Let's talk civil unrest/war weapons.

[studio]

A wood spear with a sharpened tip and maybe fire hardened. Then a framing hammer tucked in my belt.

If not that, a Cold Steel bushman mounted on 3 or 4 feet of hardwood.

 

[JoeCitizen]

A wood spear with a sharpened tip and maybe fire hardened. Then a framing hammer tucked in my belt.

If not that, a Cold Steel bushman mounted on 3 or 4 feet of hardwood.

The 16” framing hammer is a great ‘under the radar’ CQC weapon in my opinion. It can travel most places pretty innocuously within reason. I keep one by my bed along with a glock

 

[JoeCitizen]

This is a fun scenario. The spear has always been relevant throughout the ages of melee weapons. It seems like edged weapons grew bigger and more varied until their peak and then with the invention of the crossbow and further on down to the firearm, edged weapons grew smaller and became a tertiary/back up to the firearm. Tomahawks and Bowie knives in the ‘frontier days’ etc. Until knives were pretty strictly utilitarian in use. A lot of soldiers and police just carry folders nowadays.

There has been a recent resurgence of the tomahawk in popular culture and Downrange, mainly for breaching sometimes for other fun. I am partial to big knives myself, but used a 5 in. Kabar BK17 the most when I deployed.

considering the ammo wouldn’t all run out at once people would see the writing on the wall and start carrying knives and hatchets, maybe machetes at first. Folks who appreciate a finely crafted edged weapons are a small community and so a lot of what we would see would be from your local sportsman’s or Walmart. Utility type blades and clubs. Bows and crossbows would come out. As the ammo supply continued to dwindle I think edged weapons would get bigger and more varied like they did in history but at a faster rate with society’s foreknowledge of history. That being said, given the sprawling metropolises that are everywhere I would bet our edged weapons would only extend to a certain length and short ‘tactical’ swords, hawks, and long knives would hold sway for a while.

For myself, I’d carry a sword/machete, tomahawk/hatchet, utility/fighting knife and a multi tool. i have lots of hawks knives and swordlike objects so specific options are limitless. I also have a nice tacticool takedown bow that can strap to a pack.

For those that like to read, SM Sterlings ‘The Change’ series is a great read if this topic is interesting to you. Cataclysmic event renders electricity and gun powder useless. Society breaks down and builds itself back up from gangs to tribes to the feudal system. Pretty cool.

 

[Unicorn161]

I think the trench weapons of WW1 would be good to look at for some examples. Big knives and short swords, short clubs mostly. But they were limited to trenches. With more room, a longer two handed hammer and spear would be useful.

 

[Gh0zt36]

This is a fun scenario. The spear has always been relevant throughout the ages of melee weapons. It seems like edged weapons grew bigger and more varied until their peak and then with the invention of the crossbow and further on down to the firearm, edged weapons grew smaller and became a tertiary/back up to the firearm. Tomahawks and Bowie knives in the ‘frontier days’ etc. Until knives were pretty strictly utilitarian in use. A lot of soldiers and police just carry folders nowadays.

There has been a recent resurgence of the tomahawk in popular culture and Downrange, mainly for breaching sometimes for other fun. I am partial to big knives myself, but used a 5 in. Kabar BK17 the most when I deployed.

considering the ammo wouldn’t all run out at once people would see the writing on the wall and start carrying knives and hatchets, maybe machetes at first. Folks who appreciate a finely crafted edged weapons are a small community and so a lot of what we would see would be from your local sportsman’s or Walmart. Utility type blades and clubs. Bows and crossbows would come out. As the ammo supply continued to dwindle I think edged weapons would get bigger and more varied like they did in history but at a faster rate with society’s foreknowledge of history. That being said, given the sprawling metropolises that are everywhere I would bet our edged weapons would only extend to a certain length and short ‘tactical’ swords, hawks, and long knives would hold sway for a while.

For myself, I’d carry a sword/machete, tomahawk/hatchet, utility/fighting knife and a multi tool. i have lots of hawks knives and swordlike objects so specific options are limitless. I also have a nice tacticool takedown bow that can strap to a pack.

For those that like to read, SM Sterlings ‘The Change’ series is a great read if this topic is interesting to you. Cataclysmic event renders electricity and gun powder useless. Society breaks down and builds itself back up from gangs to tribes to the feudal system. Pretty cool.

Nice , thanks for the book suggestion . I too have a takedown bow . and my main survival knife right now is my TOPS Survtac7 seemed real mall ninja at first but then the more I used it all those mall ninja attributes exhibited themselves to be very useful .

I have a machete but its an Ontario 1-18SBK and is a very unwieldy blade width . Im probably soon going to try my luck with the ZT Apokatana . That looks well enough .

 

[Velitrius]

Split wood, dig up some spuds, put down a warlord. All suitable tasks for the Pulaski.

 

[E.D.C.]

As others have said, a machete is by far the most practical, least eye-roll-worthy option.


A close second would be a tomahawk.

 

[studio]

I started listening to S.M. Stirling, Dies the Fire. Pretty good post apoc fiction. Everyone in the story armors up pretty fast.

And just to add, Cold Steel Gladius is pretty awesome but mine bent slightly when wailing on wood, so not sure how it would fare under hard use. I know it's more of a "poker" but had to test it out.

 

[Big Ol’ Hauger]

Agricultural implements are always fun in times of civil unrest.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

Agricultural implements are always fun in times of civil unrest.

Many hand held battle weapons originated from agricultural tools. Going back to biblical times. That’s what people had & were use to working with so they could take off limbs like taking off a branch of a tree! I have a host of hammers, hatchets, Bolo’s, a Genuine Masse Spear On the wall. My own knives I’ve made, a Fairnbain Sykes dagger And Ammo has been part of my Redneck 401K for many years!

 

[scarysamcary]

Agricultural implements are always fun in times of civil unrest.

In 1994 Rwanda, the modern world saw this play out on a massive scale. This simple agricultural tool became a weapon of genocide. This is an earlier example I have given away that comes from the 1958 world's fair (The Belgian Congo "Human Zoo" exhibit), but I still own a similar one from the '80's.

 

[scarysamcary]

Many hand held battle weapons originated from agricultural tools. Going back to biblical times. That’s what people had & were use to working with so they could take off limbs like taking off a branch of a tree!

They became quite good at it too!

 

[Big Ol’ Hauger]

Feudal Japan was a good example, too. The common person wasn’t permitted to own a sword. Quite a few of the Ninjas’ weapons evolved from simple farming tools, nunchaku and the kama for example, as well as fighting styles to go with them.

I’ve got a few old wall hangers I keep around, but I think I need a pitchfork, too. Can’t go around carrying torches without a pitchfork!

 

[Mick Boardman]

I guess I would break out my mine probe to keep the axe wielding marauders at bay.

 

[Bigfattyt]

I guess I would break out my mine probe to keep the axe wielding marauders at bay.View attachment 1440697

Might Not have quite as much reach as some ax weilding Marauders.

Depending on the axe...

Of course, I've been throwing knives and hawks/axes for 30 years or more....so one might expect a missile or two while the distance is being closed!!

 

[Mick Boardman]

So I use my bow

 

[Bigfattyt]

Thats why I have a heavy duty viking shield!!

 

[Charlie_K]

A wood spear with a sharpened tip and maybe fire hardened. Then a framing hammer tucked in my belt.

If not that, a Cold Steel bushman mounted on 3 or 4 feet of hardwood.

Maybe it's just me and my not knowing anything. But if you're going to go through all that trouble for a wooden spear, why not consider this as an alternative:

Get a short section of 3/8" round stock, say 6-8" long. Grind one end down to a sharpened, tapered point. Drill out the center of the wood so the unsharpened portion of the stock can be fully seated. Taper the shoulders of the wood down to where they meet the shaft hole. Then epoxy the sharpened steel point into place in the hole to prevent it from coming loose.

That way you've got a sharp point that's far stronger than wood, less likely to deform on contact with a hard surface, and there's no need to try and fire harden the point and risk turning the surface wood into charcoal.

 

[studio]

You're hired C Charlie_K as weapons engineer post apoc!

In my meager imaginings there will be plenty of time to sit around the fire, chew the fat, and fart around with stuff.

 

[E.D.C.]

I think the trench weapons of WW1 would be good to look at for some examples. Big knives and short swords, short clubs mostly. But they were limited to trenches. With more room, a longer two handed hammer and spear would be useful.

This is possibly the best answer yet.


Totally agree.