[OT] [I mean totally OT] Re: What can you "new"

Walter Bright newshound1 at digitalmars.com
Sat Mar 28 00:57:25 PDT 2009


Don wrote:
> Curiously though, the Persian composite longbow was deadlier than the 
> rifles used in the Napoleonic wars, so you really have to go up to WWI 
> before you have a clearly superior technology in terms of raw power. The 
> fundamental disadvantage being that it was so difficult to become a 
> proficient longbowman, whereas you can train someone to be dangerous 
> with a rifle in a few weeks.

During the Civil War, Henry repeating rifles appeared. With breech 
loading rounds and a high rate of fire, it would be hard to believe that 
any longbow would be superior.

Bullet wounds in the Civil War were also severe as they were high 
impact. An arrow just penetrates, but a big slug is devastating.



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