If anyone is interested in longbow effectiveness, Tod Cutler, a re-enactment enthusiast who makes weapons for a living
Oh, yeah, he lives nearby. He demoed one of his crossbows to me (slight sense of deja vu, so please excuse me if I'm repeating myself, I have an awful memory) which was a big bugger and it took a lot of winding. Very impressive, even though he said it only had about as much impact as a .22! He
nearly let me have a go but it was unfinished. I suggested it was probably a terrible idea to hand it to me anyway! Best case I'd just drop it on my foot.
