How is the rate of fire per minute from a normal chinese archer(military)?

Thanks..^^

Considering 1 arrows every 5 seconds, it would be (60/5=) 12 arrows/fire per minute.

However, there are some bows that can be used for fire more than 1 arrows, so this rate is not fixed.

Problem with rate of fire per minute is the archer gets tired very quickly, and when you get tired you can't shoot accuratly. Also you can only carry so many arrows. I've seen experts firing 5 shots in about 10 seconds. They hold their quivers with their bow hand.

I think it was 6 accurately aimed shots per minute, and 10-12 rapid shots per minute.

The best 20-30% of archers were faster in both categrories of shooting.

For really short bursts of shooting, it could get even faster, presumably. The rates I've mentioned above is for sustained shooting, drawing arrows from quivvers.

This would have to be kept up for 10-15 minutes at a time.

But remember that the usual armor-piercing war arrows used were heavy, sometimes very heavy. So he might run out of arrows temporarily before actually getting tired.

The Egyptian mamluks were expected, in normal practice, to be able to shoot three arrows in one and a half seconds; and to strike with the sword, while galloping, three times a second.

On this archery, see Taybugha, Saracen Archery, J.D. Latham and W.F. Paterson ed. and trans. (London: Holland, 1970), 138 pt. vii, and 142, pt. 5; and Anon., Arab Archery, N.A. Faris and R.P. Elmer ed. and trans. (Princeton, 1945), 150-51. I have discussed the archery techniques of the Mongols and the Egyptian Mamluks, and their tactical implications, in “Mongol Society and Military in the Middle East: Antecedents and Adaptations,” in War and Society in the Eastern Mediterranean, 7th-15th Centuries, Y.Lev ed. (Leiden: Brill, 1997).

Holy crap... , how'd they do that? Can you tell me if how they held the arrows, the type of bow, and the type of sword? I can strike with a pencil three times a second

The type of bow the Mamlukes used was the asiatic composite bow. Similar to the Mongols and Turks. This bow was a little bit smaller to make it easier to use while on horse back. The Mamluks (slave soldier) "disdained dismounting". Fighting on foot was left to lesser troops.

Cheers

I dunno about ASian archer but I assume that the rates would be very similar to Longbowmen. There is no reason why it would be drastically different.

A trained longbowman can shot 3 aimed shots at full power in 7s . This is also the sametime I takes a horse carrying a heavy knight to sprint 100m. This is also happen to be the maximum range (actually its 120m) at which the arrow can penetrate heavy armour.

In the fight between the Brits and French, the 3000 yeomen can waste about 10,000 arrows before the french heavy cavalry reaches them. There's 1 report that 5000 knights charge the yeomen line. By the time the 1st knight reaches the yeomen line, only 150 were left. These were then butchered with extreme prejudice by the infantry. Infact, towards the end of the battle, the archers were told to shot "slower" couse they can't make enough arrows to resupply thier stock.

The first arrow is knocked, three more are between the fingers of the right hand (thumb draw used). On command the whole regement losses off the arrows, and then four more that are held in the left hand, as quickly as possible. These are light flight arrows and the process is called shower shooting, performed at long range.

The manuals also describe short range accurate shooting with heavy arrows (classic steppe horse archery) and dismounting in difficult ground for sustained long range fire at specific targets.

Some of the manuals are on line eg: http://www.deremilitari.org/RESOURCES/sources/archery.htm

Some of the manuals are on line eg: http://www.deremilitari.org/RESOURCES/sources/archery.htm
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Hi Thomas,

I couldn't pull up the website. Is it correct?

Cheers

Chris

It just worked now ?
You can also get it by going into www.deremilitari.org and looking at the sources..