Swords as serious combat weapons in today's world?

[eurohacker]

Are swords totally obsolete?

I remember reading some stories about Japanese officers running around with Katanas in WW2.

 

[El Tejon]

Well, my instructor says my sword forms look like they are performed by an a geriatric.

Yes, yes, the Japanese officers carried around the horse chopping saber, some Chinese guerillas carried daos, the Gurkhas had their apple corkers and some THRers have cool swords that they have brought back from Afghanistan. Used? Maybe, if you have to, but not recommended.

 

[Kaylee]

There are still people in this day and age that are killed with sticks and rocks. Swords (real ones, I mean, not flea market junk) are just as deadly today as they ever were.

That said... I've yet to meet a soldier who would want to carry the extra weight and bulk of a sword rather than say a couple extra rifle magazines. Or for that matter, the serious CCW-er who would trade in their pistol for a rapier.

-K

(and oh yes.. some Japanese did indeed carry swords into combat in WWII. But remember.. they lost. )

 

[eurohacker]

With modern technology, wouldn't it be possible to make swords out of funky materials? I mean, who says you have to use steel? Stuff like super-light alloys, carbon composites etc.

If you could bring down the weight to basically be negligible, would they be more useful?

 

[Don Gwinn]

Nothing we currently know about would make a better cut-and-thrust sword than steel. The fanciest whiz-bang stuff used on smaller knives, like Talonite or Stellite, would make a poor sword.

Don't underestimate steel. It's an amazing material.

 

[KriegHund]

Not totally obsolete. Just 99.999%.

Knives though...

 

[eurohacker]

KriegHund: explain further, please.

 

[R.H. Lee]

An accomplished barong wielder will kill a swordsman everytime.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=119781&page=1&pp=25&highlight=barong

 

[JShirley]

A large piece of sharp steel, well wielded, is as dangerous as ever to the recipient.

The problem has become carrying said piece of steel, and getting close enough to the adversary to use it, especially if your enemy can project force into you from a smaller weapon many meters before you can reach him.

John

 

[yorec]

Uh RileyMc - that thread is a good example of "not" proving your point...

I think we'd all agree here that a sword if well employed (of which the Barong is a subtype) is very lethal. Biggest problem is trainning, I think. Concealability/carriablitiy in today's age is next...

 

[Soap]

They're only useless when you have better choices to defend yourself with. The sword as Kaylee said has never lost effectiveness, but there are other technologies that will trump it most of the time such as a handgun for home defense. That said, if I lived somewhere where I could not have a firearm, I'd probably defend the hearth with a barong, baat jam do, or a wakizashi.

 

[ecos]

i love swords but as been said they arent very usefull in modern day combat.

as for modern materials to reduce weight you could have one made out of a titanium alloy..titanium is about 40% lighter than steel and holds its shape well but doesnt hold an edge as well as steel. or maybe a composite laminate...have a very thin layer of hardened steel in the core sandwiched between layers of carbon fiber...would hold an edge good and be much lighter. either would cost u a small fortune (and still be impractical in todays gun society) the only bad thing about reducing weight is you need some mass to have the force to cut deep, especially if they are wearing heavy clothing or body armor/gear.

 

[Soap]

I think Ti is no good for sword blades. They discussed it at length on Swordforum. The carbon fiber idea sounds cool though

 

[LeonCarr]

Have any of ya'll seen any pictures of what an MS13 gang member can do to a person with a machete?

Do a google search for the pictures. It ain't pretty.

As Mr. Flory mentioned, They are only useless when you have better choices to defend yourself with.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[R.H. Lee]

Uh RileyMc - that thread is a good example of "not" proving your point...

No. No. They were running out of counter arguments and starting to weaken.............

 

[rudolf]

In Africa, the machete is still as popular as the AK47. No need for ammo or reloading, no need for ammo. Cut off the head, and you've got a one shot stop. If you're more liberal, why not try a disarm (by chopping it off)
I've read a scenario on this or another board. You've somehow got lost in Felluja (or Islamabad?). You just want to clear your way home. You'll get much further if you do not make noise. I'ld rely on the machete in this case.
BTW. a machete isn't really much more than a cheap and light Gladius. It will do the same job though. They proved it in Ruanda.

 

[ecos]

now packing a machete in modern day times i can see. they are adept at clearing brush, building shelters, etc and can second as a very effecient weapon. a swords main purpose is to kill and most of them suck for doing chores...i cant imagine chopping a tree down with a katana.

 

[JShirley]

I carried a 19" HI Chitlangi kukuri when on field exercises at Fort Lewis. As a mortarman, we were technically supposed to have a machete with our squad's gear anyway (we never carried it), so I'd usually ask my sergeant for permission to carry my kuk instead of an e-tool.

John

 

[Eightball]

What about carrying a smallsword or a rapier? Smallswords=sharp edge, but still rigid enough for thrusting. You can close some serious distance with those things in a lunge, if you know waht you're doing . Saw a cop training video once--cop in the middle of a 12x12 foot room, just told to "be ready for something." A guy comes in, rapier drawn (blunted, of course), and closes/"stabs" the officer before he even gets his glock out of his holster. Of course, it takes years of training to work effectively, whilst a redneck with anything will still be able to shoot you if distance is not on your side.....Just a thought or two.

 

[hillbilly]

For almost all modern uses, yes swords are completely obsolete.

Just try to CCW a katana or a broadsword or a falchion sometime.

Good luck!

hillbilly

 

[JohnKSa]

Round here they're illegal to possess off one's own property. That limits their defensive use to inside the house or in the yard. Using a sword in the house is problematic, and if I needed a weapon in the yard, I doubt I'd pick a sword.

 

[rwc]

On a related note, would this be why bayonets have fallen from favor? That another loaded magazine is more useful.


Any insights appreciated.

 

[yorec]

Ref Bayonets - I've heard just that from more than one source, RWC. (Military folks)

Ya know I could sense that, RileyMc! Weakening... Lol

 

[Kjay]

I suppose if swords were of use in today's combat environ most armies would still have them as issued equipment. Projectiles are just so much better at killing from a distance. That said, a sword is a deadly weapon once in range. Perhaps a better personal protection tool (with some training and absence of a firearm) than a millitary weapon.

 

[KriegHund]

KriegHund: explain further, please.

I think everyones already done that for me, but OK.

A sword is much longer and unwieldy and heavy than a knife, especially in close quarters.

Thats where the knive hs a practical use- and even then it is a small use.

You see, the rifle, pistol, or shotgun can take care of anything but the most extreme close quarters, and in that sort of situation the longer reach and the space need to swing/stab of a sword is a major drawback, the knife however, with its lightweight and manueverability can stab, slash, and poke with much much shorter strokes.

Also, the knife allows for hand to hand, whereas the sword takes up an entire hand, the knife hand can also be used to strike or push or pull.

Aside from those CQC implements, the knife is also a valuable tool, where, once again, its shortrer length comes in handy for opening things or cutting ropes, etc.

Now, about that .00001%???

That would be if you are perhaps in a large, relativly empty room, and the other guy is out of ammo.