I love that goats-foot lever! I actually learned just recently that that’s a very late Medieval invention (being appropriate here, of course, in the 15th century) and that it’s something to the tune of twice as mechanically efficient as the old belt-and-hook systems, allowing militaries to (effectively) nearly double the draw weight of the crossbows that were made. Five bolts a minute(!) with a draw-weight of 300 lbs by one modern experimental archeology test.
I love that goats-foot lever! I actually learned just recently that that’s a very late Medieval invention (being appropriate here, of course, in the 15th century) and that it’s something to the tune of twice as mechanically efficient as the old belt-and-hook systems, allowing militaries to (effectively) nearly double the draw weight of the crossbows that were made. Five bolts a minute(!) with a draw-weight of 300 lbs by one modern experimental archeology test.