Yes, Gunblades Are Real, BUT...

The gunblade is an iconic badass weapon in Final Fantasy / Kingdom Hearts and other video games. Oddly enough it did exist in history, although not in such a hilariously oversized form.

Swords are great melee weapons, firearms are excellent ranged weapons... so combining them means the best of both worlds, right? Well, not so fast...

Let's take a look at a few real-life examples and think about the drawbacks of these unique designs, and some ways to make them work reasonably well. By the way, a bayonet on a rifle or musket does not count. ;)

Check out Ian's look at the Elgin cutlass pistol ‪@ForgottenWeapons‬
   • Elgin Cutlass Pistol  

Also:

Flintlock musket demonstration
   • Getting to Know a Brown Bess (Most Iconic ...  

How NOT to Thrust with a Sword (AKA Broken Wrist Position)
   • How NOT to Thrust with a Sword (AKA Broken...  

An Accuracy Test with the Aston 1842 Percussion Pistol
   • An Accuracy Test with the Aston 1842 Percu...  

Blade vs. Gun - Can You Cut a Bullet? (1 Million Sub Special)
   • Blade vs. Gun - Can You Cut a Bullet in Ha...  

Can You Cut a Sword in Half with Bullets?
   • Can You Cut a Sword in Half with Bullets?  


** Sources **

Hunting knife with wheellock pistol, 1528-29
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...

Combination sword, 1580
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...

Pistol falchion, ca 1580
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ca...

Hammer-falchion-pistol combination (CC Rama)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

Elgin cutlass pistol, patented in 1837
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collec...

Spanish miquelet gunsword, 18th century
https://andrewledford.tumblr.com/post...

Wheellock dagger with removable tip
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...

Pinfire saber, 19th century
https://www.icollector.com/Original-p...

Katar
https://antiquepark.eu/storage/751/e4...

Dutch saber
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

Flintlock pistol with concealed dagger
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...

Article on combination weapons at Myarmoury
http://myarmoury.com/feature_spot_com...

More ergonomic design by H.R. Grand Knives (Dave Ruana):
http://www.rhrgrandknives.com/


** Music **

"Water Temple" by El Corleo
https://opengameart.org/content/water...
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
https://theslantedroom.github.io/stev...
Used with artist's permission


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#swords #guns #history