A combination weapon is a close-quarters gun hybrid combining the features of both a firearm and an edged melee weapon.Richard Holmes,''Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armour'',,p.158. Examples of gun hybrids include knife/pistols and pistol/sword combinations.

History

According to the book ''Weaponry: An Illustrated History'', by Chuck Wills, between the late 16th century and the advances in repeating

firearms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

in the mid 19th century, blades or clubs were often fitted onto guns, because only one shot could be fired from the gun. Without an alternative weapon attachment, they became useless at close range. Some of the first included the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

axe-pistol, made in the central European region of Silesia. This weapon combined a flintlock

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

with a battleaxe. Later, a pistol-sword combination formed in the mid 18th century, which was apparently used mainly by marines and

naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

officers in boarding engagements at sea. Additionally, Dumonthier & Sons produced several knife pistol combinations. Pocket knives with zip guns inside were made by Unwin & Rodgers, and an Indian gunsmith fitted a percussion cap gun to a mace in the 19th century. Even some

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

s were fitted with barrels, sometimes designed to look like a spike, and other times placed in cleverly concealed holes.

History

References

See also