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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TheAuldGrump" data-source="post: 5550237" data-attributes="member: 6957">Was the crossbow spanned with a goatsfoot or a cranquin? Yeah - a goatsfoot does get a better RoF than an early gun, but actually has worse range. Much better accuracy, but less range. To be honest, given a choice between a light crossbow and an arquebus then I will take the crossbow. Given the choice between a light crossbow and a blunderbuss I will take the blunderbuss - you don't even try to aim the fowling piece. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> I will leave the heavy crossbow to someone who likes turning cranks a lot. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" />Anybody who thinks that it takes two minutes to load a hackbutt (arquebus) has either never fired one or not practiced. Sort of like cooking while reading the instructions on the box. Like anything else, you get faster after a few dozen repetitions. It may have taken me more than two minutes when I first fired a musket, but not for more than a few shots.And again - do not take my word, or Wiki's word - go out and find some reenactors! If you like the question then you will almost certainly have fun. Stinky blackpowder fun! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> Failing blackpowder reenactment then hook up with the SCA, a different kind of anachronistic fun, and lots of enjoyable arguments. (My local shire is Malagentia - Land of the Bad People.)Really, it is about enjoying things, I like firing dirty, stinky, slightly dangerous old toys what go *bang!* (Something fun - because so many Land and India Pattern muskets were made it is usually cheaper to get a real Brown Bess than to get a working replica. I got the one I used to have for about $200 in 1990. I miss that gun, but in 1999 I moved to an apartment that didn't allow firearms, so I gave it to some <s>pirates</s> friends of mine who still do reenactment.)The Auld Grump</blockquote>

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