The Gun Counter

I tried fencing once ( just as an informal fun thing ) and I could not take to it at all. My hand\eye co-ordination simply wasn't good enough.

The 15 year old kid who was trying to teach me back then is now a British Army intelligence officer ( or was the last I heard of him )
Any Jihadi who attempts to chop him up will quickly find himself disarmed, sliced and diced, he was hell on wheels with any kind of 'edged' weapon, just a natural talent I think. And hard work and training of course...

Since this thread has been revived, here is a pic of my sword collection.

I don't include my US Army saber because I can't find it. I might have given it to a nephew.

I also don't include my practice foils and epees because they are boring.

They are from top to bottom:
1. French Cuirassier Saber dated 1822, so too late to have done in Harry Wilson. Made by Klingenthal
2. French Model 1822 Saber dated 1877, so too late to have seen combat in the Franco Prussian War. Made by St. Etienne
3. Prussian Uhlanen Saber, no date. Probably about 1880. Made in Potsdam
4. Prussian Blucher Saber, no date. Probably about 1880 (the acquisition that started my musings on straight vs. curved)

Enjoy!

Toad's HEMA links got me looking at long swords (lang schwert)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fK35jaxf8I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwqE9fEwCu0

A defense of the rapier by a HEMA instructor, which, of course, is my fencing style (foil and epee).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wDjjLnKRcI

Full circle back to small swords.

Highspeed wrote:I tried fencing once ( just as an informal fun thing ) and I could not take to it at all. My hand\eye co-ordination simply wasn't good enough.

The 15 year old kid who was trying to teach me back then is now a British Army intelligence officer ( or was the last I heard of him )
Any Jihadi who attempts to chop him up will quickly find himself disarmed, sliced and diced, he was hell on wheels with any kind of 'edged' weapon, just a natural talent I think. And hard work and training of course...

A) Yes, entirely possible.

B) I suggest you try saber. I had the privilege, once, of watching the current #1 ranked, and #2 ranked saberists in the US practice against one another.

While they were quite skilled, it seemed to involve guile as much as physicality. (That may be an indication of their skill level, as much as anything else.)

BDK wrote:While they were quite skilled, it seemed to involve guile as much as physicality. (That may be an indication of their skill level, as much as anything else.)

No, that's fencing. Chess at lightning speed.

More on cut vs. thrust

http://www.antiqueswordsonline.com/the- ... ish-swords

It should also be remembered that the history of British sword making was driven by great theoretical debate and argument. The fundamental question that ran through the design and development of British swords, namely that of whether a military sword should be primarily one of cut or thrust, rumbled on for many years. It actually took over one hundred years of trial (and mainly error!) for this debate to be properly satisfied. By then, the conclusion, that a thrusting sword was the most effective, had become completely irrelevant in a new world of machine guns and static warfare.

For those in the know: Are the Cold Steel swords, spears and axes good, or are they mostly for dealing with zombie pigs and car hoods?

Jericho941 wrote:For those in the know: Are the Cold Steel swords, spears and axes good, or are they mostly for dealing with zombie pigs and car hoods?

Not knowledgeable enough about "good" sword craft to make a general statement, but mine stands up well enough to hacking at old railroad ties and the like.

Perhaps a sword both Chris and I can love: http://www.therionarms.com/sold/ttoy424.html

No pics yet. I recently picked it up at an ELGS. No background check and walked out the door. No scabbard either. I'm not sure what they go for, but I got mine for about the price of a decent bayonet.

Spanish M1907 "Puerto Seguro" cavalry saber.

Blade is about 41" long, about as long as a Patton M1913 saber. Sword balances about 4" in front of the hilt. It's very light and fast. It's maybe 50% heavier than my epee.

The blade has a "T" cross section, unlike the diamond cross section of the Patton saber. Other than that, it bears a striking resemblance to the Patton M1913 saber. It is lighter and faster, probably because it gives up the back edge and relies on the "T" for stiffness. The point is quite pointy, and the blade is quite blade-ey, so I think I can do without the back edge. I don't have a M1913 saber to compare it to, but from the ones I've hefted, I'd estimate the M1907 is about 75% of the weight.

I'll go out on a limb and guess that Patton was inspired by the M1907 when he tried to get the US Army to drop the M1902 saber for the M1913 saber.

Mine is not as nice as the one in the pictures. It's a little rough. OK. It's been abused. It looks like it was used to grill steaks "en brochette" at a Brazilian churrascaria restaurant, then used by the neighborhood kids to re-enact "Star Wars" scenes. What can I expect for the price of a bayonet?