Gunfighter

Semper_Fi

Small, light and often overlooked, the tomahawk has been in use since before recorded history as witnessed by tomahawk heads being unearthed with other fossilized remains.

Single and double tomahawk CQB techniques are quick, basic and tomahawk kata training is outstanding.

Check out www.americantomahawk.com/products/cqc-t.htm

M.W. · Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 136 Location: inside the loop

wicked tool...

DEMON · Joined: 13 Jul 2007 Posts: 192 Location: Houston,Texas

Cold steel and S.O.G make some reallygood ones at great prices. Twisted Evil

yellowdog762 · Joined: 23 Jul 2007 Posts: 46

Tomahawks were carried and used extensively in early America and the Vikings were known to be big fans of fighting tomahawks and axes. One of the most common traditional styles of fighting tomahawks is still called a “Norse”.

Many frontiersmen carried a tomahawk as their firearms were slow to reload. Up until this point many who carried a tomahawk associated frequently with Indians and tomahawks were a popular trade item so they were probably inexpensive and easily available. It is doubtful that many mountain men types engaged in formal fight training of any sort, they probably just used what they had on hand.

In the 1800s Bowie knives begin to replace tomahawks in popularity as a back up weapon. While Jim Bowie’s fame certainly hastened the demise of the fighting tomahawk and helped with the surge in popularity of the Bowie type knife, I have seen it alluded that Bowie might have simply recognized the superiority of the large fighting knife over the tomahawk. At this point in history, dueling was still in practice in many places and one hot bed of dueling was New Orleans. At this time, there were a large number of master swordsmen from many countries making a living in New Orleans teaching dueling.

Jim Bowie frequently engaged in business with unsavory individuals and probably felt he had a need for a reliable weapon. Bowie also had the opportunity to learn effective large bladed knife fighting since he lived in and near New Orleans. By the time of the Civil War, 30 years later, one of the most popular items to give a departing soldier was a fighting knife, not a tomahawk.

Traditional tomahawks are not good camping tools. The blades are lighter and less of a wedge shape than a hatchet. Generally, only the blade is tempered; the steel in the rear portion is treated to be more like that of a spring. If one uses the butt end as a hammer for an extended period of time metal objects will damage it and pounding on wooden objects will deform the shape of the metal around the haft. Popping someone on the head every once in awhile is not going to harm your tomahawk.

As many people know, the Greeks and the Romans both used a very short sword in formal warfare. Fighting in regimented lines has many similarities to other close quarters fighting and these solders were some of the best trained warriors in the world at that time.

Kearny, of Oakridge Labs and Civilian Defense fame, notes in one of his books that a properly used machete is a fearsome weapon. Soldiers in the US military regularly used them in hand to hand combat in the pacific. Kearny mentions several instances where machete armed Americans successfully engaged sword welding Japanese. Perhaps the Japanese swords were too long for use in close quarters?

Years ago I did a multi day camping trip in east Texas with some Mountain Men. Those are the guys that adopt the dress, tools and weapons of the early American Mountain Men. One of the fellows was also an accomplished blacksmith that made period tomahawks and fighting knives. As students, we had the opportunity to use tomahawks, large knives and machetes in the course of making camp and manufacturing tools. We tried to avoid chopping too much as it was laud, dangerous and hard work. For instance, we burned long logs in half rather than chopping them. I came away convinced that for my knowledge and skill set, a medium camp knife and a machete were a very good combinations of portable tools. A tomahawk is a decent fighting weapon for an unskilled person but not much use for other than fighting. A large fighting knife can be used to fight, clean game and make camp. Since I have a fencing background, I would chose a fighting knife if I could only take one fighting blade somewhere although I’d prefer to have the machete to make camp, the camp knife for basic chores and the fighting knife to fight.

All that said, I have a traditional tomahawk because I like the way it looks. Mine hangs near my gun safe in case I have to fight off someone while I am trying to get into the safe. I probably should have a Bowie knife there if I was practicing what I preach but I never got around to buying a good one, which costs about 5 to 10 times what a tomahawk costs. I hate inexpensive knives and functional tomahawks are still inexpensive.

Several interesting tidbits about tomahawks: Many of the heads slip on and off the handle easily thus making transporting a tomahawk fairly easy. One could simply carry the head and cut a handle when one needed it. On a fighting tomahawk the upper and lower edges are also used to fight. The top tip is used for thrusting and stabbing and the bottom point can be used to rip an assailant. I also find it very interesting that a tomahawk without a handle looks incredibly like an Ulu, the woman’s knife commonly used in the northwest to cut up large game and food.

Dwight McLamore makes Bowie knives and teaches Bowie fighting classes. He has studied a number of the different dueling styles taught in Louisiana in the early to mid 1800s. If you have any interest in large fighting knives his book called Bowie and Big Knife Fighting System is interesting.

Bill Bagwell, a well known blade smith, has a book called Bowies, Big Knives and the Best of Battle Blades that is a good read. He touches on a number of different blades including the Kukri, machete and tomahawk. This book is a compellation of articles he wrote for one of the knife magazines but it is still well worth the money.

Len Thompson, of Cold Steel, used to have several knife articles on his website. One of which was about the tomahawk.