AK-47 vs. Gladius???

[erichsen]

Which would you trust more to take on an indefinate hiking trip through various terrains? Double edge or a longer single edge? Cooking, battoning, fending off grizzly/cougars - all around winner???

I think you need to set a realistic expectation and assume you'll have more than one cutting implement. A sword isn't generally your best choice for all of the "bigger" tasks for which a smaller blade is unsuitable.

Double edged implements are almost always classed as weapons (double bitted felling axes being one exception) and as such are likely unsuitable for general purpose use. A stout, heavy bladed knife, such as a Seax, Khukuri, the heavier Goloks, Bolos, Borongs, Pangas and Central/South Machetes can also make serviceable general purpose choppers, cutters and slashers. Note all of the implements mentioned are single edged, can be battoned if called upon to do so, most have a point, but not always.

As for protecting yourself with a knife, ANY knife from a bear or mountain lion: Keep in mind dangerous animals are generally killed by organized groups in a hunting party, even when firearms are available. Sending someone alone into the wilderness to take down a grizzly with a sharp stick is the stuff of movies, not reality. Any youth who may have received such an instruction were no doubt someone the village really, really wanted to be rid of.

Regards,

-E

 

[nc527]

There is an easy answer to this question that everyone seems to forget...................... GET BOTH!!

 

[DowntownDM]

AK, with a folding stock and extra mags.

 

[d762nato]

AK, with a folding stock and extra mags.

Amen brother and shoot for the Brain Pan with Fmj's. :thumbup:

 

[CoreyI35]

THis to me would all depend on armor of the two combatants. THe ak is better for slashing and the Gladius is better at stabbing.

THe gladius would penetrate plate mail, but the Ak would just glance off chainmail while slashing.

I think the warrior with chainmail, shield and gladius would destroy the opponent with similar armor with, or without shield and an AK.

Ok, how about this... What if I wore a cougar AS my armor?

oooh oooh ooh... I think I've got something here...

how about an automatic grizzly bear launcher?

 

[thetret]

You'll never hear a cougar coming until he's on top of you-I've been there w/ a mountain lion and I was real glad I had a shorter knife-back then a SOG bowie .No way I could have used an AK or Gladius.Just too long. Against a bear you're sc...ed either way. If they want you they'll get you unless you have a gun. Thank goodness that momma bear in Yosemite didn't want me last year. I was close enough to realize that no AK or Gladius would have stopped her. A little stick just makes them worse.

 

[knife hunter]

Ok, how about this... What if I wore a cougar AS my armor?

oooh oooh ooh... I think I've got something here...

how about an automatic grizzly bear launcher?

ROTFLMAO!

THats damn scary

THats almost too funny. I had a NIGHTMARE two nights ago that I went to Artic resort with family and woke up to screams and roars. I looked out window and a guy had been half eaten by a polar bear!

I remember seeing the bear coming up to my door cause I was on lower lever and trying to get everyone out the front before he came in

The last thing I remember was the bear coming in :thumbdn:

ANYWAY, I think it was the lack of alcohol in my system So, I am going to get a fresh supply of bourbon to keep the Bears away

 

[Nuke41]

Which would you trust more to take on an indefinate hiking trip through various terrains? Double edge or a longer single edge? Cooking, battoning, fending off grizzly/cougars - all around winner???

If your taking something of that length camping I suggest you take the best tool a woodsman can ever have; a full length forest axe. If forced into a survival situation and I could only have a single item it would always be my forest axe.

 

[AZTimT]

Specs to ponder a bit.
Gladius = 40.4 ounces; .3000” thick; 16.0” double edge blade; 23.0” oal
AK-47 = 31.0 ounces; .1875” thick; 18.5” single egde blade; 29.0” oal
Ruck = 23.8 ounces; .1875” thick; 15.0” single edge blade; 23.0” oal

All around outdoors with lots of carry time= Ruck due to being the lightest yet more than sufficient for all outdoors tasks.
Batoning = Ruck as length is pretty useless beyond 2" greater than diameter of object to be split. Gladius would work great if you had blunted a 2-4" section of one edge, but with the right swing, it may not need much batoning.
Chopping wood = Gladius is a multi purpose dual edge axe with lots of beef.
Going after a bear = Gun, if not and you have time to draw it then Gladius for dual edge in a guaranteed scary (panic) situation and yes it will pierce the best.
Going after something smaller or with fewer legs than bears = AK for the reach as size often intimidates would be attackers human or otherwise so why fight if you can just scare it off. Shiny is useful here too.
Cooking/cleaning animals = Why is it you forgot your knife that is practical for this again??? Or are we talking improvised spit roast here?
Quartering animals = Take your pick, they will all do it easily.

All around winner of the INFI swords for on foot? I would vote for the not mentioned Ruck. It is kind of like half a Gladius in factory form but with just over half the weight, leaving the extra weight to carry a Basic 11, or a SAR 8, or a BOSS Jack & SAR 3/AD/GW, or a Skinny ASH/BATAC w/firesteel, or any other ~17 oz objects you may wish to carry. It also is not as long so you don't have to figure out how to carry it with all of your other gear and still keep it easy to get out.

 

[rega25]

Good logic, my hypothetical of only having one blade instead of having a knife and sword was to look at which one was better at everything, and because they really can do most things a knife can if necessary. Lets switch it up, ZOMBIE INVASION is a hot topic on the interweb, which would you rather have????? No more grizzly bear launchers are around in the future wasteland, they have all been used up along with the cougar armor LOL

 

[Bigfattyt]

I can see the gladius with a spear for longer reach, but remember a couple of years ago when that 5'2" mom made that cougar run away when it was attacking her daughter, it can be done. 90% of cougar attacks are stealth, but if i am walking thru dense bush, you better believe i will have a blade in hand, unless its open area where i can see, you are pretty much screwed against a bear unless you are jet li with a blade i think. Knifehunter, are you sure the gladius would pierce deeper than the ak? i know it is prob sharper at the tip, but the tanto design is supposed to rock at penetrating, and the blade is thinner so wouldn't it be more PSI after the first inch or 2? maybe i am wrong, i just see the ak piercing thru chainmail and steel a little better IMHO

A few years ago here in Washington a 130 lb woman killed a cougar with a pair of tweezers. The cougar attacked her, and was mauling her, and all she had were these tiny tweezers. So she took them out, and rammed them into the cougars eye, and pushed them down into the brain. She needed 100's of stitches.

I think I would rather have Infi in that scenario. I would probably want a Ruck. The AK has the reach advantage.

For a bear attack, I would rather have the Gladius. Because when I fell on it to kill my self before the bear could maul me, then I would be inflicting a bigger wound on my self.

I read a story about some famous mountain man (might have been Davie Crocket???) who used to empty both his cap and ball revolvers into bears, then charge with a large bowie and get right into the bear hug and stab them in the heart/chest multiple times. It was supposedly a tactic he was observed using on more than one occasion.

I have been up close and personal with several bears in the wild, and would much rather have a large caliber gun, and a big heavy pointy Bowie as a way, way, oh crap back up only. (Had one chase me onto a dock, and I had to dive under the water and come up under the other dock and hide). My only weapons were my flip flops and towel, and a strong sense of self preservation! If I had had either an AK or a Gladius, I would have just hoped it stayed in it's sheath as I did the exact same thing, dive and swim under water for my life!

 

[rega25]

There was a story in some magazine i read about this wirey old guy that was known for killing grizzlys with a knife. He apparently would sneak up on them , dont know how he could be that quiet, and would stab them in the side, and duck. the natural reaction of the bear was to swing violently to the direction of the stab, and he woudl duck, pop up and stab them in the neck. apparently he had ups too, they said he could jump out of an empty 55 gal barrel with no hands, too bad the nba wasnt around in the 1800's. seeing as a bear can rip someones face off with one swipe, i wouldnt want to tangle, but would rather have an AK or two than nothing, i dont think a truffle shuffle will scare them off

 

[rega25]

those bear stories sound are a trip, that must have been a sobering moment, i wonder why it didnt jump in the water after you?

 

[Over Kill]

Who will be the deadliest warrior!

 

[rega25]

the deadliest warrior game actually comes out on xbox arcade this month, side note, the second season is not as good as the first imo, that show was awesome to get soused to and argue about

 

[Over Kill]

Game? Nice! Yah that show is great, its fun trying to guess who will be deadliest. Most of the time you can tell who it will be by the weapons they test but sometimes it surprises you.

 

[rega25]

yeah, the vlad the impailer one was kinda disturbing, yeah, you have to download the game from the marketplace i think so you have to have silver or gold membership, ill prob get it in an impulse one of these days. I think that computer system is bs sometimes

 

[ZEXXES]

THis to me would all depend on armor of the two combatants. THe ak is better for slashing and the Gladius is better at stabbing.

THe gladius would penetrate plate mail, but the Ak would just glance off chainmail while slashing.

I think the warrior with chainmail, shield and gladius would destroy the opponent with similar armor with, or without shield and an AK.

Your logic is sound. Although the Gladius is primarily a chopper or stabber, it also in the case of the Busse Gladius, uses a spearpoint that has a long curved taper from the straight to the tip. This would indicate that it would make a descent slasher though acknowledgedly not as good as the AK47 or a katana blade.

To say that the AK47 is faster though is not completely true. You forget that having two edges gives the Gladius a back stroke unlike that of a single sided blade. In fact a two-edged blade has two back swings; an unorthodox reversed grip whipped back-swing and a traditional grip back-swing. The whipped swing is much much faster than a traditional swing. It really comes down to your style of sword fighting.

If I bought a Gladius from Busse it would be 2 inches longer and single handed. With shield or parrying knife it would be ideal for CQB or on the off chance you end up in a duel you have good options of length, speed and stroke combinations to deal with longer heavier swords or longer lighter swords which by the way tend to be stabbers only or single edged weapons with a single edge.

Me... I'd take a Busse Gladius over a AK47 any day, without hesitation!
Any other Gladius well.... depends if they have improved over the ancient Gladius as well as Busse has.

 

[OldPhysics]

You guys!!

Are there no military historians or War College graduates around??

Clearly:

1) Gladius: intended for use when you and your squad mates are in close formation, with appropriate shields. Use almost entirely as stabbing/thrusting weapon after you've come to close quarters. ONLY!! Your pilum is already used up.

2) AK-47: intended for individual use by high-trained individual warriors. Meant for single combats and the duello. You need room to use this b***ch! And one heckuva lot of training. [You might, just might, get away with using this as a cavalry arm, but I doubt it. Tachi would be better for that -- or, really, a proper saber.]

So, of course, one has nothing to do with the other.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled broadcast.

 

[Bigfattyt]

those bear stories sound are a trip, that must have been a sobering moment, i wonder why it didnt jump in the water after you?

It was a brown bear. Up in northern WA. The bear was not trying to eat me. He was being harassed by some dogs. He saw me out on the dock and started trotting my direction. Followed me out to the end of the dock. I got on the diving board, and when he approached the steps, I dove. I went about 10+ feet down and swam over to the other dock and came up underneath. Where he could not see me. I think if he had been actually hunting me, he probably could have caught me. Not sure if he would have swam under the dock though. Up on that same lake I have had a bear try to climb into the the old FJ cruiser with me. Seen lots of bear up close there.

For the most part, when you see a bear up there, they head the other way. Occasionally you run into the cubs, and then I really get worried.