The blade that concord the world, Twice!

swordofthesavior said:
man, people just gonna laugh their asses off if you turn up with a sword for a war these days. it would be like one of your greeks turning up with a rock.
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blade definitely have a place, even in today's conventional battlefiled. and its effectiveness when used in coordination with other weapons can be breath-taking.

case: world war 2 in the pacific theater (burma). british officers taught burmese recruits how to attack japanese camps in the jungle. come within less than 15 meters, lob granades, then charge with fixed bayonets --no gunfire involved. at first, the british were frustrated because the burmese tended to crouch for a few more seconds after the grenade went off. they were suppose to leap forward as soon as it exploded. eventually they mastered the technique, not just for stealthy attacks on camps but even during an open engagement. the japanese are firing from a trench, a british officer throws a grenade, BOOM! instantly british and burmese are up, and sticking their bayonets at the japs' throats even before they can recover from the blast.

read "the raiders of arakkan"

in a more recent theater of war, one british SBS troop faught using an antique battleaxe (belonging to their clan) during skirmishes in the falklands.
 
faramir said:
Did somebody mention rocks ? :D
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fair enough, then its like someone turning up without a rock

i meant a sword is probably not worth carrying these days

and ya, i wouldnt discount the military uses of hand grenades or bayonets or any synergy thereof

i guess we could conclude the sword has been somewhat superceded by the bayonete as a close quarters weapon
 
I don't like the guy. He reminds me too much of that Daniel Day Lewis character in "Gangs of New York".
 
CaptInsano said:
Is this one worth a damn?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Roman-Centurion-Gladius-Sword-Gladiator-BattleReady-NEW_W0QQitemZ160134267670QQihZ006QQcategoryZ43341QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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Probably not. 440 blade that may have little or no heat treat, and the opening in the handguard is way oversized, which means it's going to move around. Possible a skinny rat tail tang as well. The only way to know for sure if it's at all decent is to get one (unless somebody here has one and decides to reply).

If you want a gladius, I'd go with Windlass Steelcrafts (Museum Replicas Limited), Generation 2/Imperial Weapons, or even Deepeeka (spotty QC, but more historical than the others). The best, obviously, are by Albion Swords, but they are very pricey.
 
G. Scott H. said:
JD, is that the Windlass Steelcrafts Qama in that pic? I've been looking at those recently as a project blade of sorts: rehandle, etc.:confused:
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Yes, that's it exacly! I bought it with the exact same intentions! I was watching the HBO series "Rome" at the time, and was facinated. I sharpened the thing up, and now I love it! It's a watermellon/cantelope slicing machine!

For the other posters, I have no intention of ever using the the thing in combat, except perhapse in one of my demented daydreams! Hell, I'm forty plus years old and obese. I'm an former Army Ranger and know enough about modern combat, to know that I probably wouldn't last five minutes on a modern battlefield with any weapon, in my present physical condition.

That being said, I've had an absolute blast playing with it around the garage and backyard.
 
Cool. I happen to have a couple gift certificates for an online sword store (Reliks.com), so I can get the Qama for for about $15 (shipped!) after using the certificates.:cool: I just have to wait for them to get back in stock.:( Thanks much for the reply.
 
G. Scott H. said:
Cool. I happen to have a couple gift certificates for an online sword store (Reliks.com), so I can get the Qama for for about $15 (shipped!) after using the certificates.:cool: I just have to wait for them to get back in stock.:( Thanks much for the reply.
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I just looked there. They actually had a couple of pieces I could afford. I liked the Practical viking sword. Their Roman swords were still a bit out of my range though.
 
i dont think one blade is gonna do it for the jobs required. you would need a utility(small) and a chopper (kukhuri or machete or bolo)
Coming to think of it, it'd be sweet if kukhuri came double-edged.
 
hahaha! the gladius conquered the med, and the near fringes of europe, africa and asia.

the rapier circled the world twice.
 
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To improve the design:

1. Add a short hilt.
2. Make the blade from Carbon V steel.
3. Powder coat or blue the blade.
4. Make the sheath Kydex.
5. Have it manufactured by Cold Steel!

The Vikings also carried a version of this sword.

Semper Fi!
 
Incidentally, I am looking for a sword just like this one, but slightly modified, as specified.

The modification is: leaf shaped blade, and length of blade no less than 30 cm. and no nore than 35 cm. Length of handle no shorter than 10 cm. and no longer than 15 cm. so total length no less than 40 cm and no more than 50 cm.

The role of this weapon will ABSOLUTELY NOT be to pry open barracks or cook with or dig with! It will have ONE puropse, to sever the main arterys of an adversary with a single stab to the abdomen! But will also be able to fight until the abdomen is properly exposed.

Whether you are a soldier in need of a sidearm for when your bullets run out, that can also double as a wood-chopper, or you're a civilian (ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT) who needs to navigate a hostile territory where weapons are also prohibited, in search of a new future for your people, you will be using this concealed under your jacket and can quickly destroy an attacker out for your life savings. (the civilian thing is a "think back" to the dark ages, to help our sword producing company thread starter get in the right mindset.)
 
Well, although technically not swords, even modern soldiers have needs for a longish blade. There's plenty of real life accounts from WWI-Vietnam of soldiers getting overrrun, not being able to reload their rifles fast enough and using their machetes to dispatch their foes. While the blades aren't thick enough, they are the right length to be considered a single-edged short sword.

Rumor also has it that the Afghans are scared spitless of the Gurkhas and their kukris.

The blade will never be the primary weapon again (unless some of these end of the world fantasies come about), but should never be discounted either. Also, having a secondary role these days, it has to be a useful tool also. it'll be used much more for clearing brush (to keep a perimeter back and establish fire lanes) and general chores than it will for fighting. I still see a machete or a kukri being a good piece of equiment to have.
 
Yes, but it has to be more geared towards being a fighting blade than a utility blade, or you're just running around with that same old brittle machete.

But frying eggs on it is absolutely out of the question, because it DESTROYS the temper of the steel.
 
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