How to make a knife with a flying blade. Ballistic knife: design features. Ballistic knives. Continuation
RomanKotov 19-12-2003 11:52
In the book "Cold Weapons" published by "Arsenal Press" for 1994, the so-called "French Knife" is described. This weapon fires several blades, the last one is fixed. Curious if anyone has more information on similar things.
BORIS10 20-12-2003 11:53
And where are the blades before shooting? As simple as a knife, it seems to be uncomfortable, although I could be wrong. A photo would be.
Reaper 20-12-2003 06:33
The old version of the Soviet LRS fired the blade with the help of a spring - but, of course, only one. The effective range was 3-5 meters. As my intelligence buddies told me, these weapons were in service before the adoption of the new NRS and NRS-2 under silent SP-3 and SP-4 cartridges, respectively. It is considered obsolete, and also not very reliable due to the fact that many of them have been stored for years and decades with a compressed spring and all the ensuing consequences...
Survival 24-12-2003 04:38
I heard that the Chinese now use a knife with an ejected blade in special forces units, but it is one, a special emphasis is put on the belt like for harpoon guns to put the blade in place
Crown 25-12-2003 02:04
I read something else about the NRC.
When shooting from 20 meters, it is not always possible to pull the blade out of the tree, so 5 spare blades were included in the kit. Spring when new - IMHO very powerful ...
Uran-239 25-12-2003 09:21
Grab a single-shot spring weapon. I heard about a multi-shot knife, but not specifically. Either the spring is cocked before each shot, or it is once for everything. Technically, many moments are hard to imagine, you involuntarily think, but in general, is it not a myth - is it?
Crown 26-12-2003 01:49
Grab a single-shot spring weapon. I heard about a multi-shot knife, but not specifically. Either the spring is cocked before each shot, or it is once for everything. Technically, many moments are hard to imagine, you involuntarily think, but in general, is it not a myth - is it?
That HP about which I read the spring was cocked for each shot.
Keltec 26-12-2003 03:23
I saw this knife about twenty years ago.
Or rather, not a knife, but something that looks like a wallet. Inserted into it (if memory serves) 6 square-shaped blades. They could take turns shooting back with the help of springs.
I saw how at a distance of 2 - 2.5 meters these blades stuck into the board to a depth of about 0.5 cm (maybe a little more). It was hardly possible to hit any target smaller than 30x30 cm.
It seems that the device was from Czechoslovakia.
GFO 26-12-2003 06:29
In literature, it was like a cigarette case.
Uran-239 26-12-2003 06:34
GFO 26-12-2003 06:53
Certainly amusing. But one tedious warning "According to the law, throwing edged weapons, including ballistic knives ...." further in the text.
Uran-239 26-12-2003 09:38
If by some miracle you acquire something like this, you can safely store it, wear it, buy it. There will be no liability for this. According to the new amendments to the Criminal Code, liability comes only for sales and manufacture.
Ostwind 26-12-2003 11:04
I highly doubt it.
Uran-239 26-12-2003 11:14
What is the reason for your doubts? Amendments to the Criminal Code have entered into force, and other regulations cannot establish criminal liability. In the Code of Administrative Offenses, there is nothing about this.
Contra* 27-12-2003 12:12
The Americans also had some kind of knife that fired with one blade due to a spring compressed in the handle. Before the shot, you can use it like a regular knife.
I also read about the French knife somewhere, but no more than what is written here.
GFO 27-12-2003 01:22
Posts regarding the legality of the acquisition of such devices have been erased. For legalization and acquisition of such items in the Legislation on weapons.
Uran-239 27-12-2003 04:17
The purchase of such devices is absolutely illegal. The punishment for such acts is the confiscation of the aforementioned device.
Survival 27-12-2003 04:58
With all due respect to the moderators, I didn’t understand the point of deleting posts about the legality of acquiring shooting knives, then everything related to self-defense with a knife should be deleted, since the knife is certainly not included in the list of self-defense weapons.
If I'm wrong about something, I'm sorry, but those posts were deleted before I read them ...
A 27-12-2003 10:38
Here is a Soviet knife for you: http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/2300/2375.htm
There was an article about the Chinese knife in "Technology and Armament" of the 80s. The Chinese knife pistol had 4 barrels and fired 5.6mm (22LR) cartridges.
In the "Tekhnika-Molodezhi" also in the 80s there was a penknife into which it was necessary to insert a magazine and then, as I remember, it generally became a submachine gun.
Sincerely,
Uran-239 27-12-2003 11:28
It looks like this is the knife mentioned above, which was in service before the advent of the NRS. I saw a Chinese four-barreled knife in some show. I really didn’t like the trigger, the drummer for each barrel is cocked separately, a separate trigger button for each barrel. The link you sent is interesting, but this knife is not multi-shot.
1980 28-12-2003 12:52
I came across a description of a similar device. He fired special darts, they were cylindrical and pointed. A spiral spring was rigidly attached to the dart, in a compressed form it did not go beyond its dimensions, the body of the dart was at the same time a guide for the spring. At the time of the shot, the spring was released and flew along with the dart, stabilizing its flight. It was argued that such a scheme has the following advantages: higher efficiency due to the addition of the mass of the spring itself to the mass of the dart, no need for an additional stabilizer. Darts were fired from a special container with four "barrels" on each "barrel" there was a latch holding the dart. Unfortunately, no performance characteristics were given, only the principle of operation.
A 28-12-2003 08:28
quote: Originally posted by Uran-239:
It looks like this is the knife mentioned above, which was in service before the advent of the NRS. I saw a Chinese four-barreled knife in some show. I really didn’t like the trigger, the drummer for each barrel is cocked separately, a separate trigger button for each barrel. The link you sent is interesting, but this knife is not multi-shot.
I only knew one multi-shot knife. About 20 years ago, I was offered a "zonal" knife that, they say, fired two blades at the same time.
I also read that British saboteurs had a stick pistol during the Second World War.
Well, in the end, such a reflection - IMHO, if the knife shoots with a blade, then it must work on a spring. The spring will be in the handle. A spring must be inserted into the handle and the blade must have a guide cylinder so that when ejected, the blade flies where it is directed. Therefore, IMHO, it is impossible to make a multi-shot knife, only a salvo one. Or make the handle longer and do a similar thing for the reverse side, but it will be more convenient to have two knives separately.
Uran-239 28-12-2003 10:00
A special cylinder is not necessary to stabilize the blade. The possibility of stabilization with the help of a spring throwing out a dart was mentioned above. A similar system can be used for blade stabilization. Naturally, this is not the only way. So your thesis about the impossibility of creating a multi-shot shooting knife with a consistently firing blade looks doubtful.
A 29-12-2003 01:20
Look at the link I posted earlier. If there is no guide cylinder, how do you intend to keep the blade out of the handle so that the blade extends beyond the handle? It will hang out.
And how will the spring stabilize? Just insert a large spring into the short cylinder, compress it with a needle until the spring is compressed to the level of the cylinder and see how this needle will fly without a guide cylinder. Even if you solder the needle to the spring it won't improve the result much.
Further, it is much easier to fit the diameter of the guide cylinder to the inside diameter of the handle than it is to match the diameter of the spring to the inside diameter of the handle.
If you are going to drown the blade in the handle, then IMHO this is no longer a knife, but something else.
And such a question: how do you imagine it is possible to make a knife that will shoot several times? Just curious, I've never heard of this design before. The only thing that I saw close to this was the old crossbows from top to bottom. Well, doubles! underwater guns.
GFO 29-12-2003 01:25
what I saw close to this was ancient crossbows from top to bottom. Well, doubles! underwater guns.
Well, why is it so. There were also crossbows with magazine feed of arrows to the machine.
A 29-12-2003 01:26
quote: Originally posted by GFO:
Well, why is it so. There were also crossbows with magazine feed of arrows to the machine.
GFO 29-12-2003 01:47
The string is one. After each string tension, the bolt was fed to the machine. Invention made in China 2nd century AD.
BORIS10 30-12-2003 10:12
quote: Originally posted by A:And the bowstring for each arrow was pulled?
There was only one bowstring, it passed into the slot of a kind of impromptu store with non-feathered bolts. When "platooned" the box (the store, that is), this one moved forward and hooked the bowstring with a slot, when returning back, the box fell with a slot on a special pin that knocked the bowstring out of the slot and she pulled out the bolt .
Reaper 30-12-2003 02:13
And the ancient Greeks also had fortress crossbows that fire bursts (!) - polybolos. The accuracy of the battle was simply amazing - an arrow hit an arrow. Because of this, they were not widely used - it was difficult to change the sight in the course of firing due to the severity of the device (sometimes they were placed on turntables), and for firing at group targets, it was precisely the noticeable dispersion that was important (for the same reason, machine-gun belts equip not with sniper cartridges, but with ordinary LPS or "D").
PavelT 15-01-2004 18:27
Blimey! In our time, when spaceships plow the expanses of space, and pistols are sold in stores, this device is being seriously discussed.
A 16-01-2004 15:45
And why bi and not?
I have a collapsible Barnett crossbow and have a lot of fun. I won’t say that he is excellent, but he’s lousy. Nosh shooters with pleasure bought bi just for the duration of interest, but not for the law.
Smurnaya 31-01-2004 11:25
In the Nizhny Novgorod region in Worm there is a factory of medical devices, so he produced these devices. In the 80s, in nearby Pavlovo, craftsmen from Vorsma offered me something similar near the distillery. But I didn't risk it. Why is he to me? I managed with a knife for extracting cartridge cases with a non-standard blade - for Navajo.
Uran-239 31-01-2004 21:18
quote: Originally posted by Smurnoy:
In the Nizhny Novgorod region in Worm there is a factory of medical devices, so he produced these devices. In the 80s, in nearby Pavlovo, craftsmen from Vorsma offered me something similar near the distillery. But I didn't risk it. Why is he to me? I managed with a knife for extracting cartridge cases with a non-standard blade - for Navajo.
Smurnaya 01-02-2004 12:52
What kind of "devices", multi-shot shooting knives? And if so, please tell us more about them.
_____________________________________________
I was offered a knife that shoots with 5 blades, a sling cutter and something like a fountain pen that shoots needles. I didn’t get into the essence of the design then, but it’s a pity. He was very limited in money. In addition, then for such a thing, it’s probably a turma to sit! The men were taken out of work and sold. There were many good knives. But do not go under the bridge with them
Uran-239 01-02-2004 20:42
It turns out that such weapons were mass-produced in the USSR. I wonder who they were armed with? As for the device, of course, they did not delve into it. But what did he look like, do you remember?
Smurnaya 04-02-2004 13:19
It turns out that such weapons were mass-produced in the USSR. I wonder who they were armed with? As for the device, of course, they did not delve into it. But what did he look like, do you remember?
____________________________________________
I was only briefly shown the entire collection. I'm not sure about serialization. Local fishing is quite possible. Previously, every Soviet factory produced left-handed products. Sometimes illegal. Hunting knives, moonshine stills stuffed with electronics like Gomel RTO or glass Glassworks. Lomonosov. Caucasian daggers - Dnepropetrovsk, stainless steel mufflers. My colleague, a former special forces soldier (for the capture and elimination of enemy nuclear facilities) assured that they had such devices in service. But I don't know for sure myself. And I’ll tell lovers of edged weapons and this is not even IMHO, but the ultimate truth - for knives, look for saws with which carcasses are sawn along the ridge right along the bone at meat processing plants. Amazing steel and does not require additional heat treatment. And it is elastic enough, although it can be broken. You can throw them without special devices, just by hand and do not break. The steel is dry as a razor, although it rusts. The old people called her a samokaka.
grozab1 06-02-2004 22:39
I once had a French landing knife. Very similar to the Soviet one, only the handle is covered with green rubber. and he fired only one blade.
And about the self-saw ... I still have a couple of homemade saws from these saws. The steel is excellent, it sharpens well, the sting holds ... But it is not suitable for a throwing knife. TOO fragile. But for a working knife, especially if you cut the skin, it is ideal.
Smurnaya 07-02-2004 02:34
And about the self-saw ... I still have a couple of homemade saws from these saws. The steel is excellent, it sharpens well, the sting holds ... But it is not suitable for a throwing knife. TOO fragile. But for a working knife, especially if you cut the skin - ideal
___________________________________________
30 years ago, my father-in-law worked at a meat packing plant. Knives from a self-roller at home were unmeasured. Three have survived so far. I learned to throw with those knives. None broke!!! Although the handles happened to break. There is nothing ideal in the sense of universal. A samokaka IMHO what you need.
A ballistic knife is a knife in which the blade can be separated from the handle using gas or a spring. Simply put, the knife shoots its blade. The advantage of a ballistic knife over a conventional throwing knife is obvious: the blade flies farther and more accurately, the striking ability increases (it can pierce a wooden board to a depth of 40 millimeters). Today we will try to make a ballistic knife on our own, as they say, from what is at hand. To do this, we need a piece of sheet iron (circular saw), two metal tubes of different diameters, a drill, a grinder, emery and a gas burner (optional).
Manufacturing technology of a ballistic knife
We will start making a ballistic knife with its body. For the case, you can take a piece of metal tube (aluminum, copper, brass) with a diameter of, say, 25 mm. One end of the tube must be closed with a metal stopper. To do this, cut a thread at the end of the tube using a die (if there is a device for threading pipes), or simply solder the plug, weld it. The cork can be picked up for this pipe diameter in any plumbing store.
Since our ballistic knife will be of a spring type, we will need a powerful spring of a suitable diameter. At one end of the spring, it is necessary to fix the nut, and drill a hole for the bolt in the plug. We insert the spring into the handle of the ballistic knife and tighten the bolt. Now the spring sits firmly in the handle and will not go anywhere when fired.
Now we need to make, in fact, the blade of the ballistic knife itself. The blade can be cut with a grinder from any piece of sheet iron. We give it a wedge-shaped shape with emery. The blade can be thermally hardened and tempered. We clamp the blade with the tip in a vise and heat it red-hot with a gas burner, and then cool it in used oil.
Let's cut off another piece of a metal tube with a slightly smaller diameter, the one that we adapted for the body of a ballistic knife. We will also drill two holes in this tube and cut the threads. We insert the blade into the tube and screw the bolts. The blade is firmly fixed in the tube. Next, cut off the remnants of the bolts with caps with a hacksaw. We process these bolt cut points with a file and grind them so that they merge with the surface of the tube.
Now let's deal with the trigger mechanism of the ballistic knife. To do this, we need a metal strip with a curved edge. The strip can be cut from the same sheet iron from which we sawed the blade. Before bending the strip, it is advisable to heat it red-hot so as not to break it corny. Thus, we got the trigger guard of a ballistic knife.
Now, on the edge of the body of the ballistic knife, we saw through a rectangular hole for the trigger guard. On the tube into which the blade is inserted, we do the same. These holes serve to fix the blade in the cocked state.
Next, solder the metal bolt to the tube as a trigger guard stop. In the diagram, I tried to depict all the details, as detailed as possible. The diagram has no dimensions, as it is not an accurate guide to action. It only depicts the principle of operation of the simplest ballistic knife. You will have to adjust all the details yourself empirically.
The knife is easy to load. We insert the blade into the body, and compress the spring (we stick the tip on some hard object) until the hole of the blade with the trigger guard is fixed. All ballistic knife cocked. The trigger guard is held in place by spring pressure. We point the ballistic knife at the target, press the end of the trigger guard, the blade flies out of the body under the influence of the spring.
The disadvantage of such a trigger mechanism is that the trigger guard is separate from the body of the ballistic knife. The advantage is ease of manufacture. In order not to lose the bracket, you can attach it to the body with a chain.
And now about safety. That pointing a ballistic knife in the direction of a person is strictly prohibited I hope you don't need to explain. Shoot only at targets. In no case do not carry a cocked ballistic knife in your pocket. Firstly, such a trigger mechanism is extremely unreliable and does not have any fuse, so you are guaranteed an accidental shot and injury. Load the ballistic knife only when shooting directly at the target. Secondly, the spring, which is in a state of constant compression, loses its power.
In principle, you can come up with some kind of fuse for a homemade ballistic knife, for example, something like checks. And you can even make it so that you can use a knife, not only to shoot, but also to cut bread, but this is a separate topic for conversation and, perhaps, someday, we will also reveal it. Good luck!
It is interesting:
How to DIY
Self at home
Manufacturing technology
Making a real
How to make combat
Finnish knife
How to make a real
How to forge a real one at home
How to do
History reference
The ballistic knife owes its appearance to the American military department, which in the early eighties of the XX century learned to design a silent weapon that could throw steel blades at a short distance. The mechanism is quite simple: a spring is built into the knife handle, which is pre-compressed before the shot. A blade is installed on top and fixed with a special shutter.
According to the developers, such a simple system allows you to throw a blade at a distance of up to 10 meters with an initial speed of about 16 m / s (this is about 60 km / h). This is several times faster than a regular knife strike. This is where questions begin, for example, what kind of spring is installed, how to compress it in order to get such a powerful force. After all, this is not an air rifle with a one-gram bullet, the blade will be heavier. We must also not forget about the problems of all air rifles, in which the spring, which is cocked for a long time, loses its elasticity and becomes ineffective.
Combat use
Melee weapons of this type, as conceived by the Americans, should be used for the silent elimination of enemy manpower. After all, the goal of any special forces is to solve the task without noise and fuss, leaving back unnoticed by others. To do this, a ballistic knife must stop or paralyze the enemy for a few seconds so that he does not have time to signal an attack.
The American spring mechanism is able to hit the enemy only in the neck area, which, as a rule, is not protected by body armor. After all, all other parts of the body are hidden under a lot of clothes - any here will be ineffective.
At the end of the 20th century, a group of students at an American university conducted independent research to determine the effectiveness of a throwing blade from cold steel. Naturally, the American spring served as the driving force. Experiments were carried out on dead carcasses of animals, access to which was provided by one of the country's meat processing plants. Both the blow with a knife and the shooting of the blade were recorded. Stated by the government characteristics of the knife were refuted, and political charges were brought against the researchers.
American propaganda
Even decades later, there are many fictional stories about Russia in the world community, which are instantly destroyed when referring to historical information. Weapon myths are no exception. If it's stupid, it means it was created in the USSR. There are exceptions, but they are related to the state's defense industry, so it is not customary to talk about them with a stranger.
The myths about the miracle knife were created by American propagandists who announced that the ballistic knife was the fruit of the work of Soviet gunsmiths. The appearance of a knife shooting with a spring dates back to the end of World War II. However, in fact there is not a single document that would confirm the statement made by the Americans. And if you turn to history, you can find only two knives that were put into service - the legendary bayonet-knife for AK and the weapon of the Soviet intelligence officer NR-43 "Cherry".
Many legends in the media can be found about the Russian representative of the shooting knives under the brand name "N-148 Scout". Anonymous users tell marvelous stories that this knife is able to break through concrete and crumble brickwork. However, there is not a single historical document confirming the production of these weapons.
But the idea is interesting.
A knife with a detachable blade was developed by Tula gunsmiths in the mid-80s of the last century. However, instead of a spring, the ejection of the blade was produced by powder gases. The knife handle had a built-in barrel, consisting of six rifling, and at the bottom of it was installed a SP-4 live cartridge of 7.62 mm caliber.
The weapon was marked NRS-2 (knife for a scout, shooting). Weapons were developed for special army units, but mass production was never established. It's all about a very large number of requirements and a narrow scope of application. But judging by the specifications of the Tula Arms Plant, the production of knives with a detachable blade did not stop, they are still produced in limited quantities under the State order.
If you turn to the information provided by foreign media, you can find that the NRS-2 detachable blade knife was adopted by the USSR Ministry of Defense along with the PSS Vul silent pistol.
Advantages and disadvantages of such weapons
If we compare an ordinary army knife with a throwing weapon, then the latter has a slightly greater advantage in defeating the enemy. After all, it can be used in combat and as a regular knife. And in case of danger, just one silent shot can hit a target at a distance of up to 25 meters. But judging by the numerous reviews of experts in the media, the distance is greatly exaggerated. In fact, aimed shooting is possible from a distance of no more than five meters. The penetration of the blade is impressive - when fired at the board, the blade is able to go deep by 100 mm. This is enough to inflict damage on the enemy.
A shooting knife is a single-shot weapon, this is its huge drawback. A fighter may not have enough time to reload in battle, so be sure to have a second knife available.
About the shape and correct sharpening
If you review ballistic and throwing knives, you can pay attention to the fact that they have almost the same shape. To some, it resembles an even fang. Someone compares the blade with a bullet, and someone tells a story about the similarity with the body of a shark. If you listen to everyone and look closely, there will be no reason for a dispute. After all, the name "ballistics" suggests the ideal flight of the blade to the target, and what it looks like is not so important.
But special attention is paid to sharpening weapons. After all, the sharper the cutting edge, the more effective it will be for the blade to pass through the obstacle. Naturally, the knife blade is sharpened on both sides. Regardless of what size knives are used, the technique is the same for everyone.
- The sharpener path starts from the back of the blade at a 40 degree angle.
- When you reach the point where the blade begins to bend, you need to raise the handle to maintain a constant sharpening angle.
- At the end point of the passage, the tip remains on the bar.
- Each subsequent edge is sharpened in the same way as the first.
Where does the wind blow from
It is interesting that there is so little information in the media about the use of throwing edged weapons in the Middle Ages. After all, firearms have not yet celebrated their millennium, and mankind learned about cold weapons only when they learned how to process metal.
There is information, quite a lot of it in history textbooks. For example, during the Inquisition, trained witch hunters used a type of shooting knife. A wooden or ceramic tube contained a compressed spring, on the edge of which a silver blade was placed. The gun was worn in the sleeve, the shot was fired when the arm was straightened in the direction of the enemy. The knife handle could be used many times. Maybe this device was the world's first ballistic weapon.
Rare weapons
Unique weapons are sometimes found in museums and private collections. Knives with multiple blades are no exception. Blades of weapons have a different design. This is due to the need to hide the spare blade in the handle. When one of the blades is fired, the second one extends and is fixed in a combat position.
Why the design bureaus did not adopt such a wonderful and promising technology remains a mystery. After all, in fact, the problem with carrying a second knife is being solved. And if you develop the idea further in this direction, then you can come to the idea of creating a whole cassette of small blades that can be fired one by one. You can forget about the spring mechanism, but the use of powder gases is quite real, as is the use of compressed air or inert gas.
Pneumatic knife
In 1993, the Barracuda ballistic knife appeared on the arms market. The blade in it was thrown out not by a spring, but by compressed air. True, its design is very primitive - the body of the compressed air cylinder, which is bulky compared to the size of the knife, clearly spoils the first impression. Not to mention the bypass valve, which is indispensable for reusable shooting.
This development turned out to be more successful when compared with a firearm and spring mechanism. The device is quickly and easily serviced and charged. Good performance characteristics make the pneumatic knife very attractive on the arms market - from a distance of five meters, a steel blade pierces through a 50 mm pine board.
Under the heading "Secret"
Interestingly, automatic knives with a flying blade using the energy of compressed gases are mentioned in many documentaries on the USSR State Security Committee and GRU units. For example, the program “Military Secret” tells about a unique case when Soviet intelligence officers pursued an experienced saboteur near the coast of the Baltic countries, who tried to break through under water to a nearby submarine. It was possible to stop the criminal with the help of a ballistic knife, having fired a shot in the buttock.
There are many options and everyone decides for himself what to believe in. In a beautiful fairy tale presented to the viewer in the form of a documentary, or in the fact that there is still a military secret, which is better not to spread, and even more so not to look for answers to questions of interest.
What prevents an alternative solution
Ballistic automatic knives in their intended purpose have an excellent alternative in the form of a combat pistol with a silencer, which is several times superior to the tactical and technical characteristics of a throwing blade. The same noiselessness and ease of carrying, together with a high rate of fire and multiple charges, simply leave no chance for melee weapons.
As many experts in the weapons business assure, it's all about the legality of carrying, acquiring and storing firearms and edged weapons. And if there will be no problems with the law of the Russian Federation “On Weapons” when a seemingly ordinary knife is found, the blade length of which does not exceed 90 mm, then any pistol will always attract attention. This development of events is clearly not suitable for a real spy or intelligence officer. And if you remember the story about the use of throwing weapons under water, then a firearm simply has no chance to surpass a knife.
Interest of criminal structures
The review of switchblade knives also partially affects criminal structures, where it is customary to use homemade weapons with a switchblade. Their main difference from military models is the departure of the knife blade with fixation in the combat position. That is, the blade does not shoot back, but is cocked from a hidden position.
There are two types of knives used in criminal circles: with end ejection and side ejection of the blade. Both mechanisms are almost the same, because the main purpose of the weapon is to quickly cock the blade into a combat position. The platoon is produced by a spring mechanism and is not particularly difficult. An important component in such knives is the end position lock and the blade backstop. On the territory of the countries of the former USSR, including Russia, the presence of a lock on a switchblade knife, regardless of the material from which the knife handle is made, is prohibited for blades whose length is more than 9 centimeters and a width of more than 2 cm. Therefore, manufacturers freely avoid punishment by reducing the length and cutting edge width.
Always need guarantees
And since we are talking about throwing a blade at a distance to defeat the enemy, then I recall a very popular edged weapon that is in service with all countries of the world - a throwing knife. There is one similarity between these two types of weapons, which directly depends only on the technique of owning weapons - the one-time use. When shooting a blade (or when throwing), an unsuccessful hit leads to the loss of military weapons. That's just the fighters of the special forces carry up to a dozen combat blades, which can be quickly delivered to the target by throwing one by one. But with concealed carrying, problems can arise.
Both for a shooting knife and for throwing weapons, there are a number of requirements for manufacturing: simplicity, lightness, aerodynamics, camouflage, and similar characteristics. We are not talking about the complex system of sharpening the blade, on which the effectiveness of the weapon depends.
2 in 1 device
The so-called shooting knives are quite popular among collectors. Unlike ballistic, where a flying blade is used as a destructive force, they use an ordinary bullet, which is fired from a complex mechanism hidden in the handle of a cold weapon. The assortment is quite rich - from conventional disposable systems to six-shot revolvers with a front sight and an aiming bar (with a miniature knife size). However, there are instances that shoot with the help of the energy of powder gases, sharply sharpened stars, which, in terms of penetration efficiency, can compete with blades. Human fantasy is limitless - it will always find a solution on how to create the perfect weapon.
Finally
As a result of the review, it became clear where myths intersect with reality and what a ballistic knife really is. It turned out that most of the functions are attributed to him by well-wishers, but in fact, edged weapons are inferior to firearms. Special Forces soldiers are advised to carry two knives with them (in case they miss a shot), and all other readers are advised to put aside the desire to own this type of weapon. In addition to breaking the law, every person who keeps a dangerous tool in the house is at risk of injury through negligence. Although the performance characteristics leave much to be desired, nevertheless, from a short distance, the blade is capable of causing significant harm to a person.
History reference
The ballistic knife owes its appearance to the American military department, which in the early eighties of the XX century learned to design a silent weapon that could throw steel blades at a short distance. The mechanism is quite simple: a spring is built into the knife handle, which is pre-compressed before the shot. A blade is installed on top and fixed with a special shutter.
According to the developers, such a simple system allows you to throw a blade at a distance of up to 10 meters with an initial speed of about 16 m / s (this is about 60 km / h). This is several times faster than a regular knife strike. This is where questions begin, for example, what kind of spring is installed, how to compress it in order to get such a powerful force. After all, this is not an air rifle with a one-gram bullet, the blade will be heavier. We must also not forget about the problems of all air rifles, in which the spring, which is cocked for a long time, loses its elasticity and becomes ineffective.
Combat use
Melee weapons of this type, as conceived by the Americans, should be used for the silent elimination of enemy manpower. After all, the goal of any special forces is to solve the task without noise and fuss, leaving back unnoticed by others. To do this, a ballistic knife must stop or paralyze the enemy for a few seconds so that he does not have time to signal an attack.
The American spring mechanism is able to hit the enemy only in the neck area, which, as a rule, is not protected by body armor. After all, all other parts of the body are hidden under a lot of clothes - any here will be ineffective.
At the end of the 20th century, a group of students at an American university conducted independent research to determine the effectiveness of a throwing blade from cold steel. Naturally, the American spring served as the driving force. Experiments were carried out on dead carcasses of animals, access to which was provided by one of the country's meat processing plants. Both the blow with a knife and the shooting of the blade were recorded. Stated by the government characteristics of the knife were refuted, and political charges were brought against the researchers.
American propaganda
Even decades later, there are many fictional stories about Russia in the world community, which are instantly destroyed when referring to historical information. Weapon myths are no exception. If it's stupid, it means it was created in the USSR. There are exceptions, but they are related to the state's defense industry, so it is not customary to talk about them with a stranger.
The myths about the miracle knife were created by American propagandists who announced that the ballistic knife was the fruit of the work of Soviet gunsmiths. The appearance of a knife shooting with a spring dates back to the end of World War II. However, in fact there is not a single document that would confirm the statement made by the Americans. And if you turn to history, you can find only two knives that were put into service - the legendary bayonet-knife for AK and the weapon of the Soviet intelligence officer NR-43 "Cherry".
Many legends in the media can be found about the Russian representative of the shooting knives under the brand name "N-148 Scout". Anonymous users tell marvelous stories that this knife is able to break through concrete and crumble brickwork. However, there is not a single historical document confirming the production of these weapons.
But the idea is interesting.
A knife with a detachable blade was developed by Tula gunsmiths in the mid-80s of the last century. However, instead of a spring, the ejection of the blade was produced by powder gases. The knife handle had a built-in barrel, consisting of six rifling, and at the bottom of it was installed a SP-4 live cartridge of 7.62 mm caliber.
The weapon was marked NRS-2 (knife for a scout, shooting). Weapons were developed for special army units, but mass production was never established. It's all about a very large number of requirements and a narrow scope of application. But judging by the specifications of the Tula Arms Plant, the production of knives with a detachable blade did not stop, they are still produced in limited quantities under the State order.
If you turn to the information provided by foreign media, you can find that the NRS-2 detachable blade knife was adopted by the USSR Ministry of Defense along with the PSS Vul silent pistol.
Advantages and disadvantages of such weapons
If we compare an ordinary army knife with a throwing weapon, then the latter has a slightly greater advantage in defeating the enemy. After all, it can be used in combat and as a regular knife. And in case of danger, just one silent shot can hit a target at a distance of up to 25 meters. But judging by the numerous reviews of experts in the media, the distance is greatly exaggerated. In fact, aimed shooting is possible from a distance of no more than five meters. The penetration of the blade is impressive - when fired at the board, the blade is able to go deep by 100 mm. This is enough to inflict damage on the enemy.
A shooting knife is a single-shot weapon, this is its huge drawback. A fighter may not have enough time to reload in battle, so be sure to have a second knife available.
About the shape and correct sharpening
If you review ballistic and throwing knives, you can pay attention to the fact that they have almost the same shape. To some, it resembles an even fang. Someone compares the blade with a bullet, and someone tells a story about the similarity with the body of a shark. If you listen to everyone and look closely, there will be no reason for a dispute. After all, the name "ballistics" suggests the ideal flight of the blade to the target, and what it looks like is not so important.
But special attention is paid to sharpening weapons. After all, the sharper the cutting edge, the more effective it will be for the blade to pass through the obstacle. Naturally, the knife blade is sharpened on both sides. Regardless of what size knives are used, the technique is the same for everyone.
- The sharpener path starts from the back of the blade at a 40 degree angle.
- When you reach the point where the blade begins to bend, you need to raise the handle to maintain a constant sharpening angle.
- At the end point of the passage, the tip remains on the bar.
- Each subsequent edge is sharpened in the same way as the first.
Where does the wind blow from
It is interesting that there is so little information in the media about the use of throwing edged weapons in the Middle Ages. After all, firearms have not yet celebrated their millennium, and mankind learned about cold weapons only when they learned how to process metal.
There is information, quite a lot of it in history textbooks. For example, during the Inquisition, trained witch hunters used a type of shooting knife. A wooden or ceramic tube contained a compressed spring, on the edge of which a silver blade was placed. The gun was worn in the sleeve, the shot was fired when the arm was straightened in the direction of the enemy. The knife handle could be used many times. Maybe this device was the world's first ballistic weapon.
Rare weapons
Unique weapons are sometimes found in museums and private collections. Knives with multiple blades are no exception. Blades of weapons have a different design. This is due to the need to hide the spare blade in the handle. When one of the blades is fired, the second one extends and is fixed in a combat position.
Why the design bureaus did not adopt such a wonderful and promising technology remains a mystery. After all, in fact, the problem with carrying a second knife is being solved. And if you develop the idea further in this direction, then you can come to the idea of creating a whole cassette of small blades that can be fired one by one. You can forget about the spring mechanism, but the use of powder gases is quite real, as is the use of compressed air or inert gas.
Pneumatic knife
In 1993, the Barracuda ballistic knife appeared on the arms market. The blade in it was thrown out not by a spring, but by compressed air. True, its design is very primitive - the body of the compressed air cylinder, which is bulky compared to the size of the knife, clearly spoils the first impression. Not to mention the bypass valve, which is indispensable for reusable shooting.
This development turned out to be more successful when compared with a firearm and spring mechanism. The device is quickly and easily serviced and charged. Good performance characteristics make the pneumatic knife very attractive on the arms market - from a distance of five meters, a steel blade pierces through a 50 mm pine board.
Under the heading "Secret"
Interestingly, automatic knives with a flying blade using the energy of compressed gases are mentioned in many documentaries on the USSR State Security Committee and GRU units. For example, the program “Military Secret” tells about a unique case when Soviet intelligence officers pursued an experienced saboteur near the coast of the Baltic countries, who tried to break through under water to a nearby submarine. It was possible to stop the criminal with the help of a ballistic knife, having fired a shot in the buttock.
There are many options and everyone decides for himself what to believe in. In a beautiful fairy tale presented to the viewer in the form of a documentary, or in the fact that there is still a military secret, which is better not to spread, and even more so not to look for answers to questions of interest.
What prevents an alternative solution
Ballistic automatic knives in their intended purpose have an excellent alternative in the form of a combat pistol with a silencer, which is several times superior to the tactical and technical characteristics of a throwing blade. The same noiselessness and ease of carrying, together with a high rate of fire and multiple charges, simply leave no chance for melee weapons.
As many experts in the weapons business assure, it's all about the legality of carrying, acquiring and storing firearms and edged weapons. And if there will be no problems with the law of the Russian Federation “On Weapons” when a seemingly ordinary knife is found, the blade length of which does not exceed 90 mm, then any pistol will always attract attention. This development of events is clearly not suitable for a real spy or intelligence officer. And if you remember the story about the use of throwing weapons under water, then a firearm simply has no chance to surpass a knife.
Interest of criminal structures
The review of switchblade knives also partially affects criminal structures, where it is customary to use homemade weapons with a switchblade. Their main difference from military models is the departure of the knife blade with fixation in the combat position. That is, the blade does not shoot back, but is cocked from a hidden position.
There are two types of knives used in criminal circles: with end ejection and side ejection of the blade. Both mechanisms are almost the same, because the main purpose of the weapon is to quickly cock the blade into a combat position. The platoon is produced by a spring mechanism and is not particularly difficult. An important component in such knives is the end position lock and the blade backstop. On the territory of the countries of the former USSR, including Russia, the presence of a lock on a switchblade knife, regardless of the material from which the knife handle is made, is prohibited for blades whose length is more than 9 centimeters and a width of more than 2 cm. Therefore, manufacturers freely avoid punishment by reducing the length and cutting edge width.
Always need guarantees
And since we are talking about throwing a blade at a distance to defeat the enemy, then I recall a very popular edged weapon that is in service with all countries of the world - a throwing knife. There is one similarity between these two types of weapons, which directly depends only on the technique of owning weapons - the one-time use. When shooting a blade (or when throwing), an unsuccessful hit leads to the loss of military weapons. That's just the fighters of the special forces carry up to a dozen combat blades, which can be quickly delivered to the target by throwing one by one. But with concealed carrying, problems can arise.
Both for a shooting knife and for throwing weapons, there are a number of requirements for manufacturing: simplicity, lightness, aerodynamics, camouflage, and similar characteristics. We are not talking about the complex system of sharpening the blade, on which the effectiveness of the weapon depends.
2 in 1 device
The so-called shooting knives are quite popular among collectors. Unlike ballistic, where a flying blade is used as a destructive force, they use an ordinary bullet, which is fired from a complex mechanism hidden in the handle of a cold weapon. The assortment is quite rich - from conventional disposable systems to six-shot revolvers with a front sight and an aiming bar (with a miniature knife size). However, there are instances that shoot with the help of the energy of powder gases, sharply sharpened stars, which, in terms of penetration efficiency, can compete with blades. Human fantasy is limitless - it will always find a solution on how to create the perfect weapon.
Finally
As a result of the review, it became clear where myths intersect with reality and what a ballistic knife really is. It turned out that most of the functions are attributed to him by well-wishers, but in fact, edged weapons are inferior to firearms. Special Forces soldiers are advised to carry two knives with them (in case they miss a shot), and all other readers are advised to put aside the desire to own this type of weapon. In addition to breaking the law, every person who keeps a dangerous tool in the house is at risk of injury through negligence. Although the performance characteristics leave much to be desired, nevertheless, from a short distance, the blade is capable of causing significant harm to a person.
Ballistic knife - a knife with a detachable blade, which is inserted into the handle and, under the action of a gas (or spring), flies out of it at a speed of more than 60 km / h. Ballistic knives have been banned in the US since 1986.
Usage
Ballistic knives produced in the USSR were intended for special forces soldiers.[
In the USA, ballistic knives appeared in the early 1980s. These knives were designed as silent weapons. They can be used as normal ones without removing the blade from the handle or as throwing ones. To throw a knife, pull the lever and press the button (other options are possible depending on the design of a particular knife). The spring inside it is capable of throwing the blade 6 meters at a speed of 60 km/h (~16 m/s).
Advantages
The advantage of this type of knife is that it can be used at a distance, and with a force more powerful than just a blow or throw of a knife, however, after firing the blade, the fighter remained unarmed, so you must have at least two knives in stock. The blade of a ballistic knife, when fired, can go deep into a wooden board by 190-255 mm, this is more than enough for the blade to reach the vital organs of a person.
Combat use
Army special forces use a ballistic knife to silently destroy enemy manpower. Since the goal of army special forces is to eliminate the enemy without unnecessary fuss and fuss, the enemy must be hit in the most vulnerable places. The shot is usually made in the neck area for two reasons:
the neck, as a rule, is not protected by personal protective equipment (body armor, unloading vest, or even just tight clothing).
a hit in the neck at least paralyzes the enemy, preventing him from raising the alarm.
If a shot to the neck is difficult or impossible, other weak spots on the opponent's body are used. It can be the chest - usually it is the area of the heart, however, even a direct hit in the heart with a knife blade does not give a 100% guarantee that the enemy will die immediately and will not be able to scream. A shot in the solar plexus, in the area of the lungs is possible if the enemy is without protective equipment.
This is what is written in Wikipedia so briefly.
In general, they write a lot about ballistic knives and all sorts of nonsense. A ballistic knife is such a semi-mythical weapon of special forces and spies that throws the blade over great distances due to the energy of the mainspring hidden in the handle. I came across the stories of "eyewitnesses" who, with their shameless eyes, saw how a Russian-made ballistic knife Scout pierced a concrete wall from a distance of 10 meters. Many specialists of unknown beasts are more modest in their assessments and point to the effective defeat of the enemy from a distance of 5-7 meters. Finally, all sorts of pessimists and just educated people note that, due to the unstable flight of the blade, the effectiveness of such weapons is limited to close combat, where a reusable knife will come in handy.
At one of the arms markets in the United States, the seller of ballistic knives from the Czech factory Mikov (photo above) (which either belong to or are not in service with the special services) pressed the wrong button and drove the blade into his eye. And then he squinted - in every sense of the word. The experts of the local judicial medical bureau decided to find out how lethal this weapon was, acquired a fresh corpse of a pig and began to crap with this knife into the corpse from different distances.
The conclusion is this - at a distance of less than one meter from the pig, the blade was stuck into the corpse with a point and penetrated into the tissues at a distance of 5-10 cm (they shot in the abdomen and chest). At a distance to the target of more than 1 meter, the blade began to rotate and, at best, left superficial cuts. The total flight length was 25-30 meters.
Conclusion - in close combat, such a ballistic knife produces penetrating wounds to a depth sufficient to damage vital organs, i.e. lead to death. However, the effectiveness of such a weapon is rather doubtful - the blade may not hit a vital organ, moreover, fatal wounds to the heart region are described, which left the victim with 10-15 seconds of targeted activity. Wounds in the liver or lungs appear even more slowly, and a ballistic knife of a similar design is, by definition, one-time use (in combat). We are not talking about any 5-7 meters, and even more so about breaking through a concrete wall from a distance of 10 meters. That's it.