Hunting cutlass -- purpose?

[Ken]

I have seen these for sale from time to time. See, e.g.:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...2&category=135

What was their intended use?


Ken
(to reply via email
remove "zz" from address)

[William Black]

"Ken" <cprstn54zz@att.net> wrote in message
news:2ld7ivg701eqruii1tovk9urmoeq9cvq0o@4ax.com...
> I have seen these for sale from time to time. See, e.g.:
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...2&category=135
>
> What was their intended use?

Probably dispatching heavy game such as a badly wounded boar (You wouldn't
want to tackle a slightly wounded boar with one)

It's the wrong shape for skinning and it's too long for butchering

--
William Black
------------------
On time, on budget, or works;
Pick any two from three

[John Hasler]

William Black wrote:
> Probably dispatching heavy game such as a badly wounded boar (You wouldn't
> want to tackle a slightly wounded boar with one)

Gary writes:
> It doesn't look suitable for boar, as it doesn't have the cross-bar
> thingies to prevent the boar from walking up the blade, past the hilt and
> onto your arm.

Why would it not be suitable for dispatching a boar which has become badly
wounded by climbing up to the crossbar of a spear? You wouldn't want to
take a charge from a boar with a sword anyway, even if it had a crossbar.
--
John Hasler
john@dhh.gt.org
Dancing Horse Hill
Elmwood, Wisconsin

[Gary R. Schmidt]

William Black wrote:
> "Gary R. Schmidt" <grschmidt@acm.org> wrote in message
> news:9x9Va.1467$sI.88253@nasal.pacific.net.au...
>
>
>>It doesn't look suitable for boar, as it doesn't have the cross-bar
>>thingies to prevent the boar from walking up the blade, past the hilt
>>and onto your arm. Of course, it is German, and some of them are
>>awfully stupid people.
>
>
> I have met a couple of Italians who hunt boar with traditional weapons
> (there are a couple of reserves in Northern Italy where only traditional
> weapons are allowed for hunting) From what they told me I doubt if you could
> take one on foot with a sword, cross bars or not, you need either a
> special spear (with cross bars) or a heavy drawweight bow.
>
> However a badly injured animal would need dispatching with a slit throat or
> a thrust to the heart, for which that sword is very suitable, in fact I
> can't actually think of a more suitable weapon...
Hmmm, even at a length of 24", I think I'd want to stand off a bit.

I've only hunted boar (well, in Oz, feral pigs) from ute-back, maybe I
have too highly developed a sense of self-preservation.

Cheers,
Gary B-)

--
__________________________________________________ ____________________________
Armful of chairs: Something some people would not know
whether you were up them with or not
- Barry Humphries