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Sean O Stevens
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 Posted: Mon 07 Mar, 2011 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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Stephan... Sonny has sold some of Gus's new Tac Sword recently... a couple shortswords and a 'Camp Sword' which was something like a machete. Also, Tom Kinder of 'Tried and True' armory has sold (and currently has in stock) a few new Gus Trim tac swords.
Not sure if Gus is going to get around to making all of the old models he used to make... but he has been making some of late.
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Stephan Klein
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| Posted: Sun 13 Mar, 2011 2:34 pm Post subject: |
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Thankyou Sean,
Iīve been to the site Youīve mentioned, and itīs a place to get some of Gus Trimīs works for sure. Isnīt this stuff nice...
But I am interested more or less in the tactical longsword only, and it seems to me that the only place to get it is from Valiant Armoury.
Which is not a bad thing. Like I said, I have no doubts that Sonny Suttles and his forge know how to deal with steel and to make a descent sword, and so I preordered two of them right away!
I only hope these will be ready to be shipped soon... Canīt wait to hold them in my hands!
Greetings
Stephan
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Stephan Klein
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| Posted: Sat 26 Mar, 2011 3:55 pm Post subject: |
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By the way...
are there any news on the availability of these swords?
I mean, they were meant to be available in march and march has almost passed...
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G K Pfingsten
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| Posted: Sun 24 Apr, 2011 8:19 am Post subject: |
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Any updates?
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Sonny Suttles
Industry Professional
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Chris Peroni
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| Posted: Sun 12 Jun, 2011 2:46 am Post subject: |
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| Sonny Suttles wrote: | After reading the feedback on this forum and a few others I have decided to add a couple of slabs under the tread plate leather wrap. I will experiment with wood and leather slabs until I find what works best. I plan to keep the tread plate theme and the general appearance that is shown in the pics above.
Sonny |
Glad to read this as I was hoping to ask for just the same addition.
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Sonny Suttles
Industry Professional
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William P
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| Posted: Tue 27 Sep, 2011 11:57 pm Post subject: |
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now i know the tatical look has its points, but anti zombie for me screams knuckle bow or basket hilt,
that said i feel quite partial to the paracord wrapped sword. i dunno, just looks GOOD, and realistically yyou could untie it, cut a slot in a pole and lash it to the ppole making a nasty swerdstaff (danish medieval swordstaff,
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Mark T
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| Posted: Sat 08 Oct, 2011 3:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Sonny Suttles wrote: | Okay so here are a few pics of the Zombie Slayers in a variety of options.
Thoughts? Comments? |
Personally, I'd go for the checkerplate without the leather wrapping, as this looks like it could either come loose, get crud caught under it, or both. The plain Micarta-ish slabs on the old Tac Longsword I have are great; it would be interesting to see how the checkerplate raised sections go in the 'added grip vs. hot-spot-causing' stakes ...
In any case, great stuff! 
Chief Librarian/Curator, Isaac Leibowitz Librarmoury
Schallern sind sehr sexy!
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D. Raleigh
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| Posted: Mon 10 Oct, 2011 7:49 am Post subject: |
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That leather wrap is going to make for a difficult after-action sterilization, and cord isn't much better. Personally I'd go for the slab handles, no knurling - maybe with a sandblasted finish if they're not grippy enough. Just dip the whole hilt in viricide when you get back.
Still better would be slab handles made of good ol' diamond plate. Grippy and easy to clean.
No, I haven't forgotten that it's just a game. 
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Fri 10 Aug, 2012 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Mark T wrote: | | Sonny Suttles wrote: | Okay so here are a few pics of the Zombie Slayers in a variety of options.
Thoughts? Comments? |
Personally, I'd go for the checkerplate without the leather wrapping, as this looks like it could either come loose, get crud caught under it, or both. The plain Micarta-ish slabs on the old Tac Longsword I have are great; it would be interesting to see how the checkerplate raised sections go in the 'added grip vs. hot-spot-causing' stakes ...
In any case, great stuff! |
Well, I purchased one of these a little while back and I generally really like it, and although I am not now writing a full review I can give a few impressions about it:
There is considerable blade presence that makes one handed use seem a bit heavy but used two handed it's fast and would be good at displacing other blades and have a lot of cutting power I think. ( Haven't done any cutting with it except to check the edges cutting paper, and it cuts very well ).
The handle looks nice with the checkerplate and leather warping but I find it too thin and the the cross section very rectangular: I may remove this handle covering and replace it with carved exotic wood scales on the tang. I would make the handle more rounded or flattened octagonal in cross section. Might make the handle wider and turn it into a hidden tang handle.
Nothing seriously wrong with the handle as purchased, but I might use Macassar Ebony or Cocobolo or Zebrano for the handle scales.
Longsword techniques that depend on a longer guard would handicap this sword against a period longsword with a wide guard, but then Zombies are not likely to be armed with a sword or even have the brain capacity to use one. 
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Jeremiah Swanger
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| Posted: Sat 11 Aug, 2012 12:07 am Post subject: |
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| Jean Thibodeau wrote: |
Nothing seriously wrong with the handle as purchased, but I might use Macassar Ebony or Cocobolo or Zebrano for the handle scales.
Longsword techniques that depend on a longer guard would handicap this sword against a period longsword with a wide guard, but then Zombies are not likely to be armed with a sword or even have the brain capacity to use one. |
Well, I thought for sure I'd like the leather/checker one the best, but I am really liking the clean, simple, "strictly business" look of the one wrapped in what looks like Para-Cord. Plus, if I find the grip to be too thin, it shouldn't be too hard to wrap another layer on there...
Maybe it isn't quite optimized for Longsword technique, but I'm willing to bet that certain styles of Oriental swordsmanship might translate pretty well...
"Rhaegar fought nobly.
Rhaegar fought valiantly.
Rhaegar fought honorably.
And Rhaegar died."
- G.R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Sat 11 Aug, 2012 6:58 am Post subject: |
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| Jeremiah Swanger wrote: | | Jean Thibodeau wrote: |
Nothing seriously wrong with the handle as purchased, but I might use Macassar Ebony or Cocobolo or Zebrano for the handle scales.
Longsword techniques that depend on a longer guard would handicap this sword against a period longsword with a wide guard, but then Zombies are not likely to be armed with a sword or even have the brain capacity to use one. |
Well, I thought for sure I'd like the leather/checker one the best, but I am really liking the clean, simple, "strictly business" look of the one wrapped in what looks like Para-Cord. Plus, if I find the grip to be too thin, it shouldn't be too hard to wrap another layer on there...
Maybe it isn't quite optimized for Longsword technique, but I'm willing to bet that certain styles of Oriental swordsmanship might translate pretty well... |
I also find that the corners of the rectangular crossection are not comfortable.
Yes I was also thinking of the Chinese Jian techniques would work well as the Jians seem to always have very minimal guards. For longsword techniques the one most compromised is " KRON " ( Crown ) where the sword is vertical and the guard is used to intercept a downward attack. Other uses of a guard locking up/controlling the opponents blade in a bind are also affected negatively, but one can compensate more easily the lack of a wide guard.
Oh, and it is still a good sword one handed but one is much more aware of greater blade presence than when using it with two hands: Actually a good thing for a powerful cut but slows down recovery a bit.
I also think that one adapts to the specific handling qualities of a sword, and once one is used to it, what may have felt as awkward can become an advantage.
My using exotic woods for the handle, if I do it, is partly to make the grip more comfortable but very much more because I would want to make a cool sword even more cool and aesthetically pleasing for me.
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Thu 16 Aug, 2012 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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Well, I took the plunge and I am making a new handle for the Zombie Slayer: It is more, or will be, more than just exotic wood slab scales and more like a wooden Gladius hilt in being all wood and will cover the tang and the small integral guard leaving the front of the guard and top uncovered.
The profile of the handle should look somewhat different, and I hope to finish it some time next week.
When I do finish it I will make a new DIY Topic and post pics of the re-finished sword and might have a few in progress pics as well to better explain how it was made. ( That is unless I screw it up and it look awful ).
A short explanation is that the handle is not made by itself and then put onto the tang, the handle is being constructed by gluing it's component parts using epoxy directly onto the sword's tang piece by piece in a rough carved condition and will be carved after all the layers of different woods are all there.
I might do a partial wire wrap on it also mostly for aesthetic reasons and to make it look like it was put together in year 10 of the Zombie Apocalypse hiding in a basement onto a found production Zombie Slayer as a replacement handle. ( Got to keep busy and sane during a long Winter of hiding ......  )
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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This is a standard topic
