Melee Weapons
October 1, 2008 by HQ
Filed under Melee Range
At melee combat range, you will engage with your attacker at a modestly safe distance, and most likely employ a weapon that falls into one of two categories:
Bludgeons: weapons in this category include any object that can be used to cause a depressive fracture on the skull and penetrate the brain cavity. They include, but are not limited to formal weapons such as maces, war hammers, and cudgels, in addition to any number of improvised blunt trauma tools.
Blades: any weapon two to three feet in length with a single or double sharpened edge falls into this armament class, and includes swords, machetes, hand axes, and tomahawks.
Bladed weapons of sufficient weight can be used to strike and penetrate the skull. Lighter edged weapons made of thinner steel that may have difficulty penetrating the cranium should focus attacks on the soft tissue of the neck.
The only “large” blade that I have is a machete. I know its not the optimal bladed weapon but it’s comfortable to use and versatile enough to be worth carrying.
not to pitch a particular company but Gerber brand tools makes some high quality tools for land work, and a lot of them come with a lifetime warranty. i use a Gerber Gator Machete while clearing brush on my property and i have to say, for $20 it makes a good tool.
a few tips for anyone who likes baseball bats as bludgeoning weapons:
NEVER put nails in your bat. short nails, studs or metal plating might be acceptable, but long nails will only get stuck in things like bone. when your enemy feels no pain and a nail in the head might not be lethal the last thing you want is for your weapon to be lodged in its skull and it still chasing you.
to improve damage you might want to consider filling or cutting the round parts of the bat to a flat surface. if the bat is squire you have the chance of hitting with a corner which could focus more force in a small area. some drawbacks to this are: might increase shock on your hands. flat edges aren’t as effective, only the corners. might compromise the strength of the bat in the long run. makes the bat lighter, thus less force on swing (can be fixed with driving nails into or other weights or on the bat)
I have to admit a fondness for the Gerber line as well. Having said this, I would really like to get my hands on a modern combat tomahawk. Something like the Talon from rmj forge. Only 18″ reach, but with the Strafe-Circle-Strike technique, it would be devastating!
My favorite melee weapon by far is the crowbar. You can usually find one with a rubber grip instead of the flat piece. This leaves a claw or bludgeon at the end, depending on how you swing it.
In addition to dispatching zombies, it’s still a crowbar and can be used as such. Interchangeable tools and weapons are invaluable.
I like the katana and the machete. Thos are the two i perferr and i own.Very good a melee attacks.