Catapults, ballistas, trebuchets, petraria arcatinus, and mangonels, oh my

[Wonk]

http://mangonel.com/

Maybe it's just me but these look like they'd be more fun, and more of a challenge, to "plink" with than modern firearms...

Ever use one?

I built a mini trebuchet out of popsicle sticks when I was in junior high. That was a pretty fun toy, until my brother broke it...

[FeebMaster]

1. What does a person need something like that for anyway?

I think they should be banned.

[Wonk]

5. Yeah, particularly the easily concealable, fully automatic ones

with large magazines :silly:

[FeebMaster]

6. These things are weapons of war

assault weapons if you will and have no legitimate place in civilian hands.

[Wonk]

7. One of the things I used mine for was to toss grapes

and have my dog catch them. She loved that game :D

[DarkPhenyx]

2. Yup!

Got to load and fire a full size "Trebbie" when I was in Germany. I've built and fired a few other "ancient" artillery too. THey are fun, but as to more challenging, have you ever tried to put an artillery round w/in 100m of a target in just three shots? No, they are fun, and very very cool, but it's all challenging.

[Wonk]

14. What did you load it with? A rock, or something more creative?

http://www.fitz-claridge.com/Trebuchet/index.html

This one can throw a cow 3/4 of a mile
http://www.fitz-claridge.com/Trebuchet/cow.html

[JohnyCanuck]

3. Saw on TV

Someone in England built one of those medieval style catapults and for the projectile set it up with a harness to fire people into the air and into a big circus style safety net. Showed several people trying it out. I guess when you have a national health care system you can take those types of risks. :eyes:

[Wonk]

13. Here's a page about a guy who did that in Texas, too

http://trebuchet.com//articles/ron/trebuchet.html

[LibLabUK]

15. Hmm

"I guess when you have a national health care system you can take those types of risks."

The operators would have to have had liability insurance (there's no such thing as a liability waiver in the UK). The NHS recovers the costs of treating these sorts of accident victims from the operator's insurance company.

The whole trebuchet escapade ended in tragedy when one woman was killed, and one was paralysed.

[Kolesar]

4. I built a trebuchet with my erector set

I would lob pennies at formations of plastic soldiers. There were some long, slow winter days in Ohio when I was growing up

[mosin]

16. The corrupt trebuchet lobby...

obviously got to you at an early age. They already had you practicing destruction, mowing down innocent human beings with your killing machine. :(

[TexasMexican]

8. These terrorist weapons must be banned.

Islamic extremists could exploit our weak restrictions on these siege weapons. What if they start setting them up and taking shots at our national monuments.

Imagine the carnage as the trebuchets start firing thier deadly load at the White House.

[JohnLocke]

9. Very cool (nt).

[FeebMaster]

10. That's what the corrupt mangonel lobby wants you to think. (nt)

[JohnLocke]

11. What about the MMCT?

Are the Mothers Against Mangonels, Catapults, and Trebuchets planning to march on Washington, D.C.? :D

[FeebMaster]

12. They could probably draw more people than the MMM. (nt)