Melee weapons have always accompanied great warriors in their battles. Each country has its own national weapon with centuries of history. Cold steel, a sharp blade can both cause fear and become a loyal defender on the battlefield. As long as there is a story, so much there is a weapon.

Urumi

Let's start with the unusual edged weapons of India, and first of all - this is urumi. The exact date of the appearance of this sword is unknown, but, presumably, it began to be used in the period of the 9th century. BC e. This is a long double-edged sword, which was made of flexible steel. The length was 6 meters.

In the past, it was used by assassins who discreetly wore weapons on a belt, wrapped around the torso. Thanks to the combination of the effect of a sword and a whip, they could deliver slashing and slashing blows. It has earned the reputation of the most dangerous weapon in India.

Pata

Pata is also from India. Initially, this edged weapon was used by the ancient warrior caste - the Marathas. This sword was attached to a plate gauntlet, the design of which made it possible to protect the warrior's arm up to the elbow. The warrior's wrist remained motionless, and all actions with this weapon had to be performed from the elbow.

From the memoirs of one British officer, it is known that the technique of working with stalemate involves rotational strikes with constant movements, and only a few could skillfully wield this weapon. Most often it was used by riders. The length of this weapon ranges from 60 to 100 cm, weight - 1.5-2 kg.

Skissor

Scissor is an exotic, little-studied edged weapon of the Roman gladiators of the same name, which protected the warrior's arm to the elbow, just like the stalemate. In addition, it was quite effective in combat, since it simultaneously dealt serious blows to the enemy and blocked counterattacks.

The length of the skissor reached 1.5 meters, the weight did not exceed 3 kilograms.

lantern shield

This kind of edged weapon belongs to the era early medieval. The shield had a round shape, was made of wood and upholstered in leather. A gauntlet with blades was attached to a small round shield, and in the center were long spikes and a lantern.

It is known that not a single shield was produced by the master until the bulletproof test was passed. To do this, as an experiment, a test shot from an arquebus was made at him. It was used in fights and as a means of protection from criminals on dark streets.

Khopesh

Khopesh is one of the types of cold Egyptian weapons, which were originally made of bronze, later - of iron. It had a sickle-shaped structure and a wooden or metal handle.

Due to the specific shape of the blade, they could disarm the enemy, stab or chop. Sharpening had only the outer edge of the blade. Khopesh is a symbol of the New Kingdom, many pharaohs were depicted with him in the tombs, including Tutankhamen.

Macuahutl

Macuahutl is an ancient Aztec melee weapon, the exact origin of which is still unknown. In shape, it resembles a club with spikes, the length did not exceed one meter.

The base of the makuahutla was made of wood, and sharp pieces of volcanic glass were attached along it. The wounds inflicted by this weapon were terrible: it was possible to decapitate the enemy and deprive him of limbs with one blow.

Kpinga

Throwing edged weapons of the peoples of Africa with several blades. It was used in war and hunting. It symbolized power, human status and good financial position. Several blades increased the area of ​​damage inflicted on opponents. The weapon was thrown horizontally and could kill several opponents at once.

The length of the kpinga was about half a meter. There were many variations of weapons, and the forms could vary.

Tekko-kagi

This is a melee weapon of secret ninja, thanks to which the warriors easily ran up the sheer walls with the help of claws, like a wolverine, or knocked out the blades from the enemy. Its sharp claws protruded to a length of 10 to 30 cm.

Melee weapons inflicted non-healing wounds and left scars on the body.

Shuko

Shuko is a melee weapon of ancient Japanese ninjas. It looks like a spiked ring. They wore it one or two, with spikes in or out.

It was intended for delivering shocking blows and subjugating opponents. Such a weapon could easily kill, especially if lubricated with poison. Shuko was often used by female ninja.

Odachi

Odachi is a long Japanese sword. The length of the blade was 1 meter 80 centimeters. These blades are very rare, having fallen into disuse as early as 1615.

Then in Japan it was officially forbidden to wear swords of a certain length. Odachi could be used as an offering to a temple or for ceremonial purposes.

Below is a video that talks about the most unusual types of melee weapons:

Ever since mankind invented firearms, thousands of its different types and modifications were created. Some of them developed into modern models, but most of them have been forgotten. If you dig a little, among them you can find truly curious non-standard samples.
How about an almost artillery barrel for duck hunting? Traps against graveyard thieves? The fantasy of firearms developers has not subsided to this day, but in past centuries it has definitely bloomed brighter.

Clarifier strengthened on small boats and, as the name suggests, was intended for shooting ducks. On an industrial scale, so to speak, and certainly not to miss. A volley of shot from this monster could kill 50 ducks at a time.

Pistol "duck foot" continues the duck theme, although it was named so solely because of its peculiar shape. He could shoot from all trunks at the same time, which was very much appreciated by captains on military and pirate ships when it was necessary to suppress the rebellion of a recalcitrant crew.

Girandoni air rifle was one of the most outstanding Italian guns of the 18th century. Not being a "firearm" in the literal sense of the word, this gun fired quite real bullets and hit the target at a distance of up to 150 steps.

Revolver Le Ma- the brainchild of engineer Jean Alexander Le Ma, developed by him in 1856. The main feature of the weapon was the ability to transform a nine-shot revolver into a single-shot shotgun with one hand movement. Used by the KSA army at the time civil war in USA.

"Graveyard Guns" were popular in the 18th and XIX centuries as a remedy against grave robbers. They dug over the coffins, and the unfortunate robber who touched the trap received a bullet point-blank.

Gyrojet- a kind of guns that fired rockets instead of bullets, the most famous was the pistol of the same name. Mini-rockets were quiet and really effective at long ranges, but otherwise they lost to bullets.

Shotgun Pakla- one of the first ancestors of the machine gun, created in 1718. It was an ordinary flintlock gun with an 11-shot cylindrical drum, where each new shot was fired like in a revolver.

Borckhardt K93- first in the world self-loading pistol, developed in 1893 and gone into mass production. Despite the extremely unusual shape, was valued for its high reliability and excellent ballistic characteristics.

Pistol buckle, disguised as an ordinary belt buckle, was used by high-ranking members of the SS during World War II. If captured, they could use it to try to escape or commit suicide.

With the invention of gunpowder fighting became much larger and bloodier. Now powerful armor was no longer a guarantee of the knight's safety, so the whole concept of protection and weapons has changed radically. But the firearm was also improved, and sometimes extremely interesting and in an unusual way. Just such unusual firearms and dedicated to today's selection.

Gunshot Cutlery

Yes. Exactly. Spoons, forks and knives in which single-shot 6mm flintlock pistols are built. It was created in the eighteenth century in Germany. Looks like the local landsknechts were unbearable to feel unprotected during the meal. And so eat the fish, and shoot the enemy. But the history is silent about the number of accidental victims during meals.

Shield with built-in gun

This unusual firearm dates from the 1540s. Made in Italy, used in England. IN warehouse lists Tower, dozens of such shields were mentioned. The pistol was matchlocked, single-shot and loaded from the breech. The shooter could fire one, maximum two shots before the shield had to be used for its intended purpose.

gun knife

It’s not even clear what idea is primary - to attach to the muzzle of a gun cutting edge or drill a channel for shooting in the knife handle. The fact remains that a multifunctional weapon was obtained that could be used both in close combat and in long-range combat. And it doesn’t matter that this is a maximum of a couple of shots - the enemy certainly does not expect that they will start shooting at him FROM THE KNIFE

giant guns

This was widely used in nineteenth and early twentieth century England. It was almost impossible to shoot from such a “thing” alone, and to hold it in your hands was also impossible. I'm talking about returns in general. And it was necessary to kill two birds with one stone, or rather, a small flock of ducks, since the gun was loaded with a huge charge of shot. As for me - cheating. And it is very good that the popularity of such guns has already ended.

brass knuckles pistol

At the end of the 18th century, the city streets were very restless. Therefore, this was created, combining the functions of brass knuckles, a multi-shot pistol and a dagger. For a street fight perfect solution because they can do whatever they want. And yes, this thing was used not only by bandits, but also by ordinary citizens in self-defense. Eh, it was a good time - self-defense laws were MUCH simpler ...

shooting ax

Shooting axes… Damn it, regular shooting axes. You can chop down enemies, you can chop wood, you can hunt both wild animals and those enemies that you didn’t have time to cut down ... It was widely used in Germany at the end of the fifteenth century. Seriously, there were different varieties of it. unusual firearms, starting from something like reeds, ending with small assault hatchets. This is not a bayonet-knife for you. This is for the really tough guys.

Disposable gun

An absolutely brilliant idea. Simplify the design to the limit, use cheap aluminum instead of steel, make the barrel smooth, load in advance and transfer to the needs of the resistance to the Nazi invaders during the Second World War. The cost of this pistol was less than two bucks, the range of aimed fire was less than 10 meters, but it was quite possible to kill someone. The weapon is small, compact, inconspicuous and very light - what else is needed for a partisan?

Curved weapon

Yes. With these guns, “barrel bending” is a completely official diagnosis. And no, this does not prevent them from shooting normally. A great way to fire from a trench or around a corner without endangering the shooter. But bent barrels are not very convenient to use, they are very demanding on the quality of manufacture and operation, so Soviet designers, unlike the Nazi ones, solved the problem by creating a periscope gun with a system of mirrors. It doesn't look as unusual, but it works much more effectively.


Throughout history, firearms have undergone a wide variety of modifications. Sometimes very unusual specimens became the result of engineering research. We have collected 10 of the most unique models of firearms of the past.

Shooting body


The birth of artillery is associated with the appearance in the 14th century of weapons that allowed continuous fire. It was a multi-barreled instrument, called the "Organ" because of the similarity with the musical instrument of the same name - the trunks were arranged in a row, like the pipes of an organ. Such installations had a much smaller caliber. They fired from all barrels simultaneously or in turn. The largest instrument of this class was the organ with 144 barrels. They were located on three sides of the horse-drawn cart. Such weapons were used against both infantry and armored cavalry. The main drawbacks of the weapon was their big weight and long charging time.

Rifle with periscope



In 1915, British Army corporal W.C. Beech invented the periscope rifle. It was assumed that a soldier firing such weapons from a bunker or trench would not be endangered. All Beach did was attach a board with two mirrors to the rifle, arranging them as in a periscope. After the advent of the “made on the knee” rifle, many countries began to develop their own prototypes. One of the most advanced examples was the Guiberson rifle. The periscope sight was removable, and in the absence of the need for shooting from cover, it was easily removed and folded into the butt. The main disadvantage of this weapon was its bulkiness. And besides, the development appeared at the very end of the First World War, so it remained unclaimed.

gun press


The press pistol could be hidden in the palm of your hand, it was not similar in shape to a traditional pistol, and at the same time it held more cartridges. Several models of pistol presses are known. For example, the Mitrailleuse pistol was shaped like a cigar, and to fire it, you had to press the back cover. The Tribuzio pistol had a ring that had to be pulled out to fire.

Disposable pistols


The Liberator pistol was designed for members of the Resistance during World War II. The design has been simplified to the limit so that the pistols are small and easy to hide. If necessary, the pistol could be turned into a bunch of useless pieces of iron in a matter of seconds. There was no rifling in the barrel, and therefore effective range was about 7.5 meters. In the US, these pistols were sold for $1.72.

Another pistol of this class, the Deer Gun, was developed by the CIA in 1963. The pistol was made of aluminum casting, and only the barrel was steel. To load this weapon, the barrel had to be unscrewed and ammunition loaded inside. This pistol costs $3.50.

Pistol knife


Victorian era became the heyday of various inventions. The British company Unwin & Rodgers, which produced penknives, offered an unusual device to protect the house from robbers - a knife with a built-in pistol. The pistol trigger was screwed into doorjamb, the shot was fired automatically when the door was opened. The knife pistols used 0.22 caliber bullets.

Shooting cane of King Henry VIII



King Henry VIII was known for his many failed marriages and his weakness for exotic weapons. In his collection was a cane with a morningstar on the handle, in which three matchlock pistols were hidden. Shooting cane today Henry VIII can be seen in the museum in the Tower of London.

Pistol on the glove


During World War II, the Naval Construction Battalion was tasked with building airfields on the islands. Pacific Ocean. The work was carried out in the jungle, and enemies could be hiding there. It was then that US Navy Captain Stanley Haight invented the "Hand Firing Mechanism MK 2" pistol, which was attached to a glove and loaded with just one .38 caliber bullet.

Attached firearms


Before the invention of weapons with magazines, inventors worked for a long time so that weapons could fire several times in a row. One of the most dangerous decisions was the overhead loading of rifles. Such weapons were not widely used, since an accidental mistake or a contaminated barrel led to the fact that the weapon exploded in the hands.

Dagger pistol


The Elgin was the first percussion pistol and the first pistol/dagger hybrid to enter service. american army. Essentially, it was bowie knife with the possibility of a single shot. 150 units of such weapons were issued by the US Navy for members of the expedition to Antarctica. True, dagger pistols did not become popular among sailors because of their bulkiness.

brass knuckles pistol


The brass knuckle pistol appeared in the late 1800s as a weapon that could be used for both ranged and close combat. Such weapons were produced as a means of self-defense for ordinary citizens, but gained particular popularity among street bandits. by the most famous models brass knuckle pistols were the French Apache and Le Centenaire, as well as the American "My Friend".

At the end of the last century, weapons began to appear that could stop a person, saving his life. In one of the previous reviews, we talked about, which can be used both in the fight against terrorists and as a means of self-defense.


Yawara
It is a wooden cylinder, 10 - 15 centimeters long and about 3 centimeters in diameter. Yawara is clasped with fingers, and its ends protrude on both sides of the fist. It serves to weight and enhance the impact. Allows you to strike with the ends of the ends, mainly in the centers of the nerve bundles, tendons and ligaments.

Yawara is a Japanese weapon that has two versions of the appearance. According to one of them, the Japanese brass knuckles are like a symbol of faith, which was an attribute of Buddhist monks - vijra. This is a small shaft, reminiscent of the image of lightning, which the monks used not only for ritual purposes, but also as a weapon, since they needed to have it. The second version is the most plausible. An ordinary pestle, which was used for crushing cereals or seasonings in a mortar, became the prototype of the Javara.

Nunchaku

It represents sticks or metal tubes about 30 cm long connected to each other with a chain or rope. Flails used to thresh rice became the prototype of home-made weapons.

In Japan, threshing flails were considered a tool and did not pose a danger to enemy soldiers, so they were not seized from the peasants.

Sai

This is a stiletto-type piercing bladed melee weapon, outwardly similar to a trident with a short shaft (maximum one and a half palm width) and an elongated middle prong. traditional weapons inhabitants of Okinawan (Japan) and is one of the main weapons of Kobudo. The lateral teeth form a kind of guard and can also play a striking role due to sharpening.

Unusual weapons of antiquityIt is believed that a fork for carrying bales of rice straw or a tool for loosening the soil became the prototype of the weapon.

Kusarigama

Kusarigama (kusarikama) is a traditional Japanese weapon consisting of a sickle (kama) and a chain (kusari) that connects it to a shock weight (fundo). The place of attachment of the chain to the sickle varies from the end of its handle to the base of the kama blade.

Unusual weapons of antiquity Kusarigama is considered to be a medieval invention of the ninja, the prototype of which was an ordinary agricultural sickle, with which the peasants harvested, and the soldiers cut their way through high grass and other vegetation during campaigns. It is believed that the appearance of the kusarigama was due to the need to disguise weapons as unsuspicious objects, in this case an agricultural tool.

Odachi

Odachi ("big sword") is one of the types of long Japanese swords. To be called an odachi, a sword had to have a blade length of at least 3 shaku (90.9 cm), however, as with many other Japanese sword terms, exact definition there is no length. Usually odachi are swords with blades 1.6 - 1.8 meters.

Unusual weapons of antiquity Odachi completely fell into disuse as a weapon after the Osaka-Natsuno-Jin War The Bakufu government passed a law according to which it was forbidden to have a sword of more than a certain length. After the law went into effect, many odachi were cut to fit the established norms. This is one of the reasons why odachi are so rare.

Naginata

Known in Japan at least since the 11th century. Then this weapon meant a long blade from 0.6 to 2.0 m long, mounted on a handle 1.2-1.5 m long. In the upper third, the blade slightly expanded and bent, but the handle itself had no curvature at all or it was barely scheduled. They worked with the naginata at that time in wide movements, holding one hand almost at the very edge. The shaft of the naginata had an oval section, and the blade with one-sided sharpening, like the blade of the Japanese yari spear, was usually worn in a sheath or case.

Unusual weapons of antiquity Later, by the XIV-XV centuries, the naginata blade was somewhat shortened and acquired modern form. Now the classic naginata has a shaft 180 cm long, on which a blade 30-70 cm long is attached (60 cm is considered standard). The blade is separated from the shaft by an annular guard, and sometimes also by metal crossbars - straight or bent upwards. Such crossbars (jap. hadome) were also used on spears to parry enemy blows. The blade of the naginata resembles that of a common samurai sword, sometimes it was it that was planted on such a shaft, but usually the naginata blade is heavier and more curved.

Qatar

Indian weapons gave its owner the claws of a wolverine, the blade lacking only the strength and cutting ability of adamant. At first glance, the katar is one blade, but when the lever on the handle is pressed, this blade splits into three - one in the middle and two on the sides.

Unusual weapons of antiquityThree blades not only make the weapon effective, but also intimidate the enemy. The shape of the handle makes it easy to block blows. But it is also important that the triple blade can cut through any Asian armor.

Urumi

A long (usually about 1.5 m) strip of extremely flexible steel attached to a wooden handle.

Unusual weapons of antiquityThe excellent flexibility of the blade made it possible to wear the urumi discreetly under clothing, wrapping it around the body.

Tekkokagi

Device in the form of claws attached to the outside (tekkokagi) or inside(tekagi, shuko) palms of the hand. They were one of the favorite tools, but, to a greater extent, weapons in the arsenal of the ninja.

Unusual weapons of antiquity Usually these "claws" were used in pairs, in both hands. With their help, one could not only quickly climb a tree or a wall, hang from a ceiling beam, or turn a clay wall around, but also resist a warrior with a sword or other long weapon with high efficiency.

Chakram

The Indian throwing weapon "chakra" may well serve as a clear illustration of the saying "everything ingenious is simple." The chakra is a flat metal ring honed along the outer edge. The diameter of the ring on surviving specimens varies from 120 to 300 mm or more, the width is from 10 to 40 mm, and the thickness is from 1 to 3.5 mm.

Unusual weapons of antiquity One of the methods of throwing chakram was to unwind the ring on the index finger, and then throw the weapon at the enemy with a sharp movement of the wrist.

Skissor

the weapon was used in gladiator fights in the Roman Empire. The metal cavity at the base of the scissor covered the gladiator's hand, which made it possible to easily block blows, as well as inflict their own. The skissor was made of solid steel and was 45 cm long. It was surprisingly light, which made it possible to strike quickly.

Kpinga

A throwing knife used by experienced warriors of the Azanda tribe. They lived in Nubia, a region of Africa that includes northern Sudan and southern Egypt. This knife was up to 55.88 cm long and had 3 blades with a base in the center. The blade closest to the handle was shaped male genitalia and represented the male power of its owner.

Unusual weapons of antiquity The very design of kpinga blades increased the chances of hitting the enemy as hard as possible on contact. When the owner of the knife got married, he presented the kping as a gift to the family of his future wife.