvantages.

I love this channel. Not only are the topics covered interesting, but the tone is always light-hearted and non-judgmental. Oh, and the videos never waste our time with fillers, sponsors, or incessant talk, going straight to the point in fun yet educational ways.

In The Wheel of Time books there is actually a quite nice exploration of crossbows vs bows. It brings up the points of how you need to train longer for bows: The only group of prominent bow users by the end of the series are the "Two Rivers men" who are farmers and livestock herders who live in the woods and learn the bow from childhood to hunt. We never see anyone train to learn the bow but we see people training whole new armies of crossbowmen. in one of my favorite battles in book 11 a general who has to run with his army out of enemy territory, abuses the fact that they have new crossbows that shoot 8 bolts per minute instead of the common 3 per minute to make is army seem much larger by how many bolts they fire in a given time and information not traveling very well in that setting.

This makes so much sense. In Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the Uruk-hai army uses crossbows, becasue their soldiers were literally born within the last few months. Where everyone else who had generations to train their archers, from the Gondorians to the Rhohirrim and even the Orcs, all use war bows.

Another important advantage of crossbows is that you can have it "ready" more or less forever before pulling the trigger when you want to shoot. An archer needs to first draw the bow and expose more of his body until an arrow can be shot. This makes crossbows a very effective defensive weapon if you're shooting from a wall during a siege for example. It's also why many crossbowmen carried comically large shields that were basically portable walls; such as the famous crossbowmen of Genoa.

My fantasy for the two is different, and seemingly in line with the reality. Mastering the bow is about the archer, a skilled person who can take any bow and push it to it's limits, like how a brass instrument player learns how to make the instrument shapes sound so theycan use it intuitively. A crossbow user is never mainly a marksman when I make characters, they're a tinkerer. They make their tool and it becomes their baby, skill is reflectes in the weapon rather than it's use, although usually I also have the x-bow be tailored to the user to where others may struggle fully utilizing it. In a way it's more like a music producer, they may not play any analogue instruments, but they understand how to combine various sounds and effects to produce art, and often make their own instruments based on tweaking synths and effects. Neither is better, rather both are worthy disciplines thatrequire both discipline and experience.

I like the comparison between the two. Indeed, when I first started learning how to shoot a bow, I had no clue how to aim properly and my shots went everywhere BUT the target. Where bow archery is more of an art, crossbows and modern firearms (not counting the wildly inaccurate flintlocks), are more of a science. Where you shoot where the sights are aiming, and if you’re a little bit off, you make small adjustments and corrections based on where the shots are hitting. Makes them easier to learn than bows.

I just love it how he’s constantly hanging from trees. It’s the last thing you expect (normally), there isn’t any reason to do it other than to show that he can do it, but there he is, hanging upside down a tree shooting a bow once again. 😂 I absolutely love it.

It's also important to remember that crossbows were historically created in an age and place where plate armor was making some people nigh-invincible (or so thought) and sieges were one of the major locations that weapon innovation needed to happen. For that bill, crossbows fit perfectly. Some schmuck who's trained for ten days can kill an armored target by shooting them in the chest from on top of a wall, thirty meters away. As well, the fact you pre-load crossbows makes them superior in a siege where you have plenty of time to reload behind a wall, but not necessarily to aim outside of cover. They're more bang for proverbial buck in terms of wood as well, which was actually a consideration in some of the longer sieges. So while bows are - if you're skilled - usually better in many cases, the specific scenario that crossbows were created in made them a hot commodity for the time. Hope this makes sense, and I know war bows can pierce some armors too, but at the time iirc it was mostly crossbows which were given the job. Let me know if there's anything you want to add!

Honestly this channel is so underrated, really good content

My day started very badly but your passion for archery helped me to feel better ! Your general chill attitude is real effective for those problems

I love the way you demonstrate what you're saying as you explain. I've learned so much about archery from this channel and it's awesome!

Crossbows have a lot of advantages in specific scenarios: ambushes, very timing sensitive volleys, extreme long range arms racing in sieged situations, but most of all, having a prepared and immediate shot for assassination or indoor defensive situations. Don't get me wrong, I'd take a bow as well for general use, because they win out in a considerably longer and less niche list of advantages if we imagine any kind of varied combat

The real main advantage of crossbows is that they're better to use in movies for scenes where they want the guards to hold up the heroes, and just treat bows as if they're guns (running around with them drawn, holding it drawn for several minutes while the captain talks to the heroes etc)

Definitely appreciate the longer form! I came from your shorts looking for some arrow science and real-life testing, so I'd love to see more!

I love it when weapons reviewers/experts will inform you and comment on the differences in different types of weaponry, without belittling it. I love respectful informative education, with an awareness of bias! Thank you so much for this video!

You find crossbows often depicted in medieval siege scenes. The reason is, you can draw a crossbow and lie in wait behind cover until some head pops up on the other side. You cannot draw a bow and keep it drawn for a longer time, especially the more powerful war bows.

I just wanted to thank you for your content & hard work you put into creating it! I've always wanted to learn archery, so your videos make me a little bit closer to my biggest dream. they inspire me and that's why I'm not giving up 🤧

Awesome explanation! I'm so glad i found this channel randomly the other day

Another thing of note would be the variables. You as a person are prone to variables such as the weather, your own health, injuries, what have you. This means that while yes, you can be doing worse than your average due to issues, it also means having a great day means you're even more likely to be good at what you're doing. A crossbow - as you said - is just as it is with the mechanisms in place. So you could be down with the flu but your bolt goes just as hard & fast as if you were at full strength. Again, having a great day means not taking advantage of that potential. Not to prioritise one over the other of course, just great to see the differences and appreciate both for what they are!

I agree completely. It's comparable to why muskets were used over bows: shorter training time due to ease of operation despite long reload time. Good archers are valuable, but were phased out in the standardization of the military :(

Great videos mate! Very entertaining & nerdy. Spot on

“You’re not gonna reload it like Daryl Dixon” *proceeds to reload it exactly like Daryl Dixon does*

Soeaking of this argument, I'd be interested in seeing you tackle some of the differences between different kinds of bows. Compound bows, for instance. What are the advantages/disadvantages of using a standard or recurve bow versus a compound bow?

I have a Ranger character that gets disgusted at the mention of crossbows. He would be very pleased to see this video 😆

Love it! Definitely down for more longer videos like this one. It never occurred to me that crossbows would be so much harder to load. Also, I highly respect your choice of doing what's more fun and skillful rather than what's "easiest and most efficient". Not that crossbows are even necessarily always that (depending on the skill of the archer)

From admiring your knowledge to blushing with excitement when you shoot upside down, absolutely love your videos!

Beautifully said.

I'm suddenly reminded of a line from The Legend of Vox Machina when Vex gets tossed a crossbow while in a scenario where the party doesn't have their usual weapons, hers being a longbow: "A trigger? Ew."

Another fantastic, and informative video.

This elf has obviously watched Top Gear his entire childhood spent in the woods, this is where he got both his archery (woods) and presentation (Jeremy) skills. I just love his manner and intonations

What a great video explaining in details the big differences between bows and crossbows, without devaluating either ❤

love how you explains both choices of weapon for fantasy setting, this takes me back to the very old game called "Battle Realms" There are 2 clans, and they take a different approach to archery the Dragon clan would train their archers. whereas the Serpent clan would take the shortcut and let their units use the crossbow instead they also mentioned in the game that archers were more skillful and respected for their arts. they're far from weak nor cowards. archer must possess great strength and courage to draw their bow and hold steady while the enemies are closing in. and they can't wear armors because they interfere with their delicate aims But the Serpent clan also bites back that archery took excessive training and they think strength would better be spent in the front lines. you can easily give crossbows to peasants, and they would be ready in days. not weeks. they also prefer it that their crossbowmen are cowards and quick to flee than fight. those crossbows aren't cheap after all

You’re such an amazing educator! The Royal Armouries up in Leeds should totally hire you, your practical knowledge of bows is incredible.

Good vid, good length, clear pros and cons, and informational.

I appreciate the “my choice” bit. If either of these weapons were objectively better, the other wouldn’t have survived for us to know about it. It’s not like comparing 2 hammers either, it’s more like comparing a wrench vs a screwdriver. Similar result and function, different purpose and mechanism

Maybe I missed it, but also a crossbow's power decreases faster over range due to the lack of inertia in the smaller/lighter ammunition fired. So penetrating armor is going to be more consistent over distance with a bow, but more "front-loaded" with a crossbow.

Your presentation is top notch!

Excelent, and what a good edition and demonstrative explanation

I prefer the bow as well. Crossbows are great, too, I just would prefer a bow. Mostly because there is less maintenance and a total of 2 parts or so (not a compound fan)! Longer videos are great, this was a great video!

I always love your videos because of how resectfully you talk about literally anything. Even when something is impractical or not realistic, you don't blantly call it "stupid". And like in this video right here - you don't say which is better or worse. You showcased the strenghts and weaknesses of both weapons and left it for the viewers to chose their preffered one. That's great! I hope you get more and more viral, we need more educational channels like this. Not to mention that I'd love to see you collab with Shadiversity if they were to do a video related to archery ❤️

Not only are your skill and discipline phenomenal, you're an excellent instructor and debater!

All of my questions and history I needed to know answered instantly. Amazing video you should be very proud of your knowledge

Thanks for the comparison! I was thinking of a sort of “cyber punk but medieval” world and one of the main cast of characters was going to be a sniper armed with a high tech crossbow. I went with a crossbow because I thought that the high draw weight of a war bow would hold her back, seeing as she’s not that physically imposing. I still think I’ll go with a crossbow, but this will allow me to depict her and her weapon with greater accuracy!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on my personal favorite ancient ranged weapon, the sheppard's sling, or simply the sling. I think they are one of the most overlooked weapons in history. However, they take just as much, if not more, training to become proficient with them compared to bows. I like them for their simplicity. they're braided bits of rope that fling stones, or lead bullets if you get fancy with it :). @blumineck, could you do a video comparing these together too??

Man, I love this channel and I don't even practice archery

I’ve played one character in DnD that used crossbows, because it’s harder to get the proficiency for a longbow, but short bows don’t deal a ton of damage, and she wasn’t really an archer type. We were going for a traditional dungeon delving thing, and at the time, being able to shoot from a long range was less effective than being able to react with your bow, which was made easier by having a crossbow that was already loaded.

"If you want an army of war archers, the training time is reasonably measured in generations." That's a fascinating observation that I'd never thought about. In order for a country to have a military force of archers, you'd realistically need to have a culture of archery first. Fathers teaching their sons to use a bow, who teach their sons, etc.

it's training time vs. Troop quality

“My choice” is the best way to put it. Neither is objectively better, they’re designed for different scenarios

Mind if I ask what model bow you are using in all these videos? Thank you, love the content. 🏹

I could see them being used for heavy infantry. Just a quick shot from a 1-handed crossbow to pierce some nearby armour before engaging in melee.

Enjoyed the video just subbed will stick around for more

Hmmm saw 2 shorts and this first youtube video (atleast i watched it as a youtube video and not a short) 3 out of 3 Videos i found interesting. I do enjoy this kind of content. I think you sir deserve another follower! and subbed! good job keep up the work

The immediate "How wrong are they, actually?" at the beginning of the video😂

The way dwarves are always depicted using crossbows is so cool! 'Cause they're so short but so strong

Some advantages of the crossbow are also negated under some circumstances, high weight crossbows take almost as much time to reload as a ballista sometimes! I love them both, but for an archer character that needs to be versatile, I think you’re mostly fine with having your artificer make you an instant legolas, and just keeping it in your pack for a battle where you need it

A fun and simple way of explaining and showcasing why its all preference.

Sir you are a very skilled archer. Your videos make me want to break out the compound bow and practice again.

Crossbow, by virtue of having more parts, also has more points of failure. A bow, you have the bow itself, and the string. You have to physically snap the whole thing in order for it to stop working. A crossbow could jam, or part of it could malfunction, much easier, and then need repairing before it's useful again.

Dude's an absolute Legend!

Thanks for outlining the important differences between the two.

that upside down shot at the end was just a giant flex isn't it ? it was cool as fuck I give you that

When I was young, PBS had a ton of very weird random shows playing in the middle of the day. One I saw once was a medieval news show complete with commercials. This reminds me of the commercial for a crossbow.

A very well-informed and balanced analysis.

Very informative!

concise, clever, fun. subscribed.

I love that you genuinely discussed pros and cons. If crossbows were garbage, we would likely not even be aware of the concept, because it wouldn’t have caught on.

I remember going to some summer camp place with my church or school as a kid. One of the activities available to us was the archery range. Although that was my only exposure to archery, I very much enjoyed it. Wish I had followed up on that interest...

"The apprentice wants to learn the bow; the warrior knows the bow; the master IS the bow." (I heard it with swords but it fits your explanation)

Great video!!!

Realistically speaking, this is a really well made video.

Educational and entertaining. Blumineck is the best!

Love this guy 🙏🏻

I never considered the almost philosophical aspect of archery until now. Very interesting and insightful

For those curious, the historical way that crossbowmen got around the "slow reload" issue was that crossbowmen usually worked in teams of people (especially during sieges). The crossbowman would fire their shot then get handed an already loaded new crossbow. They could have like 3-4 crossbows prepared in this way. And while being handed a new crossbow to fire, the rest of the crossbowman's team would be reloading the spent bolts. In this way, the rate of fire for a crossbow would be comparable to the rate of fire of a longbowman. This is likely where the idea of people having multiple single shot pistols came from (for example Edward Teach, Blackbeard)

I remember hearing many of these very same points when reading Ranger's Apprentice way back then. It's so nostalgic to review these points again now

wow, you’re telling a question of ‘is this better than this’ once again comes down to preference and situation? mind blowing

Interesting notes. Now i wanna see your take on Bows vs Slingshots.

I tried not to subscribe because I'm not really into archery. But your videos have been popping up for about a week now. You do a really good job at explaining archery and making it interesting. From my point of view some would call it useless knowledge, but I don't really consider any knowledge useless. You got a new sub off this video.

I just love this guy.

as they say, ‘If you want to train a longbowman, start with his grandfather’

Thank you for providing precise argument both for and against, each weapon, and why you prefer one over the other. I too prefer the bow, over a crossbow.

This is why medieval military would often supplement crossbowmen with archers... Same with the Medieval Handgonne when gunpowder started to get used in the late 1300s, it was nore powerful but was slow to the point that it needed some archers to give cover fire during the reload between volleys.

I'm convinced he's a time traveller.

This feels more you then the DND video homie well done

I like these videos a lot. They're very positive about their subject matters.

I can tell this guy really enjoys his job

One note on the tactics of crossbows: they can hold tension for much longer than a human archer (though not indefinitely), so they have much more utility in siege warfare.

My guy is a real life elf.

Right then *changes character’s weapon to a bow* I’ve always heard crossbows are easier and wondered if the one we had once was just nonsense with the pain of trying to reload it. Glad(?) that wasn’t the case. Also thank you for this channel, lovely to have one dedicated to archery!!!

I find it fascinating the concept that archers were trained across generations!

I remember my first time shooting a bow. A crossbow in comparison is like driving a luxury car, that is comfy and easy to drive with all the technical and electronical helpers. You will get there reasonably fast, but it will not beat a true race car with a skilled driver. The crossbow is for the masses. You can teach a person to use it in a few minutes and they will be able to reasonably hit the target. Put a little more time in, and you have yourself a fighter. Now, if you need 100 of these quickly, the choice is easy. Kinda the 20/80 principal. Of course a skilled user can handle a bow in many more different situations and can adapt to the enviorment. That is much more important for such a specialized force. The question for the right tool is always a question of ressourcemanagement.

Damn, just when I think that the video is done, there's even more information. Very nice

Good analysis video. Helps me to understand the differences between crossbow and bow really well. Personally I prefer crossbows for aesthetic choice