Could This Sword Truly Split a Skull in Two?
Dash Rendar
10,555 views
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The Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre is one of the most famous cutting swords of the Napoleonic Wars. Curved, light in the hand, and built to be used from the saddle, it picked up a reputation that still gets repeated: that a good cut could open a head clean down the middle, through the brain, to the nose. Corporal William Logan is the name usually attached to that story. Today we find out whether a working 1796 can actually do it.
This blade is GB 60Si2MnA, silicon-manganese spring steel, same family as 9260. About 0.6% carbon, enough silicon that it flexes and comes back instead of taking a set, hardened to roughly 53–55 HRC. Hard enough to hold an edge through a day of slashing. Soft enough it should not chip the first time it meets bone, another blade, or a stubborn sapling. A working cavalry steel.
The “Left” Tenant is unamused by the last video and has shown up to defend the regiment’s honor, saber over the dummy. Trollo has opinions. Angus has a targe, a broadsword, and no interest in being called a conscript in a skirt. Nobody is getting along.
Chapters
0:00 The Challenge
1:16 The Saber
3:51 Cutting Claims
4:15 Basket Hilt Vs Saber
6:39 Cutting Mat Tests
8:11 Gaston was the true Hero
9:00 Cutting Mats with “bone”
10:58 Saber vs Flesh
12:36 Ballistic Dummy Time
17:13 Special thanks to Kult of Athena
A very special thanks to for providing me with great Total War footage.
If it opens the skull, the “Left” Tenant gets to gloat. If it doesn’t, Trollo will never shut up about it.
Pattern 1796 light cavalry sabre, Napoleonic cavalry sword, Le Marchant sabre, skull cutting test, broadsword vs sabre, 60Si2MnA, 9260 spring steel, historical sword test.
#saber #CavalrySabre #SwordTest
#Pattern1796 #napoleonicwars
20 Comments
Well, I've said this before, and I will probably say it again:
that's better, for this specific type of content!
I have seen great cutter in action: he is so good, that all of his cuts look the same, at least for an untrained eye like mine (and probably most of your audience).
I can't tell the difference between swords, and the specifics of using them, just by looking at his cutting.
Obviously he can, because he feels it - but we viewers cannot.
Someone who is not too skilled will give us viewers a much, much better idea of what we can expect to experience if we try to cut with that sword!
I have to say that curve swords get more style points than straight swords
Could This Sword Truly Split a Skull in Two?
Dash Rendar
10,555 views
🏹 Which historical weapon should you actually train? Take the free Ranger Weapon Finder → https://ranger-weapon-path.base44.app/
The Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre is one of the most famous cutting swords of the Napoleonic Wars. Curved, light in the hand, and built to be used from the saddle, it picked up a reputation that still gets repeated: that a good cut could open a head clean down the middle, through the brain, to the nose. Corporal William Logan is the name usually attached to that story. Today we find out whether a working 1796 can actually do it.
This blade is GB 60Si2MnA, silicon-manganese spring steel, same family as 9260. About 0.6% carbon, enough silicon that it flexes and comes back instead of taking a set, hardened to roughly 53–55 HRC. Hard enough to hold an edge through a day of slashing. Soft enough it should not chip the first time it meets bone, another blade, or a stubborn sapling. A working cavalry steel.
The “Left” Tenant is unamused by the last video and has shown up to defend the regiment’s honor, saber over the dummy. Trollo has opinions. Angus has a targe, a broadsword, and no interest in being called a conscript in a skirt. Nobody is getting along.
Chapters
0:00 The Challenge
1:16 The Saber
3:51 Cutting Claims
4:15 Basket Hilt Vs Saber
6:39 Cutting Mat Tests
8:11 Gaston was the true Hero
9:00 Cutting Mats with “bone”
10:58 Saber vs Flesh
12:36 Ballistic Dummy Time
17:13 Special thanks to Kult of Athena
A very special thanks to for providing me with great Total War footage.
If it opens the skull, the “Left” Tenant gets to gloat. If it doesn’t, Trollo will never shut up about it.
Pattern 1796 light cavalry sabre, Napoleonic cavalry sword, Le Marchant sabre, skull cutting test, broadsword vs sabre, 60Si2MnA, 9260 spring steel, historical sword test.
#saber #CavalrySabre #SwordTest
#Pattern1796 #napoleonicwars
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