Hornbow Crossbow

Title

Hornbow Crossbow

HCA Identifier

W 837

Collection Location

Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum), Berlin, Germany

Date

c. 1460

Location

Central Europe

Description

The horn-bow crossbow has a straight, slender shaft
made of light brown fruitwood (possibly cherry), which curves sharply upward
at the rear. A small cheek rest is visible at the left end of the shaft. The top is fully reinforced with bone, and the trough is covered with two dark horn plates
arranged on either side that taper to a point. Above
the wind knuckle, a horn plate on each side protects the
shaft. A lanceolate bone plate is
set into the underside at the front; the area around the trigger bar is surrounded by dark
horn plates. The lateral decoration, made of the same
material, surrounds the axle bore and tapers
toward the rear.
The nut of the single-axis lock runs on a one-millimeter-thick thread; its detent is reinforced with a steel insert. A horn spring holds the trigger bar in
position. The bare bar has a pointed knee and a round cross-section
along its entire length.
Residues of dried-up impregnation cling to the binding made of brown hemp yarn. It is heavily frayed, and an oval
stirrup is bound into it.
The horn bow with a D-shaped cross-section is covered with
printed birch bark, which has flaked off in places.
In some spots, remnants of a dot pattern
are visible. On the bow’s belly, there are lightning bolts on both sides of the
binding, and on the back, a decorative band with flowers and
coats of arms. In the customary style, the nocks, painted black,
each feature two string rests.
The string is missing.

Source

Lüken, Sven, Jens Sensfelder, and Felix Jäger. Die Armbrust Schrecken und Schönheit . München: Hirmer, 2019.

Crossbow Top Measurements

Prod length(Gesampte Sehnenlange): 705 mm
String length: approx. 630 mm
Center cross-section of the prod: 56 mm x 46 mm
Outer cross-section of the prod: 43 mm x 32.5 mm
Total length of the crossbow: 810 mm
Stock length: 804 mm
Length of bow to lock: 250 mm
Stock cross-section at the bow: 67 mm x 32 mm
Stock cross-section at the lock: 53 mm x 54 mm
Stock cross-section at the butt: 46 mm x 32 mm
Nut diameter x width: 35 mm x 31 mm
Width of lock parts: 8.5 mm
Binding thread diameter: 5 mm (Z)/1 mm (S)
Weight: 2.84 kg