Can you pierce armor with a crossbow?

Yes they could depending on the thickness and angle. Crossbow bolts were designed to pierce armor and some were even barbed, they shot faster and penetrated better than a bow arrow, the bolts were thicker and stubbier but this gave them weight to penetrate armor, which was often made of iron or steel.

Can crossbow bolts penetrate armor?

These were a response to plate armor. Even at extreme close-range with high-poundage war-bows, penetrating plate armor is almost impossible. Very powerful crossbows at very close range might do it, especially against low quality armor, but even then, the odds are in favor of the armored man.

Did Knights use crossbows?

No. In European warfare bows and crossbows were rarely used for anything but mass volley shooting. This tactic wouldn’t work for the proud knights who wanted to be on the front line, fighting with lance and sword.

Can bows penetrate armor?

Well, first of all a real longbow can penetrate steel armor, as long as the arrowhead is made of forged, hardened steel.

Can arrow penetrate plate armor?

Computer analysis by Warsaw University of Technology in 2017 demonstrated that heavy bodkin-point arrows could penetrate typical plate armour of the time at 225 metres (738 ft).

Can arrows pierce body armor?

What arrow penetrates armor?

Can a crossbow be used to penetrate armor?

Point-blank, heavy-duty crossbows can pierce plate armor, but from a distance, often all that it will do is dent it and bounce off. You can watch videos of tests online if you’re curious. Generally speaking a bolt won’t punch through plate armor at a lethal scale anyway as long as padding is underneath.

Can a crossbow pierce plate mail?

As for plate mail, it probably wouldn’t pierce the platemail, it would instead dent it which could cause issues for you from a blunt trauma perspective. A crossbow bolt is physically capable of piercing platemail, but a common crossbow isn’t capable of firing a bolt at a velocity high enough to do so.

Can a crossbow bolt go through chainmail?

Nope the bolt would go right through it, chainmail was created for blunt slashes, not jabs like from a crossbow bolt. Thick leather hide? It depends on how far away the crossbow bolt was fired.

How much damage does it take for an arrow to penetrate?

It usually takes at least two to three inches of penetration to damage any vital organs. Economic and social factors. Cost and availability of armor, skill of the archer, horses, mass archery. Some armors that defend very well against arrows were prohibitively expensive.