Best Melee (aka hand-to-hand) weapons

[Uomo Senza Nome]

If I'm going full Medieval I'm doing Medieval things. Melee weapons need to follow form and usefulness just like a firearm does.

When travelling typically a soldier or guard would carry a spear. This worked well with a trained group. Add a few archers and you had plenty of security. People didn't often travel lone wolf style.


I have two spears, one light, almost a javelin and second one that is quite heavy. The last two feet of the heavy one come off for use as a short sword. The light one is best for travel. For weapon free zones like National Parks a trash picker is a good substitute.

A spear isn't enough though so an 18" Bowie knife on the belt makes a great walking companion.

A night watch would typically carry a club. For home and auto defense I have two military surplus Monadnock extendable batons. These have the steel sleeve and wooden extension. OAL extended length is about 20" compact about 12". They slide right open with a quick flick. With two, one can be used to parry blows. The idea here is to aim for lower legs and go for a mobility take down. A break in the tibia, fibula or patella are all fight stoppers.

If fighting is expected I'm too slow to run away. So I'll put my body armor on, it has PE panels in it so it is pretty much stab/cut/pound proof. Then I will grab my 42 inch Katana and go to work.

I have only known one person who used a melee weapon in actual military combat. He left his rifle in another part of the building at the direction of a leader when we had an incident in the barracks. So he grabbed an axe and went to work. Not my weapon of choice, but anything is better than stern language.