Does An Arrow Pierce Chainmail? | Archery With Ray Mears
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- 'Does An Arrow Pierce Chainmail? | Archery With Ray Mears'
Do arrows go through chainmail? Ray Mears teams up with Danilo 'Tod' Todeschini from Tod's Workshop and professional archer Joe Gibbs to find out.
This video is an extended trailer for the History Hit TV documentary: Ray Mears, The Bow: From Survival to Conquest. Watch the full episode here: access.history...
The oldest known evidence of the use of the bow comes from South Africa, where microliths, believed to be arrowheads dating from around 70,000 years ago, have been found.
Evidence of humans' use of the bow can be found all over the world, from cave art in Algeria that shows a man shooting a slightly curved bow to the mummified body of Ötzi the iceman - a 4,000 year old murder victim discovered in the Alps with an arrow embedded in his shoulder and a collection of his personal possessions including an unfinished long bow along with a quiver containing 14 arrows.
But it's here in Britain, where the oldest complete bow ever was discovered, at a place called Star Carr.
Join Ray Mears as he goes on a personal journey to uncover the origins of the bow, from its early use in hunting to its development as the first true weapon of mass destruction.
Part one sees Ray begin his journey into the story of the bow with the team at the Yorkshire Museum where he is given special access to the world's oldest complete bow, an 11,000 year old artefact from the mesolithic discovered at nearby archaeological site Star Carr.
Inspired by what he's seen, Ray takes us from the mesolithic via some experimental archaeology right through to the middle ages when he visits the most famous battlefield in Britain, Hastings, to discover the true impact the bow would have on British history.
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Hope you enjoyed the video! Were you surprised that arrows pierced chainmail so easily? Remember you can watch the full length episode with a 14-day FREE trial on History Hit TV here: access.historyhit.com/what-s-new/videos/ray-mears-the-bow-from-survival-to-conquest-part-one
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Oh gee guess I don't have to watch the video now I know what happens.
Ray: "I don't even think I can pull the string back these days"
Also Ray: Nails two shots in the upper chest with ease
Looked like heart shots didn't it. The looks on Tod's and Joe's faces said it all. Pretty impressive.
🤣
Ray just has to imagine the target as a nice piece of slow roasted boar or venison and he'll never miss the kill-shot 😉
@@naninano8813 Supposedly, the longer you hold it, the less reliably accurate it is.
@@naninano8813 75odd lbs (34kg) is impossible to hold in that position for any extended periods of time, so you want to draw and release with one smooth motion. Your aim will wander as your arms get tired within a couple of seconds and your form crushes in a bit as you resist the draw weight.
Many others will explain this far better than I who has next to no experience in archery though
I was looking for this comment 😆
Ray's the kind of guy who says "No no, I don't really dance. Maybe once a long time ago." when asked to get on the dance floor. But after being prodded a bit he busts out moves that a 20 year old break dancer couldn't perform.
He didn't even pull it full draw either and still penetrated the mail with ease.
Like Roland Deschain
@kev3d Quit saying what people are and what they would and wouldn’t do worry about yourself before you judge others you don’t even know Ray
Yep, that’s him. A true Englishman versed in proper understatement. There’s a bit in one of his survival shows decades ago where he’s invited onto a deer stalk and asked if he’s ever used a rifle before. “A bit.” Then fells a deer at some preposterous range, firing uphill in high winds, with a borrowed gun he’s not even zeroed, and everyone else on the trip ends up flabbergasted.
@@michaeljames4904 he also does the same in some scene about wrestling where he says he used to dabble in judo , then proceeds to throw opponent about like a wet sock !!
I love how Ray Mears was like" I dont even know if i can still draw this its been years" and then puts his first arrow straight in the heart.
Then the next perfectly mirrored on the other side of the chest. Ray "hold my pint" Mears.
and it was a quick-draw! pull and release in one motion - no 'aim'
Yes but his hand then need3d a good shake out, which he does with no comment about it, straight after whilst chatting to the guys. 😊 you gotta love him… and the SPEED of his draw to aim was spectacular
Love it when two UA-cam worlds collide like this! Thanks so much for this snippet, folks.
Stay tuned for more collaborations with Tod!
Was pretty excited for Ray Mears, then hyped when Todd showed up, and then Joe Gibbs was there as well. Excellent colab guys.
Getting Ray Mears involved is a genius move, thank you
Ray Mears is an absolute legend!
Ray is a hero and an icon. Easy to love and so calm in his explanation of the world around us.
He survived a helicopter crash uninjured and selflessly ran to an injured crewmember despite being dowsed with fuel, at risk of fire yet unphased.
He worked with Northumbria police in an effort to track Raoul Moat.
He started his owned company, Woodlore, in 1983 but it became so successful that it ended up taking on his name.
Thing is, this man wanted to be a Royal Marine, a goal which only the best strive for. He didn't make it due to his eyesight. Legend went from an aspiring soldier to accomplished woodsman and inspiration for millions if outdoors loving lunatics all over. I'm definitely one.
Hes the real deal unlike that pretentious prick bear grylls, cringe!!
@@deanodog3667 I'd pick Bear over Ray though for any survival situation. Bear knows where the hotels are. 😂
Ray: " I'm not sure I can even pull it back these days"
Proceeds to drive two arrows through the heart
The other 2 guys look at each other as if to say 'have we just been hustled by Ray Mears?'
@@eddyk3 haha yeah! The look on Joe's face is priceless, he is just in awe.
TODD CUTLER!!! JOE GIBBS!!! So great seeing History Hit talking to these legends!
Ray is a hero of mine, I've watched him since childhood.
Me too. Great memories.
Love it! Ooh, by the way... In a couple of weeks time or so, Tod, Joe and a team of armourers, fletchers, and historians are scheduled to upload their follow up of their Arrows vs. Armour video. Could the infamous English longbow and it's arrows pierce the armour of the day, and if so, what would it have looked like? Please pardon the plug, I'm just genuinely very curious and interested and would like more people to join in... Well, if you didn't already know, now you know.
Or a follow up to Tod & Matt's experiments with the Rondel dagger
Maille alone, yes, shield and maille, only rarely, plate, no. But maille alone was never the armor of the day.
"Not sure I can even pull it back these days." Puts his first shot in the heart, second center sternum.
the heart is on the other side in most humans )))
@@Burboss Ray's FIRST shot, as STATED, was in the LEFT chest area at the heart region. THAT is where human hearts are, you pebble-brain.
@@Burboss The heart is on your left. As you look at someone head on its on the right but from your own perspective left.
Good to see you on here Ray.
I've just been watching your Extreme and Bushcraft Survival series back over the last few weeks. very pleased to see your knowledge and practical applications attributed to this channel alongside the fellow presenters/academics/historians.
It's honestly so neat to see a channel I've watched on UA-cam for years collaborate with a guy I'd watch as a kid on TV decades ago.
Ray Mears, Tod Cutler and Joe Gibbs are 3 of the coolest cats to walk the Earth, and here they are in the same video! Bravo ladies and gentlemen, bravo 👌🏼
Ray Mears, Tod Cutler and Joe Gibbs all in one place. I know this is going to be fantastic.
Always funny to me when my fandom all shows up in one video. Tod, Mears, and Gibb all working together in a video!
Oh... and the fella that made my historical display arrows made the arrows shot in this video too.
I was interested in the video. But then I saw my boy Tod and it just kicked it up a notch.
How much difference would the padding underneath the chainmail do? The chainmail is mainly there to protect the underlaying padding against cuts after all.
It makes a lot of difference, the chain mail takes the brunt of the hit, the padding takes the remainder.
Ray, Joe, and Tod all in one package!
"Hah, that guy in the background has a Tod Cutler t shirt on, neat... wait, hang on!"
Chad-moment when Mears puts two perfect arrows into the mail, just brilliant stuff
"Not sure if i can pull this one, it's been so long"
Shoots the arrow straight into a lung then another one in the heart
There is now substantial doubt among historians that Harold was felled by an arrow. The tapestry depiction is an apparent later touch-up to depict this, to deflect any blame on William for having probably assigned a death squad to locate and take out Harold directly, in order to clear any inheritance challenge to William's accession.
what if the archer was in the death squad
@@lancealex5058 that wouldn’t make sense because the archers were formed over a long period of time and were the furthest from the heart of the battle ,they were artillery rather than snipers . A hit squad would be more effective as a group of trained riders who could access any area of the field at speed and in formation .Rather than a lopsided peasant who was only there because his lord orders it !
@@andrewtrip8617 i think he means it was said that harold was felled by an arrow after the battle because william assigned a group of soldiers to find harold, target kill him which wasn't something thats deemed acceptable back then, lords and kings had to be given the right of ransom and not specifically targeted. i think thats what he means anyway
That has been doubted since I was a 'young' man'. I'm an old man now!
It's possible than harold be seriously injuried by an lost arrow, and was killed after in the battle?
In Normandy and France in general, we learn in class than harold was injuried by an arrow in the eye, but killed after by other soldiers
Well done for getting Tod Todeschini and Joe Gibbs to do your experiments for you. You see too many TV shows where sports bows are shot at costume armour and completely nonsensical conclusions drawn from such "experiments". This was real period equipment in the hands of people who know how to use it. Thanks.
Nice! I’ve been a fan of Ray’s since his earliest bushcrafting days, and of Tod’s since he started making videos. Worlds collide! What an awesome collaboration. :)
I expect it'll be over on Tod's channel, but I'd have liked if they had taken a bit closer look at the damage the chain had taken from the arrows. Those are pretty broad heads, wondering if it burst the rivets or actually sheared the links completely.
Nice information on bow history! That said, of course arrows would penetrate chainmail. Chainmail was best for protection against slashing. Its success, especially in regards to protecting from penetration, would depend on a myriad of factors, including riveted or not, linkage type, weave density, ring thickness, and the material used. Even when protected, the wearer could still suffer injury like serious bruising and fractures. Thus, a gambeson was a good idea.
Lovely production, the charming music really added a lot. Nice to see Ray Mears getting in on this youtube living history stuff.
"Oh gosh I really couldn’t guys…"
Nails the first one in the heart..
Tell Ray Mear's to start his own youtube channel. I need him in my life again.
Ray and Tod two of my favourite people. Why aren't we seeing more collaboration. Short video but great thanks
It would be a good idea to specify wether this is riveted mail or not, as the riveted type is far more resistant. I think I can see a few rivets on close up of the last image, so it probably is - which makes the penetrative power impressive.
History Hit really are doing some fantastic stuff now! Love it! Thank-you. History is so important!
Allways amazing to see joe Gibbs do his thing ...respect joe and todd
Ray "Humble" Mears strikes again. Love it.
When I see Joe Gibbs and Tod from Todds workshop. Just know it's going to be great.
Ray is a legend
It would be interesting to compare the results of the saxon and the norman arrows. With their wider blades and the lack of the supporting ridge, I think the norman arrow would have a much harder time penetrating mail armour.
Ray Mears is a living legend.
I love the fact that for probably some 20,000 years pointy stick was the pinnacle of fighting technology.
We're squishy bags with delicate valuable bits inside, prodding that is the pinnacle of killing if you have a single target.
I was very fearful to see yet another ,,Historyvideo" with ,,Experts". I´m so glad u guys nailed it^^. This is how its made. Only thing that was missing as I recall is the specifics of the Mail but it looked like a pretty standard riveted Hauberg like I own, so im fairly confident to say it shoulkd be a good representation for the Craft from back than. Very well made guys and hello to Tod :)
The Gambeson would resist the Arrows + bludgeoning, the Mail would resist slashing! You guys only had the Mail here...where was the Gambeson?!?!
*At least you guys didn't use Butted Mail....so I'll give you a thumbs up for that much....
I'm a simple man, I see Ray mears I click 👀
would been nice to see a more viking looking bow without horn nocks, and with deflex tips of extra weight
Great to see Tod and Ray together!!
Unexpected Tod and Joe episode! Excellent!
Wasn't chainmail always worn with padded armour underneath it though. Sure I read something about crusaders returning to camp and realising they had arrows stuck in their backs that had passed the chainmail but were stopped by the padding. We would be talking Saracen horse back archers with recurve bows here though.
Yeah it's kind of hard to believe because so many tests are very flawed. I think Cult of Athena did a great job on the test on mail because they put it on a dummy that flexes like a person and not on a solid wooden target.
The difference is huge on the test. They put crappy riveted mail on crappy padding jacket on the dummy that flexes like a person and the mail & padding was able to even stop full thrust spear!!!! Not just one thrust but multiple!!!! Why? Because the dummy moves like a person and it naturally rolls with the hits not letting all the energy get transferred to that point unlike a solid target.
Look it up here on UA-cam. Type in "Cult of Athena chainmail test" or something like that and you'll find videos on it. Is extremely surprising how chainmail stops all these weapons when a test is done very properly.
People need to keep in mind a human being is not a solid steel pole or tree, a human flexes and moves around, when the body's hit it will naturally fall back at least a little bit thus not letting all the energy transfer to the point.
Happy to see Ray is still doing well for himself
Glad to see Tod around, great guy
Also: "I'll have to reacquaint me with archery" > first shot hit the heart. Ooook. Lol.
Shout out to Danilo 'Tod' Todeschini from Tod's Workshop and professional archer Joe Gibbs, thank you for all your great work! I love Tod's Workshop. I wish that you had backed up progressively to see at what range maille began to be effective. Also was that maille typical of the Conquest period? Just as bow drawweights increased overtime maille quality increased overtime to counter it.
Apache arrows with just fire hardened wood heads pierced Spanish C16th mail. That's as primitive arrowheads v the latest most developed mail.
@@2bingtim Seems surprising and unlikely. Source? Aztec atlatls with obsidian heads definitely pierced Spanish armor so knapped stone or perhaps antler heads seems much more likely.
@@leoscheibelhut940 Hi Leo sorry for the delay. It was chronicled by the original sources for both the 1540-43 Coronado & 1539-42 De Soto Spanish expeditions when mail was at the apogee of develpoment. All that's needed is for the arrow to push through one lik, break it & the arrow passes through. It was a range of Indian nations they passed though & found it rather than just Apaches as I'd supposed. Indian arrows from their bows were found capable of shooting through two mail shirts placed together, so 4 layers of mail, with hardwood heads alone.
Sources:
pages 14-16 American Indian Archey by Reginald & Gladys Laubin, University of Oklahoma press 1980
Origonally- Narratives of the Career of Hernando de Soto by Edward G Bourne, Barnes NY 1904
& The Coronado Expedition 1540-42 by George P Winship, Fourteenth annual report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Government Printing Office Washington DC 1896
Also page 168, Longbow by Robert Hardy, PSL, 3rd ed 1996
@@2bingtim Thank you for your reply. I look forward to reading the original sources!
Good to see a man of Ray Mears upstanding and calibre on this show
Great video!! Full disclosure, I started watching hoping for an opinion to add to the ones I have gotten from Tod’s channel and boom! There he is!!! 😂 Been focused on late medieval, but MAN does this make me want to do a deeper dive into the earlier period!!!!
The sight of Tod and Joe shooting at the start was a comforting sight. I remember an episode from the history channel where they explained the goeiendag but the weapon wasn''t even close to resembling one.
Ray Mears (fan sinces Tracks) and Tod in the same video? Bliss!
How wonderful to see you and Tod together!
Did the Saxons have the yew warbow?
From what I learnt about early Saxons they looked down on the bow as a cowardly weapon, yet no one would go to battle without some.
I remember when Ray gave one of these to a tribesmen in africa, Hadza I think. He said it was like a gun.
I was almost expecting some diatribe from some sudo-intellectual.
It was a relief to see Todd and Joe on the screen!
Glad to hear Tod mentioning that we don't know what draw weight they were using as there is no historical evidence to what draw weight the english bows were right through the weapons use for warfare.
Based on my observations of several such videos, I have noticed that the difference between medium-armor (chain and tunic) vs heavy armor (chainmail under platemail) is such a vast chasm against arrows, if only because plate mail seems to affect the angular momentum of projectiles, while chain mail does nothing to redirect the force of these blows.
9:30 moral of the story, don’t mess with Mears (he’s a really nice guy, Woodlore 1995)
Ray despite his nerves at the start, still looked like formidable pro with the bow.
Ray Mears, as polite as he is lethal
Show 'em who's boss Ray. Two shots to the heart!
Was the chain mail butted or riveted? Maybe I missed something, but that seems to be an important point (much more so than the metallurgy of the arrow point or the chain mail).
Just remember- Ray Mears can kill two stones with one bird…..
Love Uncle Ray. But meeting Todd is just a match made in heaven.
If Ray was at the Battle of Hastings , William would have run away
Mail still had its advantages, in fact initial engagement would be much further out and an overlayment of armor, metal or leather, would contribute to saving the target. The attacker would attempt to push the archers to deplete their magazine of arrows. It the archers were behind or protected by infantry, they would be shooting at further distance.
mail was much more advantages against bladed weapons than piercing.
Funny enough, they soon learned that the bow was terribly inefficient, while the plague worked perfectly. Research is everything.
I would like to point out that it looks like the mail doesn't have any padding beneath it. Now I'm no expert on Saxon armor specifically, but I do know that mail is supposed to have padding beneath it.
That said, I can't imagine that the end result would be much different with how deep that arrow goes and the fact that we have records of a king dying to an arrow.
Ray Meers meets Archery - I’m in heaven!
New level of respect for Ray, like you sort of no his background but he seems a really nice steady dude them boom .... two arrows to the chest.
Nice to see Ray on the tube.
The thing that has always somewhat amazed me is that ancient peoples scattered across the world developed this genius device independently. Whatever caused them to stretch a sinew across a stick, and imagine it sending a deadly projectile - also needing invention? To realize that feathers would stabilize the flight of that object? To calculate the proper ratio of length/thickness and wood type for power? Incredible.
it is a paradox
People even as far back as the stone ages often took long journeys even up to hundreds/thousands of miles; IMO it would be far more likely for an ancestor to the concept to be developed once, used to spectacular millitary effect and then spread far and wide as everyone realised that not having a bow put you at a potential disadvantage both in hunting and defending yourself/your homeland. If hundreds of thousands of people are all making rough approximations of an idea over many generations, there's bound to be a lot of variation and then people copying the successful variations until the skill is refined enough for some to do so professionally and then generations of innovations later we get something that seems impossible to invent on its own.
Given that even the isolated Easter Islands were colonised by ancient humans, we'd do well not to undestimate their ability and will to travel.
Same is true of the Atlatl. Developed independently in many parts of the world
Ray Mears is a legend
Big fan of Ray Mears, glad to see him here!
For starters; Tod says that the draw weight of bows in the 11th century was about 70 pounds - but offers NO evidence to support that claim. By early Tudor times, commentators of the day were complaining that English archers were not as powerful as their fathers and grandfathers were - yet what was the typical draw weight of arrows salvaged for the Tudor ship, the 'Mary Rose'? About *140* pounds! That being the case, I can see NO reason to assume that 11th century archers, who practised from boyhood, could only pull a draw weight used by modern re-enactors who do archery as a hobby. After all, those archers had every reason to work up to the heaviest bow possible, giving them maximum killing range - not only when hunting for the pot, but even more so when in a battle, knowing that your life depended on it.
Secondly, military archers would NOT have used hunting arrows in battle! Fletchers made as big a variety of arrows back then as modern car tyre makers make today, suiting the product to its intended use. And what arrow was purpose-made for use against chain mail?
The long bodkin. A long and finely tapered arrow, the fine tip easily entering the loops of chain mail, and the long narrow taper bursting the ring open by a wedging action, enabling deep penetration.
I miss Ray being on our TV screens
That was AWESOME! Thanks so much
Glad you liked it!
It would be interesting to see the penetration capabilities at typical battlefield volley distances instead of point-blank but yea, for sure, if you’re super close to an archer might have your shield up…..
Always had the impression that the greatest use of archers ,was as artillery rather than marksmen on the battlefield.!
One thing about the Saxon warbow is that it's not really mentioned at the battle of hastings. Norman archers are mentioned. But Saxon archers arent. They're not even mentioned,or shown,during the annual battle of hastings reenactment
Ray Mears is such a good presenter!
I never realized how strong you had to be to sling arrows like that.
You dint have to be that strong for 60 to 70#. It is more about the technique.
Yeah IRL archery is quite physically demanding. Not many complete novices can even pull back a 30lb bow until they learn the correct technique
@@Joker-yw9hl mmm, nah 30lbs is EASY, even for beginners
@@chrismccaffrey8256 Depends on the technique. If you draw only enough to release the arrow with a bit of force you need much less energy than drawing to your cheek. I´ve seen a lot of novices drawing the bow to their chest where only about half of the draw length is utilised and therefore about half the strength is needed.
Ray is an amazing shot, wow
Nice one,this needs to be longer though.
Ray loves his archery.
5:35 A fine example of a medieval snitch.
I have two small complains, First - chain mail seems to me like large diameter of the rings, which I do not see as a common mail in that period (but they are riveted which is most important), this allows to arrow penetrate rings easier, but second complain is the distance. This distance you tried is quite reasonable contact distance, but soldiers had usually large shields etc, but what about larger distances? I am more interested in longer distances when arrow is loosing lot of kinetic forces, and I would like to know, if it remains still enough force to broke you bone or something even "lethal". Long distance shooting "balistic trajectory" was also part of the history, and I am still unable to find some clear evidence about effectivity of Bows in such conditions against mail.
I know that its definitively not easy to reproduce something like that due to large inacuracy on larger distances like 100yards.
I found a 4,000 year old chert barbed and tanged arrowhead in a potato field. A beautifully made object although I often wonder how annoyed its original owner must have been at losing it.
Ray Mears kills the enemy stone dead with one arrow
Ray is a crack shot, with a rifle too, that was beyond impressive.
Okay this is crazy, when I saw the video, I said goddman this is another TV produced type of shallow historical nonsense it seems. Hoping you may contacted the Tod or Joe and you got them both!!! Great work. Would love to see how deep they went in tho. 10 minutes of build-up for the experiment where you don't even try other tips and measure penetration ://
please fire the muppet who decided it was clever to put an arrow pointing at an obvious arrow in the thumbnail.
I disagree, give them a bonus! It was obviously done as a joke.
cracking video! shame Ray wasnt wearing his short shorts lol
My nephews nickname in our golf society is Ray Mears,he's always in the woods
Love it. Two experts watch Ray mears put them to shame with his accuracy 😂
Where can the full episodes be seen? I need them BAD
Joe didn't really get an introduction in the video but then again, I doubt he needs one at this point. Anyone who is into medieval archery probably knows of Joe at the very least.