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77-454: Organised shooting societies are recorded in Swiss cities from the 14th century, at the time mostly using crossbows . The first blackpowder shooting societies are formed in the later 15th century; Geneva in 1474 had three separate societies for crossbow, longbow and arquebus shooters. Schützenfeste contributed significantly to the coherence between the individual cantons . After the end of

154-560: A 2006 decision to abolish the former system of districts. On 1 January 2010, the 26 administrative districts ( Amtsbezirke ) lost their administrative role that was transferred to 10 new administrative districts ( Verwaltungskreise ): Nota bene that the 26 Bernese districts do still formally exist and are maintained by Article 38 of the Law on the Organisation of the Executive Council and

231-478: A French weapon during the siege of Senlis and again in 984 at the siege of Verdun . Crossbows were used at the battle of Hastings in 1066, and by the 12th century they had become common battlefield weapons. The earliest extant European crossbow remains were found at Lake Paladru , dated to the 11th century. The crossbow superseded hand bows in many European armies during the 12th century, except in England, where

308-590: A hole in the bottom of the notch, forcing the string out. This rod is usually attached perpendicular to a rear-facing lever called a tickler . A later design implemented a rolling cylindrical pawl called a nut to retain the string. This nut has a perpendicular centre slot for the bolt, and an intersecting axial slot for the string, along with a lower face or slot against which the internal trigger sits. They often also have some form of strengthening internal sear or trigger face, usually of metal. These roller nuts were either free-floating in their close-fitting hole across

385-428: A hollow bronze enclosure . The entire mechanism is then dropped into a carved slot within the tiller and secured together by two bronze rods . The string catch (nut) is shaped like a "J" because it usually has a tall erect rear spine that protrudes above the housing, which serves the function of both a cocking lever (by pushing the drawn string onto it) and a primitive rear sight. It is held stationary against tension by

462-428: A lot of practice. Crossbows avoid these potential problems by having trigger-released cocking mechanisms to maintain the tension on the string once it has been spanned – drawn – into its ready-to-shoot position, allowing these weapons to be carried cocked and ready and affording their users time to aim them. This also allows them to be readied by someone assisting their users, so multiple crossbows can be used one after

539-477: A man named Cao Lỗ (or Cao Thông) to construct a crossbow and christened it "Saintly Crossbow of the Supernaturally Luminous Golden Claw" (nỏ thần) , which could kill 300 men in one shot. According to historian Keith Taylor, the crossbow, along with the word for it, seems to have been introduced into China from Austroasiatic peoples in the south around the fourth century BC. However, this

616-427: A massive base frame and powerful windlass devices. The arrow-like projectiles of a crossbow are called bolts or quarrels . These are usually much shorter than arrows but can be several times heavier. There is an optimum weight for bolts to achieve maximum kinetic energy, which varies depending on the strength and characteristics of the crossbow, but most could pass through common mail. Crossbow bolts can be fitted with

693-424: A metal (i.e. bronze or steel) grid serving as iron sights . Modern crossbow sights often use similar technology to modern firearm sights, such as red dot sights and telescopic sights . Many crossbow scopes feature multiple crosshairs to compensate for the significant effects of gravity over different ranges. In most cases, a newly bought crossbow will need to be sighted for accurate shooting. A major cause of

770-682: A reduction from 19 to 10 districts, followed by Thurgau which combined eight into five in 2012. In 2017 Grisons replaced the 11 districts with 11 regions. In 2018 Neuchâtel eliminated the district level. The canton of Zurich is divided into 12 districts (German: Bezirke ): The Canton of Bern is divided in five regions : Berner Jura , Seeland (with two precincts, Biel/Bienne and Seeland), Bern-Mittelland , Oberland (with precincts Thun , Obersimmental-Saanen , Frutigen-Niedersimmental , Interlaken-Oberhasli ) and Emmental-Oberaargau (with two precincts, Emmental and Oberaargau ) The current division has taken effect on 1 January 2010, based on

847-650: A skilled archer, often necessitating the use of a pavise (shield) to protect the operator from enemy fire. Along with polearm weapons made from farming equipment, the crossbow was also a weapon of choice for insurgent peasants such as the Taborites . Genoese crossbowmen were famous mercenaries hired throughout medieval Europe, whilst the crossbow also played an important role in anti-personnel defense of ships. Crossbows were eventually replaced in warfare by gunpowder weapons. Early hand cannons had slower rates of fire and much worse accuracy than contemporary crossbows, but

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924-463: A split between eastern and western types. Muslims in Spain used the typical European trigger, while eastern Muslim crossbows had a more complex trigger mechanism. Districts of Switzerland Districts of Switzerland are a political subdivision for cantons . In the federally constituted Switzerland , each canton is completely free to decide its own internal organisation. Therefore, there exists

1001-402: A statistical meaning. Basel-Landschaft is divided into 5 districts: The canton abolished the district level in 2003, but it remains divided into eight constituencies ( Wahlkreise ) without administrative significance: Beginning in 2017 Graubünden is divided into 11 regions: Aargau is divided into 11 districts: Thurgau is divided into five districts (eight prior to 2011) and each

1078-743: A tool for hunting, and later an effective weapon against the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. Montagnard fighters armed with crossbows proved a highly valuable asset to the US Special Forces operating in Vietnam, and it was not uncommon for the Green Berets to integrate Montagnard crossbowmen into their strike teams. The earliest crossbow-like weapons in Europe probably emerged around the late 5th century BC when

1155-543: A tree at 140 paces. Crossbows were used in numbers as large as 50,000 starting from the Qin dynasty and upwards of several hundred thousand during the Han. According to one authority, the crossbow had become "nothing less than the standard weapon of the Han armies", by the second century BC. Han soldiers were required to arm a crossbow with a draw weight equivalent of 76 kg (168 lb) to qualify as an entry-level crossbowman, while it

1232-510: A variety of heads, some with sickle-shaped heads to cut rope or rigging; but the most common today is a four-sided point called a quarrel . A highly specialized type of bolt is employed to collect blubber biopsy samples used in biology research. Even relatively small differences in arrow weight can have a considerable impact on its flight trajectory and drop. Bullet-shooting crossbows are modified crossbows that use bullets or stones as projectiles. The ancient Chinese crossbow often included

1309-697: A variety of structures and terminology for the subnational entities between canton and municipality , loosely termed districts . Most cantons are divided into Bezirke (German for districts, singular Bezirk ). They are also termed Ämter ( Lucerne , singular Amt ), Amtsbezirke ( Bern , Amtsbezirk ), district (in French) or distretto ( Ticino and part of Graubünden ). The Bezirke generally provide only administration and court organization. However, for historical reasons districts in cantons Grisons and Schwyz are their own legal entities with jurisdiction over tax and often have their own Landsgemeinde . Seven of

1386-410: Is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow -like assembly called a prod , mounted horizontally on a main frame called a tiller , which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long gun . Crossbows shoot arrow -like projectiles called bolts or quarrels . A person who shoots crossbow is called a crossbowman , an arbalister or an arbalist (after

1463-464: Is almost nothing but passing references in the military historian Vegetius (fl. + 386) to 'manuballistae' and 'arcuballistae' which he said he must decline to describe as they were so well known. His decision was highly regrettable, as no other author of the time makes any mention of them at all. Perhaps the best supposition is that the crossbow was primarily known in late European antiquity as a hunting weapon, and received only local use in certain units of

1540-446: Is also used. The lock refers to the release mechanism, including the string, sears, trigger lever, and housing. A crossbow is essentially a bow mounted on an elongated frame (called a tiller or stock) with a built-in mechanism that holds the drawn bow string , as well as a trigger mechanism, which is used to release the string. The Chinese trigger was a mechanism typically composed of three cast bronze pieces housed inside

1617-535: Is clear from surviving inventory lists in Gansu and Xinjiang that the crossbow was greatly favored by the Han dynasty. For example, in one batch of slips there are only two mentions of bows, but thirty mentions of crossbows. Crossbows were mass-produced in state armories with designs improving as time went on, such as the use of a mulberry wood stock and brass. Such crossbows during the Song Dynasty in 1068 AD could pierce

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1694-517: Is contradicted by crossbow locks found in ancient Chinese Zhou dynasty tombs dating to the 600s BC. In 315 AD, Nu Wen taught the Chams how to build fortifications and use crossbows. The Chams would later give the Chinese crossbows as presents on at least one occasion. Crossbow technology for crossbows with more than one prod was transferred from the Chinese to Champa , which Champa used in its invasion of

1771-460: Is named after its capital: Ticino is divided into 8 districts: Vaud is divided into 10 districts: Valais is divided into 13 districts: The district of Raron is divided into: The Canton of Neuchâtel was divided into 6 districts until 1 January 2018 when the district system was terminated. The Canton of Jura is divided into 3 districts: The Canton of Schaffhausen is divided into 6 districts: The Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden

1848-465: Is only one known depiction of it. The 11th century Chinese military text Wujing Zongyao mentions types of crossbows using winch mechanisms, but it is not known if these were actually handheld crossbows or mounted crossbows. Another drawing method involved the shooters sitting on the ground, and using the combined strength of leg, waist, back and arm muscles to help span much heavier crossbows, which were aptly called "waist-spun crossbows" (腰張弩). During

1925-639: Is scheduled as taking place on ten different shooting ranges, in the disciplines: rifle 300 m, rifle 50 m, pistol 50 m, and pistol 25 m. The rifle competitions are in the three categories: A. standard sporting rifles, D. Stgw 57/03 , and E. Stgw 90 , Stgw 57/02 and K31 . The pistol competitions are in the three categories: A. standard sport pistols , B. rimfire pistols, C. ordnance pistols ( P06/29 , P49 , P75 ). Schützentaler (commemorative silver coins in thaler size, not to be confused with shooting medals awarded for shooting performance) were first minted in 1842, by Graubünden for

2002-439: Is so called because it spreads abroad an aura of rage [ nù ] ( 怒 ). Its stock is like the arm of a man, therefore it is called bi ( 臂 ). That which hooks the bowstring is called ya ( 牙 ), for indeed it is like teeth. The part round about the teeth [i.e. the housing box] is called the guo ( 郭 ) ["city wall"], since it surrounds the gui ( 規 ) [lug] of the teeth [i.e. the locking nut]. Within [and below] there

2079-410: Is the xuan dao ( 懸刀 ) ["hanging knife", i.e. the trigger blade] so called because it looks like one. The whole assembly is called ji ( 機 )["machine" or "mechanism"], for it is just as ingenious as the loom . The earliest European designs featured a transverse slot in the top surface of the frame, down into which the string was placed. To shoot this design, a vertical rod is thrust up through

2156-614: The gastraphetes , an ancient Greek crossbow, appeared. The name means "belly-bow"; the concave withdrawal rest at one end of the stock was placed against the belly of the operator, and he could press it to withdraw the slider before attaching a string to the trigger and loading the bolt; this could store more energy than Greek bows . The device was described by the Greek author Heron of Alexandria in his Belopoeica ("On Catapult-making"), which draws on an earlier account of his compatriot engineer Ctesibius ( fl. 285–222 BC). According to Heron,

2233-687: The Battle of Maling in 342 BC. The Book of Han , finished 111 AD, lists two military treatises on crossbows. Handheld crossbows with complex bronze trigger mechanisms have also been found with the Terracotta Army in the tomb of Qin Shi Huang (r. 221–210 BC) that are similar to specimens from the subsequent Han dynasty (202 BC–220 AD), while crossbowmen described in the Qin and Han dynasty learned drill formations, some were even mounted as charioteers and cavalry units , and Han dynasty writers attributed

2310-638: The Khmer Empire 's Angkor in 1177. When the Chams sacked Angkor they used the Chinese siege crossbow. The Chinese taught the Chams how to use crossbows and mounted archery Crossbows and archery in 1171. The Khmer also had double-bow crossbows mounted on elephants, which Michel Jacq-Hergoualc'h suggests were elements of Cham mercenaries in Jayavarman VII 's army. The native Montagnards of Vietnam's Central Highlands were also known to have used crossbows, as both

2387-717: The Old Zürich War (1450), the federal shooting festival in Sursee (1452) contributed to the renewal of cohesion between the members of the confederacy. Federal events became popular in the wake of the Sursee festival, with events in Feldkirch (1455), Strasbourg (1456) and Constance (1458). The shooting societies petitioned the Tagsatzung of 1500 for a federal festival to be held yearly. There were, however, concerns for public order in relation to

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2464-422: The arbalest , a European crossbow variant used during the 12th century). Crossbows and bows use the same elastic launch principles, but differ in that an archer using a bow must draw-and-shoot in a quick and smooth motion with limited or no time for aiming, while a crossbow's design allows it to be spanned and cocked ready for use at a later time and thus affording them unlimited time to aim. When shooting bows,

2541-487: The arquebus (which proliferated in the mid to late 15th century) matched crossbows' rate of fire while being far more powerful. The Battle of Cerignola in 1503 was won by Spain largely through the use of matchlock arquebuses, marking the first time a major battle had been won through the use of hand-held firearms. Later, similar competing tactics would feature harquebusiers or musketeers in formation with pikemen, pitted against cavalry firing pistols or carbines . While

2618-540: The gastraphetes was the forerunner of the later catapult , which places its invention some unknown time prior to 399 BC. The gastraphetes was a crossbow mounted on a stock divided into a lower and upper section. The lower was a case fixed to the bow, and the upper was a slider which had the same dimensions as the case. It was used in the Siege of Motya in 397 BC. This was a key Carthaginian stronghold in Sicily , as described in

2695-447: The longbow was more popular. Later crossbows (sometimes referred to as arbalests ), utilizing all-steel prods, were able to achieve power close (and sometime superior) to longbows but were more expensive to produce and slower to reload because they required the aid of mechanical devices such as the cranequin or windlass to draw back their extremely heavy bows. Usually these could shoot only two bolts per minute versus twelve or more with

2772-469: The medieval era , both Chinese and European crossbows used stirrups as well as belt hooks . In the 13th century, European crossbows started using winches, and from the 14th century an assortment of spanning mechanisms such as winch pulleys, cord pulleys, gaffles (such as gaffe levers, goat's foot levers, and rarer internal lever-action mechanisms), cranequins, and even screws. The smallest crossbows are pistol crossbows. Others are simple long stocks with

2849-473: The 14th century, steel prods came into use. Traditionally, the prod was often lashed to the stock with rope, whipcord , or other strong cording. This is called the bridle . The Chinese used winches for large crossbows mounted on fortifications or wagons , known as "bedded crossbows" (床弩). Winches may have been used for handheld crossbows during the Han dynasty (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), but there

2926-760: The 19th century were with Perkussionsstutzen , custom-made smoothbore muskets made for target-shooting. The Swiss Armed Forces introduced standardised service weapons beginning with the Infanteriegewehr Modell 1842 . The first service weapon with rifled barrel was the Peabody action (1867). From the late 19th century, competitions were predominantly with Swiss service rifles, Vetterli rifle (1870), Schmidt-Rubin (1889, 1896), Swiss Mannlicher M1893 carbine , Karabiner Modell 1900/05/1911. The Federal Shooting Association (SSV) from 1899 began to give financial support cantonal Feldschiessen events in years between

3003-772: The 1st century AD by Heron of Alexandria in his book Belopoeica . A crossbow machine, the oxybeles was in use from 375 BC to around 340 BC, when the torsion principle replaced the tension crossbow mechanism. Other arrow-shooting machines such as the larger ballista and smaller scorpio from around 338 BC are torsion catapults and are not considered crossbows. Arrow-shooting machines ( katapeltai ) are briefly mentioned by Aeneas Tacticus in his treatise on siegecraft written around 350 BC. An Athenian inventory from 330 to 329 BC includes catapults bolts with heads and flights. Arrow-shooting machines in action are reported from Philip II's siege of Perinthos in Thrace in 340 BC. At

3080-440: The 26 cantons – Uri , Obwalden , Nidwalden , Glarus , Zug , Basel-City and Geneva – have always existed without the district level of government. An eighth one, Appenzell Innerrhoden , uses no intermediate level either, but calls its lowest-level subdivisions Bezirke, although they are functionally equivalent to municipalities elsewhere. A further number of cantons are considering (or have already decided) an abolition of

3157-473: The 7th century BC in ancient China and as early as the 1st century AD in Greece (as the gastraphetes ). Crossbows brought about a major shift in the role of projectile weaponry in wars, such as during Qin's unification wars and later Han campaigns against northern nomads and western states . The medieval European crossbow was called by many names, including "crossbow" itself; most of these names derived from

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3234-587: The Administration (Organization Law, LOCA/OrG) and by Article 3 al.2 of the cantonal Constitution. The Canton of Lucerne used to be divided into 5 Ämter : These were abolished with the new cantonal constitution of 2007, although they will continue to be used as electoral districts. The Canton of Schwyz is divided into 6 districts: The Canton of Fribourg is divided into 7 districts: In 2005 Solothurn's ten districts merged pairwise into five electoral districts, termed Amtei. Since 2005, districts only have

3311-543: The Greek and Chinese crossbow but it is not clear what kind of release mechanism they used. Archaeological evidence suggests they were similar to the rolling nut mechanism of medieval Europe. There are essentially no references to the crossbow in Europe from the 5th until the 10th century. There is however a depiction of a crossbow as a hunting weapon on four Pictish stones from early medieval Scotland (6th to 9th centuries): St. Vigeans no. 1 , Glenferness , Shandwick , and Meigle . The crossbow reappeared again in 947 as

3388-709: The Rhineland and the Low Countries. The Swiss Reformation interrupted the tradition. During 1604–1608, there were three last federal shooting festivals. After 1608, the federal event was replaced by cantonal and local competitions. The first modern cantonal shooting association was formed in Vaud in 1802. The federal army formed in 1817 for the Restored Confederacy included 20 companies of sharp-shooters with 100 men each, which acted as advocates for target shooting among

3465-561: The Song dynasty, stirrups were added for ease of drawing and to mitigate damage to the bow. Alternatively, the bow could also be drawn by a belt claw attached to the waist, but this was done lying down, as was the case for all large crossbows. Winch-drawing was used for the large mounted crossbows as seen below, but evidence for its use in Chinese hand-crossbows is scant. Around the third century BC, King An Dương of Âu Lạc (modern-day northern Vietnam ) and (modern-day southern China ) commissioned

3542-462: The archer must fully perform the draw , holding the string and arrow using various techniques while pulling it back with arm and back muscles, and then either immediately shooting instinctively without a period of aiming, or holding that form while aiming. Both demand some physical strength to do so using bows suitable for warfare, though this is easier using lighter draw-weight hunting bows. As such, their accurate and sustained use in warfare takes

3619-414: The arcuballista was a crossbow is due to Vegetius referring separately to it and the manuballista , which was torsion powered. Therefore, if the arcuballista was not like the manuballista, it may have been a crossbow. According to Vegetius these were well-known devices and hence he did not describe them in depth. Joseph Needham argues against the existence of Roman crossbowmen: On the textual side, there

3696-544: The armies of Theodosius I, with which Vegetius happened to be acquainted. On the other hand Arrian 's earlier Ars Tactica , from about 136 AD, also mentions 'missiles shot not from a bow but from a machine' and that this machine was used on horseback while in full gallop. It is presumed that this was a crossbow. The only pictorial evidence of Roman arcuballistas comes from sculptural reliefs in Roman Gaul depicting them in hunting scenes. These are aesthetically similar to both

3773-424: The ban on certain types of crossbows, the weapon experienced an upsurge in civilian usage as both a hunting weapon and pastime. The "romantic young people from rich families, and others who had nothing particular to do" formed crossbow-shooting clubs as a way to pass time. Military crossbows were armed by treading, or basically placing the feet on the bow stave and drawing it using one's arms and back muscles. During

3850-429: The battlefield. Medieval crossbows were also very inefficient, with short shot stroke lengths from the string lock to the release point of their bolts, along with the slower speeds of their steel prods and heavy strings, despite their massive draw weights compared to bows, though modern materials and crossbow designs overcome these shortcomings. The earliest known crossbows were made in the first millennium BC, as early as

3927-596: The capital of Lu , and date to the 6th century BC. Bronze crossbow bolts dating from the mid-5th century BC have been found at a Chu burial site in Yutaishan, Jiangling County , Hubei Province. Other early finds of crossbows were discovered in Tomb 138 at Saobatang, Hunan Province, and date to the mid-4th century BC. It is possible that these early crossbows used spherical pellets for ammunition. A Western Han mathematician and music theorist, Jing Fang (78–37 BC), compared

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4004-483: The characteristics and use of crossbows in chapters 5 and 12 respectively, and compares a drawn crossbow to "might". The Huainanzi advises its readers not to use crossbows in marshland where the surface is soft and it is hard to arm the crossbow with the foot. The Records of the Grand Historian , completed in 94 BC, mentions that Sun Bin defeated Pang Juan by ambushing him with a battalion of crossbowmen at

4081-452: The crossbow mounted on them. These could be shot from under the arm. The next step in development was stocks of the shape that would later be used for firearms , which allowed better aiming. The arbalest was a heavy crossbow that required special systems for pulling the sinew via windlasses. For siege warfare , the size of crossbows was further increased to hurl large projectiles, such as rocks, at fortifications. The required crossbows needed

4158-473: The district level in the future. Appenzell Ausserrhoden , Schaffhausen , Lucerne , St. Gallen and Schwyz voted in 2006 on its abolition; some voted in favour of keeping the division, some with modifications. Bern in 2006 decided a reduction of its 26 districts to 10 districts to be overseen by 5 regions, which took effect in 2010. St. Gallen, Solothurn and Lucerne removed the administrative role, but retained districts for elections. In 2008 Vaud decided on

4235-460: The federal festivals. Cantonal competition rules were standardised in the early 20th century, with the first Feldschiessen with pistol in 1919. From 1926, all cantons participated in Feldschiessen , since 1940 as an annual event. Pistol shooting became popular in the 1920s to 1930s, with many shooting societies forming pistol sections. A separate federation for revolver and pistol shooting (SRPV)

4312-504: The festival in Chur. Between 1855 and 1885, fifteen such coins were issued by the federal mint with the denomination of five francs ; two final Schützentaler were issued by the federal mint in 1934 and 1939. During 1890–1929 and since 1949, privately produced commemorative gold and silver medals have been issued for the federal shooting festivals, sometimes also included under the term of Schützentaler . Crossbow A crossbow

4389-636: The general population. At the first modern Eidgenössisches Freischiessen in 1824, the federal shooting association, Schweizerischer Schützenverein was founded. In the following years, the federal shooting festivals played an important role in the politics of the formative Swiss federal state . The first federal Schützenfest after the formation of the federal state, again held in Aarau, in 1849, figures prominently in Gottfried Kellers Das Fähnlein der sieben Aufrechten , where Keller portrays

4466-450: The infantry to be armed with crossbows. During the Song dynasty , the crossbow received a huge upsurge in military usage, and often overshadowed the bow 2 to 1 in numbers. During this time period, a stirrup was added for ease of loading. The Song government attempted to restrict the public use of crossbows and sought ways to keep both body armor and crossbows out of civilian ownership. Despite

4543-592: The large gathering of armed men; the Plappartkrieg of 1458 was a minor war triggered by a riot at the Constance festival. In 1504, Zürich organised a general "German" ( deutsch ) shooting festival, intended as including participants beyond the confederacy. This was intended as re-establishing peaceful relations in the wake of the Swabian War . A total of 614 invitations were sent to Swabia, Bavaria, Tyrol and as far as to

4620-499: The military crossbow had largely been supplanted by firearms on the battlefield by 1525, the sporting crossbow in various forms remained a popular hunting weapon in Europe until the eighteenth century. The accuracy of late 15th century crossbows compares well with modern handguns, based on records of shooting competitions in German cities. Crossbows saw irregular use throughout the rest of the 16th century; for example, Maria Pita 's husband

4697-476: The moon to the shape of a round crossbow bullet . The Zhuangzi also mentions crossbow bullets. The earliest Chinese documents mentioning a crossbow were texts from the 4th to 3rd centuries BC attributed to the followers of Mozi . This source refers to the use of a giant crossbow between the 6th and 5th centuries BC, corresponding to the late Spring and Autumn period . Sun Tzu 's The Art of War (first appearance dated between 500 BC to 300 BC ) refers to

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4774-427: The other while others reload and ready them. Crossbows are spanned into their cocked positions using a number of techniques and devices, some of which are mechanical and employ gear and pulley arrangements – levers, belt hooks, pulleys, windlasses and cranequins – to overcome very high draw weight. These potentially achieve better precision and enable their effective use by less familiarised and trained personnel, whereas

4851-482: The same time, Greek fortifications began to feature high towers with shuttered windows in the top, presumably to house anti-personnel arrow shooters, as in Aigosthena . The late 4th century author Vegetius , in his De Re Militari , describes arcubalistarii (crossbowmen) working together with archers and artillerymen. However it is disputed whether arcuballistas were crossbows or torsion-powered weapons. The idea that

4928-442: The second piece, which is shaped like a flattened "C" and acts as the sear . The sear cannot move as it is trapped by the third piece, i.e. the actual trigger blade, which hangs vertically below the enclosure and catches the sear via a notch. The two bearing surfaces between the three trigger pieces each offers a mechanical advantage , which allow for handling significant draw weights with a much smaller pull weight. During shooting,

5005-526: The shooting clubs as vital for the preservation of direct democracy in the young Swiss federal state. Further festivals were held between 1859 and 1977 at irregular intervals of 2 to 6 years, with longer gaps, between 1910–1924 and 1939–1949, due to the World Wars . From 1985, the Eidgenössisches Schützenfest was held regularly every five years. The early shooting competitions of

5082-494: The simple and composite warbows of, for example, the English and the steppe nomads require years of training, practice and familiarisation. These advantages for the crossbow are somewhat offset by the longer time needed to reload a crossbow for further shots, with the crossbows with high draw weights requiring sophisticated systems of gears and pulleys to overcome their huge draw weights that are very slow and rather awkward to employ on

5159-542: The sound of shooting a crossbow is vibration of various components. Crossbow silencers are multiple components placed on high vibration parts, such as the string and limbs, to dampen vibration and suppress the sound of loosing the bolt. In terms of archaeological evidence, crossbow locks dated c.  650 BC made of cast bronze have been found in China . They have also been found in Tombs 3 and 12 at Qufu , Shandong, previously

5236-536: The start. European crossbows from the 10th to 12th centuries used wood for the bow, also called the prod or lath , which tended to be ash or yew . Composite bows started appearing in Europe during the 13th century and could be made from layers of different material, often wood, horn, and sinew glued together and bound with animal tendon. These composite bows made of several layers are much stronger and more efficient in releasing energy than simple wooden bows. As steel became more widely available in Europe around

5313-462: The stock, tied in with a binding of sinew or other strong cording; or mounted on a metal axle or pins. Removable or integral plates of wood, ivory, or metal on the sides of the stock kept the nut in place laterally. Nuts were made of antler, bone, or metal. Bows could be kept taut and ready to shoot for some time with little physical straining, allowing crossbowmen to aim better without fatiguing. Chinese crossbow bows were made of composite material from

5390-594: The success of numerous battles against the Xiongnu and Western Regions city-states to massed crossbow volleys. The bronze triggers were designed in such a way that they were able to store a large amount of energy within the bow when drawn but was easily shot with little resistance and recoil when the trigger was pulled. The trigger nut also had a long vertical spine that could be used like a primitive rear sight for elevation adjustment, which allowed precision shooting over longer distances. The Qin and Han dynasty-era crossbow

5467-413: The user will hold the crossbow at eye level by a vertical handle and aim along the arrow using the sighting spine for elevation , similar to how a modern rifleman shoots with iron sights . When the trigger blade is pulled, its notch disengages from the sear and allows the latter to drop downwards, which in turn frees up the nuts to pivot forward and release the bowstring. The nu ( 弩 ) [crossbow]

5544-505: The word ballista , an ancient Greek torsion siege engine similar in appearance but different in design principle. In modern times, firearms have largely supplanted bows and crossbows as weapons of war, but crossbows remain widely used for competitive shooting sports and hunting, and for relatively silent shooting. A crossbowman is sometimes called an arbalist , or historically an arbalister . Arrow , bolt and quarrel are all suitable terms for crossbow projectiles, as

5621-404: Was vire historically. The lath , also called the prod , is the bow of the crossbow. According to W. F. Peterson, prod came into usage in the 19th century as a result of mistranslating rodd in a 16th-century list of crossbow effects. The stock (a modern term derived from the equivalent concept in firearms ) is the wooden body on which the bow is mounted, although the medieval tiller

5698-474: Was also an early example of a modular design , as the bronze trigger components were also mass-produced with relative precise tolerances so that the parts were interchangeable between different crossbows. The trigger mechanism from one crossbow can be installed into another simply by dropping into a tiller slot of the same specifications and secured with dowel pins . Some crossbow designs were also found to be fitted with bronze buttplates and trigger guard . It

5775-547: Was claimed that a few elite troops were capable of arming crossbows with a draw-weight in excess of 340 kg (750 lb) by the hands-and-feet method. After the Han dynasty, the crossbow lost favor during the Six Dynasties , until it experienced a mild resurgence during the Tang dynasty , under which the ideal expeditionary army of 20,000 included 2,200 archers and 2,000 crossbowmen. Li Jing and Li Quan prescribed 20 percent of

5852-793: Was formed in 1921 (united with SSV in 1995). The first federal shooting festival to include pistol competitions was the one in Bellinzona 1929. The Feldschiessen is held decentrally, mostly by district , on a single week-end in June. Shooting is only with ordnance weapons. by contrast, Eidgenössische Schützenfeste last for a full month, mostly mid-June to mid-July and besides the competition rules for ordnance weapons, they have additional categories for standard sport shooting weapons. The oldest ordnance weapons still in use are Karabiner Modell 1931 and Parabellum/Luger pistol 1906/1929 . The 2020 festival in Lucerne

5929-513: Was killed by a crossbowman of the English Armada in 1589. There are no references to crossbows in Islamic texts earlier than the 14th century. Arabs in general were averse to the crossbow and considered it a foreign weapon. They called it qaus al-rijl (foot-drawn bow), qaus al-zanbūrak (bolt bow) and qaus al-faranjīyah (Frankish bow). Although Muslims did have crossbows, there seems to be

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