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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2010 5:25:31 GMT
I say, you can't go wrong with a daisho, but that could just be because i am a Japanese sword guy. Anything sturdy that you feel comfortable with and can cleave your foes will do! You could probably use a lawnmower blade if you wanted to get all sling blade about it!
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Post by randomnobody on Jan 19, 2010 5:41:08 GMT
Ooh, tie a rope around the central ring (or however your blades mount) and you've got a nasty bit of hardware there...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2010 10:58:30 GMT
Nothing like the collapse of social order that you envision is going to happen here, not anymore. The vast 21st century americans are good little kids. They do what they're told under crisis, or else. Folks, this isn't a political comment either, it's just the sociological reality. As to the revival of the sword, I can only see that happening in a post-MAD scenario, but at that point you'll be more concerned with hiding your wife and children from the road-warrior and hordes of zombie vampires stalking the streets of the old city than with the opportunity to live out some EOTWAWKI fantasy with swords and knives.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2010 12:42:30 GMT
Man, Y'all talk too much when I'm not online. At the end of the week I should have some video posted in my thread down in General sword training where you can see what I actually do with a cane.
Anyway, although I am a huge machete fan, they are a bit flexible for thrusting, but it can still be done if the target is soft enough. Ie, I can thrust a latin style machete - even my cheap arse Wal-mart ones that don't hold an edge for **** - into a milk jug, but a 2 liter soda bottle is a bit much. I've managed the soda bottle a few times with the CS machete but not very often. Then again, since I haven't been able to do any cutting since '07 and that was before I started serious training my failure could have been bad form on my part.
As for, the post disaster bit - a pocket knife or small fixed blade hunting knife are tools, a machete is a tool, a hatchet or hand axe is a tool, a sword is a weapon. If the men in blue comes to confiscate weapons, they might just try and grab the swords. The D-handled bowie is iffy because in some states that type of guard is considered brass knuckles and therefore a deadly weapon. It's the same with those collapsible batons, depending on what state you live in those things are deadly weapons under the law. A D-handled machete, like Ontario Knives is famous for producing, is considered a tool. Although walking around with a machete is probably going to get you noticed by law enforcement, unless you live in an area where such tools are used on a regular basis.
Now a cane or walking stick, is considered a prosthetic device for the injured. I can walk anywhere I want, to include schools and federal property without fear of it being confiscated. Some places, like the security gate of the Federal building, are savvy enough that I will exaggerate my limp a bit to get the security guards to realize I actually need the gotterdamrung thing. However, actual cops tend not to bother me about it, just some security guards and bar bouncers.
Now, I will have to agree with Strayed that most people are going to be harmless sheep after a disaster. I've seen it enough it my life to know that to be true. You only have about the same percentage of those "out to get theirs" as you would in normal life. Any weapon gives you a slight advantage in a fight, but some weapons have serious disadvantages under the law.
Now, if the world went completely Mad Max on me I'll start carrying the Jian and Dao I'm envisioning having Mr. Lundemo make me provided I have that kind of cash before everything goes to hades. In normal life or after minor disaster the simple fact I walk around with a nice stiff stick, and a 3" folder in my back pocket is more than sufficient.
Also, I have three canes a 7/8" diameter Mahogany that needs replaced but is still quite functional, an aluminum "7" handle adjustable that I use most of the time, and an aluminum Derby handle collapsible cane I use when looking for work. The collapsible is the one you really don't want to get hit with, but is by far the hardest to control from my perspective with the added inertia when it is swung. I need to break down and get a nice 1" diameter hickory to handle the abuse I put my canes through. Although a cane shaped piece of 1/2" rebar would make a great weapon but I think I would get too many odd looks from the wrong people with that.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2010 18:03:31 GMT
I don't foresee any "disaster" or what have you wherein a sword would serve any purpose. In the likes of the Haiti earthquake or Katrina...I dunno, but I don't see a sword being a handy thing to have. I'd rather have clean water... Clean water or what have you is no good if the roving, armed thugs/gangs come to take it from you and you can't defend yourself. And in both cases,firearms (even before the NO Police snatched them up) are/were uncommon. In Haiti, it's machetes. Yeah, a sword in that situation would be Very handy to protect what's mine. However, LPBoyle brings up a good point. Especially for having something to walk around with. A cane is useful. A caneSword is useful And deadly... But once things go to pot, I just don't see much need to hide my weapons...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2010 18:41:13 GMT
I still have 1000 rounds of 7.62x39 ammo I bought to prepare for Y2K Nothing happened, of course However, on new years eve of 2001, some asshats got drunk and shot up the equipment in a substation, to see it blow up. They were still there when the cops arrived ;D so they are probably STILL in prison We had no power for about 3 days thanks to those idiots, and it was during some record breaking cold and ice storms. The new generator I had bought the previous year for Y2K ran 5 minutes and seized up Thankfully, the propane heaters I had bought for Y2K worked, and my all-electric house didn't have any frozen pipes I have called it Y2.001K . No weapons were needed, except maybe to shoot those idiots blowing up the substation
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Post by sparky on Jan 19, 2010 20:54:35 GMT
I like a walking stick and this..... You can sharpen the edge and cut trees down. Or as the guy said in the movie "All quiet on the western front" you can take a mans head clean off! ;D You can also use it to help in the recovery of survivors. Random the big snow storm was January of 1996, my wife was very pregnant with my first kid. I was worried she'd go into labor but she didn't. Still ended up getting stuck in it cause we needed................ bird food! ;D Not toilet paper or milk, stinkin bird seed because hey a birds gotta eat too.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2010 21:09:37 GMT
I think needing a sword is improbable but civil unrest is not. I mentioned the chaos and violence of Katrina but what about the 1992 LA Riots? I was not there but the news media made it look pretty scary. A couple years ago there was a lot of talk about the global food shortage. Rice was hard to get at the grocery store where I live. If a prolonged serious food shortage were to occure the stuff would be hitting the fan. I've got a year supply of food in my house as do many of my neighbors but something like that could be scary.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2010 21:16:42 GMT
The problem with a sword, particularly for a hurricane Katrina situation is that it draws a lot of attention to you. Any law enforcement or military people that is around are going to want to know what you are up to, and are likely to confiscate it.
I could also see you drawing the wrong kind of attention. I could see a person with criminal intentions, who is better armed then you deciding that they like the look of your sword and taking it from you at gun point.
I think a better option would be a machete, its much more subtle, it can be used for practical purposes, you can give any jumpy policemen a good excuse for why you have it, and if need be it is an effective weapon
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Post by randomnobody on Jan 19, 2010 21:45:45 GMT
Well taking water from me and my array of weapons probably wouldn't be any simple task but a sword would not come into play. Ah, it was '96. I'd just moved back up to PA from Florida the year before. Geez, that was fun. I was also around in PA for another nice round of snow in either '92 or '93. Wasn't as big as '96 but it was there. Luckily PA knows what the hell to do when snow starts falling, not like here in VA. Hell, last snowfall we got here wasn't even a foot; the town was practically shut down for a week. No plows, even on the interstate, until the day after...none hitting smaller roads for two or three days, MY road NEVER saw a plow... They're so hilariously unprepared for this stuff here. I'm all for the shovel idea. I've got a cheapo folding camp shovel thingy that I imagine would be handy, but we've got plenty of bigger shovels in the shed out back, too. Machete, eh, don't have one, but I figure I'd have an easy enough time defending my kukri or some such. After all, a kukri really is just a machete. No, really, I swear! Officer, I insist...hey, what's that over there!? *whack* ...Anyway, civil unrest in my area is unlikely under any circumstances save sudden, mass outside involvement. Too peaceful here; you'd need several hundred very angry, very armed evildoers to stir up any real fuss here...and then we have all the hunters handing out guns to neighbors and...well...yeah. When the police show up, they might have some people to "confine" in the ER...but that's about it... Now, in the case of ever-man-for-himself survival...we're all doomed, so who cares? Prepare all you want, somebody's going to disrupt your plans and you'll likely fail so...eh, whatever~
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2010 23:40:20 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2010 2:19:21 GMT
Ouch! I feel bad for the dead guy. He probably crapped himself after his hand was severed. If that story does not deter you from becoming a burglar, nothing will!
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Post by randomnobody on Jan 20, 2010 2:41:45 GMT
Ah, that story again. The guy (with the sword) got lucky. That's about all there is to it.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2010 3:21:52 GMT
Ah, that story again. The guy (with the sword) got lucky. That's about all there is to it. Are you sure he wasn't a master of the Suioryu wave slashing stroke or the full moon cut? ;D
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Post by randomnobody on Jan 20, 2010 3:45:44 GMT
Even if he was, he was lucky the other guy wasn't.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2010 3:46:10 GMT
Ah, that story again. The guy (with the sword) got lucky. That's about all there is to it. No. This was yet another case of the bad guys expecting their "victims" to be unarmed and finding out the hard way otherwise. The more this happens, the better.
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Post by randomnobody on Jan 20, 2010 4:02:02 GMT
You can choose to look at it that way if you like. I see it as a case of "damn good thing the intruder here happened to be less armed." Our "hero" was lucky. It would have been a completely different story if our sword-weilding hero had been shot in the face, no? Luck. Leaving it alone now.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2010 4:59:28 GMT
Interesting article. I remember reading another one somewhere about a guy who entered his ex-girl friends home with a sword and her room mate pulled out a sword of his own. I'm a little irritated that this guy has to defend himself for defending himself in his own home. Anyway the sword is a viable weapon. The significant advantage of the firearm is the distance it puts between you and your opponent. A sword might be preferred if you are hiding from intruders and you can make the suprise attack. The noise of using a gun in such a situation might attract more unwanted attention from mauraders in the neighborhood. Again, its all very unlikely but interesting to think about.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2010 5:27:29 GMT
Anybody have a recomendation for a quality D-guard bowie? In regards to the machete, its a must have for any outdoor enthusiast but as a weapon it lacks the stifness for a good thrust. a thrust would be nice but who needs that when a well sharpened machete could produce a complete evisceration.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2010 5:36:43 GMT
The problem with a sword, particularly for a hurricane Katrina situation is that it draws a lot of attention to you. Any law enforcement or military people that is around are going to want to know what you are up to, and are likely to confiscate it. I could also see you drawing the wrong kind of attention. I could see a person with criminal intentions, who is better armed then you deciding that they like the look of your sword and taking it from you at gun point. I think a better option would be a machete, its much more subtle, it can be used for practical purposes, you can give any jumpy policemen a good excuse for why you have it, and if need be it is an effective weapon i used a sword to chase a thief away from my house who tried to break in the day after hurricane ike... then patrolled the neighborhood after that until the neighbors got home... upon contacting police who were too busy to respond and knew that i was patrolling, of course the fact that i called them first and that i work in the 911 system may have played a part in the understanding. a few hours after the attempted break in the police cruised by an waved at the wife, brother and myself sitting on the porch holding drawn swords. but in texas we have what is known as the castle law of 2007... burglar beware. as for a gun... they shouldnt see my sword until they are close enough that their gun is not going to help. one of the reasons that i do not like longer swords.... they can not be as concealed. tuck your jian behind your arm, and it is hard to see.
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