Wrist Mounted Crossbows: Realistically Practical or Not?

[@WeaponCollector]

Thank you for featuring a few clips of mine Skal, thats very cool of you mate and appreciated (i just hit 40k subs btw) i think if a decent cocking method could be developed for a wrist crossbow and keeping a decent amount of power it would be a quite good weapon, i still have plans to make another soon. Great video mate.

[@paweplaczek2191]

I remember seeing someone made one firing steel bolts it had steel prod with lever mechanism folding on to it like the one skallgrim shown. It was supprsingly powerfull for such small device guy was compaling it was pretty hard to load even with lever. It even had a floding safety part in front to block wirst but could be unlocked and lifted up ward to allow full range of wirst motion when not in use. Unfortunatly that one was blocked by YT like few days after guy posted it.

[@guyincognito959]

It isn't exactly the same thing, but...wouldn't it be relatively easy to make a foldable small crossbow that can be worn on the arm or on a belt that can be assembled quickly ad hoc? Just an idea ^^

[@johndee2990]

You could go with a Limbless Crossbow in a (Warhammer 40k) Boltstorm Gauntlet's "Underslung" configuration, just use a ratcheting lever to reload. (Could even have a Magazine)

[@dakwa1]

Take a look in ancient China. They put compact bows into just about anything they could. I do mean wrists, stir-ups, saddles, and even helmets. Now I lack the information on how effective they were, and I have my doubts, but there is a history here of compact crossbows in the real world. I would like to find more information, than they had them, and more about how useful, ineffective, or beneficial they were. Also on what tactics they were used in. I have not been able to find that information out.

[@OutrageousOnPurpose]

neat

[@peace3195]

neat

[@junichiroyamashita]

Or also the back mounted,bowing activated one.

[@dankdaze42069]

Why does it say this was posted 17 hours ago when mine says this video came out 1 hour ago😅

[@Chauntecleer]

@@dankdaze42069hey, same here. Weird

[@Lightice1]

I read a fantasy novel where an assassin used a small pistol crossbow whose bolts were little hollow tubes sealed with wax and filled with every nastiness that he could think of, from plague victim blood to toxic mushroom juice. It didn't do much damage with impact but whatever he hit would have to be amputated or else the victim would meet a very unpleasant end over several weeks.

[@oscardalmatiner8724]

Well, if your weapon not only relies on venom but also takes days to kill, it is obviously not a very good weapon.

[@tomekk2091]

​@@oscardalmatiner8724 its good for assassin's

[@shadow20482]

​@@oscardalmatiner8724the weapon is the "venom", the pistol crossbow is just the delivery method

[@tylerphuoc2653]

@@oscardalmatiner8724 If it's intended to inflict suffering instead of merely quick death, that's just a difference in goals. Also, is that your own 'sona or a variant of Sea Salt?

[@bleachsmoker]

There is a lady in the manga "blade of the immortal" who also has a poisonous wrist crossbow as well. Her poison causes nerve damage that immobilized the opponent's muscles.

[@CazadorSlayer]

I could see a small wristbow like that being concealed behind something like a targe, that'd be pretty sweet. Use it more-or-less like you would a throwing knife, a quick shot out of nowhere to startle a melee opponent. It's low power, range and accuracy won't matter at such close range and you could even poison the bolts! I sure as hell wouldn't want to take a possibly toxic bolt to the eyesocket even if it lacked real stopping power.

[@stenh.6243]

Oh yes! If you use it as a one and done weapon that would work beautifully. Concealed, hidden, fired and hopefully discarded so you can draw your actual primary weapon and get to business. For just one shot it is a hefty price tag, but can you truly place a price on something that would give you an advantage in combat?

[@corwincaine21]

I was thinking something similar, a modified Targe or Norse round shield (Maybe even a Heater or something), that has been built with a wrist brace, and a track for the Bolt to exit out of. It would make for quite a surprise in combat, but would be a massive pain to try to reload. Maybe mounted between the wrist and the shield, but all built together as 1 unit (Kind of like those Lantern Shields?), so you can continuously use the shield, get a shot off when you think it helps, but still have your primary hand in use for your weapon.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Being able to use modern materials, a Jeorg-style forearm-mounted thrower using rubber bands might be much more concealable.

[@Weberkooks]

low power will matter at any range against an armored opponent

[@CazadorSlayer]

@@Weberkooks Well, yeah, but you aren't going to be trying to pierce armor with something like that. You'd probably fire at the face, legs, or any other relatively exposed area. Anyone with proper face protection will mostly likely still be rather rattled by having a bolt thunk an inch away from their eyes, and anyone who doesn't have face protection...Well, eye patches are always in fashion...

[@marcogenovesi8570]

2:39 that lever-action reload and the magazine fed crossbow was employed in chinese chou-ko-nu repeating crossbows from A WHILE ago, so it's not a particularly new concept. Joerg also credits this in his first prototypes before he starts adding magazines to everything in sight

[@chenkunnie]

Slight correction, Chu-ko-nu, deromanize that and you'll get the original name as Zhuge's Crossbow. For anyone that's curious, he is the same Zhuge that's active during the Three Kingdoms period, and didn't actually invented them, he improved their design, thing started appearing 6 centuries before his time, adding up to a total of 2400 years back in history. That crossbow was also known for it's lack of power, hence wasn't used as a major ranged weapon.

[@DesmondDentresti]

Referring to the AC: Unity bracer... It always struck me as odd that an assassin in the 17th century had a wrist crossbow when they had pistols and were ALSO a skilled knife thrower. Like, you have all the bases covered already. The bolt action wrist-gun in AC:2 was always the best of the niche bracer weapons.

[@tonuahmed4227]

Yes but gun would be really loud,you would lose the knife,really expensive...with small wrist crossbow,you can throw poisoned dart made of sticks,and will be done more silently than gun...also it isn't called phantom blade for nothing...tho a blowgun with dart might have been more effective...

[@MCSPARTAN501]

It was rather gimmicky but probably required less training than knife throwing

[@chemistryofquestionablequa6252]

There was a glove gun made in WW2, Brandon Herrera has one and did a video.

[@chaosvolt]

"The crossbow. Sometimes you've gotta make a silent takedown." - JC Denton, 205X

[@xSpiegelschattenx]

Stick with the prod.

[@TheRoland19111]

what a shame... what a rotten way to die

[@Miggy19779]

Great game.

[@jaredvincent3323]

skallagrim GEP gun review when?

[@chaosvolt]

@@Miggy19779 I'd say time to install it again, but I already got it installed.

[@ShaunCushley97]

Awesome video Skal. Equal parts analytical and amusing.

[@DIREWOLFx75]

I expect that wrist crossbows is yet another example of "someone/some few" had a very niche reason to use them in extremely limited amounts, and then in modern days, people suddenly try to have them everywhere for the rule of cool. Because really, once you start looking, it's utterly amazing what kind of niche uses of weird tools and weapons exist or have existed.

[@simeonellinger2064]

Very true. I recall one instance of a katana found with saw teeth on the spine of the blade. It's theorized that this was a ninja tool to break into somewhere disguised as a samurai. The saw would be used to gain access into a wooden building presumably or through the floor boards.

[@LilRedRabit]

Hey Skall, just wanted to thank you for getting me interested in HEMA and historical weapons and armor in general. You genuinely gave me the largest interest in my life and I'm working on becoming a historian at my local museum. Thank you for the endless entertainment :)

[@checkmate058]

A reverse draw design where the limbs are parallel and compress in to the center line would solve the limb spawn problem. And like hidden blades, the purpose is in the magic trick-like deployment. Similar to how a magician can take your watch or pick your pocket while distracting you a trick weapon like a poisoned hidden blade or poisoned hidden wrist bow would allow the ability to delete a target covertly in a similar trick fashion.

[@QuantumRangerPower]

Makes me think of the bad guys from the movie First Knight all having tiny pistol crossbows that are somehow effective against armored knights. I think they were multi shot too!

[@Skallagrim]

Yeah, that's pretty silly. :)

[@tylerphuoc2653]

Were they good at targeting the neck and other chainmail areas?

[@dra6o0n]

The thing is, you don't need it to look like a crossbow at all, it's merely a slingshot mounted on an arm and you can have a variety of designs that stores the power of it. Like a pulley system in the mechanism.

[@maastomunkki]

Pistol crossbow with a quick takedown and reassembly might also be kinda cool and very concealable as well.. AND you could shape the stock like a club to batter the evil henchmen senseless when the opportunity rises. It could even have a detachable pommel for extra lethality..🤔

[@rorydonaldson2794]

Really enjoyed the editing on this one. When youre discussing hand crossbow power and comparing that to bows youve previously fired. Was copl to see some old fottage and various different bows and crossbows. I genuinely like seeing old footage, seen and unseen being used, more!

[@CommodoreGroovy]

Thanks for the video! I've been writing a character who uses an wrist/arm mounted crossbow, and this definitely gives me some ideas and how to make my application of this concept more realistic. The character that I'm writing isn't (typically) trying to end opponents with deadly force and instead wants to incapacitate them. They also have a one-handed melee weapon that they can wield in their opposite hand, using it depending on the situation. I think potentially in close quarters this style could be effective to hinder or catch an opponent off-guard with a ranged weapon attack when they're not expecting it.

[@BMO_Creative]

A wrist crossbow just seems like the kind of thing Skall would just walk around wearing all the time! lol

[@derskalde4973]

The most funny Thing to me in that regard in AC is time. We see Ezio walk around with a wristmounted gun in ACll, in I think it was the 1500s? And I can't remember seeing many other firearms in that Game (though it has been some time since I played it, so there's a good chance I simply forgot). Only in Unity, set during the French Revolution, with firearms everywhere, we see them using a wristmounted crossbow.

[@laurenceperkins7468]

If you used one of the reversed limb styles that keeps the footprint down you could put a pretty powerful bow on your forearm. But the question would be just when would it be useful enough to be worth the weight... Only thing I can think of is for an optimized melee fighter who doesn't mind adding a bit of weight to his shield in exchange for the ability to reach out and touch something on short notice. Is there a better way to do it? Yeah... Have a guy with a full-power crossbow stand behind your dedicated melee fighter and shoot over his shoulder.

[@bl4cksp1d3r]

the skyrim joke will never get old

[@WoodsRunner]

Weirdly league of legends has two different characters using wrist crossbows. They do kind of compensate for how weak the crossbow likely is, since one of them has an oversized falcon attacking with her, and the other uses silver bolts that are intended to do essentially poison damage to monsters/demons.

[@code066funkinbird3]

Vayne was a fine one

[@Parawulf]

Positive feedback, sir. Love your content. Been watching for years.

[@frosty_0951]

This was a really interesting video Skal! I always like how in depth you get with videos like this and how you approach these topics from multiple angles.

[@thehittite6982]

I'm picturing something like the spring-gonne that showed up in Discworld once where it's just a small piston with a very heavy spring. Then you attach some sort of ratcheting gear mechanism with a pull cord and you might be able to draw it like a bow. At that point it's not really a crossbow and it's not really any better than just having a real bow, but what the heck it sounds pretty cool.

[@XMitrilXPL]

In many fantasy/media settings would probably work the best for close range, like right before starting a fight with meelee Like for assasins that would use it to scare off the enemy or make them pause, or as a distraction in many ways or to weaken or immobilize the target All the lack of power behind and similar problems could be fixed with magic

[@Ardabor-GrimoriosyBestiarios]

Thanks Skall for another interesting video. This is another one of those weapons that I feel would only work with some magical element that compensates for the weak points that are difficult to overcome without ending up eliminating the entire point of compactness.

[@michaelking8483]

I have two suggestions. 1. In order to get a sight picture the sights could be offset 2. To prevent the prod from being in your way perhaps it could have a mechanism to rotate in line with the arm when not in use. Thank for the enjoyable video Skall

[@zz1000zz]

One thing worth thinking about when considering the practical usages of something like this is the crossbow could be treated as disposable. You don't have to worry much about it being difficult to ready the bolt if you only intend to fire one shot from it. That's particularly relevant when considering fictional worlds like that of Assassin's Creed. While in the games you may get in lots of fights, realistically, assassins would prefer to do their assassinations then slip away unnoticed. If the target for assassination is an unarmored, unsuspecting person 15-20 feet away, an easily concealable crossbow might be an effective tool to use to assassinate them while not getting caught. You wouldn't worry about reloading it since you'd only need one shot, and if you got detected so you needed to run/fight, you could just pop it off to free up your arm. A lot of the logistical problems with wrist-mounted crossbows go away when you treat them as one-off weapons you can discard after use (if need be).

[@LodestarLogado]

Thanks for the community posts Skal, it can be hard to keep up with so many channels and I hate missing your content when the algorithm decides not to cooperate. Great input as always!

[@jamesallred460]

Great video Skal. I for one, hope that Joerg figures it out for all of us in the end. I love that madman.

[@Weaponsandstuff93]

"Rocket propelled bolts" Now I'm imaging something like the Gyrojet pistol but with bolts in it.

[@tarnishedknight9909]

Question - What abou the One Shots from Discworld ? Basciall a tube with a powerful spring inside to launch the bolt ? Seems to be cocked by pushing (thus bunting) the bolt in by the point ?

[@Madnessnunky]

If I were tasked with making a wrist crossbow, I'd definitely make it an over-geared crank-style to maximize power. Rotating/swiveling the bow instead of folding would help with the rigidity issue and could double as a dagger if the forward tip was sharpened or capped with a blade. That would allow for a slightly wider bow depending on forearm length. Strength of the rotating assembly and alignment with the crank are the two major concerns. Adding a structural element to withstand the loaded draw weight is also key to prevent the buckling of the frame into your arm and potentially breaking it.

[@Bluecho4]

Mentioning a blowgun, I'm now imagining an arm-mounted blowgun. Which could actually work really well, if you've got some rubber-like flexible tubing leading from your face to the blowgun. Any flexible material that could maintain a seal could work, if people can think of a pre-rubber material. You'd also need to load it from the front, although I suppose you could use some kind of ramrod for that. Maybe one made of wood, with a small hole drilled in one end that the dart can nestle into while loading, but which isn't tight enough to pull the dart out with the rod.

[@WritingFighter]

A long time ago, I figured the only use for wrist-crossbows were cavalry. The cavalry I came up with for a Fantasy world (again a VERY long time ago, playing adventures outside with friends and cousins), the riders would wait until they initiated a charge or get close to the foe, then hook their wrist-crossbows to the sides of their horse, and push their arm on a magazine which loaded and drew the string in one action. Then the cavalrymen would get close to the foe and shoot with both arms for a split second before using a different weapon already in hand. Their main tactic was to ride up to a spearwall, have several riders shoot their double wrist-crossbows and ride away, and as the enemy took casualties, that would create gaps for the riders coming in behind, who could then shoot their wrist-crossbows at point-blank while just before or in the melee from horseback. In one play “scene”, a rider was contending with a man who grabbed one of his arms and was trying to drag him off the horse. He loaded his other wrist-crossbow, reached over, and shot him in the face (through the eyeball of course, lol). At the time I reasoned this would allow them to use fewer spears and resources constructing bigger bows. But looking back I think a shield would’ve been better.

[@fakshen1973]

In terms of the ergonomics of drawing a wrist crossbow, a hook on strong cordage attached at the shoulder would work. That would put your arm in the same mechanics of a decline benchpress, which is a strong mechanical position. It would also allow the other arm to be used to stabilize the bolt.

[@paulkerr7320]

Loving the calmer, more introspected Skal. Hope you are doing better than the past year :)

[@enayatchoudhury5431]

And this continues my saga of KZbinrs helping me iron out issues around arm-mounted weapons... Awesome vid as always.

[@realElectroZap]

When I think about the phantom blade of AC Unity, I think there actually is a kind of practical application to it. Assume that the crossbow is very small, weak, has small arrows, and can fold its arms (or whatever they are called) inwards, making it fit onto a gauntlet without poking out from the side. Also assume at has some clever, safe way of firing, which never goes of if your hand is in the way. So, now the applications. Can you aim and kill someone at a distance, absolutely not. What I think it can be useful for is in close quarter combat. It could be like how you could quickly pull out a tiny one-shot gun during some hand to hand combat to quickly gain an advantage. So the phantom blade could be used how it is used in game as a "quickshot". If it is too weak to kill, even at that short range, you could use it to stun someone, or incapacitate one person, and fight another while the first one is distracted. Is it completely practical? No, cuz you're gonna have to load up that sucker after a shot. But I think this way, it is a tiny bit useful

[@edspace.]

This is a fun video :) One device I saw involved a magnetic string, albeit this was for a crossbow that wasn't wrist mounted but designed to be carried on a wagon so possibly more of a ballista. It also was designed for law enforcement and wouldn't be a precise aiming weapon since it was meant to launch a bottle of opium gas in order to calm crowds or building occupants so the police could enter more safely (as well as smaller vessels so that "customs checks could be done without contending with the rowdiness of sailors"). Its mechanics would work by the officer engaging the magnets to the side of the crossbow, load the bottle (although the design said a maximum of 3 was possible, 1 was recommended for most uses), then line up the crossbow on its turret and then remove the magnets to launch the bottle(s) towards the target area. These weren't implemented due to being too expensive (something like $1500-2500 in 1840, bottles sold separately) but I wonder if magnetism might assist with power and the ergonomics of a wrist mounted crossbow.

[@skybladebloodheart4247]

here's an idea, if you had a rople of some sort attached to handle, that extended a distance before engaging, you could move the draw position outwards a distance so you could draw back the rope simularly to how you draw a bow.

[@Emberen_Dmara]

Loved this one Skall! Crossbows are always neat and esspecially when the game devs or writers make some unique or wacky designs for arm mounted weapons.

[@B_Skizzle]

One possible solution to the aiming problem is to offset the sights like a Bren gun. They would need to be zeroed for a specific distance (say, 20 yards), but I don’t think that’s a huge issue with such a short-ranged weapon.

[@rustkitty]

Maybe you could do one of those weird pulley systems both to increase strength and to reduce the overall weapon width? Also if it's attached like some kind of arm brace then the leaver could be underhand. How about adding one of those weird scopes that jot slightly to the side like the Steyr AUG, or even a foldable periscope? Though your arm would end up pretty heavy by the end, making it harder to hold aim...

[@davidwholly5209]

The VR fighting game "Gorn" had a wrist mounted crossbow. I fooled around with it for a while. It's an interesting weapon, but I found it difficult to hit the opponent unless you were pretty close to them. My aim was pretty horrible. And after you shot it, it took some time to ready it again by winding it back up, which seemed to take forever when the enemies were advancing on you. I was way better with the bow. Though that "Scorpion" grapple hook was pretty fun. Even would shout "get over here!" when I hooked an enemy.

[@blackdragon5274]

I like how Guts basically just mounts a full size repeating one on his arm in Berserk 😂 I guess that's one way to solve the power and reloading issues.

[@PsylomeAlpha]

I think having the arms of the bow turn to be parallel with the arm/stock of the crossbow for storage would allow it to collapse to a degree without sacrificing the bow's power Like, the bow itself stays one piece, but it's mounted on a bracket that can turn approximately 90 degrees (to be experimented with to find optimal angle since so few parts of the human body actually mesh with 90 degree angles) so the arms of the bow are in line with the user's arm

[@TITANia69420]

This reminds me of the Wristbows from Dishonored. Where Daud could use it to nail someone point blank as a Silent Takedown. Other than that, it's apparently powered by Whale Oil, alongside some gear system stuff.

[@Roland3ld]

No idea how long you have been using it, but I really like the video border you are using. It is unobtrusive (took me 8 minutes to notice it), but still elegant and stylish. A nice touch that works really well.

[@Skallagrim]

Yeah, I've been using that for probably 2 years or so.

[@Diamondpigman01]

I LOVE your videos because you covered everything I could think of, poison, olympic pistol stance, all of it

[@Chraan]

2:43 Skall, were you not aware of the Chu Ko Nu in the early 2010s? It already made entries in popular games and was featured in the Deadliest Warrior series (I am sure you didn't skip this), so that surprises me

[@HeroesNFools]

I got to try wrist mounted cross bows in blade and sorcery with the Tools of the trade mod. Even with quick deployment and power from no where, there were useless because I could never line up a shot.

[@daemonharper3928]

Great vid as usual sire. I enjoy shooting crossbows but the fun doesn't last too long for me. Shooting bows however - there's so much to it, I definitely get more from a compound bow whilst my favourite is a simple recurve with no aids or sights - so testing for a numpty like me. The only good thing about a wrist bow is the cool factor, I think I'd do better with a catapult.

[@remingtonlamey3464]

Hey skall, would love a vid on what weapons you would use with water bending

[@danilonakazone386]

Hey Skallagrim what are your thoughts on air pressurized "guns"that can fire bolts at very high spead? I saw this air rifle that can firea huge bolt and shoot through an regular arrow stop cuchion thingy

[@Cuttle_Shuffle]

On aiming, couldn't you rotate your arm? Also, with regard to the limbs, couldn't you invert them to help with the compactability of the crossbow? Like the crossbows that have the limbs near the back of the crossbow with the string out in front. One more thing. When it comes to cocking the crossbow, couldn't you involve both arms? For example, the arm that is strapped with the crossbow could do a sort of punching motion or at the very least travel the opposite direction of the free arm while the free arm pushes on a tab or lever?

[@maxgehtdnixan4913]

This video has taught me Skallagrim needs to look into point shooting. It's a geniune discipline that, prior to the craze of putting ironsights on everything, was part of core pistol training all the way up to WW2.

[@AetigmaFacade]

There better be a Gatsu reference in here. Don’t forget the drop wrist alchemy blast

[@Spiceodog]

I remember the epidemic of Venetian assasins in Canada . So glad your lawmakers were able to find a solution to the problem

[@yeahnaaa292]

Another excellent video, Skall. Appreciate your thorough research & professional presentation. Your lookin well & fighting fit. Best wishes for you/ loved ones in New Year.

[@kylehughes1619]

You don't try to look down the sites. You just point and shoot. It's a technique they teach for pistol shooting. And so I would assume this would be the same. Oh shit lol I listened about 30 seconds further and you mentioned exactly that. My bad, great video!

[@sarethuskami5082]

Any chance of a video discussing the differences between Long Bow and Crossbow? I am talking about Range, Penetration (vs Armor), training, use, accuracy, foot or horse-back, use in history.

[@Dragowolf_Rising]

Unless it were VERY general, that would probably need to be a series of videos. Which I would watch.

[@gastonyoung6391]

I believe the hability to grab things with both hands is useful in mad max because you can drive while carrying a ranged (though limited) weapon simultaneously

[@chrisruzsa2798]

Great video but yes even full sized crossbows of modern if the brace hight changes it throws everything off. Power, timing for compounds, as well as accuracy can all be affected by the slightest change of string stretch or creep.

[@johndee2990]

You could go with a Limbless Crossbow in a (Warhammer 40k) Boltstorm Gauntlet's "Underslung" configuration, just use a ratcheting lever to reload. (Could even have a Magazine)

[@ytj17thjuggalo12]

Hahaha, Skall, using Jeorg as a pun. Fantastic creators, innovators and explainers - Both of you.

[@JohnDoe-vm5rb]

The one in Deus Ex was interesting-it was blocky and vague but it clearly showed pullies on the limbs, so it was more a mini ballista/hunting bow (I forget their name, compound?)

[@bartolinise9153]

that's why we used slings, you can fit one in a pocket and deploy it any second, ammo you can mostly find anywhere or you can carry a small pouch with ammunition

[@Necroes]

While it's probably not as 'cool,' I feel a wrist-mounted sling would be a lot more viable while still fulfilling a similar purpose. Basically just a large bracelet, folded in such a way to release easily with the proper movement of the wrist/hand. With practice, you might even be able to extend the sling in the same motion you use to load it with the hand it's attached to.

[@mikoajpietrych6168]

In more compact form, like a spiral spring powered design or that slingshot version shown, it could be an interesting addition to pata. Although a gun would be probably better.

[@ClipsFromMaine]

This feels like an old school fun, let’s check it out, kind of video from Skall. I love it! Complete side tangent (some thing that of course Skall never does 😉), I love it when people actually know the difference between poisonous and venomous 😁

[@deleteduser3455]

I think of it more like having a pocket wasp you can give it like a spicy pepper coating as a big distraction or even get creative with ammo like imagine one that flung broken glass laced with pepper. I don't think it's worth it as a fight ending weapon but there are ways to make it effective. The one thing throwing knives have over this though is throwing knives can carry serious momentum able to penetrate ribcages

[@fishbaitzez]

My favorite mini crossbow ive seen was the slinger in Monster Hunter: World. It is more of a slingshot since it doesnt shoot bolts. But it is by far the most realistic representation despite the superhuman weapons hunters utilize. This is because it is basically there to throw utility items at the monsters. Flash bombs, rocks, and other things fly from it to do things other than damage.

[@hounddog4363]

I'm surprised that you don't find examples of people encorporating a crossbow into a shield. Being able to fire a bolt from your shield arm seems dope. Basically, it's just a modified crossbow with a buckler on top.

[@WukongTheMonkeyKing]

There might be a position where you can aim down the forearm. Sort of like a modified sniper's cradle. If right handed, bring arm across chest so the right hand is near the left shoulder, with the crossbow just above the shoulder. Wrap left arm around the right arm, so the left elbow supports the right wrist. The left hand can get close to, or hold, the right elbow. Look left, tilt head a little, and your right ear should be near your right bicep. Also, this has a much lower profile than fully extending the arm. It's still definitely a rule of cool weapon, but just thought of this. No idea if it would actually work, though. But it makes me want to get a wrist crossbow. Purely for testing purposds, naturally, and not because they are silly/cool.

[@timogul]

If I were living in a time and place where I needed the best possible weapon loadout and crossbows were the best ranged option available, I do have an idea for this. Add a buckler and put it on the left arm. Make it a wrist bow like you show, but with a buckler over it that covers the entire thing, protecting it and adding to the value of that arm. Make it so that the buckler can hinge upward from the front, so that you can access the bow. Perhaps even make it so that the lever action of lifting the buckler would cock the bow. A lever pull from elbow to above the wrist would have more mechanical advantage than pulling back across the forearm. And it might be fairly low power, but it would at least be able to take out unarmored targets and provide a distraction to harder targets.

[@BluegrassKnight]

I think you might be over-thinking the aiming issue, you can learn to shoot a pistol without aiming, so you could do the same with this and you wouldn't be shooting at something too far anyway! I think it could be made with modern material and design to make something powerful, yet compact enough to be wrist mounted! Also, it could be made to fit the wrist better and maybe compensate for the lack of hand movement by either armoring the hand or adding a melee weapon to the end! Though I must say this would only be good for assassins and maybe self-defense, other than that I'd rather have the bigger version that you can just sling over your shoulder!

[@paulkerr7320]

As to wrist crossbows, they were around the UK LARP scene in the naughties, they got banned as a danger to the wielder and in close combat to opponents due to heavy blows hitting the limbs and the resultant lever actions on the wielders wrists and limbs going into unproteced faces in a large mosh (Melee) or worse, ablow breaking the shaft and triggering the bow causing a sharp point discharged into someone at close range...

[@simeonellinger2064]

Make it a hollow bolt that contains a blinding irritant much like the ninja supposedly did with hollowed out eggshells. Ingredients apparently included: Glass powder, itchy tarantula hairs, and chilli powder. Wouldn't want a face full of that.

[@catpelt298]

A sling/gun sling would be really efficient if you suddenly needed both hands. And with a sling you can always secure your crossbow on your back just like a gun and it doesn't even take long to do. Naturally with it secured to your back you'll be able to climb fairly well.

[@TheMelnTeam]

I somehow misread the title on this as using crossbows while mounted (aka on horseback). That would be pretty tough too. But maybe with some of these designs that use good leverage could have done mounted shots. I guess regular bows were just too much more practical.

[@russellzauner]

I've got a full size crossbow that has swept back limbs that are barely wider in breadth than a strong man's forearm; scaling it down seems like something doable - my Adder hasn't had the stock on it since I got it, it's so accurate and such little kickback that it's easy to quite literally sight down the magazine, point, and shoot. By far my favorite toy and has a stupid amount of penetration for such a little fellow (I still haven't upgraded to the heavier limbs - it would be terrifying if so). Bang/buck = 10/10.

[@bastiankruger2192]

„I get it i too was one young“. You got me there *sobs uncotrollably*

[@charlymacias5369]

Maybe a miniaturized version of the pulley system you show at 4:06 could add some extra power.

[@reaper5491]

Id like to see you reviewing the gear from Dishonored. They have a pistol crossbow and a mounted crossbow

[@ronwingrove683]

Sympathies for the tax returns, Skall. I thought mine were bad enough, yours must be a nightmare! Anyway, Tod Cutler also released a few videos featuring the "Balestrino" crossbow, a small Italian all-steel "assassin's crossbow," which might be possible to mount on a wrist. It also features a screw-thread spanning mechanism, which would be easy to work while still attached, if not exactly fast.

[@tinyplasticgraves]

What is the distinction between a bolt and a quarrel? Is it a technical difference or purely a linguistic choice?

[@vilvuk4486]

Maybe something like a small arrow gun that uses some kind of gun powder/.22 blanks to fire the bolts would be effective or make more sense as an assassination tool, but that wouldn't really be a crossbow anymore... I was thinking of Kentucky Ballistic's Arrow Gun Video.

[@epicsage16]

If I didn’t automatically like every one of your videos that I watch, you definitely would have earned a like for the Skyrim transition at the beginning alone. XD

[@tarille1043]

In regards to the aiming issues... The lack of alignment only occurs in the scenario where the crossbow is aligned with your arm. Wouldn't it be possible to offset it slightly so that it would align with your sight when holding your arm up? As for practicality. I'd mostly expect such a weapon to be used to deliver toxins or explosives - Something that can provide lethality without much impact force. Or alternatively, as a way to quietly destroy lanterns or lightbulbs to facilitate subterfuge. With the advantage over simply using thrown ordinance being that it requires less movement to launch a projectile and you can potentially aim with it.

[@jeremyheath9299]

The wrist being immobilized is not actually a downside when using a sword if you are using African or asian sword techniques where you are not cutting by extending the wrist but by using your elbow or whole arm in the cut, where the wrist is not bent and the sword makes a 90 degree angle with your arm, such as the draw cutting seen in Indian swordsmanship

[@MrNeatSoup]

What about a repeating fixed mag fed rotary crossbow attached to a prosthetic hand with a cannon inside?

[@crozraven]

hahaha, fellow strugglers indeed.

[@curtshelp6170]

I could see it being used in close quarters battle as a compliment accessory for a spearman, that would be an appropriate range for such a weak weapon. Tortion springs could enable it to fold tight to avoid some of the bulk.

[@Tehrawrzorz]

Hi Skal, believe it or not, I've been watching you since the very beginning. I appreciate your videos a lot, and you encouraged me to finally join my local HEMA club. I think your videos are great, and it makes me sad to see you go through the issues that you do. I think you would benefit from trusting your creative instinct a little more. You've made all sorts of videos and people are still here-- that's a great thing! And this wasn't intended to come off as condescending or patronizing. You are worth millions of views!

[@bduares]

Modifying a wrist crossbow to use an Air Venturi Steambow system would take care of both the cocking and unwieldy prod limbs problems. The prod limbs could be laying back and wouldn't move into place until the Steambow system is activated, whereupon they would be pushed into place with pistons powered by compressed air, cocking the crossbow at the same time. The small refillable PCP air bottle the Steambow system uses could be worn anywhere on the body and would be good for 3 shots before needing refilling.

[@that_canadian_guy_8316]

Love the Marstar Rep 🤘🏻 definitely caught me off guard and made me chuckle

[@jonathanrose5490]

Hmmm. Now you got me wondering What if you combine it with a Katar. Use a single piece steal limb. Hold it in your off hand and use a saber or other one handed sword in your dominant hand. Now you have a single shot weapon as you enter a siirmish and it is still a close range weapon and parry tool (limbs even add a cross gaurd like fixture). Using tactics similar to single shot pistols in boarding actions where you would discharge then use it as an off hand bludgeoning or parry device.

[@TheNerdyHomestead]

the tension bar could be one piece if it was able to pivot to be parallel with the arm. Youd still have a long bit poking forward like a single Wolverine claw, but it reduces the profile. Youd have to be 110% certain it isnt going to pivot when loaded though

[@jatsantsa]

The wrist imobilisation, could be prevented you made it smaller/shorter (yes we are loosing even more power, but since we opted for poison attack) and for matter of shooting your hand, well you just made release mechanism by pulling a ring with the string downwards, so your hand is out of the way.

[@balov334]

When are you going to test the shamshir? Great video btw