Repeating crossbow

A repeating crossbow is a crossbow where the separate actions of stringing the bow, placing the bolt and shooting it can be accomplished with a simple one-handed movement while keeping the crossbow stationary. This allows a higher rate of fire than a normal crossbow. More complex ancient designs worked with a chain drive instead: there is a magazine containing a number of bolts on top of the bow, and the mechanism is worked by moving a rectangular lever forward and backward.

History

The Chinese repeating crossbow (; sometimes romanized as "chu-ko-nu") is a device with a simple design. Also known as the lián nǔ (), the invention is commonly attributed to the strategist Zhuge Liang (181–234 AD) of the Three Kingdoms period, but those found in Tomb 47 at Qinjiazui, Hubei Province have been dated to the 4th century BC.Lin, Yun. "History of the Crossbow," in Chinese Classics & Culture, 1993, No. 4: p. 33–37. Such...
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