A2el Leather sheath

One of the truths of close quarter combat is that a rifle, shotgun or musket can be an improvised club in the absence of suitable ammunition or a bayonet. It´s also true that an 8-10 lb. rifle, grasped by its long barrel and swung with both hands hits like a freight train and, if it doesn´t break, will crush bones like dry twigs and pulp flesh into jelly. American Indians in the early sixteenth century observed these facts and wasted no time in fashioning their own gunstock war clubs. These were made of specially chosen straight grain hard woods like Maple, Ash, Oak, Hickory or Hornbeam and weighed from two to three pounds. They hit with remarkable force and proved to be extremely lethal weapons as their hitting power was often enhanced by the addition of a short lance point or one or more knife blades. In fact, the Gunstock war club became so popular it soon migrated West to the Great Plains and even the Pacific coast where it endured as a weapon clear into the 1880´s and as a ceremonial and dance weapon to this very day. While there are a fascinating variety of historical examples we could have reproduced, ours was custom designed by blade smith Rich Mc Donald. He incorporated all the best features from our favorite clubs including the ridged centerline, a short lance point, and the classic "Fawn´s Foot" handle. To avoid the risk of cross grain breakage, we have abandoned the traditional hardwoods in favor of Polypropylene. As you may know, this material is highly resistant to shock and is practically unbreakable making it particularly suitable for use in this weapon. And as an added bonus, this material is highly resistant to the elements and won´t warp, rot, shrink crack or splinter the way wood does. For those interested in re-enacting various periods of our frontier history, we have given our weapon a very realistic wood grain finish. This means you can easily customize your club with "cut outs", brass studs, tacks, feathers, horse hair falls or the paint of your choice. Specifications: Weight: 22.1 oz. Overall: 29 1/2" Thickness: 1 1/2" Steel Blade: 3" Tall blued 1055 Carbon Material: Polypropylene

The Blackthorn bush is found throughout Ireland and the British Isles. It has been prized for centuries as a material for premium walking sticks. The original Blackthorn sticks were 2 to 4 foot long Irish shillelaghs (the national weapon of rural Ireland). In expert hands the shillelagh was so fearsome that during the final occupation of Ireland, the English outlawed it. To get around the law, the Irish turned the shillelagh into a 3-foot walking stick. Cold Steel now has produced a new polypropylene Blackthorn that has all of the advantages of real Blackthorn and none of its pitfalls. Our Irish Blackthorn Walking Stick is inspired by an authentic Blackthorn from a private collection. It´s a superb faux Blackthorn stick, and since it´s injection moulded from polypropylene, it will never warp, crack, swell up, or splinter and is easy to maintain with a little soap and water. Details: Head length: 2 3/4" Total length: 37" Thickness Base: 1" Thickness Neck: 1 3/8" Weight: 28.2 oz. Material: Polypropylene

Maces of this type were in use for hundreds of years as they were simple to make, relatively inexpensive and highly effective especially against enemies in plate armor. The whole point of the flanges was to concentrate the weight and power of a blow with the mace in one or two narrow ridges so they would better transmit force and crush flesh, bone and armor. A hard blow from a mace could stop the heart of an armored opponent or crush his arm so he was incapacitated and move his arm or leg, knee, elbow. The mace was carried by the watch (police of the day), archers, foot soldiers, men at arms and knights. Our Six Flange Mace is a little plebeian, but crosses over to every group or reenactor at a moderate price. Weight: 5 ozThis is an item from the Cold Steel program in 2021.

No one knows when the ball headed war club first appeared. It was in common use in the early 16th century and was popular with the war-like tribes of the American eastern seaboard, eventually spreading to the Great Lakes region and northern Canada all the way to the Great Plains west of the Mississippi. It has been speculated that the wide adoption of this weapon was because it was relatively easy to manufacture, in that it required little or no metal, and because it was unspeakably effective. The better clubs were carved from a naturally curved hardwood root burl, sapling or tree branch. This insured that the wood grain would curve in parallel lines though the handle and into the ball itself, avoiding the pitfalls of cross grain which could weaken the club and cause it to break at an ill-timed moment. Hornbeam (Iron Wood), a hard dense timber that was strong and was resistant to impact forces, was the most preferred material, even over such stalwart choices as Ash, Maple, Oak and Hickory. In battle, a dedicated blow from the ball of the club could easily break a limb or crush a skull like a bat going through a watermelon. For added dynamism, and increased effectiveness, the ball was sometimes spiked with an antler, bone, knapped stone, or even iron. Cold Steel president, Lynn C. Thompson, is an admirer of the ball headed club (especially after watching "Last of the Mohicans" about a dozen times) and when he saw an example made by custom blade smith Rich McDonald, he jumped at the chance to work with Rich to reproduce it. Our version is approximately 2 ft. long and features a 3 1/4" in diameter ball. It is fitted with a removable blunt, short steel spike. Hornbeam is scarce and not readily available in commercial quantities, so our club is injection molded out of black Polypropylene which is practically unbreakable. It will never rot, crack warp, splinter, swell, shrink mildew, or fade. For historical re-enactors the surface has a realistic wood grain finish that can be easily customized with paint and can be ornamented with brass studs, tacks, or feathers. Specifications: Weight: 27.6 oz. Ball: 90mm diameter Overall: 24" Spike: 19mm diameter Blued 1055 Carbon Steel

Medieval buckler Essentially, a Buckler is a small shield about the size of a large dinner plate. It often accompanied a swordsman as an aid in defense. The Cold Steel training replica is stoutly made and has a thick, sturdy, raised boss to protect the hand, and a rugged handle that will withstand plenty hard of use. Always wear eye protection and appropriate equipment when training. Not for use when training against metal weapons. Details: Diameter: approx. 30.5 cm Thickness: approx. 1.25 cm Weight: aprrox. 984.5 g This is an item from the Cold Steel program in 2012.