Questions tagged [weapons]
Questions on historical weapons, their use and significance.
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What was the largest battle axe used in battle?
What was the largest battle axe used in battle? By largest, I mean probably just heaviest. I managed to find a post on quora about the heaviest weapon that didn't have a great answer.
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Were non-firing replica firearms ever made to the same standards of fit, finish, and from the same materials as a functioning firearm?
The term replica firearm has an imprecise meaning. It covers everything from functioning firearms that look like historical weapons to toys that simply have the appearance of an historical or ...
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When did Mesoamericans stop using their native weapons?
Indigenous warriors of today's Mexico used atlatl spear-throwers and obsidian-bladed hand weapons such as tepoztopilli and macuahuitl. According to Bernal Díaz del Castillo, these arms were formidable ...
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What is this 18th or 19th century muzzle gun recently used in a robbery?
The spanish newspaper describes the weapon, incorrectly IMHO as a "trabuco" (blunderbuss). I ask for a more accurate description.
https://lacronicadesalamanca.com/196620-detenido-en-...
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How common was gun ownership by Londoners in the early 20th century?
By Londoners, I mean laypeople in London, England. I was reading about the Tottenham Outrage on Wikipedia which mentions policeman borrowing pistols from bystanders or the public three times, which ...
user36377
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Were railway guns ever critical in any battle during WWI and WWII?
Note: this is a question about railway - mounted artillery, NOT about armored trains (which were more akin to tanks-on-rails and had much smaller guns)
The idea behind railway gun is quite sound: a ...
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Can you help identify a pistol believed to be Ottoman Empire (Turkish)?
Trying to identify a pistol believed to be Ottoman Empire (Turkish
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Can anyone identify this sword, believe to be Ottoman Empire (Turkish)?
I am trying to identify a sword believe to be Ottoman Empire (Turkish).
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Were bricks instead of bombs occasionally thrown out of war planes in WWI?
I remember reading in a school textbook or perhaps hearing my history teacher tell the story of how bricks instead of bombs were occasionally thrown out of war planes in WWI, perhaps because of ...
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How long ago was the yo-yo first used as a weapon?
How long ago was the yo-yo first used as a weapon?
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Did ancient Greeks harden steel weapons?
Let's limit this question to the Classical period (c. 5th-4th centuries BC)
Did Greeks harden their iron swords, spearheads, arrowheads etc. before putting them into use? Was hardening technology ...
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In WW2, what was the barrel-change rate of the Bofors 40-mm?
I was just reading about the 37-mm 70K Naval gun that the Soviet Navy used for AA. I wanted to see how it compared to the Bofors 40-mm. These were both guns used on naval ships for anti-aircraft ...
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Why would a rifleman have his bayonet fixed to the rifle in a non-combat situation?
Similar to hand-to-hand blades, I would expect bayonets to be sheathed in a non-combat situation, to avoid damaging/dulling the blade and hurting the people around.
However, it appears that (at least)...
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How did samurai keep their blade effective when away from any sharpening tools?
I was wondering, regardless of the type of blade, how did samurais keep their blade effective when they are away from any sharpening tools / professionals.
Coming from daily using a Japanese chef ...
bluesummers
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What mesoamerican culture used long, "pike-like" spears?
A while back, I read about some Mesoamerican tribe or culture that armed many of its warriors with extremely long spears, that either the Spanish invaders or the article I read itself compared to the ...
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Why didn't Syria operate the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther tank?
Given that Syria operated numerous Nazi-era vehicles during the Cold War, why didn't it operate the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther tank?
Syria acquired plenty of Panzer IVs, including some from France. ...
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How many javelins would a Thracian Peltast carry into battle?
According to the Wikipedia page on Thracian Peltasts, they carried several javelins with them. I am just wondering how many could they realistically carry into battle. Also, would they run back to ...
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Mass distribution of the Macedonian Sarissa pike
As a physics student, I am currently writing an independent assignment about applications of continuum mechanics (the study of waves, deformation, and stress in objects), in this assignment, I have ...
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With no heavy infantry, how could melee units be effective, facing competition from ranged units?
Arrows can sometimes even penetrate heavy armor. Yet, as far as I'm aware, Egyptians or Persians did not have heavy infantry, but only had light units.
In light of this, I am uncertain how could the ...
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How effective were archers/ slingers / skirmishers in Greek, Roman and Medieval Period?
So it seemed that from the accounts of Thermopelea, Roman military strategy of waiting out an arrow storm, and Knights holding out for hours behind a shield wall during the first crusade it ...
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Did any age of sail ship have a "back-bone cannon"?
Did any age of sail ship have a "back-bone cannon"? What I mean by "backbone-cannon" is a cannon too large/heavy to be carried other than by having the ship being essentially built around it. This ...
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What is the name of the weapon shown in the image below? [closed]
I am looking for the proper name of the sword in the image below. I was not sure which stack exchange site to post this on so I put it here, figuring it was a type of medieval weaponry, if an obscure ...
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What kind of knife could this be?
I recently found this knife/dagger, have no clue what type it is and what it was used for, there is a thumb hole I suspect on the spine as well as it looks to be “IMT” or “IMI” logo stamped on the ...
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Why was the first production PzKpfw V (Panther) called the Ausf.D, and the second production version called the Ausf.A?
Background
The first Panther (PzKpfw V) production variant, produced from January 1943
through September 1943 was called the Ausf.D. (see below)
The second Panther production variant, produced ...
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Weird weapons in medieval times [closed]
I know that this will be a bit vague, but here goes: what’s the weirdest weapon ever made/used in the medieval times? I meant in terms of how it’s used. I wrote the man catcher question so I would ...
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Were man catchers actually used in medieval times?
I know that man catchers were invented sometime during the medieval times, but were they actually used during the medieval times?
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Has a battering ram been used to breach a gate?
I am looking for a specific example of a battering ram used to breach the gate of a castle or fortification in Europe. I can find lots of indirect references to the use of battering rams on gates (...
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What were sandbags used for in medieval duels?
I was hesitant whether to ask this question in history or Shakespeare stack exchange, but I eventually decided it is more of a historical question. In the play "King Henry The Sixth" there is a ...
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What light machine guns did the imperial Japanese army use in ww1?
I would love to more about Japanese weaponry in the Great War and, more specifically, about their use of light machine guns, and did they use things like a c96 Mauser or a Madsen LMG. Also, did they ...
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Was the act of servicemen exchanging their weapons for enemy weapons common during WWII?
I have often heard that soldiers (particularly Allied soldiers) would swap their weapons for enemy weapons during World War II. Allies would take German weapons, like the MP40, that were seen as a ...
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When did hand cannons become handguns?
When did hand cannons change to handguns?
The Wikipedia article doesn’t address when the change happens in my opinion, but I could be wrong.
I’m asking mostly for curiosities sake.
I know that hand ...
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Why has the khopesh never been used since ancient Egypt?
The ancient Egyptians used a weapon called the khopesh. It was a curved blade that was excellent for getting around shields and puncturing body parts like kidneys.
Why did no other army in the ...
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Did any Native Americans make tomahawks from metal?
I'm curious about the evolution of the tomahawk among (North American) Native American peoples like the Algonquin. I assume early versions of the tomahawk had the head made from stone (please correct ...
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Can someone help me identify this sword?
It looks like a wide hacking blade, obviously a short sword. But because the tang isn't real wide and the way the handle fits, it looks like it was ceremonial or even ornamental.
The blade itself is ...
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Why didn't the steppe bow spread further?
So, this question was triggered by my reading Stephen Turnbull's book on the Gempei War, when he says that he thinks that the yumi, or Japanese longbow, had an effective range of 10 meters against ...
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Why did certain swords have the weird curves that they did? [closed]
I don't know if this belongs in history because it talks about pre-modern weapons or if it belongs in like physics or engineering, but in looking at references of swords, I noticed they have a large ...
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Can someone tell me more about this dagger with a bronze hilt?
I found this dagger whilst cleaning up. It used to belong to my father I believe; he used to collect old things. It appears to have a bronze hilt (?).
I don't see any lettering or marks on it.
I ...
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Are there any examples of civilians competing with, or hindering, a military?
What I am looking for:
A village or area of civilians—either with very few military personnel, or none at all—that managed to defend itself against an invading force (this may be its own government, ...
user31300
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When did enscribing messages on bombs first happen?
I would like to know when and why, messages written on bombs appeared for the first time. In particular if only US crew members used it during the operations in war.
Carlo Nava
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How much cheaper were flintlocks than wheellocks?
When flintlock firearms came out (they had been around since the 16th century, flintlock muskets only became "the mainstay of European armies between 1660 and 1840"), they were simpler to make and to ...
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Please post a picture of the mills tonfa were supposedly used to turn
A tonfa is a forearm length club with a handle protruding sideways. A common claim is that the weapon was originally a handle used to turn millstones. German Wikipedia claims that there are pictures ...
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How heavy were the heaviest war hammers actually used?
On the German Wikipedia page about warhammers it says their weight reached from 3 to 14 Kg! Having done some really heavy sports in my past, I was truly surprised by this last number! I searched ...
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How accurate was rocket artillery in the 18th and 19th centuries?
In the 1700s and 1800s, how accurate was rocket artillery in Europe (or Asia, if you prefer to speak of her)? Its accuracy is frequently made a joke, that rockets couldn't be relied on to hit their ...
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Was there a Stick-Grenade prior to the Stielhandgranate?
Most people are familiar with the Stielhandgranate that appeared in 1915, and saw use in both world wars. The question I have, is whether it was the first of its kind, a stick-grenade? Were there no ...
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How long did it take to make a 16th Century arrow?
While researching 16th Century arrow making, I read an article on the length of time to produce a complete arrow. My computer crashed before I secured the article, so if anyone can help it would be ...
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How did the Chinese crossbows that shot bullets work?
It's commonly accepted that East Asian people invented the crossbow. However, it seems they had crossbows that shoot bullets as well. As an example, Jing Fang uses this description when explaining his ...
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Can anyone identify this sword?
It's been around for years in the attic and I would love to find out where it's from. Thank you.
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Can anyone tell me more about this ... sword?
I am new here. I came here to ask about this small sword I found a couple of years ago. I think it used to belong to my father.
The scabbard seems to be made of lead and the sword is currently stuck ...
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WW1 shell case markings
The inscription listed below is on a shell case which was in my grandmothers house. Can any one tell me what they mean.
BRC
QF. 18.PR
V11
FS
TR
MH
9.11.15
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How effective were the Mongol siege equipment?
From what I understand, the mongols had engineers from China and Persia to handle the siege machinery. I'm mostly curious as if the machinery made by the Chinese engineers was unique and/or superior ...
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