Photos of strange melee weapons. The most unusual firearms. Where it all began

Since mankind invented firearms, thousands of its different types and modifications were created. Some of them developed into modern models, but most were completely forgotten. If you dig a little, you can find some truly interesting non-standard samples among them.
How about an almost artillery barrel for duck hunting? Trap guns against cemetery thieves? The fantasy of firearms developers continues to this day, but in past centuries it definitely flourished more brightly.

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

Duck foot pistol continues the duck theme, although it was named so solely because of its unique shape. He could fire from all barrels at the same time, which was greatly appreciated by captains on military and pirate ships when it was necessary to suppress the rebellion of an unruly crew.

Air rifle Girandoni 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 very real bullets and hit a target at a distance of up to 150 steps.

Revolver Le Ma- the brainchild of engineer Jean Alexandre Le Mas, developed by him in 1856. Main feature weapons, it was possible to transform a nine-shot revolver into a single-shot shotgun with one movement of the hand. Used by the KSA army during Civil War in USA.

"Cemetery Guns" were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries as a remedy against grave robbers. They buried themselves over the coffins, and the unlucky robber who stepped into the trap was shot at point-blank range.

Gyrojet- a type of gun that fired rockets instead of bullets, the most famous was the pistol of the same name. Mini-missiles were quiet and indeed effective at long ranges, but were otherwise inferior to bullets.

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

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

Pistol buckle, disguised as a regular 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.

Lujiaodao - paired brass knuckles-knives in the shape of two crossed crescents (less often - just rings with a pointed edge, which many distinguish as separate species fist weapons). According to legend, Dong Haichuan, a tax collector and part-time creator of the Baguazhang school of kung fu, relied on this weapon as a weapon during his long journeys. The best way protection. Students are allowed to use lujiaodao only after many years of training - in the hands of an inept fighter, the weapon can cause a lot of harm to its owner.

Tiger Claw Bagh Nakh

Let's talk about fighting claws. First on our list is a guest from India, who is popularly nicknamed “tiger claw”. Despite the ominous appearance, this is a weapon for others hand-to-hand combat mainly used for ceremonial purposes. It was common in the Mysore region of India in the 1700s, where it became an attribute of adherents of the cult of the tiger goddess. This type of brass knuckles consisted of 4-5 pointed curved blades, imitating a tiger paw and attached to a transverse crossbar. In combat, the weapon could tear skin and muscle, leaving long, bleeding cuts, but it was poorly suited for causing lethal damage.

Tekko

The Iron Fist of Okinawa was traditionally made of wood and metal. Three blunt pins were usually attached to the crescent that protected the fingers, with which they tried to hit the ribs, collarbones, joints and other vulnerable points.

Tekko-kagi - his close relative, but with a more professional slant. This shinobi weapon received widespread V popular culture, let us recall at least the main antagonist of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, Shredder. Long (10-30 cm) steel claws really make a strong impression: first of all, they are intimidating weapons, designed for the effect of surprise. However, combat characteristics his are also quite good: with metal strips, pointed at the ends and located in such a way as to effectively protect the owner’s hand, it is quite difficult to inflict lethal wounds. But it’s easy to mutilate an attacker and make him bleed from deep cuts!

Shuko

Shuko is another type of fighting claw ("tekagi" or "hand hook") used by shinobi. Unlike other types, here the sharp spikes are located on the inside of the palm, while the hand is protected from them by tightly rolled steel strips and leather straps.

The main purpose of shuko, however, is not combat - they were primarily used to cling more strongly to the surface while climbing trees and walls. Even after years of training, a person cannot hang on branches and trunks for too long, and grappling hooks went some way to solving this problem during ambushes and reconnaissance missions.

Combat use Shuko today is taught in the Togakure-ryu school of hand-to-hand combat. Basically, they are used in the same way as other claws - for sudden attacks, when the fighter tries to slash the face and neck of the enemy. Due to the shape of the hooks, wounds inflicted by shuko do not heal for a long time and leave ugly scars for life.

Khevsur rings

As a dessert - satiteni, Khevsur war rings, which were worn on thumb. They were mainly used during shuguli - a duel between Khevsur men, where main goal was not to kill or injure, but to prove to the enemy one’s martial arts. Similar weapons is not exclusive and is widespread throughout the Caucasus. The purpose of the ring is determined by its striking edge. In total, there are three main varieties: satsemi (for delivering pushing blows), mchreli (for delivering cutting blows) and mnatsravi (for scratching and stabbing blows).

Sometimes the Khevsurs used an auxiliary ring “sachike”, which was either welded to the main one or worn separately. On the inside, raw wax was usually applied or a cloth pad was wrapped to protect the finger from injury.

Humanity.

Brass knuckles “Deer Antlers”

Lujiaodao - paired brass knuckles-knives in the shape of two crossed crescents (less often - just rings with a pointed edge, which many classify as a separate type of fist weapon). According to legend, Dong Haichuan, a tax collector and part-time creator of the Baguazhang school of kung fu, relied on this weapon as the best way to protect himself during long journeys. Students are allowed to use lujiaodao only after many years of training - in the hands of an inept fighter, the weapon can cause a lot of harm to its owner.

Tiger Claw Bagh Nakh

Let's talk about fighting claws. First on our list is a guest from India, who is popularly nicknamed “tiger claw”. Despite their sinister appearance, these close-combat weapons were primarily used for ceremonial purposes. It was common in the Mysore region of India in the 1700s, where it became an attribute of adherents of the cult of the tiger goddess. This type of brass knuckles consisted of 4-5 pointed curved blades, imitating a tiger paw and attached to a transverse crossbar. In combat, the weapon could tear skin and muscle, leaving long, bleeding cuts, but it was poorly suited for causing lethal damage.

Tekko

The Iron Fist of Okinawa was traditionally made of wood and metal. Three blunt pins were usually attached to the crescent that protected the fingers, with which they tried to hit the ribs, collarbones, joints and other vulnerable points.

Tekko-kagi is his close relative, but with a more professional bent. These shinobi weapons have become widespread in popular culture; let us recall, for example, the main antagonist of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, Shredder. Long (10-30 cm) steel claws really make a strong impression: first of all, they are intimidating weapons, designed for the effect of surprise. However, its combat characteristics are also quite good: with metal strips, pointed at the ends and located in such a way as to effectively protect the owner’s hand, it is quite difficult to inflict lethal wounds. But it’s easy to mutilate an attacker and make him bleed from deep cuts!

Shuko

Shuko is another type of fighting claw ("tekagi" or "hand hook") used by shinobi. Unlike other types, here the sharp spikes are located on the inside of the palm, while the hand is protected from them by tightly rolled steel strips and leather straps.

The main purpose of shuko, however, is not combat - they were primarily used to cling more strongly to the surface while climbing trees and walls. Even after years of training, a person cannot hang on branches and trunks for too long, and grappling hooks went some way to solving this problem during ambushes and reconnaissance missions.

The combat use of shuko today is taught in the Togakure-ryu school of hand-to-hand combat. Basically, they are used in the same way as other claws - for sudden attacks, when the fighter tries to slash the enemy's face and neck. Due to the shape of the hooks, wounds inflicted by shuko do not heal for a long time and leave ugly scars for life.

Khevsur rings

As a dessert - satiteni, Khevsur fighting rings, which were worn on the thumb. They were mainly used during shuguli - a duel between Khevsur men, where the main goal was not to kill or injure, but to prove to the enemy their martial art. Such weapons are not exclusive and are widespread throughout the Caucasus.

The purpose of the ring is determined by its striking edge. In total, there are three main varieties: satsemi (for delivering pushing blows), mchreli (for delivering cutting blows) and mnatsravi (for scratching and stabbing blows).

Sometimes the Khevsurs used an auxiliary ring “sachike”, which was either welded to the main one or worn separately. On the inside, raw wax was usually applied or a cloth pad was wrapped to protect the finger from injury.

In the history of the development of weapons, there were many rather strange and unusual specimens, which, although not so universally, were quite successfully used in battle, like the more common swords, daggers, spears, axes, bows and much more. About the little-known and unusual weapons antiquity will be discussed further.

Yawara

It is a wooden cylinder, 10 - 15 centimeters long and approximately 3 centimeters in diameter. Yawara is wrapped around the fingers, and its ends protrude on both sides of the fist. It serves to make the blow heavier and stronger. Allows you to strike with the ends of the ends, mainly in the centers of nerve bundles, tendons and ligaments.

Yawara is a Japanese weapon that has two appearance versions. 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 an 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 pounding cereals or seasonings in a mortar, became the prototype of the yawara.

Nunchaku

It consists of sticks or metal tubes about 30 cm long connected to each other using a chain or rope. homemade weapons steel flails used to thresh rice.

In Japan, threshing flails were considered tools of labor and did not pose a danger to enemy soldiers, so they were not confiscated from the peasants.

Sai

This is a piercing bladed bladed weapon of the stiletto type, outwardly similar to a trident with a short shaft (maximum one and a half palm widths) and an elongated middle prong. Traditional weapons inhabitants of Okinawa (Japan) and is one of the main types of Kobudo weapons. The side teeth form a kind of guard and can also perform a damaging role due to sharpening.

It is believed that the prototype of the weapon was a pitchfork for carrying bales of rice straw or a tool for loosening the soil.

Kusarigama

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

Kusarigama is considered to be a medieval invention of the ninja, the prototype of which was an ordinary agricultural sickle, with which peasants harvested crops, and soldiers, during campaigns, cut their way through tall grass and other vegetation. There is an opinion that the appearance of the kusarigama was determined by the need to disguise weapons as non-suspicious objects, in this case an agricultural implement.

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, precise definition There is no odachi length. Usually odachi are swords with blades 1.6 - 1.8 meters.

Odachi completely fell out of use 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 over a certain length. After the law went into effect, many odachi were trimmed to conform to the regulations. 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 expanded slightly and bent, but the handle itself had no curvature at all or was barely outlined. At that time, they worked with naginata using wide movements, holding one hand almost at the very blade. The naginata shaft had an oval cross-section, and the blade with one-sided sharpening, like the blade of the Japanese yari spear, was usually worn in a sheath or sheath.

Later, by the 14th-15th centuries, the naginata blade shortened somewhat and gained modern form. Nowadays, the classic naginata has a shaft 180 cm long, onto which a blade 30-70 cm long is attached (60 cm is considered standard). The blade is separated from the shaft by a ring-shaped guard, and sometimes also by metal crossbars - straight or curved upward. Such crossbars (Japanese hadome) were also used on spears to parry enemy blows. The blade of a naginata resembles an ordinary blade samurai sword, sometimes it was precisely this that was mounted on such a shaft, but usually the naginata blade is heavier and more curved.

Qatar

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

Three 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.

The excellent flexibility of the blade made it possible to wear the urumi concealed under clothing, wrapping it around the body.

Tekkokagi

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

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

Chakram

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

One way to throw chakram was to spin the ring on the index finger, and then with a sharp movement of the wrist throw the weapon at the enemy.

Skissor

the weapon was used in gladiatorial combat 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 and also deliver his own. Scissor 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 hilt was shaped like male genitals and represented the masculine power of its owner.

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

Each weapon is made for a specific purpose: some are defensive, some are offensive. And there is one that was made specifically in order to cause as much suffering as possible to the enemy. This is exactly what unique weapons antiquity and will be discussed in this collection.

Khopesh - a type of bladed weapon Ancient Egypt with a sickle-shaped blade. In form and functionality it is something between a sword and an ax. Khopesh quite successfully combines the features of both of these weapons - with this weapon you can chop, cut, and stab. The first mention of it appears in the New Kingdom, the last - around 1300 BC. e. Most often, the khopesh worked like an ax; in practice, it is impossible to stop its blow with a blade alone - it breaks through. When experimenting on a plywood board without frames 10 mm thick, a training khopesh with a blade thickness of 4 to 8 mm and a weight of 1.8 kg pierced it without any problems. Beats reverse side the blade easily pierced the helmet.

2. Kakute

War ring or kakute - non-lethal type Japanese weapons, which consists of a small hoop that covers the finger and riveted/welded spikes (usually from one to three). A warrior usually wore one or two rings - one on the middle or index finger and the other on the thumb. Most often, rings were worn with the spikes inward and were used in cases where it was necessary to capture and hold a person, but not kill him or cause deep damage. However, if the kakute were turned with their spikes outward, they turned into serrated brass knuckles. The goal of the kakute was to subdue the enemy, not to kill him. These fighting rings were especially popular among kunoichi - female ninjas. They used poison-coated kakute for quick, fatal attacks.

3. Shuangou

Shuangou is a sword with a hook-shaped tip, a dagger-shaped pommel and a sickle guard. As a result, a warrior armed with such strange weapon was able to fight at different distances, both close and at a distance from the enemy at the distance of the tip of a sword. The front part of the blade, the concave part of the guard, the pommel of the handle and the outer side of the hook were sharpened. Sometimes inner side The hook was not sharpened, which made it possible to grab this part of the weapon and strike like an ax with the same “month-shaped guard.” All this variety of blades made it possible to combine techniques both at long range and close. You can hit with a dagger handle reverse movements, with a sickle-guard not only cut the enemy, but also hit with brass knuckles. The toe - hook of the sword made it possible not only to hit with chopping or cutting movements, but also to catch the enemy, grab limbs, cut, clamp and block the weapon, or even pull it out. It was possible to hook the shuangou with hooks, and thus suddenly increase the attack distance.

4. Zhua

Another Chinese weapons. The iron “hand” of Zhua was a long stick, at the end of which a copy was attached human hand with huge claws that easily tore pieces of flesh from the body of opponents. The weight of the zhua itself (about 9 kg) was enough to kill the enemy, but with claws everything looked even more terrible. If the zhua was used by an experienced warrior, he could pull soldiers off their horses. But the main goal of the Zhua was to snatch shields from the hands of opponents, leaving them defenseless against the deadly claws.

5. Skissor

In essence, it is a metal sleeve that ends with a semicircular tip. Served for protection, successfully blocking enemy blows, and also for delivering your own blows. The wounds from the scissor were not fatal, but very unpleasant, leading to heavy bleeding. The scissor was light and had a length of 45 cm. The first to use the scissor were Roman gladiators, and if you look at the images of these battles, you can definitely distinguish the scissor from most warriors.

6. Sickle Chariot

It was an improved war chariot with horizontal blades about 1 meter long on each side of the wheel. The Greek military leader Xenophon, a participant in the Battle of Kunax, talks about them this way: “These were thin braids, widened at an angle from the axis, and also under the driver’s seat, turned towards the ground.” This weapon was used mainly for a frontal attack on the enemy formation. The effect here was calculated not only to physically eliminate the enemy, but also to have a psychological moment that demoralizes the enemy. The main task of the sickle chariots was to destroy infantry battle formations. Throughout the fifth century BC, the Persians were constantly at war with the Greeks. It was the Greeks who had heavily armed infantry, which the Persian horsemen found difficult to defeat. But these chariots literally struck terror into their opponents.

7. Greek fire

A flammable mixture used for military purposes during the Middle Ages. It was first used by the Byzantines in naval battles. The installation with Greek fire was a copper pipe - a siphon, through which the liquid mixture erupted with a roar. Compressed air or bellows like blacksmith's were used as buoyant force. Presumably, the maximum range of siphons was 25–30 m, so initially Greek fire was used only in the navy, where it posed a terrible threat to the slow and clumsy wooden ships of the time. In addition, according to contemporaries, the Greek fire could not be extinguished by anything, since it continued to burn even on the surface of the water.

8. Morgenstern

Literally from German - “ morning Star" A bladed weapon with impact and crushing action in the form of a metal ball equipped with spikes. Used as the top of clubs or flails. Such a pommel greatly increased the weight of the weapon - the morning star itself weighed more than 1.2 kg, which had a strong moral impact on the enemy, frightening him with its appearance.

9. Kusarigama

Kusarigama consists of a kama sickle, to which an impact weight is attached using a chain. The length of the sickle handle can reach 60 cm, and the length of the sickle blade - up to 20 cm. The sickle blade is perpendicular to the handle, it is sharpened on the inner, concave side and ends with a point. The chain is attached to the other end of the handle, or to the butt of the sickle. Its length is about 2.5 m or less. The technique of working with this weapon made it possible to strike the enemy with a weight, or confuse him with a chain, and then attack with a sickle. In addition, it was possible to throw the sickle itself at the enemy, and then return it using a chain. Thus, kusarigama was used in the defense of fortresses.

10. Macuahutl

An Aztec weapon that resembles a sword. Its length, as a rule, reached 90–120 cm. Sharp pieces of volcanic glass (obsidian) were attached along the wooden blade. The wounds from these weapons were horrific due to the combination of a sharp edge (enough to decapitate an opponent) and jagged edges that tore flesh. The last mention of macuahutl dates back to 1884.