Using a Khukuri as a stabbing weapon

[Manoucher Moshtagh]

The design and the workmanship of Nepalese Khukuri have made this weapon to one the most effective and fearsome blade in the world. We all know that Khukuris are slashing and cutting weapons, but what about stabbing? I can imagine stabbing would be a little dangerous since your hand could slip along the handle to the blade. What do you think?

Regards,

Manoucher

 

[Bill Martino]

I think a stiletto would be a better choice for stabbing.

 

[Manoucher Moshtagh]

Exactly Uncle Bill,

a stiletto for Europeans, a Kard and Pesh Kabz for Persians and a Katar for Indians. But what about the Nepalese armies in the past? What did they do when they wanted to pierce an armor?
What kind of armor did the wear and what kind of armor did they face?

Regards,

Manoucher

 

[Bill Martino]

Pritivi Narayan Shah, founder of Nepal and commander of the first Gorkhas, wore a leather suit. What the Gorkhas faced in Tibet and India I'm not sure. They had a variety of weapons including katars which I'm sure would have pierced just about any type of armor.

 

[Walosi]

Howard Wallace's FAQ has several good pics of weapons displays from the Royal Museum. These, as well as some Nepali armor that has appeared on Oriental Arms site, and others, would make it appear that the early Nepali warriors wore light armor (breastplates, guards, helmets and shields or light bucklers) and had a variety of armor-piercing weapons, including the Indian varieties. Rusty has commented that the fully curved, sharply pointed Khukuris, such as the Hanshee, seemed to decline in popularity with the decline in the use of armor. They would have been useful in striking over/around a shield or other guard, with an armor-peircing point at the end of their curved blade.

 

[Bill Martino]

Thanks, Wal.

 

[Howard Wallace]

The offset handle on a khukuri decreases the component of force tending to slide the hand up the blade during a stabbing motion. A guardless dagger is actually much more dangerous in this respect than a khukuri, because the entire force vector will be parallel to both the handle and the blade.

Perhaps that is the reason most dagger designs incorporate guards while most modern khukuris do not.

I have found that I can stab hard and confidently with almost all khukuri styles. A little experimenting will show you more than a lot of talking. Be careful at first until you get a feel for what you are doing.

The khukuri also provides for a much more ergonomic position of the wrist during a stabbing motion. Depending on the blade shape, the wrist may be able to take an almost neutral position, similar to a closed fist. This could help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome if you anticipate stabbing enemies all day long, day after day ...

 

[munk]

Depending on the blade shape, the wrist may be able to take an almost neutral position, similar to a closed fist. This could help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome if you anticipate stabbing enemies all day long, day after day ...
>>>>> Howard


An EveryReady Bunny we'll never see: the one stabbing with a Khukuri day after day.



munk

 

[Dave K]

A lot of khukuris have very wide buttcaps that you can place your offhand palm on to strongly back up any kind of stabbing motion to the point where the lack of a guard becomes entirely irrelevant.

My personal all-time favorite for stabbing would be the katar/pata just based on the mechanics of the thing and the width of the wound in general.

Lately I have also gotten interested in the jambiyah with its wide double edged blade, but I still think khukuris and katars are my all-time favorites.

-Dave

 

[Bill Martino]

How is the katar holding up after the welding?

 

[Manoucher Moshtagh]

Depends uncle Bill.

Some of them are very well made and the welding holds.

Some are even made of one piece, even the handle is made of wootz in one part with the blade and the whole handle has golden koftegari work. Beautiful thing and a fierceful weapon.

Regards,

Manoucher

 

[Dave K]

Uncle Bill, The First Cryogenically Treated Katar In The History Of Man--TFCTKITHOM for short--is holding up just great after its welding and repolishing.

I am seriously tempted to keep it in my truck so that I can test it out on the next abandoned vehicle I see rotting off the side of the highway.

If anyone has any extra car doors laying around that they don't need please send me an e-mail; I think the HI katar could go right through damn near anything with incredible ease.

Everyone should order lots of HI Katars.

-Dave

 

[munk]

Dave, naive question; but when you cut a car door, do you slash or stab? Also, wouldn't a Khukuri also cut a car door?

munk

 

[Dave K]

Car doors must be punished.

For the crime of being car doors...

Ever since Cold Steel started up the whole car door thing, I guess it has entered into the general lexicon of how to prove a tough knife.

Being that the katar's main purpose seems to be for thrusting, it seems to me to be the ideal candidate for the ole "stabbing-the-car-door" trick.

What I want to do primarily is to test the strength of the blade's point, and secondarily to test the strength of the welds in holding the whole thing together. Just trying to puncture the metal with the point, not hack through it with the edge.

Basically just katar vs. steel, though I'd love to test it out on any body armor as well.

-Dave

 

[Rusty]

Originally posted by Walosi
Howard Wallace's FAQ has several good pics of weapons displays from the Royal Museum. These, as well as some Nepali armor that has appeared on Oriental Arms site, and others, would make it appear that the early Nepali warriors wore light armor (breastplates, guards, helmets and shields or light bucklers) and had a variety of armor-piercing weapons, including the Indian varieties. Rusty has commented that the fully curved, sharply pointed Khukuris, such as the Hanshee, seemed to decline in popularity with the decline in the use of armor. They would have been useful in striking over/around a shield or other guard, with an armor-peircing point at the end of their curved blade.

Slash wounds often don't go deep emough to shut off an attacker. Stab wounds are more likely to.

Khuks can slash, but what they really do is chop - the width or more of a slash, plus often the depth of a stab. And the older more curved khuks lent themselves to not only stab, but to hammering the point into ( through ) an opponent, even through light armor. Take Dave's katar, mount it at a 90 degree angle on a stick - voila: the hawk known as a spontoon! The curved khuk lends itself to a hammer grip to drive the point in, and if it's still necessary, to then slash on pulling out.

 

[Bill Martino]

I've heard campfire stories in Nepal about old Gorkhas who had stabbed an enemy in the chest, got the khukuri wedged between a couple of ribs and couldn't get the damned thing out. A problem to be considered when using the khukuri for stabbing. Of course, unless you enemy has a back up you don't need to worry a lot. You can always find a winch.

 

[Dave K]

Hmm.

No stories about anyone continuing to fight with a khukuri lodged in their chest.

That could really ruin your day.