One Problem i have with Melee weapons

[AgentBlack]

Ha! So that long full length nagant with a bayo and gasmask is worth it afterall??


Also, any D&D master worth his salt knows of the whole weapon class of "polearm"....



AND, I fairly sure blue phone cord also emits a forcefield against blood spatter. I'm certain I saw Dr. Henry Lee prove it on his forensic shows....

[OffWhiteKnight]

On the whole sword issue.. Fact is there just aren't a lot of swords (or other mideval weapons) lying around anymore, and if you do get one, is one that is at least in theory meant to be used or is it a piece of junk thats meant to hang on a wall?- what my bro called a broadsword (or whatever) + 3 against Ever Getting Laid back in our high school days. As for melee combat against zombies.. not something I would want to do... if I had to I woul probably go with the machete or modern hammer.. I would try to get my hands on a riot shield, or at least a trash can lid too though... hey its better than nothing.. a cousin of mine used to use 1 to hold off a junkyard dog my uncle for whatever reason decided to bring home while his bro took the dog's food and water to it.. Have you guys not seen zombie land? There really wasn't a lot of gunplay in it till the end.. generally Tallahassee seemed to favor beating on them with whatever he could get his hands on, and the group ran if they encountered more than a few zombies.. good strategy. I know it was just a movie. But it's not like zombies are real either... right?

[squinty]

When one runs out of ammo one has to do something. I really don't think waving your arms and screaming " time out " is going to give ya time to reload.

No, it won't.
It should though. In a better world it would.

[cqcnewhampshire]

When one runs out of ammo one has to do something. I really don't think waving your arms and screaming " time out " is going to give ya time to reload.

No, it won't.
It should though. In a better world it would.

a better world would be a zombie free world.

[Confucius]

The main problem I have with Melee weapons is just that.


Melee

For some reason "Melee weapons" bugs me...

[cqcnewhampshire]

The main problem I have with Melee weapons is just that.


Melee

For some reason "Melee weapons" bugs me...

they are not for everyone, i certainly wouldn't use it unless i have to, but i know damn well some times you cant use a gun, and you just have to bash'em with a shovel.

[Red Tamarillo]

Funny seeing these posts from last year with stuff my newbie self has considered recently. I guess a little digging would reveal the same kind of posts from the dawn of the board.

Interesting to see Squinty's famous framing hammer.
That test I did recently revealed the claws on hammers stick more than a single pick.
Which makes sense- with a single pick you can lever it any way (out of 360 degrees) to get it out.
With a claw you have two flat 'picks' next to each other, so they stick more, and you don't have the same 360 degrees of possible levering. More 'picks' would only compound the problem. More friction too.

[sworbeyegib]

Can I bring a halligan? Til then, a long crowbar works well as a multi-use tool. Good luck trying to break it.

[squinty]

Funny seeing these posts from last year with stuff my newbie self has considered recently. I guess a little digging would reveal the same kind of posts from the dawn of the board.

Interesting to see Squinty's famous framing hammer.
That test I did recently revealed the claws on hammers stick more than a single pick.
Which makes sense- with a single pick you can lever it any way (out of 360 degrees) to get it out.
With a claw you have two flat 'picks' next to each other, so they stick more, and you don't have the same 360 degrees of possible levering. More 'picks' would only compound the problem. More friction too.

Bet the hammer face wouldn't stick though.

[squinty]

Can I bring a halligan? Til then, a long crowbar works well as a multi-use tool. Good luck trying to break it.

I picture a whole formal martial art designed around the crowbar. Elaborate throws, trips, disarms and tie ups using the "hook" to catch Zombie limbs, or to pull them offstage like bad vaudeville acts. Holding it by the crook for extra grip for wide/long range swings, using the straight end as a spear for medium range thrusts, holding the straight end at waist level with the weak hand for support, and using the hook as a brass knuckle analog in the strong hand for sort range "punches." Hooking it onto the top of doorjambs and swinging from it to deliver dramatic two legged kicks, etc. Likewise other everyday improvised weapons.

I can't be the only one who wants to see such a thing, or else Jackie Chan would never have had a career.

I'd love to see "four way lug wrench kata" or "round point shovel form number two*," "self defense with pitchfork and milking stool" vs. "two handed hoe attack," etc.




*performed by William H. Macy

[Quartermaster]

After reviewing these posts, I have to agree that getting a quality melee weapon is a problem for many individuals who don't want to shell out the bucks to Arms & Armor or other decent company for a weapon that might have limited mundane applications. So I went to several hardware stores in Nashville as well as a few estate sales and have come up with the following items that have at least a 30" or longer haft that are useful for other activities in the home.

1. Mattock - a combination pick-and-spade or pick-and-axe combination. Price $30-100;
2. Bill Hook - a 4 ft or longer haft with a curved blade for taking off limbs. Price $30-60;
3. Narrow Spade (for digging post holes) - these have to be filed to get a decent edge but are very reasonable. Price $20-30.
4. Axe Handles -lighter & longer than baseball bats and can be modified with a one or two long spikes. Price $10-20.
5. Bastard Files - files with wooden or plastic handles to file the edge of your tool/weapon. Price <$25.

Of course you can modify a wood axe by having the poll ground down to lighten it or use a pointed shovel or an edger with some friction tape on the handle. The other thing you will have to do is build up your strength and practice with your tool of choice. The big advantage of spades and mattocks is that whether it is a zombie or a home intruder, you can take them down and bury them with the same item.

Quartermaster

[snuffsawyer]

Sticking To Polearm Weapons Would Be The Best Means Of Not Getting Any Zed Fluid On Your Person,Lots Of Chopping power on those kinds of weapons also

[squinty]

My problem with melee weapons is the word "melee." Sounds effete. Let's come up with a better word.

[OKshooterHRS]

Tyvek anybody?

I wear tyvek quite often at work wearing one in the summer would not be fun just fyi

[Quartermaster]

Melee only sounds effete because it is French, who we all know speak with those OUT-RAGE-OUS ACCENTS. Of course, effete is also a French word.

[SkidvonArk]

I'm in the camp that melee combat would have to be an absolute last resort... Especially if the blood is infectious. Stealth would probably be the safer route. However, under circumstances where melee has to be used, I wouldn't go for a pole arm. The reach on one is great but is also a big weakness. All a zed has to do is get in close enough and your pole arm is rendered useless and unwieldy.

My go to choice would have to be some sort of shield and a machete/short sword. Something like the Gladius comes to mind.

[Jeriah]

My problem with melee weapons is the word "melee." Sounds effete. Let's come up with a better word.

How about a tough-sounding military-style acronym, like "Military Equipment Letting us Eliminate Enemies," or "M.E.L.E.E."?

[ZombieGranny]

How about spelling it maylay ? - As in they may lay in their own zombie fluids.

Oh brother I must be tired. Little sleep lately.

[AUA]

I'm in the camp that melee combat would have to be an absolute last resort... Especially if the blood is infectious. Stealth would probably be the safer route. However, under circumstances where melee has to be used, I wouldn't go for a pole arm. The reach on one is great but is also a big weakness. All a zed has to do is get in close enough and your pole arm is rendered useless and unwieldy.

My go to choice would have to be some sort of shield and a machete/short sword. Something like the Gladius comes to mind.

Considering that those weapons were used in similar context, that makes sense.

Melee only sounds effete because it is French, who we all know speak with those OUT-RAGE-OUS ACCENTS. Of course, effete is also a French word.

The French also happen to have at least two units dedicated to riot control (GM and CRS), two paramilitary police units (one that works domestically, GIPN, and one that works both domestically and internationally, GIGN), and two national police forces (one of which also operates internationally as a military police force).


We could call it a BOW (bug-out weapon), because if you're forced to use a 'last resort' weapon against zombies, you've either failed to prep properly and have left your original BOL in search of a new location, or have left for some reason, like in search of water/etc.

[squinty]

How about spelling it maylay ? - As in they may lay in their own zombie fluids.

Oh brother I must be tired. Little sleep lately.

Hmmm. May Lay. Sounds dirty. (thus, still stereotypically French. I should stop fighting it and just buy a Beret already.)

[frogdude]

My problem with melee weapons is the word "melee." Sounds effete. Let's come up with a better word.

Agreed. It's a crap word.

Also, of course, it's being wrongly used. Melee (when related to fighting) means "a confused fight". You can have a melee with guns or bare hands, just as much as you can with blades and bashing things. It's only become applied as it's being used here recently, thanks to video games.

(source - collins english dictionary)

[Quartermaster]

Twenty-five or so years ago, Pete Pelegrinni used to go hunting for razorbacks in Lousiana. He and his friends would go in pairs, each armed with a boar spear and high caliber pistol (usually .45). The boarspear was a pieces of leaf spring about 4 inches wide by a foot long socketed to five feet of hickory and possessing metal wings extending out six inches to each side. The spear point had a wedge point, sharpened edges, and was thick. When the razorback charged, one man would drop down with his foot on the shaft of his spear, the blade at chest level on the pig, and waited for the charge. If the spearman could keep from sliding backward and his shaft did not break, it was a very good chance the pig would be stuck, bleeding out slowly, and held by the wing projections on the point so it could run up the shaft and savage the holder. Of course, while the pig was straining against the spear, the other guy would pump two rounds into its head. Ribs and loin for dinner.

Boarspear is a pretty good Zed killer and holder.

[foxx]

"Boarspear is a pretty good Zed killer and holder."

If you're dealing with one at a time. Not so if you are being surrounded and out numbered. If you're good stick it right through the face, and through the brain. Unless you can start swinging at necks and taking off heads, you may find that your spear is limited, if your being surrounded, just depends on you're skill level. I like spears, but I'd want to be able to move on to the next target quickly.

[dogbane]

The main problem I have with Melee weapons is just that.


Melee

For some reason "Melee weapons" bugs me...

Someone here once said, "Of course the word "melee" is lame. It's French."

Another said, "If you have room for a melee weapon, you're not carrying enough ammo."