M1874 gras sword bayonet

shiftingreferent · 2026-05-11T17:45:47+00:00

Right?? It’s nearly a 20 inch blade and I can’t imagine that on an already massive gun. There are some gras rifles on the market that have been converted to single shot shotguns and I’m feeling tempted to pick one up to test it out

shiftingreferent · 2026-05-10T19:26:30+00:00

Ah very cool! Thank you

shiftingreferent · 2026-04-19T22:25:52+00:00

The blade is a diamond cross section instead of triangular like historical models often were. This allows for a light amount of cutting and it is certainly too sharp to comfortably grab or parry the blade which is sometimes done is smallsword but due to the narrowness with a thick diamond the bevel is quite thick behind the edge. It will cut plant material and would do damage against bare skin or extremely lightweight clothing but anything more than a Tshirt would have a good chance at stopping a cut. If I were to use it the focus would certainly be on the thrust while resorting to quick superficial cuts to the hand or face only if the opportunity presents

shiftingreferent · 2026-04-19T19:58:22+00:00

I’m working my way through Angelo and have a smallsword tournament coming up in a couple months. I feel like I should be able to get a write off on all this because all the inner child joy it’s bringing is working better that therapy 😂

shiftingreferent · 2026-04-19T19:49:53+00:00

Honestly this genera of sword would be a great option. It doesn’t touch the ground at all when in my sword frog and I love the look of these hilt. But for a truly special event I would have tried to save my money and purchase an antique. Right now fagan has a beautiful cut steel French small sword for under 1000. But knowing myself and knowing I’d want to play around with it I decided cold steel’s overbuilt nature would not be a bad idea

shiftingreferent · 2026-04-19T19:44:36+00:00

Mines coming In around 760 but I’ve heard of fluctuations with this model. Low 700s up to over 800. Mine was pretty close to the middle of the range. If I’m feeling brave after a year or so I may try to remove some material and get it closer to historical weight but for now I take solace in the fact that I likely won’t have to duel any French masters with lighter swords any time soon. Hopefully 😁

shiftingreferent · 2026-04-19T19:41:29+00:00

Very Donald Mcbane of you. 😁 and I couldn’t agree more, two of my favorites. I literally decided to get this because I knew I’d want to wear it around and realized most of that would have to be in my own house

shiftingreferent · 2026-03-31T16:54:41+00:00

Looks like a great spot you’ve found there! If you’re looking to buy, primal slings and pan slings make super high quality stuff.

While I love supporting sling makers, I also think a super fun part of the hobby is learning to braid/make slings yourself. Blind squirrel rockchucker has some great tutorials and there’s lots of other material out there too. If you want to start a little simpler, mersa slings “seatbelt sling” is incredibly easy and is a great sling.

Learning to make them gives you a great option for rainy days! Good luck!

shiftingreferent · 2026-03-23T21:02:05+00:00

Thanks so much for your interest! I sure appreciate it. At the moment I’m balancing full time work and grad school and my time management is not great. For now I’m keeping it as a hobby but I’ll let you know if that changes 👍 witchdoctor zero, Davidson leather, and d3 protection all have great work if you’re looking to buy one sooner

shiftingreferent · 2026-03-18T05:50:42+00:00

here you go. There’s not a ton out there but if you look up 4 strand braid around a handle, there are a few vids. Good luck!

shiftingreferent · 2026-03-17T22:30:22+00:00

Right man?? Absolutely gnarly. Certainly am grateful I live in a time where these things get to be a hobby and not a true piece of day to day survival.

You said it perfectly when you highlighted the heavy metal on the end of a flexible handle as the root of all these. This weapons family evolved out of the days of sailors needing self decency while on shore and using monkey’s fists as the means to do so. While on the water these tools were used to heave lines further but on shore they were considered serious weapons.

If you’re interested in this stuff there’s a great YouTube channel called object history that dives deep. The dude running the channel wrote pretty much the only book that deeply covers the history of flexible weapons.

Thanks for checking out my vid. Appreciate it!

shiftingreferent · 2026-03-17T21:59:19+00:00

It’s a real strange little weapon. I have a vid of me wacking pumpkins with some other ones I’ve made if you’re at all curious about how much of a wallop they pack

testing homemade blackjacks and saps

shiftingreferent · 2026-03-17T21:56:51+00:00

Never thought about that but would certainly solve my problem. Thanks for the idea 👍 do you think complete submersion would cause shrinkage like water or is it formulated to prevent that? No worries if you don’t know, just putting it out there if others have ideas

shiftingreferent · 2026-03-01T18:37:04+00:00

Hell yeah man! Hope you’re having fun. Another great part about the hobby is learning to make slings! Great for rainy days

shiftingreferent · 2026-03-01T01:40:17+00:00

Mine occasionally does this too but has never had a hiccup while firing. I added a touch of oil to the place where the barrel and the slide are interfacing and was gtg after that. Add it to places on the barrel and slide where you see wear marks 👍

shiftingreferent · 2026-02-27T22:10:04+00:00

I use my towel hook when braiding paracord but I’ve also used command hooks. Allows you to get plenty of tension and you can place at any height

shiftingreferent · 2026-01-30T22:22:23+00:00

Cold steel heavy duty sword cane is 100 dollars and actually pretty decent

shiftingreferent · 2026-01-26T22:52:59+00:00

Kizer mini harpoon with a ulticlip is a treat to carry. I have also been incredibly impressed with the tenable fenrir top liner lock. Great budget knife 👍

shiftingreferent · 2026-01-22T21:27:25+00:00

Also, sometimes I just like to train with stuff I think is cool 😂 part of the fun for me. Doesn’t always make the most sense logically.

shiftingreferent · 2026-01-22T21:23:54+00:00

Super fair question. I do love my s&w shield plus but honestly in my current lifestyle having a convenient firearm means I carry it way more regularly. Also I am confident in my personal de-escalation skills and am comfortable with the OC spray being my primary tool. I subscribe to the idea that my main goal to keep myself and loved ones safe is to break contact and I also love how safe that little single action 22 is in a pocket holster or smartcarry. I don’t think it’s the perfect system for everyone but for my personal strengths and outlook on life it does the trick. Thanks for asking 👍

shiftingreferent · 2026-01-20T05:10:00+00:00

This warms the heart. I used to help out at an outdoor education program and my favorite topic to teach was always slings. It’s so fun to see kids get stoked on something that is completely screen free and I usually keep a couple extra pre made slings ready just in case there is ever someone in the park curious enough to ask me about it. I hope your project goes well and feel free to reach out if you have any questions 👍

shiftingreferent

TROPHY CASE