The Longbow vs. Cuir Bouilli (Boiled Leather)

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Harper
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The Longbow vs. Cuir Bouilli (Boiled Leather)

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E.MacKermak
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Re: The Longbow vs. Cuir Bouilli (Boiled Leather)

Post by E.MacKermak »

Interesting. I wish they had actually told us the process they used to harden the leather. Nice to see the test conducted with proper weight bows as well. 1/4" at 15 yards did better than I thought it would with those weights of bows. Add a gambeson under the leather and the attacker might have actually made it to the archers' line (assuming he wasn't knocked down by concussive force). And the double layer did quite well even at 15 yards.
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Re: The Longbow vs. Cuir Bouilli (Boiled Leather)

Post by Ursus »

Neat results, though I still think wearing a breastplate made of several layers of that thick of leather would be a bit ungainly, though scale could be interesting. The Cattle Raid of Cooley describes Cuchulainn as wearing a harness made from "twenty-seven tunics of waxed skin, plated and pressed together, and fastened with strings and cords and straps". This is a myth of course, but an interesting mention nonetheless.
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Re: The Longbow vs. Cuir Bouilli (Boiled Leather)

Post by Kortoso »

Extremely short range with full-weight bows and apparently bodkin points. I didn't see broadheads tested.

Keep in mind, chainmail would be way heavier and offer no extra protection. In that case, a padded gambeson would have been worn; padding would have been reasonable under cuirbouilli as well.

If I'm out rangering and faced with a choice of no armor, or a thick leather jerkin, I'd choose the jerkin. On the other hand, I'd definitely hesitate wearing steel armor when slinking about the wood.
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