Sword for HD?

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Hank3_Fan

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Would a sword make a good option for HD if effective firearms are not available? What types would be most effective and what training should one undertake?

I am guessing a quite short sword would be most effective, meaning kukris, gladii, European medieval short swords, smallswords, cutlasses, Filipino swords etc. As for training, maybe Kali? I doubt classical fencing would be of much use...

Also, are there places that allow open carrying of swords (and don't give you hassles)? I must say, it would look both silly and cool at the same time ;)

I'd also be grateful for some good manufacturer names I can look up. I know Cold Steel makes swords, are they any good?
 
I don't think U can carry a sword anywhere - with its length, U will more than likely fall under the prohibited weapon laws, depending on the specifics in your state.
 
I'm no expert on American law, but I doubt you would be able to just walk about with a sword within a scabbard on your belt/back.
Carrying it wrapped up in a bag or something having just bought it, sure. But I expect you would get a few funny looks.
 
For non-firearm defense inside of a home, a short sword would be very effective. You really need to train with it, though, just like any other weapon. And be prepared to be injured...you're closing to hand to hand distance. And be prepared to have brought an oversized knife to a gunfight.

A nice, innocuous, wood and blued steel pump action shotgun is legal almost everywhere in the USA for home defense, and is a much better option. Most people hit square with 12 guage 00 buckshot are DRT. The same cannot be said of much anything else, except maybe freight trains.

Carry? Almost certainly going to get you lots of looks and unwanted attention. Consider...everyone who sees it is going to call the cops, and the cops are duty-bound to investigate (can you imagine the headlines and rants on THR if the cops failed to respond to a report of a man with a sword and he hurt someone?), and even if you're doing nothing illegal it will turn out to be more hassle than it is worth in very short order.

For short blades (knives and short swords) Cold Steel makes a very workable product, if you can get past their stupid ad campaign.

Mike
 
How about Cold Steel's factory seconds? They're usually at half the price, and since I'm poor I'd like to know if they're majorly screwed up or of adequate quality. Their page says it's just minor blemishes but you never know...
 
I had a buddy in Nevada who said he could open carry AK-47s and swords but he might have been talking out of his behind.
 
Where do you live? Do you know your state firearms laws? Why can't you have a shotgun in your home?

Search for discussions on HD in the UK/England. There was a long thread not too long ago on this type of idea right here.

I do strongly encourage you to find a good Kali/Escrima school and take classes. Remember that peasant levies were poorly trained and made great fodder on the battlefield. Don't be a peasant.
 
As hso just said, we British have to rely upon other means for home defense.

I'll edit this for cursing:

(Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)
Eddie: Oh, and if Tom or anyone else for that matter feels like givin' them a bit of a kickin', I'm sure it won't do any harm.
Soap: Yeah, little bit of pain never hurt anybody. If you know what I mean. Also, I think knives are a good idea. Big, f**k-off shiny ones. Ones that look like they could skin a crocodile. Knives are good, because they don't make any noise, and the less noise they make, the more likely we are to use them. S**t 'em right up. Makes it look like we're serious. Guns for show, knives for a pro.
Click to expand...

Funny stuff. But in all seriousness, having a decent blade to fall back upon is a good thing in a house. Nobody wants to get stabbed.
 
My daughters attended Radford University in Virginia. That area is steeped with "Old Frontier" history. Among other things, it is the scene of the kidnapping of Mary Ingels Draper by the Shawnee. Her subsequent escape from them in what is now Ohio and her return home is quite a saga.

When the Shawnee raided her settlement, few men were at home. One who was home was a 70-year old Scot, Colonel Preston, who defended his cabin with a claymore. He was doing all right until he stuck the tip into a ceiling log on the backswing.:(
 
You can get a shotgun just about anywhere with virtually no hassle, even the UK.

If you insist on using a sword, an early 20th or late 19th century officer's sword would be the perfect bladed weapon and you can probably get one in poor condition very cheap since only collector's want them, and they want the shiny unused ones. But I'm not sure how wasily they'll handle indoors. If they're too big, some kind of short stabbing sword, like a gladius.

Seriously though, don't rely on physical contact to defend yourself. Assume the worst. The guy attacking you is a heavy weight boxing/martial arts champion, has a very big sword and a very big gun.
 
Machete!

You will find a machete that will do everything you would ask of a short sword, and have a practical application in the back yard as well. I see machetes all the time at surplus stores, even Walmart, for like $30. This would be a horrible thing to see in the hands of a homeowner for a burglar. Cheap, easy to use, and terribly deadly.
 
I use a kukri for brush cutting ,works on tree limbs and other limbs !!
 
For home defense? Go for it.

CCW? if you can hide a sword, you should be allowed to carry it...:)
 
It will beat being empty handed but thats about it. You need room to swing that thing and unless you're an expert fencer you're going to have no end of trouble. Basically all you'll be able to do is thrust and for that a spear might be better because you'll be farther away. If you must use a sword practice and practice especially in the place you are most likely to use it. Then, after you pick up the broken lamps etc. Take it all to the dump, stop at the gunstore on your way home and buy a pump shotgun
 
Is a shotgun a better choice for home defense, yes, but you can hang a sword in a nice handy spot within arm's reach over the front door. Carrying it around might get you arrested, but put it on your wall and it is a nice decoration, and you don't have to worry about trigger locks.

You don't need to know any fancy moves, join a local fencing club long enough to learn how to lunge, cut, thrust, and parry 3 & 4. Should take a couple of months if you practice in front of the mirror at home.

Buy a mid-sized cut-and-thrust sword like a hanger or a cutlass and practice the basics once a month or so. If D'Artagnion or Yojimbo forces entry to your home, just run away.

That said, it seems to me that in a deadly encounter it's best to have some distance between you and your attackers. It's also kind of hard to take cover while using a sword.
 
I collect antique and modern handmade Katana. I have studied their use for 10yrs and would have no problem using one in a home defense situation. Only drawback is their overall length in close quarters. I have also studied kali/escrima as well and if I couldn't employ my shotguns or SIGs, I would have no reservations about grabbing one of my custom Barongs and going to it.
As for carrying some larger blades effectively in our society today, sometimes out of sight is out of mind...check out some of the blades and systems at www.bladerigger.com for neat carry options. I've used some of his stuff for years and it's very nice and hides REALLY well.
 
Used to fence and got pretty decent at it. Even with a stabbing weapon like a rapier, maneuvering indoors is tricky. I can't picture trying to use something like a saber or katana anywhere in my house other than the living room.
 
Shovel!

You can always claim you kept it handy for gardening.

See: Cold Steel Spetsnatz Shovel.
 
My real life story...I spent some time in central and south america. While there i became pretty aware of just what a decent or not so decent Machete could do in the hands of an angry or frightened man. We had a early morning wake up when a guy stumbled in with his left forearm firmly stuck to his head with a machete, He was well alive and lucid as he talked to the medical guy we had there and we found out he had been " in the act" with a young woman he had met when her father decided that was not acceptable. As he struggled to his feet, the old man swung the machete and loverboy tried to fend it off with his arm and the force of the swing embedded the machete into his arm and his head. He got out of there and walked to us as he knew we had access to a real doctor, whom we radioed in. They flew the guy out to a hospital but he died some time later as result of some serious bacterial infection of the brain.

We also saw other attacks that occured because of drinking, womanizing and politics. In almost every account, both parties were injured. Both parties were covered in blood, and amazingly some of them survived. Almost always someone got a unscheduled amputation of something.

For me what would stop me from ever wanting a blade for self defense was the amounts of blood. Seeing as about 50% of cons carry some blood borne pathogen, and something like 60% of IV drug user do as well, the last thing I want to do with a home invader is get close enough to start trading body fluids.
 
A .20 guage Double barrel or Pump is good...

England will prosecute you for defending your home with deadly force! And edged weapons are especially frowned on in homes and illegal on the street there!:what:

Having said that, I don't live in friggin England.:D A long gun like a .20 guage pump Mossberg or a Rossi double barrel is legal for in-home defense and ownership in any state in the Union. I won't use a 12 guage because it has too much blast, recoil, and is too big and heavy for urban close quarters defense in my opinion. I'm small statured for a guy at 5'3" and 135 Lbs! Anybody can use a .20 guage though. The other alternative is a lever action marlin in .38/357 handgun caliber if you can't use self-loading AR-15's, autopistols, or revolvers.

My preferred choice for me is my 15-shot(MecGar Mags) .9mm Browning High Power pistol, My S&W Model 64 4" barrel .38, or my S&W Model 649 2" barrel Bodyguard snubby .38. Otherwise I'd go to a surplus store and get a machete and have it sharpened.:D
 
MADMERCS55 that great if......

That bladerigger stuff is great if you're BIG or a practiced and accomplished matial atist. It isn't good for an average non-practiced/accomplished 5'3" 135 lb. guy like me.

I want a gun and a larger caliber pistol or revolver .38 Special and above for home defense is my choice. For the Home I use my Browning High Power .9mm with Buffalo Bore +P+ 124 grain hollowpoints or my S&W Model 64 4" barrel .38 with 135 grain CCI/SPEER +P Gold Dot hollowpoints. For the street I have a CCW and carry either my S&W Model 649 Shrouded hammer Bodyguard .38 snubby with CCI/SPEER 135 grain Gold Dot+P hollowpoints, or my Colt Pony Pocketlite Double-Action-Only sub compact .380 with Corbon 90 grain hollowpoints.:D
 
CCW,

He can make pretty much anything you'd want, and tailor the blade and carry system to your specific size needs so it will conceal as best possible. But knowing how to use stuff like that definatly helps in the long run.
 
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