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Post by Elheru Aran on May 14, 2012 17:51:11 GMT
Buff coats were actually generally worn on their own or under half-armour, which was universally plate; a cuirass with gauntlets and sometimes thigh and knee protection. It's a mid-to-late Renaissance armour; think 1600's on down. Definitely not something that would've been worn in the medieval period. It'll probably work, I'll grant you that, but the padded gambeson is really a much better garment under mail as it absorbs blows better than a single layer of admittedly thick leather.
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Post by MOK on Jul 21, 2012 9:46:32 GMT
Actually, they worked perfectly well against early firearms at some distance, which is what they were intended to do. Nobody thought they would stand up against musket balls at close range - even most plate armour didn't manage that (and no wonder, since long muskets were specifically designed for range and armour penetration) - and long rifles were a somewhat later development. Of course, the historical ones I've seen looked somewhat thicker than the one in that photo... PS. I mean, take a look at this four-panel coat. The low angle photo clearly shows how thick the leather is (and yet it's supple enough to drape nicely, too; it's actually kinda hard to find leather like this today).  |
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Post by Dave Kelly on Jul 21, 2012 10:20:52 GMT
The buff coat was an innovation popularized in the 17th Century 1630-1700. Cavalry used with half armor or less, as did pikemen. Not much use against bullets. I own this one. In typical Reiter garb:   Time Seller in Spain also offers several different configs of the buff coat. Period coats were often either heavier grained or oiled. |
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LeMal
Member
Posts: 1,183
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Post by LeMal on Jul 21, 2012 13:58:13 GMT
Very true. The drop off in velocity of a blackpowder ball between muzzle and 100 yards is nearly 50% and the drop off in kinetic energy about two-thirds. www.namlhunt.com/traditionalmldata1.htmlRemember, cavalry was specialized to suddenly exploit weakness in infantry in this period--meaning they had to be close enough to give a charge fast when the time was right, yet not be vulnerable. A buff coat makes perfect sense in this context. |
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Post by MMcQuown on Feb 18, 2014 19:43:06 GMT
The reason you can't find leather like that these days is that most commercially sold leather is a split, rather than a full hide. You're getting the top layers to about half the thickness. You can get a full hide, but they're had to come by. And the devil to sew. The original buff coats were top stitched through only about half the thickness. Another thing you should know: the lacing down the front is a sham. The Coats closed with hidden hooks and eyes. The ideal material is elkhide, which is already yellow and doesn't have to be dyed.
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Post by Beowulf on Feb 21, 2014 13:24:55 GMT
My first thought upon seeing this is that it would work well under maille as the "comfort layer". Real buff coats are complicated. Too bad cloth armour is basically ignored by modern people, it was a vital and apparently effective thing back in the day.
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