Arbalest Arbalest The arbalest (also arblast) was a late variation of the crossbow coming into use in Europe during the 12th century. A large weapon, the arbalest had a steel prod ("bow"). Since the arbalest was much larger than earlier crossbows, and because of the greater tensile strength of steel, it had a greater force. However, the greater draw weight was offset by the smaller powerstroke, which limited its potential in fully transferring the energy into the crossbow bolt. The strongest windlass-pulled arbalests could have up to 22 kN (5000 lbf) of force and be accurate up to 100 m. A
The Weapon Makers The Weapon Makers The Weapon Makers is a science fiction novel by Canadian writer A. E. van Vogt. The novel was originally serialized in "Astounding Science Fiction" from February to April 1943. The serial version was first published in book form in 1947 with a print run of 1,000 copies. It was then thoroughly revised in 1952. All subsequent printings contain the 1952 text. The events in the novel take place approximately seven years after the events described in "The Weapon Shops of Isher" (1951) even though the serial was published before some of the other Isher stories contained in