MikeO

Saw something on Spike tonight pitting Apache warriors v gladiators.

The long range weapons were bow & arrow v sling. The B&A won.

What interested me was the authentic Apache B&A bought to the demo and fired into a human torso w head mock up (gel w bones, organs, blood and blood vessels). While certainly deadly enough to do the job, it was pretty tame compared to modern stuff. Only 95 fps w arrows that looked to be under 500g. Penetration into the sim was pretty shallow (some only the head), and none of the arrows exited the opposite side. Doesn't square w stories I've heard about two riders on the same horse being nailed together by the same arrow.

The equipment seemed very similar to the Acoma Pueblo B&As I've seen produced and used locally here in NM. Pretty slow compared to modern stuff, but I don't know how they really compare to the "war" bows used against the Spanish, Mexican, and US invaders.

Next time I come across them shooting their stuff, I'll ask about that.