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Editor's Note: CR4 would like to thank Del the Cat for writing this story and
sharing photographs of his Chinese repeating crossbow. Cheers, Del!
I built this bow about 20 years ago because I wanted to see
what it would be like to shoot one. I'd seen a Chinese repeating crossbow in
the Tower of London Armoury, and also seen a good description and illustrations
in Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey's book: The
Crossbow mediaeval and modern, military and sporting, it's History &
Management (last printed in 1976, I believe). Still, the Tower Armoury just
wouldn't lend me theirs! Rather than make a slavish copy, I wanted to modernise
the concept and add some innovations.
In place of the laminated bamboo bow of the original, I
made a fibreglass and rock maple laminated composite bow with some re-curve (50-lb.
draw weight over 8.2"). The lever angle was adjusted to improve not just the leverage,
but also the smoothness of operation. The bow was mounted in a steel "shoe" that
pivots on a horizontal axis parallel to the bow. It is retained by a curved, steel
leaf spring which keeps the bow from twisting as the lever is worked back and
forth. Again, this provides a smoother action.
There is a "catch plate" on either side of the stock so
that when the magazine/barrel assembly comes back to the full draw position, a
pin engages and firmly holds the assembly to stock, preventing any bounce or
rattle. One of the nicest little additions I made is a tiny piece of quill from
a goose feather. This projects down into the barrel in front of the bolt,
preventing the bolt from sliding out of the barrel as the lever is pushed
forward rapidly.
The whole repeating crossbow was made fairly quickly. The
stock is made from an old walnut table top. (Don't worry: it wasn't a valuable
table!) The lever is made from an ash pickaxe-handle. The steel plates are cut
from sheet steel and riveted in place. The geometry of the lever arrangement
was worked out using CAD (Cardboard Aided Design), cutting out the shapes, and
pinning them onto a board to try different pivot positions. The sides of the
magazine are ply. The magazine itself is attached to the bottom of the barrel
with a brass screw at the rear and a cord binding at the front.
The "trigger mechanism" isn't really a trigger
as such. Instead, it is vertical brass pin in a hole at the bottom of a groove.
As the barrel/magazine is pushed forward, the string drops into this groove. The
pin is pressed down by the string so that it projects below the lower surface
of the barrel/magazine assembly. As the lever is pulled back, the string is
drawn back to full draw. As the barrel/magazine presses back down onto the
stock, the brass pin is pushed up, forcing the string from its groove and
loosing the bolt which has dropped down from the magazine.
It is a delight to shoot with a remarkably light action
considering the punch that my crossbow packs. I enjoy showing it to people who
have never seen such a thing. They always enjoy loosing a stream of bolts into
the air with six or so being airborne before the first lands!
Interestingly, I find the most comfortable way to shoot is
with the crossbow's curved butt nestling across the top of the right thigh. The
right hand comfortably grips the stock, and the left hand is free to work the
lever. The bow can also be shot with the curved butt in the crook of the right
elbow; however, this doesn't seem as comfortable. It would be wrong to conclude
how the original weapons were used, but it does provide some insight.
Consider this quote from Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey: "In the
recent war between China and
Japan
in 1894-95, the repeating crossbow was frequently seen among troops… It is
probable that the bow was very effective at stopping the rush of an enemy in
the open, or for defending a fortified position. One hundred men armed with
repeating crossbows could send a thousand arrows into their opponents' ranks in
a quarter of a minute."
As a final note, consider that some of these bows were made
with a wider magazine with a thin, central partition and a double-grooved
barrel. Why? So they could shoot two arrows at a time!
Steve Melito - The Y Files
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