For a minute there I thought I had to get off my couch, when all the while the fact is we don't have to do anything much but keep things afloat for just a few decades more! In fact, we'd best shut up about PO, because if our offspring finds out we knew about it all along, they'll turn and wring our necks come 2036!
Abolish the orgasm... hmm... I might make a wind powered orgasm gun like in the movie Orgazmo! Imagine marauding bands of thieves stopped in their tracks by such a weapon...
All joking aside, I am an engineering student and on the question of medieval siege weapons, larger is not always better. Large siege machines are great sieging weapons. If you are in a marauding band, you might take one along and chuck a refrigerator at someone's house to get inside. But try to imagine hitting someone running at you at full speed with a fridge. Sure if you hit him, they’re dead, but I seriously doubt it would hit. Think of the intro to Braveheart where Mel Gibson is missed completely with the large rock.
Definitely smaller catapults are much more suited as a weapon, where they are not so much for seiging, but more as offensive or defensive artillery pieces. As a weapon, you should not look to throw more than possibly 10 pounds. Remember, speed adds more energy to a weapon more than just mass. You can easily build one with wood and a spring and such for as little as 25 dollars, probably closer to 50.
However, since this site is directed more towards practicality, thieves wont be charging at you in open field where you can aim a catapult at them, nor are they coming at you with sticks and stones. These people will be armed from everything from knives to shotguns. Try to throw a large rock at someone when they have you in the sights of a 12 gage.
I wouldn’t bother with any medieval anything until all modern weapons are used up.
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In the event of total collapse, modern weapons won't last very long. The components for gunpowder, for example, have to be shipped from far away. I have considered buying a Boyonette (SP?) because it will never be useless when the ammo is gone. But in the case of a Mad-Max future, people will die-off quickly enough so that when the bullets are gone, there will no longer be a need for killing people (most will be dead already).
But that would just make it easier for my clone army!
Joined: Aug 14, 2004 Posts: 2063 Location: San Diego, Ca.
Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 5:17 pm Post subject:
Quote:
But in the case of a Mad-Max future, people will die-off quickly enough so that when the bullets are gone, there will no longer be a need for killing people (most will be dead already).
Store enough bullets to get through post die off & beyond. Good plan.
_________________ "Peak oil isn't more than an interesting industry factoid and doesn't have anything to do with the hysterics speculated on ad nauseum around here!" ReserveGrowthRulz
Gun powder can always be made locally. Plus it will be awhile before everything is scavenged, so we will still be able to find things that can blow up.
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Joined: Jul 07, 2004 Posts: 434 Location: Berkeley CA
Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 6:05 pm Post subject:
humor?
Well gunpowder can be made locally. 75% potassium nitrate, 15% charcoal, 10% sulfur.
Potassium nitrate can be extracted from the soil, just look for it in army books. Charcoal is whats left of burned wood. Sulfur is found in small quanties as it's an essential fertilizer. _________________ my page:
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Store enough bullets to get through post die off & beyond. Good plan.
Might as well join the Army, you and your buddies will have all the guns and ammo you'll ever need _________________ Live quotes - crude oil, gold and currencies
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Man! You guys are funny! When I first saw this post, I was tempted to post, but didn't want to sully my reputation and lower myself to waste any contrite prose or blubber in response. But after revisting to see how bad it would get , I was surprised to see such humor! I have soda in my nose from reading these posts!
Gheez Louise! _________________ A Saudi saying, "My father rode a camel. I drive a car. My son flies a jet-plane. His son will ride a camel."
Live in Arizona? Check out: http://sustainablearizona.org and read my blog.
[quote="Aryan"] I am a member off such a group, and my chances are therfore improved. [quote]
Question for you Aryan. Are you a member of the Patriot movement? An honest question, just curious. _________________ A Saudi saying, "My father rode a camel. I drive a car. My son flies a jet-plane. His son will ride a camel."
Live in Arizona? Check out: http://sustainablearizona.org and read my blog.
Man! You guys are funny! When I first saw this post, I was tempted to post, but didn't want to sully my reputation and lower myself to waste any contrite prose or blubber in response. But after revisting to see how bad it would get , I was surprised to see such humor! I have soda in my nose from reading these posts!
Well gunpowder can be made locally. 75% potassium nitrate, 15% charcoal, 10% sulfur.
Potassium nitrate can be extracted from the soil, just look for it in army books. Charcoal is whats left of burned wood. Sulfur is found in small quanties as it's an essential fertilizer.
Well, That is Black Powder which is what was used upto around the 1890's. It is dirty, nasty, smells horrible, and worst of all, has much smaller explosion than modern explosives (it is a low explosive meaning it needs oxygen to burn)
Guns today use an explosive which is a derivative and mixture of dinamite. It has no smoke (well very little). It is a high explosive (has everything it needs to burn) and fires a bullet very fast. In short, it cant be made locally unless your survival communittee happens to have a chemist to make it.
not to say black powder is good stuff, but modern weapons are not suited to it. You might look into buying some muzzle loading fire arms and use them
And also guys, i dont think modern weapons are giong to dissapear over night. I think there will be a good century before we get war and famine out of our system. Once SITF, im sure bullets, guns, bombs and tanks are giong to be made for a long time. So dont think 10 years from now, there will be no modern weapons, though being trained in archery or something would be a definate plus.
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