"Choose your weapon." Topic

Another gentleman has made a slanderous comment towards you.
The only honorable thing to do is to get satisfaction.

To make it easy your opponent will use the same type of weapon.
The list is roughly chronological, form oldest to newest.
Your options are:
1. German longswords.
2. Sideswords.
3. Rapiers.
4. Broadswords (highland or continental)
5. Small swords.
6. Spadroons.
7. Late 18th/early 19th century sabres.
8. Smoothbore flintlock pistols.
9. Mid/late 19th century sabres.
10. Percussion cap rifled pistols.

Fists.

Someone's gonna get a good beatdown. Possibly sometwo.

Feather Dusters at 100 yards !

8

Gentlemen don't use fists or feather dusters, so invalid.

I am not too fond of the idea of duelling with single shot pistols; if you shoot first and miss, the wait for the opponents return shot would be rather unnerving.

So I would rather go for a bladed weapon. Let's make it rapiers (3), as that provides for a light weapon with plenty of control. Also, my honour would be satisfied by simply drawing first blood, and slashing attacks with rapier sounds fine for producing shallow cuts.

Get your second to take care of things on your behalf.

So I would rather go for a bladed weapon. Let's make it rapiers (3), as that provides for a light weapon with plenty of control.

The rapiers start at 1.2kg(same as a viking sword or knights sword) with the average about 1.3-1.45. But some go up to 1.6kg that's about the average for a two handed long sword. Rapiers are not light. Infact it's the second heaviest weapon on the list after longsword.

But you do have point control. But if you want a light sword. Then a small sword is best as you can get them at about 450g.

Rapiers.

What about balloons on sticks?

12 pounders at 40 paces

Boxing is universally identified as the "gentlemen's sport". And many nicknames are gentlemanly, especially Jim Corbett.

The rules for the sport were established by a marquess at a snooty athletic club.

Maybe instead, trivia at 10 chasers, instead.

8

"A duel, sir? Why, certainly; what d'ye say to cow-dung thrown at twenty paces?" Abraham Lincoln.

Pistols have advantages, even single shot. If my powder fail to catch fire, I can always bludgeon with the butt. (Thinking here of Dr Johnson). Personally, I'd go for the broadsword, as carried by some British Army regiments to this day(parades, of course). It's got a fair point, a slash could stop someone in his tracks if delivered forcefully, and if I could get inside an opponent's guard and close to contact without being incapacitated, then the basket-hilt is sufficient to smash teeth to the back of the throat. Takes a while to burnish out the dents, though.

By the way, the Marquess of Queensberry was not a gentleman. One of his sons wasn't much of a horseman, and another not much of a man at all.

Barsoomian longswords, under the hurtling moons.

Spittoons

All of those weapons almost take the fun out of it as its a bit too deadly. I have to agree with fists. Followed closely behind by long tailed whips. Very hurty, but unlikely to kill.

The SOFT PILLOWS! Followed by the comfy chair.

A small nuclear device … just to be sure …

Blunderbusses and balloons. Actually, that scene from Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines might make for an interesting game.

Grelber

11. Sarcasm

The options are 1-10.
Gentlemen are not cowards, so will not use weapons that aren't potentially deadly. If you're afraid of dying, there is always possibility to do until first blood.
Even though I would question your manhood your not willing to die for your honour.

General Lyons was challenged to a duel prior to the US Civil War by a pro slavery officer. When asked about his choice of weapons he replied shotguns across a kitchen table. Other officers stepped in and defused the situation. Lyons was an abolitionist who was willing to die for his beliefs and did so at Wilsons Creek.

12. Lawyers

Should have asked me when I was a twenty year old Marine. I'm an old father and husband now. Wouldn't risk losing my family for somebody's interpretation of "honor".

Armstrong-Whitworth four-pounder cannonette. "We fight with cannon! Only girls fight with swords!"

Highland broadsword and targe

Wallguns at 10 paces.

Chaps – gentlemen duel with pistols!

Even though I would question your manhood your not willing to die for your honour.

Apparently Gentlemen cannot spell either.

I am unwilling to die for honor, as it is an empty thing. However, I am quite willing and happy to let you die for your honor. #1.

Though as challenged, you have abused my good nature by presenting me with a list. My choice would be ten pound sledges on the main yardarm, over the sea. Maybe you can swim. I can.

I just wish I could write and spell Norwegian as well as the Norwegian gentleman writes and spells English.

This choice of weapons is for a fair fight.

However, no man can whip me in a fair fight.

Reason: Because it's not fair to chase a man down and then whip him!

Mackerels at five paces! Turn and slap repeatedly until you win.

Untamed wit…

YouTube link

I'd switch 9 and 10, percussion pistols fell out of use by the 1860's. You could make an argument for revolvers at number 11 although quick-draw gunfights are more a Hollywood invention than reality.

Each duelist has to build a Rube Goldberg assassination machine with stuff from the other's garage.

No testing bits as you go along.

The most local university Rube Goldberg Society judges whether or not the assassination machines are contrived enough.

You could build a trebuchet with whats in my garage

Sniper rifle 50 cal at 200 yards…he can have anything from 1-10. I don't take chances.

You bring a flintlock pistol and I'll meet up with an mg42, shouldn't last long. Promise not to bring any barrel swaps.

I'd switch 9 and 10, percussion pistols fell out of use by the 1860's. You could make an argument for revolvers at number 11 although quick-draw gunfights are more a Hollywood invention than reality.

The mid 19th century sabre style started around 1820ish not long after the end of the napoleonic wars hence the separation from early 19th century Sabres. While the percussion cap didn't show up until the 1840s. So later.
Matters of honour weren't really done with revolvers. Pistol duling fell out of favour and epee dueling took over(what little dueling was left at that point) but by then dueling was more a game then a serious business and first wound was the standard practice.

I'd be more worried about my choice of opponent. I suspect a lot of duels looked a lot like that awful scene in "Barry Lyndon" where the protagonist gets shot by his stepson.

You bring a flintlock pistol and I'll meet up with an mg42

In tripod mode.

Remember that both duellists use the same type of weapon.
I think I'd insist that the duel begins with them standing twenty paces apart, and that they remain twenty paces apart throughout. Then choose a sword.
Unfortunately, I'd probably come up against a dart-player.

Ignore them. A Lion does not concern himself with the opinions of Sheep.

If he repeats the insult, become increasingly polite – Et Dona Ferentes

I was telling a friend, Timmy O' Danny-o, about this one, and he asked,
"And put iron intae his what?" At least we know it's cold steel rather than hot lead.

Must be a sword. A gentleman must be close enough to see the light die in his enemies eyes.

If the other person has to have the same weapon, then my choice would be based on what would give me a relative advantage. As a 50 year old, 6ft 2" tall, reasonable condition guy, some choices might be:

1) If the other person is 5' and small build, then I would probably choose the heaviest sword possible to leverage my strength advantage. Maybe the German longsword.

2) If the other person was 400lb weight and highly immobile, then my advantage would be my relative speed, so I may choose the lightest sword possible.

3) If the other person was a 20 year old international rugby player, they would have both a speed and strength advantage over me, so I would choose a firearm to eliminate their advantage.

No one weapon would be right for all opponents.

If the other person is 5' and small build, then I would probably choose the heaviest sword possible to leverage my strength advantage. Maybe the German longsword.

The longsword is in fact the easiest sword for someone low on strength to use.
Your average longsword weighs about 1500g. But you use two hands, so 750g per hand. Also the longsword guards are generally less tiresome (some guards have you literally resting the sword on your shoulder.
Using any one handed sword (short of the small sword) is more tiresome than the longsword. Many of the guards for broadsword, rapier, saber etc are held with arms quite outstretched. Holding a 1200 gram broadsword or 1350g rapier in one hand is very tiresome.
Also because you use both hands on the longsword, you can use your second hand as a leaver, making easy to get powerful cuts even if you aren't strong.

Women who do European historical martial arts find the longsword the easiest, and longsword is generally seen as a good beginner weapon because it's less tiresome, so beginners can concentrate on technique and not have to build up strength as much.

Following on from these two posts, could I ask – with the original question still in mind – in the circumstances of having to choose a weapon immediately and without any time for training or even knowing of any established Techniques, which among these swords would be the choice(s) most appropriate to a complete novice? I recognise that around the date envisioned in the question any gentleman would have knowledge, and maybe experience, of duelling.

""*[\\)-{>||||#