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I've been in a fistfight, but nothing serious.

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I've been in a life-or-death fight.

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I've never been in a fight.

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I am MaximumZero, and I got in three fights this morning before breakfast.

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Total Members Voted: 0

Voting closed: April 02, 2017, 08:55:24 am

[redwallzyl]

Are you talking about a flail? Ya those probly went used much.

[Neonivek]

Are you talking about a flail? Ya those probly went used much.

No I mean literally a throwing hammer (just making sure there weren't any other types of hammers). They were a weapon for... I cannot actually remember (Celts? hmm maybe Scotts)

But I can't imagine anyone using them in a "Yeah! this is a great weapon!" sort of way... Like the Warfan.

---

As for "Flails"... Flails fall under this sort of nebulous peasantry weapon umbrella. So how much they were used is beyond me

[Neonivek]

My only other guess as to why it was ever used as a weapon... Is that it was a sporting toy

And as we know weapons often form around what people had available (many famos weapons are altered farming implements)

[TempAcc]

Generally throwing things that are VERY heavily weighted on one end doesn't tend to work out too well for accuracy, altough it gains you more distance. This is why throwing axes are usualy significantly lighter than their normal counterparts.

[Helgoland]

Why hasn't using slings to throw grenades caught on? Is it the difficulty of slinging with accuracy, or something else?

[Strife26]

Sling-grenades have been deployed before. These days, there's no reason not to use a rifle grenade if you wanted range.

[Akura]

RE: flails: Flails had some utility, since they could put a lot of force on a small point. Particularly in comparison to a mace(similar head, but a solid shaft as opposed to a chain), where the shaft absorbs some of the impact. The flail's chain could also be used to trip a foe as well. I would say they're a bit harder to use though, which made them less popular.

Guns don't kill people. Guns are used to kill people. Even when it's accidental and themselves. The gun can't do anything, they're inanimate objects that rely on exterior forces to perform the tasks they are designed for.

guns don't kill people bullets kill people. its turtles all the way down.

Not the entire bullet, mind you - only a portion of the whole bullet actually flies out of the barrel of the gun. The bullet wouldn't work without the propellant!

It's the propellant that kills people!

This especially true if you're using a revolver where there's a gap between the cylinder and barrel. This guy who I'm utterly shocked hasn't been mentioned in this thread explains.

Might not necessarily be lethal but would certainly cause a lot of damage.

[Neonivek]

Why hasn't using slings to throw grenades caught on? Is it the difficulty of slinging with accuracy, or something else?

Hmmm... some sort of... Propelled Grenade... Like... and RPG

Though if I had to guess why... Grenade launchers, RPGs, and everything else just kind of does that job better.

Besides Defensive Grenades don't really benefit from range.

[GiglameshDespair]

Why hasn't using slings to throw grenades caught on? Is it the difficulty of slinging with accuracy, or something else?

It was done. The Commies' International Brigades did during the Spanish Civil War and so did Finnish troops with molotovs during the Winter War.

Ninja'd, but I imagine there's not too much demand for it these days among developed militaries, though. Grenade launchers - dedicated or underslung - and rifle grenades provide infantry with easy methods of long-range grenade delivery, and such things as clearing rooms using grenades doesn't require the extra range of a sling.

[TempAcc]

Slings take a significant ammount of training before you actualy use them effectively, and armies tend to hate to put their soldiers under a lot of training just for one skill or another. Plus, you increase grenade throwing distance in other, easier ways, like just adding a stick to it, and by the time stick 'nades were going out of style, mortars were already widely used. Also, its pretty dang hard (if even possible) to use a sling while prone, and prob not very easy to use on a trench, either.

Nowadays nobody cares about it because pretty much everyone has some form of grenade launcher, either mounted on rifles or as dedicated arms.

[Parsely]

Pilum was not designed for CQC, it was designed to be thrown and rendered useless so as to stop it being used by enemies in return.

I thought that was a myth?

Plus, you increase grenade throwing distance in other, easier ways, like just adding a stick to it, and by the time stick 'nades were going out of style-

By the way, stick grenades went out of style because they take up twice as much space and are much heavier than "normal" hand grenades, for little gain. You can't store, ship, or carry nearly as many if they have fat wooden handles stuck onto them.

[TempAcc]

Nop, its disputed, but apparently there are accounts of it being used in such a way, plus it actualy fits pretty well into general roman strategy. Also its kinda odd to carry 4 rather odd short spears with easily bendable points for CQC when you have a trusty gladius and actual spearmen with proper spears around.

[Neonivek]

Are defensive grenades still used today?

For definition sake... a Defensive grenade is a thrown explosive/grenade with a kill radius greater than you typically can throw it.

I figure in the light of the diminished role of Trench Warfare for Urban Warfare they would be phased out.

[stabbymcstabstab]

I think the Russians still have them, don't know about anyone else.

[Kot]

The Soviet defensive grenades are still used simply because there is inexhaustible stock of them.