Shooting from Battlements! - How much further does it go!?

If we shoot a 140lb Longbow, a war weight longbow, from a five story medieval tower. Does it shoot further?

A simple question and obviously the answer is 'Yes'. But how much further?

So Joe Gibbs shoots on a flat field and then from the battlements of a tower that hosted an archery based siege in 1450 - what better place to find out?

[smashallpots]

this is so cool like you could recreate this with just a random building or some scaffolding you throw up but to actually go to a place like this that was the site of an actual battle is just that bit of extra that really make this special

[christophercox]

The power of the 'twang' from the arrow being released by just Joe is astounding. Imagine how deafening is was en mass with hundreds of archers. These "let's see what happens" video series are just marvelous. Keep them going.

[josxxiv]

Joe’s odd lean when he shot looks exactly like medieval art. I had always assumed that the old artists (who were not known for realism) just stylized their figures. Interesting and surprising

[dronesama]

I love everything about this video. The History, the architecture, the noise the archer makes before he shoots. Just great all around.

[Arashekhoeur]

Gibbs is a beast.
Couldn't help himself finishing his whole quiver enjoying his treat.
Seeing him in action does really show how good archer is so valuable.

[steulo]

So now we know how far you can shoot from battlements. Knowing how close you need to be to shoot the archers on battlements would help us measure the whole strategic efficiency of those. An even harder thing to stage for Todd and Joe. And thanks for this awesome experiment on medieval archery.

[Rockstar-bqfm]

Joe’s strength always surprises me. It shouldn’t at this point but it always does

[Halli]

I've seen a few longbow experts on video and they all have a similar stance: Lean forward and arse out before they let fly. Frankly, the snap of the string is a very impressive indication of the power of the bow! A 140 pound draw weight bow is not for weaklings, to lift 64 kilos with one hand (and 2 or 3 fingers!) is an incredible feat.
The "loser will buy us a pint of beer" bet is a win-win! Everybody gets at least one pint of beer - then the winner has to reciprocate and we are off, heading for a hangover...

[Uncle_T]

Always a treat when Tod is joined by Joe!

[dovemenpluscare]

I love that Tod is experimenting with ideas, that we all were thinking about, probably even since childhood. What an amazing channel, for me it is even a gold gem. Thank you Tod.

[Margoth]

10:30 I don't know if Todd thinks of himself as a scientist, but this right here is a perfect example of what a scientist does: Hypothesize, test, and see what happens, then reject the hypothesis if the test disagrees. A great scientist asks good questions and accepts when their ideas are initially wrong. Really respect the work you guys do!

[nokta]

Man, I shoot a 32 pound recurve bow and tire easily after a while. I can't even begin to imagine shooting 140 pounds regularly. I probably couldn't even pull back the string lol. Nice video sirs, very interesting stuff as usual. Thanks for the time and effort you people put into this. Love from an archer mate.

[marksumner]

As an archery coach it’s always fascinating to see the change in style for the really high poundage shooters.
It’s such a skill and to see Joe use the high poundage downward draw and then maintain control while shifting to aim up at 45 degrees is seriously impressive.

[MrMadeinthes]

We definitely need lots more videos of this type of content. Historical weapons testing/experiments fascinate me! History is fun.

[equesdeventusoccasus]

This video is a must watch for anyone who ever thinks about writing a sword and sorcery fantasy or a historical fiction story. Thanks to all involved for this effort.

[garstanforddasilva]

Very interesting about Todd’s thinking about arrow drop from apogee. Surely it’s drop is compensated for by longer flight at height? But it was a good trial. I can’t pull my big 150 lb longbow anymore 😢 Well done guys😊

[boartank]

It's something everyone has imagined as a kid but never put into action. One of life's mysteries solved! Thanks Tod and Joe!

[ntzntz]

Great video! I was also surprised by how much further it went.

I think a reason for the arrow going further than anticipated might be due to the angle of the released arrow. When shooting from higher ground the optimal release angle is lowered, allowing for further distance.

[andrewsock]

What a great privilege to be able to shoot from a castle tower. Thanks for making that wonderful video and sharing it with us all Tod 👍👍

[johnspencer]

Brilliant video. I was not surprised the arrow went a lot further. Although Tod thought the increase would not be much as the arrow would be falling steeper towards the end of flight. You need to remember it's starting 18 metres up at 45 degrees where as it would have flattened off a little bit when it reach that height starting from the ground. You can add maybe another second of flight time, so definitely increases.

Slightly unrelated, but battleship guns longest shooting angle was not 45 degrees but maybe closer to 50 degrees elevation. This is because the shell would reach the higher thinner air and end up with less drag.