Knife with a pop-up blade. Ballistic knife: design features

According to the stories of a war veteran who served in intelligence, they were used at the end of the Second World War. Several blades were inserted into the handle, like into a clip, with the help of which it was possible to silently and remotely remove sentries. The last blade was not fired, but was fixed in the handle for hand-to-hand combat.

My father kept exactly such a handle, but without a knife, in a drawer of a bookcase, which was locked with a key.

In the 80s, a ballistic knife appeared in the USA, which, if necessary, could fire a shot with its blade. This bladed weapon was intended for the army, but it was soon abandoned and even banned. American soldier not accustomed to hand-to-hand combat, he fights exclusively with bombing, including atomic bombing, like in Hiroshima. And with a knife, and even one with a spring, he can cut his finger or something else.

The knife had an extremely simple design. Its handle contained a powerful spring, which, if necessary, pushed the blade out.

These knives were designed as silent weapon. They can be used as regular ones, without removing the blade from the handle, or as throwing ones. To throw a knife, you need to pull the lever and press the button (other options are possible depending on the design of the particular knife).

The spring inside it is capable of throwing a blade 6-7 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 it is necessary to have at least two knives in stock. When fired, the blade of a ballistic knife can go deeper into wooden board by 35-40 mm, this is more than enough for the blade of the blade to reach the vital organs of a person.

Combat use

Army special forces use a ballistic knife to silently destroy enemy personnel. Since the goal of army special forces is to eliminate the enemy without unnecessary fuss and fuss, the enemy must be hit at the very vulnerabilities. The shot is usually fired 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 thick clothing).

A hit in the neck will at least paralyze the enemy, preventing him from raising the alarm.

If a shot in the neck is difficult or impossible, other vulnerable spots on the enemy’s body are used. This could be the chest - usually this is the area of ​​the heart, however, even a direct hit to the heart with a knife blade does not provide a 100% guarantee that the enemy will die immediately and will not be able to scream. A shot in the solar plexus or in the lung area is possible if the enemy is without protective equipment.

Experts note that, due to the unstable flight of the blade, the effectiveness of such weapons is limited to close combat, where a reusable knife would be more useful.

At one of the arms markets in the States, the seller of ballistic knives from the Czech factory Mikov (photo above) (which may or may not be in service with the special services) pressed the wrong button and drove the blade into his eye. And then he squinted his eyes - in every sense of the word. This is equivalent to a grenade in the paws of a monkey.

Ballistic knife- This is a special knife with a detachable blade. Moreover, it does not just separate, but is fired at high speed (about 16 m/s), causing serious damage to the enemy at distances of up to 10 meters. A regular knife strike has a much lower speed.

The idea of ​​the knife inventors is quite simple and understandable: to create a weapon that could be used not only in close combat, but also to defeat (and silently) an enemy at a distance.

Agree, a knife shooting with a blade looks too “cinematic” to be truly effective. Few other bladed weapons are surrounded by such an aura of rumors, speculation and innuendo. But at the same time, ballistic knives do exist; moreover, there is information that at one time special services of the USSR and the USA worked on improving these weapons. In 1986, ballistic knives were even officially banned in the United States. True, their effectiveness practical application raises a lot of questions. However, let's talk about everything in order.

What is a ballistic knife? How does this “miracle weapon” work? Is it used in the military or special forces?

Description

The secret of the ballistic knife is quite simple. A special mechanism is inserted into its handle, which is a very powerful spring or a container of compressed gas, due to which the blade flies out into the air with great force. the right side and hits the enemy. On the handle of a ballistic knife are various types fixing devices that ensure the retention of the blade. To throw a ballistic knife, you usually need to press a button or pull a lever on the handle (depending on the design of the particular knife). All ballistic knives have symmetrical dagger-shaped blades with double-sided sharpening; they are often made with various cuts, probably to improve their ballistic characteristics. In general, the blades of such weapons are shaped like throwing knives, which, however, is not surprising. It is believed that the blade of a ballistic knife can hit an enemy at a distance of 6-10 meters and enter the board to a depth of 100 mm.

This is where the questions begin. How is the spring installed, how is it compressed when “loading” a ballistic knife? How reliable is the locking mechanism, does it provide the necessary security to the owner of this “device”?

Story

Ballistic knives first appeared in significant quantities in the United States around the early 1980s. Very quickly they became fashionable weapons. After all, a ballistic knife could be used as a regular one, and, if necessary, hit an enemy at a distance. It all ended with the Americans banning the sale and carrying of such weapons.

It still remains a mystery who first thought of making a knife of this design. Most sources report that this weapon was created for employees of special services or units, Soviet or American.

English-language authors usually claim that ballistic knives were first manufactured by the Soviet company Ostblok, although in this case it is not clear how they were able to get to the West at the height of Cold War. In addition, an enterprise under that name never existed in the Soviet Union. And the very word “Ostbloc” seems, to put it mildly, strange: the “Eastern Bloc” in the USA and Europe was usually called the USSR and the Warsaw Pact countries.

In service Soviet army such a weapon has never stood, special units they didn't use it either. It is possible that some work has been carried out in this direction, but information about their application has not been found. And the reason for this is not the closed nature of the archives, but the highly controversial effectiveness of these weapons, which will be discussed below.

Soviet military intelligence (units of the GRU General Staff of the USSR) were armed with standard bayonet knives, the “Cherry” scout knife, adopted for service back in 1943, and the NRS-2 shooting knife, which probably became the source of the legend of the “terrible” ballistic knives of Soviet special forces. The only problem is that the NRS-2 shot at the enemy not with a blade, but with a bullet (special SP-4 cartridge) from a special device mounted in the handle of the knife. The Soviet special forces were armed with a sufficient number of silent weapons, which in their characteristics were significantly superior to any ballistic knives.

On the Internet you can find information about the Soviet (or Russian) “terrible” shooting knife “Lazutchik”, the design of which is not entirely clear, but its combat properties simply amazing. This ballistic knife is reported to be capable of crushing brick and even concrete. But even in this case there is not much evidence base.

There is information (again, unconfirmed) that Tula gunsmiths were involved in the development of a shooting knife in the mid-80s. However, in their project, the blade was supposed to fly out of the handle not by decompressing the spring, but by using the energy of the powder gases. For this purpose, a special cartridge was installed in the handle of the knife. It seems that this project was a success, but the blade was never put into mass production. In this case, we are probably dealing with the usual distortion of information: we're talking about about the Soviet shooting knife NRS-2, which really existed and was put into service. Both its creation and production were actually carried out in Tula. But he didn’t shoot with a blade, but with a special cartridge from the handle.

Domestic sources generally credit the invention of the ballistic knife special services USA, which can be read about on many sites devoted to this topic. It is reported that such weapons appeared thanks to the developments of the American military department, which began in the mid-70s of the last century. Allegedly, the ballistic knife was supposed to go into service American special forces and be used as a silent weapon.

Advantages and disadvantages of ballistic knives

The idea of ​​a blade flying out of a knife looks really nice and quite tempting, and it is likely that this weapon gives its owner some advantages in a duel. Why are ballistic knives still not the usual weapon of spies and saboteurs? of different stripes and calibers?

One of the main advantages of this weapon is its greater versatility compared to a conventional knife. Not every knife is suitable for throwing, and throwing it correctly is a whole science. And here he pressed the button and “killed” the adversary. In this regard, the ballistic knife looks much more attractive.

The second advantage of this type of weapon is its power. According to various sources, the blade released from a ballistic knife can penetrate a board to a depth of 40 to 100 mm. This is more than enough to damage vital organs human body. And the range of destruction of a ballistic knife is also quite impressive; various sources indicate 6 and even 10 meters.

Another advantage of a ballistic knife is the “effect of surprise” for the enemy. Such weapons are not very well known and widespread, so it is unlikely that your opponent will be ready for the blade flying out of the knife and, therefore, will not be able to react to it in time.

This is probably where the advantages of this type of bladed weapon end. The disadvantages begin. There are not that many of them, but the quality of the disadvantages of shooting knives fully explains why they are still not in service with the army or special services.

First of all, there are big doubts about the reliability of the knife mechanism, which, judging by the stated characteristics, should be quite powerful. At the same time, the creators of such weapons need to ensure their safety for the owner and reliability during use, which is not so easy to achieve. Using the energy of a compressed spring to fire a blade is not very successful technical solution. The fact is that a spring, being in a compressed state for a long time, loses its properties and needs to be changed. And the use of various compressed gases for shooting seems quite complicated and not very reliable. Reloading such weapons raises many questions. When using such a powerful spring, inserting a new blade into the handle is a serious problem that only a physically strong person can solve.

In addition, the ballistic properties of such blades are highly questionable. The accuracy of this weapon seems highly questionable. In this regard, the design of the Soviet NRS-2 knife, which fires special cartridges, looks much more reliable and effective.

It is also unknown how sensitive a ballistic knife is to various contaminants, and whether they affect its “shooting” functions.

And finally. One of the main disadvantages of a ballistic knife is its “disposability”. A single shot - and you have no knife at all, neither ordinary nor ballistic. In this regard, the same NRS-2 looks much more preferable.

In the twentieth century, the military experimented a lot with edged weapons, trying to give them a “new breath”. The Americans, for example, worked for quite a long time on creating small crossbows for the needs special forces. These developments ended quite successfully: their result was the creation of several models of crossbows that can be used in practice. However, despite the use of the most modern technologies and materials, they were significantly inferior to existing models of silent firearms. And we are talking about a crossbow - a weapon proven by centuries of practice. The same curiosity as a ballistic knife, in terms of its effectiveness, cannot be compared with an ordinary silent pistol.

A ballistic knife is a knife with a detachable blade that is inserted into the handle and, under the influence of gas (or a spring), flies out of it at a speed of more than 60 km/h. Ballistic knives have been illegal in the United States since 1986.
Usage
Ballistic knives produced in the USSR were intended for special forces soldiers.[
In the United States, ballistic knives appeared in the early 1980s. These knives were designed as silent weapons. They can be used as regular ones, without removing the blade from the handle, or as throwing ones. To throw a knife, you need to pull the lever and press the button (other options are possible depending on the design of the particular knife). The spring inside it is capable of throwing a 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 it is necessary to have at least two knives in stock. When fired, the blade of a ballistic knife can go 190-255 mm deep into a wooden board, 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 personnel. 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 fired 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 thick clothing).
a hit in the neck will at least paralyze the enemy, preventing him from raising the alarm.
If a shot in the neck is difficult or impossible, other vulnerable spots on the enemy’s body are used. This could be the chest - usually this is the area of ​​the heart, however, even a direct hit to the heart with a knife blade does not provide a 100% guarantee that the enemy will die immediately and will not be able to scream. A shot in the solar plexus or in the lung area is possible if the enemy is without protective equipment.

This is what is written in Wikipedia so briefly.

In general, a lot of nonsense is written about ballistic knives. A ballistic knife is a semi-mythical weapon of special forces and spies, which throws the blade over vast distances due to the energy of the mainspring hidden in the handle. I came across stories from “eyewitnesses” who saw with their own shameless eyes how the ballistic knife Scout Russian production punched a concrete wall from a distance of 10 meters. Many experts on unknown animals are more modest in their assessments and point to effective defeat of the enemy from a distance of 5-7 meters. Finally, all sorts of pessimists and simply educated people note that, due to the unstable flight of the blade, the effectiveness of such weapons is limited in close combat, where a reusable knife will be more useful.
At one of the arms markets in the States, the seller of ballistic knives from the Czech factory Mikov (photo above) (which may or may not be in service with the special services) pressed the wrong button and drove the blade into his eye. And then he squinted his eyes - in every sense of the word. Experts from the local forensic bureau decided to find out how lethal this weapon was, purchased a fresh corpse of a pig and began using this knife to stab at 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 its tip and penetrated into the tissue at a distance of 5-10 cm (they shot in the abdomen and chest). At a distance of more than 1 meter to the target, 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 weapons is quite questionable - the blade may not hit a vital organ, moreover, fatal wounds to the heart have been described, which left the victim 10-15 seconds of targeted activity. Wounds to the liver or lungs manifest themselves 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.

RomanKotov 19-12-2003 11:52

The book "Cold Weapons" published by Arsenal Press in 1994 describes the so-called "French Knife". This weapon fires multiple blades, the last one being fixed. Curious if anyone has more detailed information on similar things.

BORIS10 20-12-2003 11:53

Where are the blades before shooting? It’s just a knife, apparently, it will be inconvenient, although maybe I’m wrong. I’d like a photo.

Reaper 20-12-2003 06:33

The old version of the Soviet NRS fired the blade using a spring - but, of course, only one. The effective range was 3-5 meters. As my intelligence friends told me, this weapon was in service before the adoption of the new NRS and NRS-2 chambered for 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 were 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 ejectable blade in special forces units, but there is only one, a special stop, similar to the type for harpoon guns, is put on the belt to put the blade in place

Crown 25-12-2003 02:04

I read something else about LDCs.
When shooting from 20 meters it is not always possible to pull the blade out of the wood, so the kit included 5 spare blades. The spring when new is IMHO very powerful...

Uran - 239 25-12-2003 09:21

Grip a single-shot spring weapon. I have heard about a multi-shot knife, but not specifically. Either the spring is cocked before each shot, or once for everything. Technically, many aspects are difficult to imagine, you can’t help but think, in general, isn’t this a myth?

Crown 26-12-2003 01:49

Grip a single-shot spring weapon. I have heard about a multi-shot knife, but not specifically. Either the spring is cocked before each shot, or once for everything. Technically, many aspects are difficult to imagine, you can’t help but think, in general, isn’t this a myth?

The HP I read about had a spring cocked for each shot.

Keltec 26-12-2003 03:23

About twenty years ago I saw such a knife.
Or rather, not a knife, but something similar to a wallet. 6 blades were inserted into it (if memory serves) square shape. They could take turns shooting back using springs.
I saw how, at a distance of 2 - 2.5 meters, these blades were 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 looked like a cigarette case.

Uran - 239 26-12-2003 06:34

GFO 26-12-2003 06:53

Of course it's interesting. But one tedious warning: “By law, throwing bladed 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, wear, buy it. There will be no liability for this. According to the new amendments to the Criminal Code, liability comes only for sales and production.

Ostwind 26-12-2003 11:04

I doubt it very much.

Uran - 239 26-12-2003 11:14

What is the reason for your doubts? Amendments to the Criminal Code entered into force, and other regulations cannot install criminal liability. The Code of Administrative Offenses also says 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 shooting, 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 purchasing such devices have been erased. On issues of legalization and acquisition of such items in the Legislation on Weapons.

Uran - 239 27-12-2003 04:17

Purchasing such devices is absolutely illegal. The punishment for such acts is confiscation of the above-mentioned device.

Survival 27-12-2003 04:58

With all due respect to the moderators, I did not understand the point of deleting posts about the legality of purchasing shooting knives, then it is necessary to delete everything related to self-defense with a knife, 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's a Soviet knife: http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/2300/2375.htm
There was an article about the Chinese knife in “Technology and Armament” in the 80s. The Chinese knife pistol had 4 barrels and fired 5.6mm (22LR) cartridges.
In Tekhnika-Molodezhi, also in the 80s, there was a pocket knife into which you had to insert a magazine and then, as I remember, it actually 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 LDC. I saw a Chinese four-barrel knife in some program. I really didn’t like the trigger, the firing pin for each barrel must be cocked separately, and there is a separate release button for each barrel. The link you sent is interesting, but this knife is not a multi-shot knife.

rupor 1980 28-12-2003 12:52

I came across a description of a similar device. He shot special darts, they were cylindrical and pointed. A spiral spring was rigidly attached to the dart; when compressed, it did not extend beyond its dimensions; the body of the dart was also a guide for the spring. At the moment 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”; each “barrel” had its own 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 LDC. I saw a Chinese four-barrel knife in some program. I really didn’t like the trigger, the firing pin for each barrel must be cocked separately, and there is a separate release button for each barrel. The link you sent is interesting, but this knife is not a multi-shot knife.

I only knew one repeating knife. About 20 years ago I was offered a “zoning” knife that supposedly shot with two blades at the same time.
I also read that the British saboteurs had a stick pistol during the Second World War.
Well, in the end, this is a reflection - IMHO if a knife shoots with a blade, then it should 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 pushed out, the blade flies in the direction it is directed. Therefore, IMHO it is impossible to make a multi-shot knife, only a salvo knife. Or make the handle longer and make a similar thing for reverse side, but it will be more convenient to have two knives separately.

Uran - 239 28-12-2003 10:00

To stabilize the blade, it is not necessary to have a special cylinder. Mentioned above was the possibility of stabilization using a spring that ejects the dart. A similar system can also be used to stabilize the blade. Naturally this is not the only way. So your thesis about the impossibility of creating a multi-shot shooting knife with a sequentially 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 dangle.
And how will the spring be stabilized? Just insert a large spring into a short cylinder, compress it with a needle until the spring is compressed to the level of the cylinder and watch how this needle flies without a guide cylinder. Even if you solder the needle to the spring, this will not improve the result much.
Further, it is much easier to adjust the diameter of the guide cylinder to the internal diameter of the handle than the diameter of the spring to the internal diameter of the handle.
If you are going to drown the blade in the handle, then IMHO it is no longer a knife, but something else.
And the question is: how do you imagine it is possible to make a knife that will shoot several times? Just curious, I've never heard of such a design before. The only thing I saw close to this were ancient crossbows from below and above. Well, double! underwater guns.

GFO 29-12-2003 01:25

What I saw close to this were ancient crossbows from below and above. Well, double! underwater guns.

Well, why do that? 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 do that? There were also crossbows with magazine feed of arrows to the machine.

GFO 29-12-2003 01:47

There is only one string. After each tension of the bowstring, 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:

Did you pull the string on each arrow?

There was only one string, it went into the slot of a kind of makeshift magazine with unfeathered bolts. When “cocking,” the box (that is, the magazine) moved forward and hooked the bowstring through the slot; when returning back, the box was lowered through the slot onto a special pin, which knocked the bowstring out of the slot and it pulled out the bolt .

Reaper 30-12-2003 02:13

And the ancient Greeks also had serf crossbows that fired in bursts (!) - polyballs. The accuracy of the battle was simply amazing - the arrow hit the arrow. Because of this, they did not become widespread - changing the sight during shooting was difficult due to the weight of the device (sometimes they were placed on turntables), and for shooting at group targets, it was the noticeable dispersion that was important (for the same reason machine gun belts are equipped not with sniper cartridges, but with ordinary LPS or "D" cartridges).

PavelT 15-01-2004 18:27

Wow! In our time, when spaceships roam the expanses of space, and pistols are sold in stores, this device is being discussed quite seriously

A 16-01-2004 15:45

Why not?
The Barnett folding crossbow has a range of entertainment options. I won’t say that he’s excellent, but he’s a killer. Nosh Streliaushi bought with pleasure bi just for the duration of interest, but not for the law.

Smurnaya 31-01-2004 11:25

IN Nizhny Novgorod region There is a medical devices factory in Worm that produced these devices. In the 80s, in neighboring Pavlov, craftsmen from Vorsma offered me something similar near the winery. But I didn't take the risk. Why do I need it? I made do with a knife for extracting cartridges with a non-standard blade - like a navaja.

Uran - 239 31-01-2004 21:18

quote: Originally posted by Smurna:
In the Nizhny Novgorod region in Vorma there is a medical devices factory that produced these devices. In the 80s, in neighboring Pavlov, craftsmen from Vorsma offered me something similar near the winery. But I didn't take the risk. Why do I need it? I made do with a knife for extracting cartridges with a non-standard blade - like a navaja.

Smurnaya 01-02-2004 12:52

What exactly are “devices”, multi-shot shooting knives? And if so, please tell us more about them.
_____________________________________________
I was offered a knife that shoots 5 blades, a sling cutter and something like a fountain pen that shoots needles. I didn’t understand the essence of the design then, which is a pity. He was very limited in money. Besides, then you’ll probably get a prison sentence for such a thing! The men took them out of work and sold them. There were a lot good knives. But don’t go under the bridge with them

Uran - 239 01-02-2004 20:42

It turns out that similar weapons were mass-produced in the USSR. Curious who was armed with them? As for the device, of course, they didn’t delve into it. But do you remember what he looked like?

Smurnaya 04-02-2004 13:19

It turns out that similar weapons were mass-produced in the USSR. Curious who was armed with them? As for the device, of course, they didn’t delve into it. But do you remember what he looked like?
____________________________________________
I was only briefly shown the entire collection. I'm not sure about seriality. Local fishing is quite possible. Previously, every Soviet factory produced inferior products. Sometimes illegal. Hunter knives, moonshine stills stuffed with electronics like the Gomel RTO or made of glass from the Glass Factory named after. Lomonosov. Caucasian daggers - Dnepropetrovsk, stainless steel mufflers. My colleague, a former special forces soldier (for the capture and liquidation of enemy nuclear facilities) assured that they had similar devices in their arsenal. But I myself don’t know this for sure. And for lovers of edged weapons, I’ll tell you, and this is not even IMHO, but the ultimate truth - for knives, look for saws, which in meat processing plants are used to cut carcasses along the ridge right along the bone. Amazing steel 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 they don’t break. The steel is razor-dry, although it rusts. The old people called her a self-harvester.

grozab1 06-02-2004 22:39

I once had a French paratrooper knife. Very similar to the Soviet one, only the handle is covered with green rubber. and he only shot one blade.

As for self-harvesting... I still have a couple of homemade ones from these saws. The steel is excellent, sharpens well, holds the sting... But it’s not suitable for a throwing knife. TOO fragile. But for a working knife, especially if cutting leather, it’s an ideal option.

Smurnaya 07-02-2004 02:34

As for self-harvesting... I still have a couple of homemade ones from these saws. The steel is excellent, sharpens well, holds the sting... But it’s not suitable for a throwing knife. TOO fragile. But for a working knife, especially if cutting leather, it’s an ideal option.
___________________________________________
30 years ago my father-in-law worked at a meat processing plant. There were countless self-harvesting knives at home. Three have survived so far. I learned to throw with those knives. Not a single one is broken!!! Although the handles sometimes broke. There is nothing ideal in the sense of universal. And IMHO the self-heating machine is just what you need.

A ballistic knife is a knife with a projectile blade that can be removed from the handle using a spring mechanism.

Originally designed for use by special forces and operatives, this knife is spring-powered and virtually silent. The dagger-like blade is great for stabbing. It can be used as a regular cutting weapons, or piercing, which can be launched using an internal spring.

What is a ballistic knife

In its spring form, the ballistic knife blade is theoretically capable of firing up to an effective range of about 5 meters at a speed of 63 km/h. Knives using compressed air or gas engine for firing the blade, can be made somewhat more powerful and are not subject to spring fatigue over time.

In addition to a spring, air, or gas mechanism, the blade of a ballistic knife can also be driven by an explosive charge, such as a blank pistol cartridge.

Historical reference

It is believed that ballistic or "fire knives" first appeared as part of equipment issued to special forces units of the USSR and other countries. Eastern bloc. By 1985, spring-powered ballistic knives were advertised for sale in the United States in Shotgun News, Soldier of Fortune, and other publications.

First mentions

The prototype of a knife that shoots blades was an ancient Chinese invention. In Medieval China, such weapons were common. A special strong spring was installed in the bamboo tube. A shortened arrow with a long tip served as a projectile.

American propaganda

Most information about ballistic knives and their developments appeared thanks to the propaganda of the American media. It was they who claimed the presence of special Russian developments of ballistic knives. There are myths that such knives can even destroy concrete masonry. Most of this information appeared in the period shortly after the end of World War II. However, American propagandists were never able to present documents proving the existence and use of such developments.

Russian developments

Ballistic knives were originally conceived by Soviet military planners as an improvement in knife throwing training as basic training for new special forces students. Huge number of people recruited into the armed forces Soviet Union, led to restrictions on available training time, even for elite forces, and knife throwing required many hours of training and practice.

The ballistic knife, which was relatively simple to operate and manufacture, required much less practice than learning to throw a knife by hand. Its main advantage was the element of surprise. The blade can remain attached to the handle and be used as a regular fixed blade combat knife, or launched as a projectile by pulling a pin and pressing a button.

In reality, ballistic knives were never produced or used by special forces units. The closest weapon for them is the NRS-2 knife with a built-in firearm in the handle. Information about the Soviet company Ostblok, mentioned in many American sources, does not exist in Russian sources.

Classified as secret

At all times military developments different countries were kept strictly secret. The same situation applies to ballistic knives. This type of weapon is often mentioned in various films and computer games. In cinema, such a knife is an integral attribute of KGB and GRU officers. However, reliable information about development and use does not exist. Perhaps similar developments are actually being carried out in our time. However, in this case it will be absolutely secret a military secret, which ordinary citizens should not be interested in.

Guarantees are always needed

To operate a shooting knife more efficiently, you must be absolutely sure that it is in good working order. A similar weapon is the well-known throwing knife. The only difference between these two blades is that throwing knife the blade and handle are not separated, but the entire structure flies towards the target. Otherwise they are very similar. Majority technical requirements they are also no different. The most important of them are mass, sharpening, balancing and others.

Knife design

Why does this knife have this name? The fact is that the flight of the blade is carried out according to ballistic trajectory. Modern types The designs of this product were equipped with springs. In later versions, they were already equipped with special devices that launched the blade with pressure obtained from compressed gas. The weapon functioned thanks to the following principles:

• the blade is fixed in a hollow handle;
• the fighting mechanism is a powerful spring or piston;
• in gas-powered models, the gas cylinder is placed in the handle;
• the trigger mechanism has a lever that locks the blade in a hidden position;
• it is necessary to check or pin the fuses that will keep the blade from accidentally starting;
• pressing the lever releases the latches, after which the mechanism is activated.

Combat use

Home distinctive feature This knife is characterized by its noiselessness in combat. His task is to eliminate the enemy without the noise that could create firearms. In this case, there is no need to let the enemy get too close, as when using conventional melee weapons. A knife will be more effective if it is aimed at areas of the body that are not protected by armor.

What prevents an alternative solution?

In front of everyone positive characteristics With a ballistic knife, it can be said that it is much more effective in combat to use a firearm with a silencer. However, if you consider external factors, then a small knife attracts much less unwanted attention than a pistol. At the same time, in Russia knives with a blade length of up to 9 cm are allowed in circulation. And if we consider a situation where the use of weapons under water is required, then it is worth giving preference to a ballistic knife.

Is it possible to purchase a similar knife in Russia? Yes, if you wish, you can order a similar knife for yourself on the Internet in the Russian Federation. It is worth remembering that in many countries, especially the United States, ballistic knives are illegal, and their use may result in criminal liability.

Advantages and disadvantages of ballistic knives

There is no absolutely perfect weapon. Knives with a shooting blade have a number of disadvantages and advantages:

• As long as the blade is fixed, the knife acts like a regular knife. It can be used for any household needs;
• the spring mechanism is much quieter than the gun version, but at long range it is not as accurate;
• the main advantage of use is the effect of surprise;
• the principle of operation, as well as the design of this type of weapon, is quite simple;
• in combat there is no need to allow the enemy to approach you to strike. At the same time, the impact force is much greater than with a regular knife throw;
• The disadvantages of this knife are the sound of the spring mechanism itself and the fact that after the shot, reuse of the knife is no longer possible;
• the spring mechanism requires regular discharge, so such weapons require constant cocking and releasing. Otherwise, the spring is deformed and loses its dynamic properties;
• Another disadvantage of shooting with knives is the potential for unintentional injury;
• when mishandling and operation, the products are very sensitive to contamination and corrosion.

About shape and proper sharpening

It is extremely problematic to create this type of weapon with your own hands, since you need to take into account many details. This knife has its own easily recognizable shape. Since its main property is flight along a certain trajectory, the shape of the blade should provide good aerodynamic properties. Therefore, the blade is slightly curved and resembles the shape of a huge claw.

To ensure that the properties of the blade do not deteriorate over time, it is worth paying more attention to its sharpening. Required condition is uniform sharpening of the blade on both sides. The sharper the blade, the better its flight along the trajectory and the removal of obstacles will be. The sharpening angle of the blade must be strictly observed. It should not exceed 40 degrees near the handle.

Rare weapons

Each country has a special weapons museum. They contain historical examples of blades, as well as developments that did not enter service with the army, and many others. Among these you can find ballistic knives that have several blades. As well as ballistic systems that operate not using a spring, but using powder gases, etc.

Pneumatic knife

One example of a ballistic knife is a pneumatic knife. Instead of using a spring to eject the blade, it uses a can of compressed air. For weapons, such a knife is inconvenient because it has a too large design due to the air tank. But as an experimental idea it is of great interest.

2 in 1 device

After the idea of ​​a ballistic knife, the developers went further and came up with a special shooting knife. Roughly speaking, it is a hybrid of a knife and a pistol, since instead of a blade it can use special cartridges. Most often, such a knife shoots due to powder gases.