Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

Repeating crossbow

A repeating crossbow (Chinese: 連弩 or Chu-ko-nu) is a crossbow where the separate actions of stringing the bow, placing the bolt and shooting it can be accomplished with a simple one-handed movement, all the while keeping the crossbow stationary. This allows the bow to shoot at a faster rate compared to a normal crossbow. A magazine containing a number of bolts is present on top of the bow and the mechanism is worked by moving a rectangular lever forward and backward.

History

The Chinese repeating crossbow (sometimes misspelled as Chu-ko-nu) is a device with an extremely simple design. It is commonly believed to have been invented by the Chinese strategist Zhuge Liang (181-234 A.D.) of the Three Kingdoms period. However, this belief is false as the earliest repeating crossbows (found in Tomb 47 of Qinjiazui, Hubei province) were debated to the 4th century BC. Zhuge Liang improved the design of the repeating crossbow, and made a version which shot two to three bolts at once and was used in massed formations, and for this reason, it was named after him. The repeating crossbow saw its last serious action in the China-Japan war of 1894-1895, where photographs show repeating crossbows as common weapons among Manchurian troops. The basic construction of this weapon has remained very much unchanged since its invention, making it one of the longest-lived mechanical weapons.

The repeating crossbow was introduced into Korea by King Sejong, who during a trip to China saw the weapon and was impressed by its mechanism. In Korean it was called sunogung ().

A larger device similar to the Chinese repeating crossbow was described in the works of the Greek engineer Philon of Byzantium. This device, a repeating ballista, was called a Polybolos and was reputedly invented by Dionysius of Alexandria in the 3rd century BC. Two flat-linked chains were connected to a windlass, which by winding back and forth would automatically fire the machine's arrows until its magazine was empty. The machine features the earliest recorded chain link drive.

Usage

The chu-ko-nu had a very simple and rugged design. The weapon was extremely easy to manufacture and use, and, in the hands of a trained soldier, could easily launch ten bolts in fifteen seconds. In comparison, an arbalest could only deliver about two bolts a minute. The chu-ko-nu however, had neither the power nor the accuracy of an arbalest. This gave it a shorter range, compensated for by using lightweight bolts instead of the heavy bolts of single-shot crossbows. Thus, the chu-ko-nu was not very useful against more heavily armored troops unless poison was smeared on bolts, in which case even a small wound may prove fatal. Since a chu-ko-nu was shot from the hip, accuracy was poor, but the aim could be adjusted very swiftly since the next shot was only a second or two away. To get past these limits often large numbers of men would use it on the battlefield, allowing for large numbers of bolts to be fired.

The chu-ko-nu was operated by moving a lever forwards and then backwards. In that one movement, a bolt would be dropped into place, the string tensioned, and then the bolt released. Another bolt would then be ready to take its place from the magazine above. This action however put the weapon's string under heavy wear since it had forces straining it from both above and below. The lifting of the magazine especially, put severe pressure on the string. Chu-ko-nu strings were therefore often reinforced with quills from bird feathers, preferably those from swans or ducks.

Alterations of chu-ko-nu included mountable siege crossbows with larger bolts and greater power which required two men to operate (a sighter and an operator). There was also a heavy version using two magazines, thus doubling the number of bolts discharged. The latter was used in extreme close-quarter combat because they had extremely short range. A larger version that required two hands to operate was sometimes mounted on top of castle walls. They proved to be effective in defending the gates and doorways of castles.

The chu-ko-nu can be considered a predecessor to modern automatic weapons. Its use was similar to the early hand-operated rapid fire firearms of the 19th century (see Gatling Gun).