It was very surprising to me also, after watching several videos of crossbow testing against a typical knight's breastplate, that hand-launched missile weapons could really only make dents (best case scenario) in the armor and only when hitting at a nearly perfect angle.
The vast majority of projectiles would have simply bounced off.
The effectiveness of archers then, is mostly in sheer volume (and getting lucky shots on the horse or weak spots in the armor) of projectiles, against less armored targets.
Modern crossbows with 200lb+ draw weights might be different, but that's another story.
The vast majority of projectiles would have simply bounced off.
The effectiveness of archers then, is mostly in sheer volume (and getting lucky shots on the horse or weak spots in the armor) of projectiles, against less armored targets.
Modern crossbows with 200lb+ draw weights might be different, but that's another story.