"Automatic crossbow" or repeating crossbow. Swift crossbow - know-how from Tula Compact multi-shot combat crossbow
Cho-ko-nu, or Zhuge Nu, also known as an “automatic crossbow” (in reality, not even semi-automatic) is a kind of forerunner of the Gatling gun, which in turn became the prototype of modern machine guns.
At least they have a certain general principle of operation, since the reloading mechanics worked due to the muscular strength of the shooter. Only he had to not rotate the handle, while at the same time activating the movable block of barrels...
...and work with the lever, cocking the bowstring of the crossbow's shoulders:
Cho-Ko-Nu device
The arrows, under the influence of their own weight, were sequentially fed onto the guide from a kind of “box magazine” (picture below). The circle under the arrows is a cross-section of the bowstring.
In the initial stages of loading, it prevented the arrows from falling out, and after cocking it ended up in a transverse groove, from which in the final phase of movement of the lever it was simply pushed out and the shot was fired.
The effectiveness of Cho-Ko-Nu, a little history and comparisons
It is clear that the efficiency, as well as the firing distances, of Cho-ko-nu and the creations of Richard Gatling are incomparable. Well, the time interval between their appearance is almost two and a half thousand years!
In reality, the “automatic crossbow” was, rather, a weapon of self-defense, including for commoners, due to its fairly simple design, which did not require special skill in manufacturing. There are also reports of the use of poisoned bolts. Based on the totality of tactical and technical characteristics, a dozen villagers armed with Cho-ko-nu, hiding behind a fence, could easily repel the attack of a band of unarmored robbers with hatchets and knowledge of the secret techniques of the “Drunken Crane Style”. In the event of a confrontation between regular army units, such devices were unlikely to be effective.
Although... The Chinese would not be Chinese if they had not glorified the somewhat fantastic combined-arms capabilities of such an extraordinary invention in their “historical” action films.
So, in the PRC, propaganda of its own history, whatever it may be, and its own achievements is a matter of national importance. In addition, if you look more closely, you will notice that in the frame from the film a crossbow is used not with poor “village” short shoulders as elastic elements, but with an almost full-fledged Asian bow. This will be discussed in the final part of this article.
And further. The Zhuge Nu existed almost unchanged until the beginning of the twentieth century, while the Gatling gun's life was extremely short-lived, and it was soon replaced by real automatic small arms. Well, this is another confirmation of the ever-accelerating scientific and technological progress of mankind, especially in the field of devices designed to destroy their own kind.
It is also worth delving a little deeper into the historical retrospective of Chinese technology. Both the crossbows themselves and their locks/triggers (pictured) were found in burials from the time of Shi Huangdi (3rd century BC).
So, even if they were made in different workshops, as evidenced by the marks of the masters, they are completely interchangeable, that is, they are made according to the same drawings and patterns. This indicates the highest level of standardization and metrology of the ancient Chinese military-industrial complex :)).
And the weapon itself was superior in its shooting characteristics to much later Western European analogues. Primarily due to differences in elastic elements.
Take a closer look at ancient engravings: the working stroke of the bowstring for all crossbows (not easel monsters) is tiny, and it had to be compensated for by a colossal tension force.
By the way, these days the developers of a unique hunting model from the Canadian company Excalibur have taken this path (see “ “).
And the crossbows of ancient China, unlike Europe, often used a common Asian composite bow (wood, horn, sinew) as elastic elements, which could almost be tied in a knot without damage. Therefore, the guides were quite long, and the shoulders did not require prohibitive “power”.
Drawings of Cho-Ko-Nu
But let’s return to the main character of our story today - the “automatic crossbow” Cho-ko-nu. For those who want to independently recreate this wonderful weapon, we offer the following, although not Russified, but quite working drawings.
Modern "Cobra System Adder", or Cho-Ko-Nu Crossbow in Taiwanese
We understand that someone already winces at the mention of , but PoeLang has come up with such an unusual product... The modular approach allows you to literally sculpt “new” samples on a single base. Well, we can’t pass by and publish regular posts on
Who hasn't dreamed at least once about a bow or crossbow? But ideally, it would be nice to have a multi-shot crossbow: you are practically not dependent on high-tech ammunition, and the rate of fire is high. In general, the dream of any victim, survivalist or hero of the post-apocalyptic world. Now this dream has come true.
The idea belongs to the inventor Valentin Artemyev from Novosibirsk. He created a working example of a crossbow-revolver. In addition, the multi-shot crossbow can be folded very compactly, which allows it to be easily transported.
This crossbow weighs 3.5 kg, shoots accurately, like other sporting crossbows, at 30 m, and the shooter can shoot the entire drum of 8 bolts in 18 seconds.
The main idea is that a rotating bow is mounted on the crossbow; this mechanism ensures very fast cocking of the bowstring, and at the same time loading with a bolt from the drum.
The bow turns, at the extreme point the bowstring is captured, when turning back the bowstring is cocked, and at the same time a new arrow is placed from the drum using a ratchet mechanism. Then all that remains is to make the shot.
Due to certain circumstances (:)), I am a big fan of silent weapons.
One of my favorite types is the crossbow.
What are the advantages of a crossbow?
1. Relative noiselessness
2. Cheap
3. Does not require a license in many countries
4. Many models penetrate armor plates
And here is an example of a MULTI-CHARGED (!) crossbow. I've never seen anything like this before. Moreover, I am glad that the creator is Russian.
MAIN CHARACTERISTICS:
The arc span is about 450 mm.
The length of the crossbow with butt is 700 mm.
The length of the crossbow without butt is 390 mm.
The height of the crossbow is 190 mm.
The weight of a crossbow with a butt without arrows is about 2 kg.
Bowstring tension force - up to 20 kg.
The arrow's flight range is 100 m.
Sighting range with an arc force of 19.9 kg - 20 m.
Sighting device - with precise adjustment.
The possibility of installing an optical sight is available.
A device for resting the cheek for accurate shooting is available.
Removable cassette for arrows - available.
Automatic fuse - available.
Type of block with arcs - quick-release.
The strength of the lock is 160 kg.
The preparation time for firing after transportation in disassembled form is 10 seconds.
Cocking type - non-removable lever system.
Rate of fire (rounds per minute) - 6.
Walnut handle - available.
“being at the exhibition “Hunting and Fishing in Rus' 2010”, held from March 18 to 21 at LenExpo, I found a small stand where the sister of a certain designer from the city of Tula was present
who developed a very, very interesting crossbow.
despite its small size, it is easily loaded by cocking just one lever, while the interchangeable bow has a tension of 90 kg...
I decided to search the Internet to find out what kind of miracle this invention is..
It turned out that it’s called the Sagittarius Crossbow and it was developed by Rafail Dmitrievich Khlynin
although according to other sources Andrei Averin developed a crossbow and received a patent for it and the crossbow is called Swift
some details are available here
at the exhibition they wanted 37 thousand rubles for such a crossbow.
Moreover, as it turned out, they have been selling their toys for three years now; at the beginning the price tag was 25,000 rubles, but now it has increased...
Distinctive features of the crossbow:
1. The highest rate of fire of any crossbow available. Achieved through a cocking lever and a convenient, quick-release arrow cassette. The height-adjustable cheek rest located on the magazine allows you to quickly and effectively aim.
2. Minimum cocking effort. Achieved by a lever system Does not require the use of a roller system to reduce traction or other cocking devices. This makes it possible to use a crossbow for children, women, people suffering from radiculitis and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system, as well as people with disabilities.
3. High reliability. Achieved by a five-fold safety margin for all parts and components of the crossbow, due to the use of high-quality steels and design features.
4. A quick-release bracket with arcs and a quick-release stock allow you to assemble and disassemble the crossbow in a few seconds.
5. Possibility of shooting with any type of optical sights (for pneumatics and weapons) and without them. It is possible to equip it with one of the best, lightest and cheapest brackets for any optics, which have passed a full cycle of comparative tests on weapons in the conditions of the Tula Arms Plant.
6. Sighting bar with precise adjustment. It is possible to adjust the range by clicking the lock of the sighting bar lifting disk depending on the change in range. The design of the sighting device ensures that the sight cannot be knocked down when shooting.
7. Low cost of consumables. In the manufacture of our products, we do not use foreign components or crossbows (made in China, Malaysia, etc.), which are used by some manufacturers as blanks for their crossbows. We use metal arches made of high-quality spring steel, which in Russian conditions, if it is necessary to purchase them, makes them cheap.
8. Automatic fuse. You have the option to use it or disable it.
9. Possibility of unloading a crossbow without firing a shot.
10. We use only high quality walnut for the handle and forend, not plastic, which makes them warm and comfortable. The release of harmful substances is eliminated, which is possible when using low-quality plastics.
11. The weight of the crossbow is optimal for stabilizing aimed shooting, both in shooting ranges and in the field (it should not be very light)
12. The crossbow is certified (unlike most crossbows sold) and is not a throwing weapon, therefore it does not require additional licenses and permits.
The crossbow has no analogues in terms of functionality. Crossbows appeared, firing arrows, balls and harpoons simultaneously. A crossbow that shoots balls does not provide the necessary accuracy and will never compare with an air pistol; it is an extra, unnecessary feature for a crossbow. Our crossbow can also shoot harpoons from other manufacturers, but this type of arrow is prohibited by GOST, and in possible forensic tests such a crossbow will be recognized as a weapon, so we do not produce this type of arrow and do not equip crossbows with them.
Cho-ko-nu, or Zhuge Nu, also known as an “automatic crossbow” (in reality, not even semi-automatic) is a kind of forerunner of the Gatling gun, which in turn became the prototype of modern machine guns.
At least they have a certain general principle of operation, since the reloading mechanics worked due to the muscular strength of the shooter. Only he had to not rotate the handle, while at the same time activating the movable block of barrels...
...and work with the lever, cocking the bowstring of the crossbow's shoulders:
Cho-Ko-Nu device
The arrows, under the influence of their own weight, were sequentially fed onto the guide from a kind of “box magazine” (picture below). The circle under the arrows is a cross-section of the bowstring.
In the initial stages of loading, it prevented the arrows from falling out, and after cocking it ended up in a transverse groove, from which in the final phase of movement of the lever it was simply pushed out and the shot was fired.
The effectiveness of Cho-Ko-Nu, a little history and comparisons
It is clear that the efficiency, as well as the firing distances, of Cho-ko-nu and the creations of Richard Gatling are incomparable. Well, the time interval between their appearance is almost two and a half thousand years!
In reality, the “automatic crossbow” was, rather, a weapon of self-defense, including for commoners, due to its fairly simple design, which did not require special skill in manufacturing. There are also reports of the use of poisoned bolts. Based on the totality of tactical and technical characteristics, a dozen villagers armed with Cho-ko-nu, hiding behind a fence, could easily repel the attack of a band of unarmored robbers with hatchets and knowledge of the secret techniques of the “Drunken Crane Style”. In the event of a confrontation between regular army units, such devices were unlikely to be effective.
Although... The Chinese would not be Chinese if they had not glorified the somewhat fantastic combined-arms capabilities of such an extraordinary invention in their “historical” action films.
So, in the PRC, propaganda of its own history, whatever it may be, and its own achievements is a matter of national importance. In addition, if you look more closely, you will notice that in the frame from the film a crossbow is used not with poor “village” short shoulders as elastic elements, but with an almost full-fledged Asian bow. This will be discussed in the final part of this article.
And further. The Zhuge Nu existed almost unchanged until the beginning of the twentieth century, while the Gatling gun's life was extremely short-lived, and it was soon replaced by real automatic small arms. Well, this is another confirmation of the ever-accelerating scientific and technological progress of mankind, especially in the field of devices designed to destroy their own kind.
It is also worth delving a little deeper into the historical retrospective of Chinese technology. Both the crossbows themselves and their locks/triggers (pictured) were found in burials from the time of Shi Huangdi (3rd century BC).
So, even if they were made in different workshops, as evidenced by the marks of the masters, they are completely interchangeable, that is, they are made according to the same drawings and patterns. This indicates the highest level of standardization and metrology of the ancient Chinese military-industrial complex :)).
And the weapon itself was superior in its shooting characteristics to much later Western European analogues. Primarily due to differences in elastic elements.
Take a closer look at ancient engravings: the working stroke of the bowstring for all crossbows (not easel monsters) is tiny, and it had to be compensated for by a colossal tension force.
By the way, these days the developers of a unique hunting model from the Canadian company Excalibur have taken this path (see “ “).
And the crossbows of ancient China, unlike Europe, often used a common Asian composite bow (wood, horn, sinew) as elastic elements, which could almost be tied in a knot without damage. Therefore, the guides were quite long, and the shoulders did not require prohibitive “power”.
Drawings of Cho-Ko-Nu
But let’s return to the main character of our story today - the “automatic crossbow” Cho-ko-nu. For those who want to independently recreate this wonderful weapon, we offer the following, although not Russified, but quite working drawings.
Modern "Cobra System Adder", or Cho-Ko-Nu Crossbow in Taiwanese
We understand that someone already winces at the mention of , but PoeLang has come up with such an unusual product... The modular approach allows you to literally sculpt “new” samples on a single base. Well, we can’t pass by and publish regular posts on
But in this article I will change my specialization a little and try to make material according to a slightly different model. We will talk about throwing weapons, namely a crossbow, but a crossbow with a design somewhat different from the already common options, which has a higher rate of fire, although with its own nuances. This sample interested me primarily because it has fairly compact dimensions for transportation and a relatively easy way to reload, although this affects the maximum possible stiffness of the shoulders. Well, besides this, I think that the topic will be quite relevant in the context of the widespread use of bows and crossbows by the main movie characters of foreign action films. At the same time, I’ll try to dispel a couple of myths about bows and crossbows, since there are quite a lot of misconceptions about them.
First of all, it should be noted that a crossbow weapon is far from silent, however, this depends on what kind of crossbow it is. In any case, those options that can compete in their effectiveness with firearms, when fired, create a noise level comparable to the slam of a car door when closing, so, alas, it will not be possible to shoot silently. Just as it won’t be possible to shoot at many hundreds of meters. Even the most advanced models cannot provide the same firing range as the most inferior rifle. In general, samples that are not intended for indoor shooting cannot compete with firearms, no matter how much the scriptwriters would like it. Although I do not argue that many of the hunting crossbows-bows are capable of hitting a target no worse than a rifle at relatively short distances, to be honest, I would not have the courage to hunt a wild boar with such a weapon, although this is practiced in those countries. where such hunting is permitted.
But let’s return to the main topic of the article, namely the multi-shot crossbow with an increased rate of fire. Of course, such a weapon cannot fire in bursts, so you can’t even dream about the model that the Catholic Church armed Van Helsing with in one of the movies, but still the idea is interesting in its own way and has clear advantages over other design options. The basis of this crossbow is the rotating shoulders. So, to cock a weapon, you need to take one of the shoulders and pull it towards you until it stops, so that the bowstring engages with the trigger rod, at the same time the hollow drum of the weapon rotates on the surface of which the arrows are installed. After this, with considerable effort, the crossbow's shoulders return to their original position and the shot can be fired. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of this model will depend directly on the physical strength of the shooter, since here you can no longer pull the string either with your back or with your weight, but purely with your hands, so, despite the significantly increasing rate of fire, the effectiveness of such a weapon will be very, very small.
The second feature of this sample is that these same shoulders have the ability to fold. Each arm is rotated in such a way that both arms become parallel to each other upward, and after that they are simply laid on the base of the crossbow. In addition, the crossbow has a retractable stock, which can also be pushed in all the way, making the weapon truly compact and easy to transport, especially in comparison with classic crossbow versions.
Well, actually, I’ve told you the main idea, and we can draw some semblance of a conclusion. In general, I personally really liked the design of this crossbow, primarily because of the originality of the solution to the main problem of this weapon. On the other hand, the low efficiency of a crossbow due to weak shoulders, increased wear of the bowstring due to friction make it a weapon suitable only for recreational shooting, well, maybe also for hunting birds, but here it is very unlikely that anything it will work out well. It is also disappointing that in fact such a design is devoid of further development. However, after thinking a little, the following modernization idea came to my mind. And it consists in introducing a separate lever into the crossbow device for cocking, which would partially compensate for the force during cocking due to its length, but the question of implementation and how compactness will suffer from this remains open. In general, here’s a brief summary of one of the original ideas for weapons that are already many hundreds of years old.