how many arrows does an archer or horsearcher carry

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historically, i mean. I can't find any sources on google. a lot of irrelevant game cheats and such when i try to search for archer and numbers of arrows lol.

any history buffs here have an idea of what is a realistically accurate number of arrows that a foot or horse archer would be able to carry into battle?
 
Well, I am not an expert, but I would except that it would change from troop type to troop type. Asian mounted archers might have plenty of arrows, but those "lined archers" might just have 5 arrows sticked to the ground before them (might be a Hollywood influence tho).
 
ilex said:
Well, I am not an expert, but I would except that it would change from troop type to troop type. Asian mounted archers might have plenty of arrows, but those "lined archers" might just have 5 arrows sticked to the ground before them (might be a Hollywood influence tho).

well asian archers for sure. i read in that cho ku nu article that 1 guard tower full of guards would be able to fire somethign like 6000+ bolts per second from their semi-auto xbows, that have 10-12 round magazines, but how many can they carry onto the field?
 
6000 bolts per second would be an impossible ROF for a company of men with repeater crossbows, on a battlefield, with an unrestricted firing arc. For a tower, where they're forced to shoot through little slits in the walls and only a few men can fire at the same time, it's completely ludicrous. :razz:
 
okiN said:
allthesedamnnamesaretaken said:
sorry that should be per minute :oops: still pretty impressive though

I'm still doubtful. Putting out 100 bolts per second through those tiny cracks doesn't sound realistic. :???:

here is the source:

The chu-ko-nu was thus particularly effective as a fortress defense weapon against troops approaching and massing about its ramparts. As shown in an early photograph, a rectangular flanking tower of the battlemented walls of Peking is a stone structure some 100 feet high and 150 wide (2). Each corner of the fort has such a tower. The walls of its upper half are perforated with rectangular window-like openings which were designed for archers defending the city. There are 4 rows and 14 columns of these openings in each of the two outer-facing walls, making a total of 112 openings. If a chu-ko-nu, with a nominal rate of fire of one bolt/second, were being used at each opening, the total downpour on besieging troops would be a prodigious 6,720 bolts per minute!

http://www.arco-iris.com/George/chu-ko-nu.htm
 
There are 4 rows and 14 columns of these openings in each of the two outer-facing walls, making a total of 112 openings. If a chu-ko-nu, with a nominal rate of fire of one bolt/second, were being used at each opening, the total downpour on besieging troops would be a prodigious 6,720 bolts per minute!

6720 bolts/minute is the firepower of the whole system. An individual chu-ko-nu will fire ~ 60 bolts/minute :roll:
Still impressive though.


okiN said:
I'm still doubtful. Putting out 100 bolts per second through those tiny cracks doesn't sound realistic. :???:

Without the efficient use of gunpowder gases, 100 projectiles/second is unrealistic regardless of the crack.

I think this rate of fire was only achieved in multi-barrel aircraft machineguns (though I might be wrong).
 
On topic:

I'd say it must have been different for each situation. Archers occupying a fixed position might have baskets full of arrows, perhaps several thousands, at their disposal. However, being on the move while firing arrows is difficult with a large quiver. I'd say a moving archer, whether hunting or on a battlefield, would probably not carry more than 30 arrows or so.
 
I would think it matters what kind of archer, a english longbowmen might carry 10-20 (with a short sword 2nd weapon) while a asian horsearcher might carry 50-60 with multiple quivers.

All matters on what kind of archer.....
 
I'm a small size fella so I don't lug a big quiver around in real life. I can imagine if I'm out field shooting, I would probably be able to carry about 20 - 25 shafts in the quiver without squeezing everything together and damaging the flights - and these are arrows with practice heads. I would imagine if it would be tough to carry warheads in a big bunch in a battlefield condition.
Never used a Xbow before tho so I'm not sure about bolt carriers. My impression is that bolts are sturdy in comparison.
 
I am an archer. A modern archer and longbow archer and i know it is possible to carry and move with about 72-81 arows.
A large "koger" (dont know the english name, the bag for arows) can carry about 24-27 arows.
And a archer can carry a "koger" att ither side of the hipp and one on the back so Mount and blade has a good size on the arow bags. Then he would go to the stock pile and gett more.
 
malenn said:
I am an archer. A modern archer and longbow archer and i know it is possible to carry and move with about 72-81 arows.
A large "koger" (dont know the english name, the bag for arows) can carry about 24-27 arows.
And a archer can carry a "koger" att ither side of the hipp and one on the back so Mount and blade has a good size on the arow bags. Then he would go to the stock pile and gett more.

thanks for the input malenn. the arrow bags such as ones used in mount&blade is called a "quiver" in english
 
But these open quivers are used for hunting.

In battle, when one needs to run about more and negotiate terrain etc. Archers usually prefer to use bags without frames.

Archers would typically around two such bags of 20-30 each with more sheaths in wagons nearby should they need to refill.
 
Well, in Mount&Blade you never really get to be in a true Battle, they are just Skirmishes. So, it may well be that you carry a hunting quiver. (Though your arrows would get wet in the rain.)
 
Still doesn't make sense for open quivers really. Arrow bags with draw strings are far more functional.
 
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