Top ten greatest weapons in history

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Chicago Ted

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Knifewounds said:
Fetzenfisch said:
Squidden said:
A Katana? Kind of played, don't you think?

I was expecting something a bit more interesting.
And absolutely useless against chainmail.
Even though you could just thrust the blade into the chain mail, and it'll go through just like another sword. I mean all you need to penetrate chain mail is a pointy tip, and a strong blade which the katana has. And don't give me that oh, the katana's not a thrusting weapon bs. It's curved design doesn't hind any of its abilities.
You have no idea what you're talking about here.

Next you'll be saying that Japanese Officers would cut through machine gun barrels with them in WWII.

The katana has next to no armour piercing capability. Hell, I don't know much about swords but I know that much. The blade is flat, and in order to get through the armour, you'd have to be pushing more of it away. If you're going for an armor piercing weapon, a stabbing weapon was best with a very thin blade, so you could get between plates and the like.

Your entire list is really nothing more then weapons you thought looked cool. These aren't the greatest weapons in history. Hell, you're picking weapons from all over time that really can not be compared with one another. Perhaps if you had this as some of the most iconic weapons of all time I'd give it to you, but greatest, no.

Just no.
 

Knifewounds

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SultanP said:
Saw the title, knew the katana would be on there somewhere near the top, and boy, you did not disappoint. Ugh.
I find it funny that you mentioned other weapons becoming obsolete, but not your beloved katana, smells like a katana/Japanese stuff fanboy to me.
Now, I guess it is great, as far as swords go, and I love swords, but putting it as number one is just ridiculous, especially over stuff like an AK47 or any other ranged weapon. I doubt a katana could even do much against the halberd.
In conclusion, number one? no!

Edit: I know I may partially be channelling the voice inside me that says "not the fucking katana again", because I'm sick of fans of Japanese stuff pulling it out of their ass every second they get, but that voice wants it off the list completely, and I'm not saying it doesn't deserve to maybe be on there somewhere...
You don't read anything do you. "Note 1: The weapons will be judged by their own merits, and by how well they do at the job they're made for." as I specified at the beginning of the video. And no I'm not the kind of Japanifile fanboy you most likely think I am. I'm a weapons enthusiast as you could have guessed from my name. One more thing I should mention is that I've wielded most of these weapons on this list excluding the rpg, and Thompson machine gun, and I even own an authentic katana, and claymore along with several other swords, so most of what comprises of this list were added out of personal experience with them which might be a bit biased you could argue, but at least in means I know what I'm talking about when I add them.
 

loc978

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...the katana's broad point (by which I mean the obtuse angle at which the kissaki comes to said point) makes it a less than exemplary thrusting weapon... especially against chainmail. Will it thrust through chainmail? Yes... but only with a lot more force than a western longsword.

Also, I love my Glocks, especially the 21. Recoil is easily manageable, mag capacity is high, and my groupings are fast and tight at up to 20m, which is almost 3 times further out than 90% of pistol engagements. Honestly, I'd say they deserve a place on a similar list to this for standardizing composite, striker-fired auto pistols... just not in the top 10. Top 100, definitely.
Remember not to get your 1911s and SiGs dirty, boys. I'll just knock the bigger chunks of dirt off my handgun with my boot and it'll keep firing.
 

Sparkytheyetti

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PeePantz said:
Knifewounds said:
#5. M1 Garand: ........ The Garand could essentially do everything an infantryman needed during the time of WWII.
Not 100% true. While the Garand was a great weapon, the M1 Carbine essentially replaced the Garand in terms of importance and became the most produced small arms weapon in American history. The Garand was too heavy for most troops that weren't on the front lines, and these "second-line" infantrymen were left with pistols. Winchester used Carbine Williams suggestions and placed a short-stroke piston system in place. The guns weighed under 6 pounds, were semi-automatic, and had great power and accuracy. MacArthur even accredited the guns for being a huge factor in the win in the Pacific.
Then why is it half the troops given the carbine said it was a pos. The first chance they got they would rather carry the heavy hitting Garand than the carbine that broke constantly.
 

mindlessvulgarity

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Firstly, i'd like to mention just how 'cool' you are.
Secondly, A Katana, the greatest weapon in history? Really? Yeah cos fancy swords gonna get you far against anyone with any sort of modern day firearm. I'm sorry but it annoys me that everyone gets all excited about katanas, at the end of the day they are cool swords, not a practical instrument for modern day warfare.
 

trophykiller

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mine:

#10 crossbow:

I agree with everything you said about it. Amazing weapon, unfortunately it was too good and became illegal.

#9 berret .50 cal:

For what it is, it's incredible. It can kill infantry, cars, armored vehicles, and even tanks from over a mile away. It weighs a ton, being a heavy gun with one of the heaviest man-portable rounds made today, but it does it's job so well, it has to get on this list.

#8 colt revolver:

It truly revolutionized warfare forever. Before this, most weapons were single shot, unreliable, and innaccurate. Then this gun comes along and WHOA! 6 shots, accurate, and so reliable people still use it today? Sign me up!

#7 Shield:

Need I explain? Back in the days when people fought more... up close and personal, a man with a sword and shield were practically guarunteed to win a fight with an equally trained man with only a sword.

#6 english longbow:
For thousands of years mankind has had a love-hate relationship with the bow: loved by the operator, loathed by the guy on the recieving end.

Then the english come along and decide to make this weapon even more terrifying. how? by making out of yew instead of other woods, thus with this more tensile wood, they were able to achieve greater accuracy and range, which allowed them to be a far more effective fighting force(which actually earned them a few enemies).

#5 spear

having a distinct range advantage, nearly every ancient army used these, and for good reason: you with a spear > everyone else.

It pierced armor, slayed horses, stopped charging armies, and left most swordsmen helpless. It had a few problems though: against more than one man it was a death sentence to all but the most trained, it was heavy and large, and couldn't realy be concealed.

#4 m1 garand:

Having actually fired one, I can safely say it's awesome. Semi-automatic, high powered, and accurate, the only problem I have with this weapon is the reloading. while the stripper clip makes this faster to load than most weapons of it's time, it's still somewhat slow compared to modern rifles, and has the possibility to pinch your thumb, which hurts(if you didn't realize).

#3. warhammer:

no, not that one, this one:

http://www.coldsteel.com/warhammer.html

It basically ignores armor. Need I say more(and by the way, it was more feared than a sword back in the day, but then, you know, fantasy kinda ruined that). Weighing a little over two pounds, this is one of the most impressive(read: terrifying) weapons on earth.

#2 AK-47:

has killed more people than any other weapon on earth. period.

Also, it works great with:

#1 bayonet:

Did you know that in the american civil war, it killed more men than the rifles it was attached to, cannons, and artillery combined? Did you know since the gun was first invented, the bayonet has been stabbing people right along side it?

Seriously, guns are already the best weapons on earth, but now with the bayonet, it's also one of the best melee weapons on earth, along with how great it already was. Truly magnificent as a weapon.
 

The Salty Vulcan

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Knifewounds said:
Throughout the course of our history we've constantly been inventing new ways to kill each other in more brutal, devastating ways, precise, and hilarious ways. We've made a lot of great & deadly weapons in our history haven't we? Anyways, those weapons that are on my top ten list will be graded by how good its design is, and how innovative, or devastating it was in its era of warfare.


Note 1: The weapons will be judged by their own merits, and by how well they do at the job they're made for.

Note 2: that I'm not going to include any weapon that cannot be manned by more than a single person.

Note 3: My grammar sucks sometimes, so you'll have to forgive me for that.

_______________________________________________________

Honorable mentions:

Any kind of flintlock, wheel lock & Matchlock gun: These where truly very innovative weapons that changed the course of warfare, and projectile weaponry forever, but I cannot call them great weapons. They could only fire one shot at a time, and took forever to reload, and could frequently misfire due to jamming, and weather conditions. While they're completely devastating when someone gets shot by them, and replaced the bow & arrow their many issues keep them from making it on this list.

Claymore Sword: This is a great weapon. When your swinging it around you feel like you can chop cows in half with it. unfortunately it had to compete with an even greater sword for the list, and it lost. Apologies to Scottish people everywhere.

LeMat Revolver: Its was a revolver that held 9 shots, and a central shotgun chamber. That's awesome. To bad its been buried into obscurity(the LeMat in RDR doesn't do it justice)

Intercontinental ballistic Missiles: This is the most powerful weapon made in existence however I cannot add a weapon that's never, and never should be, used.

______________________________

#10. The crossbow: If I were to best describe the usefulness of the crossbow in a single sentence I'd say" The crossbow is the weapon that made it possible to turn any civilian into a deadly warrior" With a crossbow you don't need to spend years of training to learn how to use a bow, and arrow, but instead you only needed to have the strength to pull back a string, load a bolt, point, and shoot. The simple mechanical design made it easy for anyone to pick up, and use. That and the bolts are deadly in their own right. However it was never able to kill off the bow & arrow because a trained archer could fire off several more arrows than a crossbow.


#9. Bowie Knife: This is the knife that practically coined the term "Now that's a knife!" for it large size. The Bowie Knife is one of the few knives I know of that could actually decapitate someone in on swing. Not only that. It can be used for just about everything that involves survival, and in my book a great weapon can be your greatest tool.


#8. M1911A1: This gun give birth to the modern pistol design, and could arguably be considered the greatest innovation in pistol history. With almost 100 years of military service there no doubt that the M1911A1 has some amazing lasting power behind it. So what makes this gun so great? Well, because it was the first magazine-fed handgun, and it was fired powerful 45. caliber rounds. So why is it so low on the list you may ask? Well, it does have an issue with jamming, and its recoil hinders its accuracy which bumps it down several notches.


#7.Thompson Submachine Gun: The Chicago typewriter was loved by soldiers, and criminals for its its ergonomic design, compactness, large 45.ACP cartridge. Its effectiveness in WWII, and the prohibition era is attributed to its high rate of fire making it perfect for spray & prey drive by's, and trench sweeping. The down side of its design is that it's not an accurate gun, but it compensates by unleashing a wall of lead towards whatever poor unfortunate Nazi or North side gangster that happens to be on the wrong end of its barrel.


#6. The Halberd: Don't we all love having choices? Being able to choose skewering your enemy like bloody shish kabobs. Choosing to take a mighty swing across your enemies gut thus spilling his gastric intestinal tract all over the war torn landscape, or simply choosing to flip your weapon around to swing a sharp pointy blade capable of getting into those hard-to-reach vitals of those hard-to-kill armored bastards. Ah, yes, freedom to kill exactly what you get from a Halberd. The innovation in its design helped it to be one of the most valued weapons on the battlefield until the advent of gunpowder.


#5. M1 Garand: "The Greatest Battle Implement Ever Devised" by General George S. Patton. Do I need to go on? Fine, well the Garand was a product of almost twenty years of research and development which part of the reason this became such a great weapon. It was accurate, it was semi-automatic, and fired powerful 30-06 rounds. The Garand could essentially do everything an infantryman needed during the time of WWII.


#4. RPG7: I really couldn't make this list without add one weapon that made things explode could I? It's a modern day bazooka. Its cheap, easy to use, and a reliable antitank weapon. Ya, that's not a scary weapon at all is it. Anyways, when I was looking for devastating weapons this was the epitome of destructive power. Its design has kept it as the go to antitank weapon for 3rd world countries terrorist, and revolutionaries.


3#. Bow & Arrow: A weapon that's lasted the course of civilization its self deserves nothing less than a high spot on this list. The power, and ingenious simplicity of its design was able so effective that it was still able to hold its own against the firearms all the way up to the mid 19th century until cartridge based multi-shot guns came to be.


#2. AK47: I mentioned earlier that the crossbow was effective because anyone could use one. Well that goes double for the AK. There are thousands of kids who are armed with an AK in Africa, and the middle east who can handle this thing like a pro. Not to mention that it packs one hell of a punch with its 7.62 rounds, and its indestructible design, though it is still not extremely accurate. This rifle will endure any punishment you give it. Its become more than a weapon of armed conflicts. Its become an icon, that's left its mark on human history, and the modern world.


#1. The Katana: There is no such greater weapon than that which can feel as an extension of the person who's using it. In that light the katana as a sword, and a weapon is perfection. It has perfect balance, precise control, its has great strength while still being flexible, and its shape, and sharpness combine create a powerful edge. It is every bit a slashing sword as it is a stabbing, and thrusting one. Honestly I believe it is impossible to create a sword as perfect as the katana.

No mention of the Kukri?


Yeah, the Bowie Knife is nice as a thrusting weapon but the Kukri is simply a more versatile weapon. Not to mention how much it seems to have permeated pop culture. Its one of The Sniper's signiture weapons!
 

Starke

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Singularly Datarific said:
MP5.
My personal favorite, preferably the SD version with the integrated silencer.
It personifies counter-terrorism, the kinda thing that will cause bowels to loosen when you know it is approaching, cuz hearing the clackity-clack of the only audible part means that somebody sent a specialized mission composed of trained professionals to kill or incapacitate you.
I'm not about to bash the MP5 too strenuously, but coming from people who do use it, I'm told it has a few design oddities that make it less than ideal.
Knifewounds said:
Note 1: The weapons will be judged by their own merits, and by how well they do at the job they're made for.
They you may have a problem up on the list.

Knifewounds said:
Note 2: that I'm not going to include any weapon that cannot be manned by more than a single person.
You could use this to exclude the ICBM below.
Knifewounds said:
Note 3: My grammar sucks sometimes, so you'll have to forgive me for that.

_______________________________________________________

Honorable mentions:

Any kind of flintlock, wheel lock & Matchlock gun: These where truly very innovative weapons that changed the course of warfare, and projectile weaponry forever, but I cannot call them great weapons. They could only fire one shot at a time, and took forever to reload, and could frequently misfire due to jamming, and weather conditions. While they're completely devastating when someone gets shot by them, and replaced the bow & arrow their many issues keep them from making it on this list.

Claymore Sword: This is a great weapon. When your swinging it around you feel like you can chop cows in half with it. unfortunately it had to compete with an even greater sword for the list, and it lost. Apologies to Scottish people everywhere.

LeMat Revolver: Its was a revolver that held 9 shots, and a central shotgun chamber. That's awesome. To bad its been buried into obscurity(the LeMat in RDR doesn't do it justice)
Without personal experience, my understanding is that the 10 gauge shell was basically unmanageable, and as revolvers go there were far better examples.
Knifewounds said:
Intercontinental ballistic Missiles: This is the most powerful weapon made in existence however I cannot add a weapon that's never, and never should be, used.

______________________________

#10. The crossbow: If I were to best describe the usefulness of the crossbow in a single sentence I'd say" The crossbow is the weapon that made it possible to turn any civilian into a deadly warrior" With a crossbow you don't need to spend years of training to learn how to use a bow, and arrow, but instead you only needed to have the strength to pull back a string, load a bolt, point, and shoot. The simple mechanical design made it easy for anyone to pick up, and use. That and the bolts are deadly in their own right. However it was never able to kill off the bow & arrow because a trained archer could fire off several more arrows than a crossbow.
I'd say this, and your bow and arrow definition below are two broad. A crossbow is a class of weapon, though, some version from the European battlefields should certainly be included for all the reasons you list.
Knifewounds said:
#9. Bowie Knife: This is the knife that practically coined the term "Now that's a knife!" for it large size. The Bowie Knife is one of the few knives I know of that could actually decapitate someone in on swing. Not only that. It can be used for just about everything that involves survival, and in my book a great weapon can be your greatest tool.


#8. M1911A1: This gun give birth to the modern pistol design, and could arguably be considered the greatest innovation in pistol history. With almost 100 years of military service there no doubt that the M1911A1 has some amazing lasting power behind it. So what makes this gun so great? Well, because it was the first magazine-fed handgun, and it was fired powerful 45. caliber rounds. So why is it so low on the list you may ask? Well, it does have an issue with jamming, and its recoil hinders its accuracy which bumps it down several notches.
I'm actually not completely certain the "first magazine-fed handgun" description is accurate. Well, actually I know it's not, the C96 had a non-detachable box magazine, which would be reloaded by stripper clip, and it went into service nearly 20 years before the M1911 did. On top of that the Luger P08 went into production at the turn of the century, and it did use a detachable box mag, just like the 1911. Now, what you're right about is that there probably isn't another handgun in existence that is as distinctive or recognizable as the M1911, but it wasn't the first.

Knifewounds said:
#7.Thompson Submachine Gun: The Chicago typewriter was loved by soldiers, and criminals for its its ergonomic design, compactness, large 45.ACP cartridge. Its effectiveness in WWII, and the prohibition era is attributed to its high rate of fire making it perfect for spray & prey drive by's, and trench sweeping. The down side of its design is that it's not an accurate gun, but it compensates by unleashing a wall of lead towards whatever poor unfortunate Nazi or North side gangster that happens to be on the wrong end of its barrel.


#6. The Halberd: Don't we all love having choices? Being able to choose skewering your enemy like bloody shish kabobs. Choosing to take a mighty swing across your enemies gut thus spilling his gastric intestinal tract all over the war torn landscape, or simply choosing to flip your weapon around to swing a sharp pointy blade capable of getting into those hard-to-reach vitals of those hard-to-kill armored bastards. Ah, yes, freedom to kill exactly what you get from a Halberd. The innovation in its design helped it to be one of the most valued weapons on the battlefield until the advent of gunpowder.


#5. M1 Garand: "The Greatest Battle Implement Ever Devised" by General George S. Patton. Do I need to go on? Fine, well the Garand was a product of almost twenty years of research and development which part of the reason this became such a great weapon. It was accurate, it was semi-automatic, and fired powerful 30-06 rounds. The Garand could essentially do everything an infantryman needed during the time of WWII.


#4. RPG7: I really couldn't make this list without add one weapon that made things explode could I? It's a modern day bazooka. Its cheap, easy to use, and a reliable antitank weapon. Ya, that's not a scary weapon at all is it. Anyways, when I was looking for devastating weapons this was the epitome of destructive power. Its design has kept it as the go to antitank weapon for 3rd world countries terrorist, and revolutionaries.


3#. Bow & Arrow: A weapon that's lasted the course of civilization its self deserves nothing less than a high spot on this list. The power, and ingenious simplicity of its design was able so effective that it was still able to hold its own against the firearms all the way up to the mid 19th century until cartridge based multi-shot guns came to be.
Like the Crossbow above, the Bow is an awfully broad term. I'd cut this one down to two contenders, both of which should probably be on the list. The English longbow, and the Mongolian bow. The English longbow because it facilitated greater range on the battlefield than was previously thought possible, and hit with more force. These are, quite frankly, scary weapons today. The Mongolian bow for it's use by and facilitation of the fastest military force in history up to the advances of mechanized infantry in the last decade.

Knifewounds said:
#2. AK47: I mentioned earlier that the crossbow was effective because anyone could use one. Well that goes double for the AK. There are thousands of kids who are armed with an AK in Africa, and the middle east who can handle this thing like a pro. Not to mention that it packs one hell of a punch with its 7.62 rounds, and its indestructible design, though it is still not extremely accurate. This rifle will endure any punishment you give it. Its become more than a weapon of armed conflicts. Its become an icon, that's left its mark on human history, and the modern world.
I like this, and would have probably put it at #1, though not for the reasons you did.

The AK wasn't the first assault rifle, that would probably be the MP-43/MP-44/StG 44. It certainly isn't the best. But, what the early AKs lacked, the successors mastered. They're cheap. Scattered across a dozen different distinct battle rifles and assault rifles, the AK47's progeny are the single most common family of assault weapons on the planet. They aren't as indestructible as it's made out to be, but the weapons are freakishly resilient, in part due to very loose tolerances.

Unfortunately, here is where you sacrificed your credibility in a staggering act of intellectual sepuku.
Knifewounds said:
#1. The Katana:
No.
Knifewounds said:
There is no such greater weapon than that which can feel as an extension of the person who's using it.
This is seriously debatable. But as anyone who's ever handled a heavy blade sword can tell you, this simply is not the case.
Knifewounds said:
In that light the katana as a sword, and a weapon is perfection.
Again, no.
Knifewounds said:
It has perfect balance, precise control, its has great strength while still being flexible, and its shape, and sharpness combine create a powerful edge.
Yeah, let's dwell on the forging for a moment.

A Katana uses a folded cold steel process to produce (traditionally). What this means is you have to beat the iron into a flat heavy foil and then you fold the blade out of this back and forth, working the edge out in this way. What this results in is a relatively solid cold steel blade, but one that is, ultimately inferior to a sword forged from a steal billet. The reason is the layers, which undermine the structural integrity of the blade. This was a weakness the Japanese swordsmen and smiths were fully aware of, and you can see the result in formal kendo training. The entire point is blade avoidance. The reason is, if you parry with a katana the blade will chip (as opposed to a forged blade, where the blade will deform).

Now, while the Japanese were doing this, the Chinese and Europeans were using billeted blades. The reason for this comes down to simple geography. China and Europe have ready access to relatively high quality iron deposits. Japan did not. The result was that Japan was forced to make due with substandard iron for the bulk of their history, and as a result they developed a very elaborate, and artistic way of maximizing the effectiveness of their own resources. But, what they were not able to do was to fully overcome their resource deficiency.

Now, within your initial criteria (specifically #1), the katana certainly deserves a special mention, because of how much the Japanese were able to accomplish with their poor resources, but it is not, by any stretch of the imagination, the best weapon in history.
Knifewounds said:
It is every bit a slashing sword as it is a stabbing, and thrusting one.
So long as you don't come into contact with anything metal while using it.
Knifewounds said:
Honestly I believe it is impossible to create a sword as perfect as the katana.
It's pretty easy, just pick another weapon, any other weapon, any weapon forged from (the modern approximation of) Damascus Steel for instance. Remember, part of the reason that pre-WWII katanas are so valuable today has nothing to do with their value as weapons, and everything to do with how rare it was for one of them to survive. The Katana is a very fragile piece of art, and like many elements of Japanese society it looks very impressive, but is actually quite ill suited to warfare.

EDIT: Another one that probably should have made the list would have been the Colt Peacemaker.
 

Helmutye

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I'm not sure if this was disqualified by some of the parameters of your list, but I think something like the Predator Drone deserves mention. It is the only weapon I can think of that can strike with personal precision (it has the same accuracy as a human piloted aircraft) but that allows its user to strike without risking him or herself in any way. It can be used by anyone so long as they have a single functioning arm (I guess it probably takes two arms, but the point is it has no reliance on physical strength or ability). And contrary to most other modern weapons, it is really pretty cheap (the unit cost for an F-22 is $150 million, whereas the unit cost for a Predator about $4.5 million--the Predator is almost as useful, and at only 3% the cost).
 

spartan231490

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Here's my list:
10) Handaxe. By handaxe, I mean a sharp piece of stone held in the hand that basically turned your entire arm into an axe, which was the first weapon that mankind employed, and is also it's longest used tool. Didn't impact warfare all that much, but it deserves a mention for being the first.
9) Muskets. Musket's changed the face of the battlefield forever, thier superior range and firepower allowed marksmen to eliminate high value targets while, in many cases, remaining relatively safe behind defensive lines.
8) Crossbow. The crossbow revolutionized warfare because a crossbowmen could be trained in a few weeks, compared to years of training needed to use other weapons effectively. They also hit with much more force and penetration than longbow fired arrows, although they had a shorter range and slower fire rate. The extremely small amount of training time necessary allowed for effective use of conscripts in warfare.
7) Repeater rifle/revolver: These weapons allowed for a much faster fire rate, virtually necesitating the use of cover such as trenches in open warfare.
6) Dragon skin armor. Dragon skin armor allows for soldiers to have a higher survival rate, and allows for a longer reaction time to limit friendly fire.
5) Atlatl. Commonly called the spear-thrower, allowed for effective attacks to be made at much greater range, and was the first truely effective range weapon.
4)Maxim machine gun. The first full machine gun that could be carried by a single soldier, this weapon drastically increased the ammount of firepower that could be brought to bare by infantry units, further necesitating trenches or other forms of heavy cover and slightly offsetting the usefulness of "cavalry" units.
3) Longbow, most notabley: the english longbow. the incredible range and firerate of these weapons allowed an army to inflict terrible casualties on the enemy before they could return fire, and also greatly demoralized the enemy.
1) Tied for first place, I suggest the shield and military aircraft. The shield led to the advent of phalanx fighting, which led to highly advanced tactics. Phalanx fighting allowed alaxander the great to conquer a huge amount of territory and ironically allowed the greeks, most notably the spartans, to defeat the invasion of persia.
Military aircraft add a third dimension to any battlefield and allow for incredably devestating attacks against ground forces, forever changing tactics on the battlefield

anyway, that's my opinion on which weapons most changed the face of the battlefield and had the largest impact on military tactics and battles. which weapons are most effective at thier purpose of killing people is another matter entirely.
 

Starke

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SimuLord said:
bl4ckh4wk64 said:
SimuLord said:
bl4ckh4wk64 said:
#8. M1911A1: its recoil hinders its accuracy which bumps it down several notches.
The recoil of the 1911 is less than a glock shooting the same caliber.
The Plastic Fantastic is a piece of shit. If I'm picking a sidearm, the Glock 9mm is WAY down the list of guns I'd choose.
Yea, I was trying to provide an example of how little recoil the 1911 actually has. Not sure if it got through tough. Glocks are pieces of temperamental crap and I would rather use a pencil to defend myself than a glock. If given the choice, I'd go with the Sig P226.
I'm just glad nobody in this thread has yet mentioned "the .44 Magnum. It'll take a man's head clean off." Because to do so would be to openly admit all you know about firearms you know from movies and/or video games.

Although I do love the Smith&Wesson Model 29 (the gun in question), that thing's not for novice shooters, and unless you have the strength of Hercules you're not shooting that fucker from the hip.
In spreading the love for the .44, I do love the .44 chambered Colt SSAs that are kicking around. Though my preference is still for the .357 peacemakers, the recoil on those things is so damn smooth it blows my mind.
GrimTuesday said:
#1 This one will likely get some people confused but I stand by my choice that the ax is the best weapon in human history. This weapon has been around almost since humans first discovered tools not only for doing work to survive, but also to wage war on other people. The ax is very versatile as it can be used as both a cutting weapon, a puncturing weapon (depending on the type of ax you are using), and a smashing weapon. If this weapon was not the best suited for the purpose, why did it not cease to be used as a killing tool until guns came around?
What's not to love about a flying wedge of death.
 

Jroo wuz heer

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Anacortian said:
nofear220 said:
Knifewounds said:
Note 1: The weapons will be judged by their own merits, and by how well they do at the job they're made for.

Note 2: that I'm not going to include any weapon that cannot be manned by more than a single person.
Jesus you forgot the best weapon ever! I can't believe you forgot about it...

That may be the greatest weapon yet devised.
no, that would be the flaming rocket propelled chainsaw
 

JJMUG

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CrazyMedic said:
the katana can cut though the shield with a generally enough force to break the wielders arm.
Cut through a shield, enough force to break wielders arm. i lold hard, really they would just get stuck in the shield like all bladed weapons, nice try.

I suggest you watch this http://www.youtube.com/user/ThegnThrand all the videos. Then talk about weapons.

Knifewounds said:
Katana at number one? The Katana is a nice sword, great for swinging attacks, but it hasn't got much penetration ability. I'd suggest that the Damascus Scimitar or the Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre could easily compete with a Katana.

The katana had great penetration ability. Don't mistake its curve as a something hinder its penetrating performance. The very fact being that the curve would help cut the blade deeper into its target. The scimitar is a great weapon, and is about as versatile as the katana, what it lacks is the katana's durability. If put head to head the katana would wreck the scimitars blade(note I didn't say cut in half) It's simply just a stronger blade. The Pattern was a great weapon as well however it lacks the slashing ability of the katana, and scimitar. It's a great penetration weapon which is great if your on horseback though.
you also need to watch this. http://www.youtube.com/user/ThegnThrand
 

SultanP

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Knifewounds said:
SultanP said:
Saw the title, knew the katana would be on there somewhere near the top, and boy, you did not disappoint. Ugh.
I find it funny that you mentioned other weapons becoming obsolete, but not your beloved katana, smells like a katana/Japanese stuff fanboy to me.
Now, I guess it is great, as far as swords go, and I love swords, but putting it as number one is just ridiculous, especially over stuff like an AK47 or any other ranged weapon. I doubt a katana could even do much against the halberd.
In conclusion, number one? no!

Edit: I know I may partially be channelling the voice inside me that says "not the fucking katana again", because I'm sick of fans of Japanese stuff pulling it out of their ass every second they get, but that voice wants it off the list completely, and I'm not saying it doesn't deserve to maybe be on there somewhere...
You don't read anything do you. "Note 1: The weapons will be judged by their own merits, and by how well they do at the job they're made for." as I specified at the beginning of the video. And no I'm not the kind of Japanifile fanboy you most likely think I am. I'm a weapons enthusiast as you could have guessed from my name. One more thing I should mention is that I've wielded most of these weapons on this list excluding the rpg, and Thompson machine gun, and I even own an authentic katana, and claymore along with several other swords, so most of what comprises of this list were added out of personal experience with them which might be a bit biased you could argue, but at least in means I know what I'm talking about when I add them.
Must've forgotten about Note 1 when I got a bit into the list, and you started mentioning weapons becoming "obsolete" with the invention of specifically firearms. My apologies. Anyway, despite my disagreement of the katana as number one, it's a fine list, and I don't know shit about weapons. So you can just disregard my initial post, which must've sprung from my tiredness and annoyance with the katana getting "name dropped" by Japanifiles everywhere. It should have said something along the lines of "An enjoyable read, though I disagree with the katana being number one" instead of "Katana?! RAAAGE!"
 

blind_dead_mcjones

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Oct 16, 2010
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you had me agreeing up until the point you mentioned the katana, and the M1 garand, don't get me wrong they're good at what they're designed for (slashing and shooting respectively) but they are far from the best and quite frankly overhyped

it also saddens me how the harrier was not mentioned once (the only successful mass production jet aircraft with the ability to take off vertically, practically won the falklands for the british)
 

Starke

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bl4ckh4wk64 said:
SimuLord said:
bl4ckh4wk64 said:
#8. M1911A1: its recoil hinders its accuracy which bumps it down several notches.
The recoil of the 1911 is less than a glock shooting the same caliber.
The Plastic Fantastic is a piece of shit. If I'm picking a sidearm, the Glock 9mm is WAY down the list of guns I'd choose.
Yea, I was trying to provide an example of how little recoil the 1911 actually has. Not sure if it got through tough. Glocks are pieces of temperamental crap and I would rather use a pencil to defend myself than a glock. If given the choice, I'd go with the Sig P226.
I really want to like the 226, but the damn 220 series full frames always jam on me. So, because of that, I'd go with a USP, but that's just personal preference.