Medieval 100 Cal! Blackpowder impact! How effective were early guns in the medieval period? 

Did anybody else want to see them fire the other guns?

It is often held that early pistols would ping off good armour, though. Would be nice to see that tested. I didn't see the earlier videos, so I don't know the pedigree of the armour. That longbows did the armour so much harm suggests to me that it isn't the stoutest of plate.

It's worth noting that the penetrative power of these weapons (as with all missile weapons) decreases with distance. At longer ranges, the armour might've held up better. 17th century plate armour was actually made much thicker (to resist firearms). Plate armour isn't _inherently_ useless against such weapons. The biggest game-changer with firearms was the fact that literally anyone could use them.

People trained for decades, even dedicating their entire lives to become great swordsman. You hand some little shitter peasant boy a rifle, teach him how to use it in less than 20 minutes, and all of that melee training goes out the window. Also encountering firearms in battle for the first time must have been absolutely terrifying.

The sound and kick of the firearm is pretty damn wicked.

This channel is a hidden gem

"We managed to track down some mercenary gunners" Sounds like you travelled back in time ngl.

These two gentlemen really looks like Landsknecht of Holy Roman Empire, or Imperial handgunners from Warhammer Fantasy and time-travel to our time. Impressive! Thanks for making and sharing such a brilliant video!

"Slowmatch" called "Lunte" in German. Still today the term is used "lunte riechen". Means to "smell slowmatch" or to smell danger. Now I can see why.

All hail, Denethor, steward of Gondor!!

"we'll start with the oldest one" *only fire the most recent one......*

Truly Sigmar Handgunners, for the Empire. Great demonstration, a grim injury; war is cruel.

Wow. RU-vid finally recommended something relevant to my interests. Subbed.

I'd love to see this done the other way round. Suit up a dummy in modern level 3 body armor, Kevlar helmets, riot shields etcetera and have a group of long bowmen, musketeers, crossbowmen and lances attack it at will and see the effects. Would it be like a juggernaut or would the gaps in coverage allow for lethal damage?

Just imagine being a soldier when this kind of thing was in its prime. Imagine having to face up against hundreds, thousands possibly, of these being fired at you all at once. All while you’re probably also vulnerable to bombardment by artillery or a cavalry charge. Absolutely terrifying.

“And they've got a lot of equipment with them” 0:44 Zooms in on the guy’s balls

A few issues with this video (Fantastic Channel I am a sub) 1. We didn't gt to see how far back they were standing when they fired the guns. 2. They only fired the 1 gun each, would have liked to see them fire them all. 3. Would have liked to see them fire the guns from different ranges 20 meters--40 meters--60 meters. This would have shown what kind of accuracy these medieval guns had and what the penetration was from the varying distances. Great channel, but I found this particular video to be a bit disappointing. Perhaps you guys could one day revisit this experiment and test out things a bit more thoroughly.

So let me elaborate a little bit. -- Most armors were pretty effective at combating pistol rounds. Armor could be musket proof, & if it were musket proof, it'd be pistol proof. It would cost a lot, & would really be reserved for the upper-echelon of society. That's why full plate armor was either reserved for royalty, high nobility, or the extremely wealthy. Most knights were fairly wealthy, & often times a few steps above the lowest form of gentry & often times being the lowest form of nobility themselves (depending on country). Knight armor changed so much throughout the years & was eventually phased out for three-quarters armor, or even half armor as firearms became more advanced; which would've been thicker in the torso & helmet, with minor protection to arms & legs or potentially none at all (See armor of the English Civil War or think of a Cuirassier for examples or simply Google the armor names I've mentioned). You also have to keep in mind that armor would've been angled & reinforced all over the body, but especially to the torso & helmets (hence ridge-lines, & angled helmets, you can also see a lot of reinforcing in Gothic & Maximilian styled full plate armor where there was a lot of fluted & ridged areas on the surface of the armor) to deflect anything hitting it. There was also the fact that the shot / round would lose velocity the further away it was shot, & had the possibility of barely damaging the armor, the person wearing it might not even feel it & may only hear the "tink" of the shot hitting them. Historical ball type-shot ballistics vs. modern bullet ballistics are quite different. The round ball shot is going to tumble in the air, & bounce on its way out of the non-rifled musket / (like-term); while a modern bullet using smokeless & refined powder would fly a lot more accurately, faster, & straighter, especially coming out of a rifled barrel & the bullet being a lot more aerodynamic. Black powder & modern smokeless powder burn at different rates, & have different explosive measures, & it was also common for pistols & carbines back then to be on par with their musket counterparts via caliber size, & sometimes even powder charge. It more-so came down to the accuracy of the weapon, due to a longer barrel, or rifling. So, I won't say that all armor of the time period was musket proof; but I will say, that for people who could afford it, it definitely was to some degree. Everything breaks after a while, & the armor would eventually lose some of it's structural integrity which could lead to someone shooting through armor, or a round hitting in the same spot further weakening an already weakened spot; but that depends on how the armor was made, what materials it was made with & a great amount of "dumb luck". I wouldn't think general munitions armor (armor given to basic soldiers) would be musket proof for the most part. They were more like what flak-jackets would've been. Cheap, & helped negate damage from any sort of shrapnel or blade. Possibly / very rarely (among a vast distance or by the luck of whatever faith the person chose to believe in) munitions armor may stop a shot. Not as good as quality, well-made armor, but some armor was definitely musket proof. Also, while they may not have had proper flintlocks, the doglocks, miquelets, snaphaunce, snaplocks, matchlocks, handgonnes, etc. were all essentially advancements to firearms & that of the flintlock musket, & it essentially provided less steps to the reload method of what a matchlock would be, & the true flintlock provided an actual 'half-cock' for loading, etc. I'd also like to go even further & point out that depending on the time period, a 'Medieval' plated knight would've typically had some sort of cloth shirt, then an arming doublet or padded gambeson which would either have patches of mail sewn into it where the exposed bits of plate armor would be, or on top of the gambeson they'd wear a mail shirt, then finally strap the plate to that. That's roughly 3-4 layers (depending on where the shot lands, & if they have a separate mail shirt), not to mention the reinforced & curved parts of armor that a shot would have to go through, & on top of that (although it was relatively rare at certain times, especially with the development of full plate armor), the man-at-arms, or Knight+ in this case, may also want to carry a shield often either wooden or metal or a combination, which is another layer (& a half maybe) for your shot to get through. I won't bother with possible gilding of armor, etc. 'cause odds are it'd be somewhat negligible, but maybe by the skin of your teeth it'd help the armor's structural integrity. Let's also point out that also depending on the time period you'd either be shooting rocks (likely in handgonnes & earlier firearms), or lead ball shot. Depending on the rock, it'd most likely shatter, & lead would deform on itself & sort of 'splash' out / implode on impact. People in the comments are saying that the armor is too thin, severely rusted, & has already been tested on. I agree with them. As much money as it'd cost, I'm sure the results would be worth it; plus if you can find someone who actually enjoys this, & has the time to make an authentic breast plate, not even the whole thing, just for the sake of the experiment, it may be a lot cheaper than you'd think. It's mentioned in the video that it's already been used for lances, horseman's picks, & the longbow. All viable in their own right, but you've already warped / damaged the armor & lowered it's structural integrity even further than what it already was giving an edge to the firearms. Plus, I've seen videos where with quality armor, long bow arrows can't penetrate the armor. Maybe munitions grade, but not something a knight would wear. Agincourt had a lot going on too, & that's another debate; but it's still in the same sort of situation as these firearms. I'm not saying any of this isn't plausible, but depending on the factors, not as likely. For those who read this massive unorganized text, thank you for taking the time to read it. Have a great day.

If I ever saw something that I felt would require a set of protective eyewear, this would have been it!

Wow the progression from essentially mini cannon to rifle is amazing. The evolution of the lock and trigger mechanism is fascinating. This channel just keeps on providing more and more educational entertainment. I hope you don’t stop with these videos. It makes me proud to have paid for every installment of the Sniper Elite series lol.

They did invent bulletproof plates consisting of sandwiched armour, and those held up quite well to those kind of firearms

This channel makes me so happy. Love it, guys. Keep up the great work.

30 plus years ago my cousin had a fantastic book on medieval warfare. It gave a fantastic example of the drastic change of warfare the gun. It recounted all the great things a gallant and skilled french knight acheived in his military career. This included charging into the enemy ranks cutting his way to and stealling the enemy standard and also when he was wounded he killed several of his own men defending the farmers wife and children they were resting in. His last battle for all his skill he was shot by a gun from some unknown soldier.

Thanks for the video guys!

Judging from the smoke, Modern powder was used. Older (Meal) powder was immensely powerful for the times, But was no where near as powerful as today's powders.

Expected results, but still fun

Karl Franz watches and nods, visibly pleased. (Warhammer people will understand)

I found this post I had missed. It was one of the best ones you have posted. I understand now why armor became to heavy to be practical once guns became common. Thank, you, Sir, my condolences on your country's loss.

Moment of silence for Breastplate. 🌈👼

Why did I just now just find out about this channel.i love this

thank you so much for the video. All kind of fun facts, well presented and interesting.

Great piece. You make your point with incredible clarity. So well presented.

It's worth noting that breastplates could be made pistol- and even rifle-proof so guns didn't make armour obsolete overnight. However, once you have to do that, the all-important protection/mobility tradeoff gets a lot worse plus no body armour can ever be cannon-proof. So you see a gradual shift away from the full-body, more encumbering suits of armour towards partial protection, culminating in the heavy cavalry armour of the Napoleonic era.

Hark! What weapon hast thou brought to battle on this fine day? An Aye Art 15, m'lord.

I can't believe that I didn't find this site earlier. This is fascinating! I have studyed midevil times for years and I love it.

This may be my favorite channel on RU-vid. Not just for the educational content, but the awesome music. Everything is surprisingly calming.

"I would say with close enough distance..." every gun before 1600 in a nutshell

the delay between the initial explosion and the bullet shooting out gives it a very raw feel. I can hardly fathom the force of modern gun but this must’ve been terrifying back in the day

An absolute gem of a show and what a history show SHOULD be.

These videos are phenomenal

Inventing such a modern weapon must have been so difficult; it's completely different from what was already out there on the field. All that training of the knight and the horse, and it takes one bullet to end it all.

"This is called a hook gun, for a very good reason; it has a hook." - Some English bloke

That was brilliant. Thanx so much

That's probably the coolest most professional RU-vid Intro I've seen yet. Love this channel.

I would also be curious to see the effect of these middle age rifles against modern plate carrier rigs.

What about medieval guns versus modern ballistic armor? I like this video a whole lot.

That *sound* of them going off was absolutely incredible! Holy hell.

I would love to see more of this. Especially seeing some of the earlier hand cannons against plate armor.

Just wanted to say those two "period mercenaries" seemed like all round top blokes, would love to grab a beer with them one day!

That’s some pretty cheap armor there. There was a great episode of NOVA where the replicated a steel breastplate from either the 15th-16th century and fired a medieval gun at it. It stopped the bullet. Also, ( I think it was at The Met ) there are lots of pieces of armor with deep dents in them. Those were bullet strikes that didn’t go through. Guns and knights co-existed for a good couple hundred years. Hence, I believe the downfall of the medieval knight as we know it was his expensive paycheck, and the rise of more standardized standing armies. Guns played their part yes, but really weren’t the main reason.

I just discovered this channel and this looks pretty neat. You just earned a sub

Btoom! The sound these early guns make is so satisfying :D it's like a miniature cannon

I honestly, even knowing the prowess on flintlock pistols, did not expect the massive amount of damage that those shots dealt. Sweet lord, that was absolute destruction!

This is what the History Channel was supposed to be.

Very impressive. Thanks.

Looks amazing!

More black powder gun videos!

That transitional period into guns being a thing must have been insanely frustrating and scary for nobles. Their full suit of armor suddenly gives them very little advantage against the standard rank and file during battle. Some cheeky dude in a button-up shirt holding a cannon attached to a stick can put a fist-sized hole through you if he feels like it.

It’s nice to see a show actually have someone know what they’re talking about when in it comes to guns. I need to get or make myself some of these older, contemporary black powder boomsticks.

The sound has this great punch to it.

Just discovered you. Subscribed♥️

Imagine robbing a bank with this thing

that was wonderful.

Awesome video!

There was a youtuber who had his girlfriend shoot him with a .50 cal desert eagle point blank using only a book for armor. (He died).

"Handgunners! Ready arms! Sigmar guide our shots!"

beautiful craftsmanship

I was really blessed while finding this channel

Back when 2nd edition was the only edition in town,, so around the 1990s or so, someone wanted to make a character with plate armor in a setting where world war 1 era firearms were avaialble. When I told them that a modern bullet would go right through plate mail, they argued with me for a solid hour before just leaving. I wish I could've shown them this video.

Loving the videos. How were the Tournaments of old organised? From the start of the day, how did knights prepare for Tournaments, what were the rules and how were they decided? What happened after a Tournament were their feasts?

Woow ! I would NEVER have thought it had such power behind it !

Amazing. Thank you. Loved it. Especially clear pure English language

I have never seen medieval guns in action, this stuff is fantastic! Btw what kind of powder were they using?

EARLY MEDIEVAL guns? Can't wait to see Charlemagne's musket. :P

This was SUPER satisfying. Thanks!

Jason, I want to give you my heartfelt thanks for what you do on this channel. Medieval European history is something that has captured my interest ever since I was a little kid in school. The enthusiasm, presentation style and information you bring to your videos make them an absolute treat to watch. Hope you're doing well and staying safe.

These are too short honestly Also that gun sounded EPIC

I felt the power of those rifles through my screen its a proper boom stick

Great vid 👍👍

love this channel!

"We made a thumb-sized hole." "Well, it's about the size of your thumb..."

Lmao they look like weaponsmith dwarves especially the dude in the blue.

How have I not see this? Great video.

Short and enjoyable video, but as informative and interesting as ever, thanks 🙂

Fun video, but I was wondering, at what distance from the breastplate were these guns fired? At what distance would they become ineffective against armor?

Two of the most profound adaptions to human warfare was using Horses, and using Guns. Then some ass had the idea of combining the two concepts.

Thank you again for the amazing content~!!

More good work. Thanks.

SUMMON THE ELECTOR COUNTS

"Very special liquid" indeed...

Such powerful guns!

BOAAAAAWWWMMMM! That sound (particularly the second one) was so incredibly satisfying.

The first one used to be called PÍŠŤALA . That evolved to the PISTOL. It was a Hussite weapon in early XV. century.

Remember, not all breastplates were created equal. In Ancient Discoveries, Tank Tech, they showed armour could withstand arquebusses and the like. Same for Secrets of the Shining Knight.

Excellent.

The best thing about guns from those days is the steps you have to go through to load them. Patience in the midst of battle is a very key thing.

What about the two handgonnes they had with them?

Were they using a period formula powder or something more modern? The guns sounded funny, didn't produce much smoke and the powder seemed to burn really fast.

Those post-medieval guns are very fascinating. Thank you MHTV for posting this.

Great stuff