The belt hook is efficient! Early accounts of crossbow loading by hand, before the stirrup, involve the poor fellow sitting down and having to pull with both hands. Even after the stirrup, pulling a crossbow back with just your hands is hard work. The belt hook is much easier, letting the crossbowman use less energy and pull back greater draw-weights, and is faster too, for that matter.
The belt hook is efficient! Early accounts of crossbow loading by hand, before the stirrup, involve the poor fellow sitting down and having to pull with both hands. Even after the stirrup, pulling a crossbow back with just your hands is hard work. The belt hook is much easier, letting the crossbowman use less energy and pull back greater draw-weights, and is faster too, for that matter.