Just how deadly is bow and arrow?

[Nightmare798]

Let me shove a long shaft of wood into your gut and see if you don't pass out right away, then die of internal bleeding, or sepsis. Does hollywood exaggerate how quickly you would die? Sure. But whether or not you would die? If it is in your thorax or abdomen, I don't think it is exaggerated at all if any organ is penetrated and without modern medicine you are all but certain of dying.

We are talking about mail, scale and plate armor here. I am sure that getting hit by an arrow is fatal while wearing nothing but leather armor, but I couldnt believe the soldiers in medieval movies getting bagged by one arrow while being shot into chest wearing cuirass.

Besides, I have heard of a man that survived getting shot 9 times by pistol (bullets did not hit any organ or anything vital though), and you surely know what effect does a bullet have on human body, which brings up an important question: what is deadlier, bullet or an arrow?

http://allthingsliberty.com/2013/05/battle-wounds-never-pull-an-arrow-out-of-a-body/

Depends if the arrowhead is fully in your body, if it is, it is nonsense to try to pull it out, as the hooks on the back of the arrow point will open up the wound and make it much worse.

[Xant]

Besides, I have heard of a man that survived getting shot 9 times by pistol (bullets did not hit any organ or anything vital though), and you surely know what effect does a bullet have on human body, which brings up an important question: what is deadlier, bullet or an arrow?

Arrows are "a little" bigger than bullets. Arrowheads are also much nastier than most bullets, causing infections. Because of the design of arrows, pulling it out will also cause more damage.

And most importantly, was that man shot with a pistol 9 times in the medieval times? Was he operated on by a team of surgeons?

[Prinz_Karl]

I have the feeling that some people have the game related few that you get shot few times and then die. Actually I think if you were hit in action on a battlefield by an arrow you were disabled (if it wasn't a fleshwound), meaning an arrow in the leg which might not be deadly (at least the immediate body damage) you would certainly not continue to fight. So I think the probability of getting shot few times is low.

And of course the damage is depending on the armor and strength of the bow and where you were hit. There were armors that could withstand deadly penetration from bodkin arrows of longbows (chainmail with thick padding). On the other hand bows that were very strong and used bodkin arrows could also penetrate plate armor and then kill the wearer with one shot. It's all a question of how strong the bow was and what kind of arrow type was used and how efficient the armor was against it.

[Nightmare798]

I have the feeling that some people have the game related few that you get shot few times and then die. Actually I think if you were hit in action on a battlefield by an arrow you were disabled (if it wasn't a fleshwound), meaning an arrow in the leg which might not be deadly (at least the immediate body damage) you would certainly not continue to fight. So I think the probability of getting shot few times is low.

And of course the damage is depending on the armor and strength of the bow and where you were hit. There were armors that could withstand deadly penetration from bodkin arrows of longbows (chainmail with thick padding). On the other hand bows that were very strong and used bodkin arrows could also penetrate plate armor and then kill the wearer with one shot. It's all a question of how strong the bow was and what kind of arrow type was used and how efficient the armor was against it.

I think that about sums it up.

[Nightmare798]

Arrows are "a little" bigger than bullets. Arrowheads are also much nastier than most bullets, causing infections. Because of the design of arrows, pulling it out will also cause more damage.

And most importantly, was that man shot with a pistol 9 times in the medieval times? Was he operated on by a team of surgeons?

True. But the point was that he survived long enough to stay alive until the help arrived. Of course it would be impossible for him to survive without modern medicine.

On the arrow vs bullet, it is true that arrowheads are larger and can carry infection into the wound, however, their velocity and energy upon being fired is also much lower than those of a bullet.

EDIT: Damn, double posted.

[Osiris]

velocity doesn't mean that much. A small object moving very fast wont do loads more damage to you than a larger object moving pretty fast. An arrow will still go deep into you if not stick out the other side in some points.

[SirCymro_Crusader]

Depends what arrowhead you are using.

Barbed arrows easily sliced into flesh however when you pull them out you end up tearing large chunks of flesh with it, the only way to remove a barbed was to cut round it or push it through. Barbed arrows were also used to target horses, as once embedded the horse's movement would cause the arrows to tear the flesh and cause internal bleeding.

Bodkin arrows made of steel were what were used to cause major damage, they were able to pierce plate (not Milanese or other expensive plate, (but they could still pierce in some cases)) and the force of the arrow hitting you could send you tumbling backwards (even if it didn't pierce your flesh), or knock you to the floor. Then if you get knocked down you are either gonna get trampled by your own troops or the hooves of your allied cavalry. Either way, you are fucked.

As to bow types, it depends on where you lived. Eastern style bows were typically designed to be shot from horseback and to target lightly armoured infantry/cavalry as plate armour wasn't widely used in the eastern areas, instead boiled leather, furs, chain maille was in abundance. Whereas in Medieval Europe, plate was seen more as stature. - expensive plate shows off wealth - so longbows and crossbows were used to penetrate this mail.

^Just a quick overview

[pepejul]

Today in Crpg I was wearing my amazing +3 heraldic mail with my 7 IF and 21 str hero...;

I saw a pilgrim archer (StuLLe) at 200 meters right in fornt of me with a ridiculous nomad or rus bow (the dark brown one) and a magical lightspeed arrow just poc on me and I 100% totally full HP die instantly (arrows was in my right arm)....

Can you explain how it is possible ?


thanks

love

PEPE

[Rumblood]

I have the feeling that some people have the game related few that you get shot few times and then die. Actually I think if you were hit in action on a battlefield by an arrow you were disabled (if it wasn't a fleshwound), meaning an arrow in the leg which might not be deadly (at least the immediate body damage) you would certainly not continue to fight. So I think the probability of getting shot few times is low.

Dr. Bill estimates an “expert bowman can easily discharge six arrows per minute.”[8]  In one of Dr. Bill’s cases three soldiers suffered a total of 42 arrow wounds between them. Although this number of wounds was extreme, Bill states he rarely saw someone with a single arrow wound.[9]

Besides, I have heard of a man that survived getting shot 9 times by pistol (bullets did not hit any organ or anything vital though), and you surely know what effect does a bullet have on human body, which brings up an important question: what is deadlier, bullet or an arrow?

My Dad was shot 7 times with a .357 and lived, so there is some more anecdotal evidence for surviving bullets.

And some more:

Overall Bill reports he “observed” eighty arrow wounds, the majority to the trunk, thirty-six in all. Of these thirty-six men injured twenty-two died.

So nearly 2/3 of soldiers with arrow wounds to the trunk died. That's a lot. Plus, those were American Indian arrowheads, not the iron/steel versions.

[Fredom]

We are talking about mail, scale and plate armor here. I am sure that getting hit by an arrow is fatal while wearing nothing but leather armor, but I couldnt believe the soldiers in medieval movies getting bagged by one arrow while being shot into chest wearing cuirass.

Besides, I have heard of a man that survived getting shot 9 times by pistol (bullets did not hit any organ or anything vital though), and you surely know what effect does a bullet have on human body, which brings up an important question: what is deadlier, bullet or an arrow?

Depends if the arrowhead is fully in your body, if it is, it is nonsense to try to pull it out, as the hooks on the back of the arrow point will open up the wound and make it much worse.

That was 50 Cent maybe?! He got shot 9 times in his back and survived that. Well, look at him now

[Nightmare798]

That was 50 Cent maybe?! He got shot 9 times in his back and survived that. Well, look at him now

Nah, it was definitelly someone else. I think it was a revenge or something, because the guy that shot didnt even tried to reason with him or rob him and he tried to kill the guy in broad daylight, in front of his house no less, while he was doing some repairs on his car. he just pulled out his gun, shot him 9 times, and escaped.

I cant remember who it was or who was shooting though.

EDIT: Please remember people that we not alking about obvious circumstances like getting shot in head, getting shot while not wearing armour or very little of it, or getting shot by a high power bow (longbow, composite bow).

[CrazyCracka420]

Well I think bullets vs arrows is hard to compare, since we have modern medicine to help people survive gun shot wounds.  But IMO I think that bullets are travelling much faster than arrows, and are more aerodynamic, so they cause smaller wounds when they hit.  But at the same time, I've seen some crazy nasty exit wounds from large caliber bullets that look like an explosion happened.   I think a bullet would probably cause less damage unless it was a small caliber that was rattling around inside your body (rather than an in and out wound), or a very large caliber that caused a massive exit wound. 

[bavvoz]

So which caliber should be compared vs arrows?

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[CrazyCracka420]

So which caliber should be compared vs arrows?

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No clue, I think it's very hard to compare the two unless we're doing ballistic testing with different arrows and different caliber bullets, fired from different draw pound bows, and different types of firearms. 

[bavvoz]

True