Muskets vs. Crossbows - Why do firearms exist?

[heydaralon]

In terms of athletics, bows are far better for an arm, lat/back workout, but muskets would make a better baseball bat or golf club. Sadly, thats not the direction armies decided to go with them, and used them for tools of war. George Washington Carver would be very disappointed to see his inventions being used for bloodshed.

[Fife]

How many of you all are bow-hunters? Or I guess a better question is how many of you all spend time both on the range, with whatever, and regularly practice archery? Because if you are a bow-hunter I can only assume that you regularly train and practice your archery skills.

Anyway, to any of you who do both, I wonder: which do you find more relaxing / stress relieving? To me both are great, but serious training with bow and arrow is much better, physically and mentally. Unfortunately, it is also much more time-consuming.

[Speaker to Animals]

How many of you all are bow-hunters? Or I guess a better question is how many of you all spend time both on the range, with whatever, and regularly practice archery? Because if you are a bow-hunter I can only assume that you regularly train and practice your archery skills.

Anyway, to any of you who do both, I wonder: which do you find more relaxing / stress relieving? To me both are great, but serious training with bow and arrow is much better, physically and mentally. Unfortunately, it is also much more time-consuming.

It's fun, but leads to huge muscle imbalances if you go traditional. Not sure about hunting. I have wanted to try it out, but have no idea where to learn something like that.

My longbow is only about 50 lbs, though. I wouldn't use that thing to hunt anything larger than small game.

[ssu]

Guns are cooler

And easier to use. That has been always a plus for firearms. Don't have to have any training to kill someone at close range.

[DBTrek]

Guns are cooler

And easier to use. That has been always a plus for firearms. Don't have to have any training to kill someone at close range.

Sure, but think about 1450AD warfare.
Guns aren't THAT easy to use in 1450. There's a lot of bullshit you have to do to get a gun ready to fire.
Crossbows? Crank them back and drop in a bolt. That's pretty easy to use.

/shrug

I think many good cases have been made for the gun, which taken as a whole explain how the invention survived 400 years before becoming the smooth killing machine it is today. But I still think it may have been a close call at times. As someone posted earlier, even Ben Franklin was like "F*ck these guns, man, we have better alternatives".

[Alexander PhiAlipson]

Perhaps firearms' greatest advantage amounts to nothing more than imaginative potential.

[ssu]

Sure, but think about 1450AD warfare.
Guns aren't THAT easy to use in 1450. There's a lot of bullshit you have to do to get a gun ready to fire.
Crossbows? Crank them back and drop in a bolt. That's pretty easy to use.

What makes it so difficult? Another educative video telling it wasn't so difficult to use. And also touching the subject of guns vs. crossbows.
Now making gunpowder might be difficult, but still for the end users it's not so complicated.



And from the middle 1400's artillery and also firearms started their rise to domination of the battlefield. In the 16th Century it's already about artillery and pikemen & swordsmen protecting those with firearms. Ultimately with the bayonet there wasn't any need for the pike.

[DBTrek]

What makes it so difficult? Another educative video telling it wasn't so difficult to use. And also touching the subject of guns vs. crossbows.
Now making gunpowder might be difficult, but still for the end users it's not so complicated.



And from the middle 1400's artillery and also firearms started their rise to domination of the battlefield. In the 16th Century it's already about artillery and pikemen & swordsmen protecting those with firearms. Ultimately with the bayonet there wasn't any need for the pike.

What makes it so difficult?

Keeping powder dry.
Having fire available on the battlefield, rain or shine, quickly enough to utilize your weapon.
Hitting targets with an admittedly inaccurate weapon.

Those would be three off the top of my head.

[Smitty-48]

What makes it so difficult?

Keeping powder dry.
Having fire available on the battlefield, rain or shine, quickly enough to utilize your weapon.
Hitting targets with an admittedly inaccurate weapon.

Those would be three off the top of my head.

Seemed to work out for them in the end, where are all the great crossbow powers of the world? Shot dead with guns apparently.

Next topic?

[DBTrek]

Seemed to work out for them in the end, where are all the great crossbow powers of the world? Shot dead with guns apparently. Next topic?

Yeah, it worked out in the end .. . even if no one can say how or why.

But you send me into battle c.1450 and offer me a crossbow or a hand cannon and I'll be taking that crossbow, thanks.