Were spears traditionally sharpened? If so, why aren't bayonets?

>>33045957
You don't want a bayonet sticking into the bone

>>33046008
Wouldn't you want to keep a spear from doing that, too?

>>33046078
Don't you start using logic on me boy...

>>33046078
No, it's ideal for hunting because your prey now has a large stick that they have to drag around hanging out of them, twisting all over the place and causing further blood loss.

You're thinking of a pike.

>>33045957
>Were spears traditionally sharpened? If so, why aren't bayonets?
Because thrusting a dull bayonet into the chest of the enemy is a lot easier then to treat infections from tens of thousands of small cuts inflicted on your own troops when they out the bayonet on the wrong way.

Spears were also used as slashing weapons by many cultures, as such, yes the edges were sharpened. They were primarily thrusting weapons however. Hollywood often gets it wrong, but this scene actually properly displays the use of spears.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=v67K9pJsjbQ

File: Middle_ages_weapons_basement.jpg (3MB, 2816x2112px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 2816x2112px

>>33045957
>Were spears traditionally sharpened? If so, why aren't bayonets?

if it has an edge, it was sharpened. bayonet is a very vague term that includes sword bayonets which were sharpened and cruciform section bayonets which don't have an edge to be sharpened to triangle section bayonets which don't have edges either.

>>33045957
S[ear is a primary weapon, other weapons are a backup
bayonette is not a primary weapon, it's a backup

bayonette is practically pointless unless your surrounded by a crowd of idiots and want to keep people back without shooting since they're probably too dumb to realize "oh hey dangerous weapon pointed at me" unless it's immediately going to hurt them like a pointy metal stick/bayonette

>>33046142
I've seen very few sword or knife bayonets that come from the factory sharpened or are even designed to be sharpened.

>>33046245
>I've seen very few sword or knife bayonets that come from the factory sharpened or are even designed to be sharpened.

I can tell you that most military sabers weren't sharpened either. they were supposed to be sharpened just before the actual deployment.

>>33045957
Bayonets were traditionally sharpened. Nowadays they aren't because they're tools and morale lifters, barring the occasional case of bong propaganda.

>>33046256
But why aren't any modern bayos sharpened?

>>33045957
Sabre, sword and knife type bayonets are/were sharpened.

Triangular bayonets were not.

>>33046263
>But why aren't any modern bayos sharpened?
you mean like AK bayonets? bc they are useless oieces of crappy steel with no point to them. bayonets are a holdover from single shot rifle day where after the first shot if you charged the reloading enemy and killed him with modified spear fencing technique you could win. bayonets thrust, edge or not, sharp or not, they will kill. sword bayonets were just also meant to be a tool besides a thrusting spear.

>>33046263
I have no idea what you're talking about. I've never carried or been issued a dull bayonet.

>>33046245
Every piece of metal can be sharpened it just depends on how much time you want to spend filing it. Tried making knives from scratch with scrap metal I've found around it's not complicated. Just hack saw it to generally the right shape and file it down to the "right" dimensions then file the edge and use finger grit once you have the right angle for the cutting bit.

>>33046280
I feel like spear fencing should be a real sport. That sounds fun as fuck

File: 975281289204.jpg (467KB, 800x523px) Image search: [Google]

467KB, 800x523px

>>33045957
>Were spears traditionally sharpened?

If you mean a sharpened edge for cutting, no. Although there were some instances of this, it was far from the norm. Spears have always been about being a cheap solution that is easy to train with so that you may send more of your peasant farmer conscripts to front lines sooner and cheaply and still be somewhat effective on the battlefield.

>>33046200
Anymore such like this?

>>33046421
There's some form of kendo for that. They even have an overly-sporterized form of bayonet fencing called jukendo.

>>33046521
That sounds awesome. Too bad there probably like no places around me that do it

>>33046421
>I feel like spear fencing should be a real sport. That sounds fun as fuck
It is, sort of. Ever heard of HEMA? Personally I teach old world saber and bayonet fencing if there is demand for it. If you then want to apply that, you can go see reenactment group where they do free fencing/sparring with spears. It's a minor disciple in REW reenactment which is basically viking combatives.

>>33046200

>fucking nobles
>says the guy who is almost certainly a noble

Apart from that, this is pretty top kek

>>33046606
I wish polearms were more common in HEMA. Fucking faggots only want to practice longsword and rapier.

>>33046914
I do like sword and buckler though

File: 16092016290.jpg (624KB, 2592x1456px) Image search: [Google]

624KB, 2592x1456px

>>33046914
>I wish polearms were more common in HEMA. Fucking faggots only want to practice longsword and rapier.

Meh. Spear is scary. even with a tennis ball filled with rags and taped over an octagonal ash shaft will knock the wind out of you when hit by even a 1/8th force thrust. You really need serious people who know what they are doing to enjoy a nice and meanigful match without killing each other.

File: conan-the-destroyer.jpg (76KB, 630x458px) Image search: [Google]

76KB, 630x458px

>>33046200
kek.

>>33046940
What about quarterstaff sparring with rattan staffs?

>>33046200
Rhodoks vs Swadia

>>33046966
>What about quarterstaff sparring with rattan staffs?
sure. but authentic spear vs. spear fencing is the same as rapier vs. rapier or smallsword vs. smallsword fencing and relies on a stiff weapon. All in all, your exp in HEMA will range from best thing ever to worst day of my life depending on the people you ahve to practise with and yourself.

>>33046940
>Meh. Spear is scary. even with a tennis ball filled with rags and taped over an octagonal ash shaft will knock the wind out of you when hit by even a 1/8th force thrust.
I thought you wore rigid armor/protection in hema?

>>33046999
>I thought you wore rigid armor/protection in hema?
not necessarily. people wear all kinds of shit, usually textile fencing jackets with some padding like this:

http://histfenc.com/categorylist/torso-protectors

it's just not pleasant getting hit with a 220cm ash pole in a thrust.

>>33046999
It's not really that rigid, unless you're talking about hand protection. Getting hit with a pole thrust or "cut" can fucking hurt because of the leverage and power behind it.

>>33047011
>>33047016
Thanks. I see. I just assumed you guys wore polymer plates or something to spread out the force of a blow.

>>33046606
>old world
>not 2017 imitation of how faggots "imagine" it was

>>33047943
Oh yeah, those ancient arts of using XIX century weapons are lost forever. If only they had writing back then. Or maybe even developed an Olympic sport out of that, imagine how cool that would be!

>>33047943
>>not 2017 imitation of how faggots "imagine" it was

pre WW1 era Austro-Hungarian fencing is alive and well thnk you very much.

>>33048789
Its dead

>>33046421
>what is quarterstaff
Seriously, you'll use most of the same techniques. The weeaboo "hold in the middle and twirl" shit is for idiots. A quarterstaff is to a spear as a club is to a sword.

File: 1483410271777.png (28KB, 1910x930px) Image search: [Google]

28KB, 1910x930px

>>33046974
RHODOK PRIDE WORLDWIDE!