Massive, thick, heavy, and far too rough part 2.
Onto the next weapon.
The Repeater Crossbow:
This
weapon was ALSO invented by Rickert, who seems to have a knack for
technology and tinkering despite his young age. This weapon mounts onto
Guts' prosthetic arm (more on that later), and feeds via a gravity
powered magazine. The weapon fires when the crank on the side, seen in
the figure above, it worked with the hand, similar to old-school machine
guns, like the Puckle gun or Gatling gun.
So let's go over this thing.
Realism of design:
Funnily enough, this is, yet again, based on a historical weapon. In this case, a Chinese one. These crossbows, while somewhat unwieldy, were quite effective, capable of firing 10 bolts in 15 seconds, and were not prone to jamming or other issues. They were easy to use, but due to being fired from the hip, somewhat inaccurate, and intended to be used for massed, suppressing fire. Essentially, it's the ancient equivalent of a Machine Gun. In some ways, Guts' crossbow is superior to the real design, and in other ways, inferior. As seen, it's rather small, meaning it has less power and range. On the other hand, Guts actually AIMS this thing, it has sights, and Rickert evidently calibrated those, because it's VERY accurate.
Realism of Damage:
While, as noted above, the design will be weaker than a full-sized crossbow, a pistol bow is not to be underestimated. Modern designs, although cheap and fairly weak, can punch through plywood boards at a fair distance. Guts normally shoots into the eyes, face, mouth, throat, and temple with this weapon, targeting gaps in armor and soft, vulnerable regions of the body, or using the weapon to inflict painful, but not lethal, damage. This is very much in line with the level of damage I would expect from such a weapon, and consistent with real world, modern pistol bows, give or take. It's not a supremely powerful weapon, but it's powerful ENOUGH.
Realism of use:
100%, with a somewhat weaker projectile weapon, you aim for weak spots like the eyes, throat, groin, etc. Guts uses the Repeater Crossbow EXACTLY as it would be, and SHOULD be used: To shoot into seams in armor and inflict damage on the soft squishy parts underneath.
Could we build it? :
Yes. In fact, you can BUY functioning versions of the Chinese repeating crossbow, if you look around enough and find the right craftsman. If you had the woodworking skills needed, you could, with some effort, build a version the size of Guts' bow. It's completely legal in the USA, as well, and if you designed it right, you may even be able to aim the thing. The performance and design of the weapon, while EXOTIC, is not unrealistic. If you want to try and build one, this is one of the few times I can safely say: Go right ahead. Just don't do anything stupid with it.
The Repeater Crossbow:
So let's go over this thing.
Realism of design:
Funnily enough, this is, yet again, based on a historical weapon. In this case, a Chinese one. These crossbows, while somewhat unwieldy, were quite effective, capable of firing 10 bolts in 15 seconds, and were not prone to jamming or other issues. They were easy to use, but due to being fired from the hip, somewhat inaccurate, and intended to be used for massed, suppressing fire. Essentially, it's the ancient equivalent of a Machine Gun. In some ways, Guts' crossbow is superior to the real design, and in other ways, inferior. As seen, it's rather small, meaning it has less power and range. On the other hand, Guts actually AIMS this thing, it has sights, and Rickert evidently calibrated those, because it's VERY accurate.
Realism of Damage:
While, as noted above, the design will be weaker than a full-sized crossbow, a pistol bow is not to be underestimated. Modern designs, although cheap and fairly weak, can punch through plywood boards at a fair distance. Guts normally shoots into the eyes, face, mouth, throat, and temple with this weapon, targeting gaps in armor and soft, vulnerable regions of the body, or using the weapon to inflict painful, but not lethal, damage. This is very much in line with the level of damage I would expect from such a weapon, and consistent with real world, modern pistol bows, give or take. It's not a supremely powerful weapon, but it's powerful ENOUGH.
Realism of use:
100%, with a somewhat weaker projectile weapon, you aim for weak spots like the eyes, throat, groin, etc. Guts uses the Repeater Crossbow EXACTLY as it would be, and SHOULD be used: To shoot into seams in armor and inflict damage on the soft squishy parts underneath.
Could we build it? :
Yes. In fact, you can BUY functioning versions of the Chinese repeating crossbow, if you look around enough and find the right craftsman. If you had the woodworking skills needed, you could, with some effort, build a version the size of Guts' bow. It's completely legal in the USA, as well, and if you designed it right, you may even be able to aim the thing. The performance and design of the weapon, while EXOTIC, is not unrealistic. If you want to try and build one, this is one of the few times I can safely say: Go right ahead. Just don't do anything stupid with it.
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