Why train with weapons? Part 3
Published: Fri, 02/27/26
Updated: Fri, 02/27/26
Once upon a time, in the closing years of the 18th century there lived a Scottish clergyman by the name of Alexander John Forsyth. The Reverend Forsyth may, or may not, have been diligent in his clerical duties. However, we do know that his hobbies were hunting, particularly wild fowling, repairing guns, and chemistry. This combination of interests, plus a frustration with the technical limitations of the firearms of his time, changed the course of history.
The history of ordnance is a fascinating subject and you can trace the development of firearms from their first use in European warfare in the early 14th century until the mid 17th century when the flintlock method of igniting black powder reached the limit of its development. In 1690 the British Military establishment adopted the ‘Brown Bess’ flintlock Musket which remained the standard infantry weapon until the 1840s, around 150 years.
There are several problems with the flintlock as a means of igniting the powder in a firearm. Powder must be loaded into a pan which is susceptible to rain and wind. The ignition depends upon sparks struck by a flint on steel, which is not an easy thing to maintain and, again, is unlikely to work if it gets wet. It is also very difficult to design and develop a repeating weapon which depends upon a flintlock. These same problems apply to a sporting shooter along with an extra frustration. The process of releasing the trigger, a spark being struck, the priming powder igniting, and then the main charge driving the projectile and out of the muzzle in order to hit the target, is quite a slow process. The lag between trigger release and target being hit may not matter too much on a range or against a static or slow moving object. However, when engaging birds on the wing this time lag makes it very difficult to hit such fast moving
targets. The Reverend Forsyth wanted a much faster method of ignition which would improve his chances of bagging a tasty lunch.
Through his knowledge of chemistry Forsyth was aware that fulminate of mercury (made using alcohol and nitric acid) will detonate when struck. In 1805 he demonstrated a lock which fired a gun using fulminate of mercury instead of a relying on a flint striking steel. In 1807 Forsyth was granted a patent for his invention and the British government took an interest, although it took more than 20 years before the idea was adopted in military ordnance.
In Europe prior to around 1840 the most popular weapons for personal self-defence were canes, walking sticks, sometimes with a sword blade concealed within (the carrying of actual swords fell out of fashion by the end of the 18th century). In the USA the preference was for large knives, now often referred to as ‘Bowie’ knives after the famous Jim Bowie who died defending the Alamo along with Davy Crockett in 1836. In a more rural setting a combination of tomahawk (small axe) and knife was popular. In recent years attempts to recreate a fighting system with such weapons has become popular at HEMA events, although there is no existing record of how such weapons were actually used. In the 1840s the Bowie knife, and related weapons, suddenly became obsolete. A flintlock pistol is not really a practical weapon to carry for self-defence for ergonomic and reliability reasons. However, a compact pistol with a percussion cap can be easily
carried, even in a concealed holster, and it will fire with a high degree of reliability. Two or more barrels are possible and the revolver soon became a practical option. The percussion cap enabled the manufacture of self contained metal cartridges which led to the development of magazine fed self-loading pistols by the first decade of the 20th century.
The Reverend Forsyth’s invention, which he may have intended for putting dinner on the table, actually enabled an arms race resulting in large capacity repeating firearms such as machine guns, also artillery shells, aerial bombardment, and even hand grenades. Today, personal defence has to take into consideration the existence of devices which can be carried in a pocket, and yet make the user at least 20 times more deadly than a British soldier who fought at the battle of Waterloo. The Brown Bess musket with a bayonet fitted was much more effective as a spear than as a projectile weapon, except when delivering well disciplined volley fire. A great deal has changed in less than 200 years.
The British government makes a good deal of effort to keep handguns out of the hands of ordinary citizens. The first restrictions on possession of pistols goes back to 1908 with a more or less total ban enforced in the 1990s. In the USA the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution is interpreted as allowing the carrying of handguns for self-defence with permit regulations varying from state to state. Other nations have firearms regulations somewhere between the two extremes. The only consistent factor is that I would be surprised if there was any country in the world where the security officers for senior members of the government and the Royal Family (where relevant) are not armed with handguns. Britain is unusual in that the majority of police officers are not armed with hand guns on a daily basis. (Although armed officers are always on duty when required, and even the ‘unarmed’ police will carry usually a Taser, irritant spray,
and a steel baton.) So, when the public are repeatedly told that ‘ordinary citizens’ don’t need guns to protect themselves I would take the statement more seriously if the Prime Minister and the King were not to protected by people with guns. And no, I don’t want to be told that such people are ‘more important’ than you and I.
I spent 9 years serving in a TA infantry company and I became very familiar with military firearms. I am personally comfortable around guns as I understand them and I have a sound grasp of gun safety. However, I would like to make the following points:
Firstly: Training and practising with weapons takes us in two possible directions. One path is an arms race which aims to dominate the enemy with superior fire power. The other path seeks to learn from the discipline and focus that comes with practice. An arms race never ends well, and yet the discipline of shooting with consistent accuracy is a powerful way of developing focus and self-control. However, the discipline of shooting well can be practised with a target weapon, an airgun, or even archery has a lot to recommend it.
Secondly: Any weapon brings with it a high degree of responsibility. Bringing a weapon into a conflict situation may empower you to resolve the situation quickly and safely if the opponent is subdued by the threat of the weapon, or if you are prepared to kill them. If the situation does not justify killing the ‘opponent’ and yet they refuse to submit to the threat of the weapon (probably because they know you can’t actually use it) then a deadly device becomes a massive liability. If you lose control of the weapon and it is taken from you it may well be used against you, or simply stolen by a dangerous and unpredictable person.
The dangers of bringing a weapon into a situation where you don’t actually need it is one of the main reasons that British police officers are not routinely armed with firearms.
Thirdly: I do believe that we should understand guns along with other weapons as these devices are integral to modern conflict. It may not be legal (in the UK) to carry a sidearm on a daily basis and most of the time you are not going to need one. On the other hand, should you be threatened with a firearm it helps to know how guns actually work so that you can better manage the situation. (don’t panic, but be very careful). Lastly, the world changes all the time. If there is a breakdown of law and order your self-defence, and home-protection, needs could change very quickly and knowing how to use a firearm effectively might become a very important skill.
Regards
Graham
PS One of the things I want to do at the Salisbury course on the 21st of March is cover 5 Principles knife defence. These drills are a powerful way of exploring the Five Principles of Stav and may be useful for actual knife defence. Please see video demonstration of these drills here https://app.screencast.com/LKnDsDknpF3bY
Full details of the course at https://iceandfire.org.uk/salisbury210326.html
PPS I should be able to organise some archery at Stavcamp in September I will keep you posted on that detail. Either way, there will be plenty of interest. Full details at https://www.stavcamp.org/
Graham Butcher
21 Beaver Road
Beverley East Yorkshire HU17 0QN
UNITED KINGDOM
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