02-19-2012, 08:55 PM
I was wondering if any of the re-enactors here could advise me of the handling characteristics of this weapon? I am particularly interested in re-load times and possible ranges. I know that Vegetius mentions the weapon primarily in seige contexts (IV.21,22) and differentiates it from the hand-ballista, the 'manuballistae', and that therefore it is classified as a tension crossbow as oppossed to a torsion one. I wonder then what the feasible range and handling characteristics might be? Anyone who has built and experimented on one of these weapons would be able to give me some useful practical experience here which would be appreciated!
To put it in context, this is for a little writing project I am engaged in which touches upon a unit of these soldiers and what I am looking for is not so much the scientific data but pratical experience and the 'quirks' of the weapon that an individual soldier might experience: reload times, distance, wet and dry conditions, and so on.
To put it in context, this is for a little writing project I am engaged in which touches upon a unit of these soldiers and what I am looking for is not so much the scientific data but pratical experience and the 'quirks' of the weapon that an individual soldier might experience: reload times, distance, wet and dry conditions, and so on.
Francis Hagan
The Barcarii
The Barcarii
