Nowadays, on the shelves of weapons shops and in frequent collections of people there are countless weapons, including cold weapons. Which of these applies specifically to the latter category? How to distinguish a dangerous object, maybe even a deadly one, from an ordinary, everyday one? Now we will consider the signs of cold steel, which are clearly fixed by GOSTs, as well as the laws of our country. Also consider the classification of these items and their varieties.
What is a cold weapon?
This term refers to objects that, as a rule, belong to the sports, hunting, and also military spheres. They are characterized by the fact that their work is not related to combustible or explosive substances, electricity or gas. In general, an object that can cause severe injury or even death is a cold weapon. Signs and classification will be given below. Conventionally, weapons of this type are divided into two categories - manual and missile. Among the species that existed and exist today, we can list the following: contact, throwing, blade, impact, pole, chopping, cutting, piercing, impact-crushing.
Brief description of the section
All parameters that will be given below relate to piercing and cutting objects that are manufactured both in the Russian Federation and abroad. For example, the signs of cold steel at the knife will apply to any variety of this product, regardless of the place of production, the specific or generalized date of manufacture and its history. The same goes for the manufacturer itself. According to GOST, the signs of cold steel will apply both to a factory product, and to a homemade knife, dagger, sword, etc. In case of a contentious situation (at the border, in the police and similar places), the expert will proceed strictly from the parameters of the subject, which you have, comparing them with generally accepted standards. Thus, signs of edged weapons will be detected in your knife or blade, or still not - this verdict will solve the problem. Therefore, initially we decided to present a classification of those items that go beyond the scope of our described category.
The blade is not suitable for injection
Cases when the knife is not a cold weapon include the following:
- The product does not have a tip.
- If the tip is located above the line of the butt more than 5 mm.
- The deflection of the line of the butt exceeds the mark of 5 mm, while the length of the blade is 180 mm.
- If the product has a hook for tearing more than 1/3 of the point from the tip.
- The blade of a particular knife is less than nine cm long.
- The blade of the product is thicker than 6 mm.
- The blade of the product blade is not sharpened or completely absent.
The handle does not meet certain standards
Now we will consider, by what signs, a knife is not a cold weapon, if it has a tip, and the required length, and the corresponding parameters. A very important part of such a weapon is the handle, which provides reliable fixation of the weapon by hand. If it has problems, or if its dimensions are too small or too large, then a specific item falls out of the category of knives. So, we list the main points on this topic:
- The handle is shorter than 70 mm.
- The handle has a barrel-shaped shape, while the difference between its maximum and minimum diameter is not more than 8 mm.
- The subdigital notch has parameters of less than 5 mm.
- If there are more than one recess or limiter on the handle, each shall not exceed 4 mm.
- The hardness of the blade does not meet the 25 HRC standard.
- The handle is filed or broken.
- The blade is weakly embedded in the handle, staggering or falls out of it.
- The blade is made of a material that does not provide enough strength (aluminum, plastic, etc.).
Case studies
Well, we got acquainted with the standards and parameters, and then we will consider which knives are not edged weapons, what are they called and where are they used. The most common characteristic is that the knife may not have a point. It is replaced with something like a screwdriver or a chisel. An example of this is the Pirat HK5696 knife, the tip of which is specially made in the form of a screwdriver. It is blunt and has a width of more than 3 mm. A similar situation can be seen in the knife-knife called Katran-1. Its plane also exceeds the desired parameter - 3 mm, and the blade is dull. These items could be included in the category of “knives for survival”, however, just for one reason they turn into ordinary household goods.
A famous weapon that is not really
So, what kind of knives are not cold steel in other ways? The brightest representative of this category is the Tanto-style blade. Its tip is located higher than the line of the butt, and this value exceeds the mark of 5 mm, which immediately excludes it from the category of cold steel. The same situation can be seen in the parameters of the knife “Vityaz-Cayman”. The length of its blade is 210 mm, while the tip is located above the line of the butt by more than 5 mm. Another characteristic that excludes a knife from the ranks of knives is the presence of a hook for ripping if it is located on the butt no further than 1/3 of the tip. A striking representative of this category is a product called "Peregrine Falcon" from the company NOX. It is also worth noting that you can see all the signs of cold steel at the knife, but if its butt and tip converge at an angle of 70 or more degrees, then it also falls out of this category.
Signs of cold steel. Knife parameters and characteristics
We just found out what features make it possible for knives and similar items to get out of the cold steel category. Now the reverse side of the coin is under consideration. In turn, we will write down 5 signs of cold steel, which are established by the laws of the Russian Federation. In fact, they are the same in all CIS countries, as well as in many foreign powers, but everywhere there are exceptions. These characteristics strictly divide knives into household and weapon knives. Of these, the second you just do not buy in the store, unless you have a specific permission. Also note that there are two regulatory documents that regulate the signs of cold steel in Russia. These are GOST R51548-2000 "Knives for survival" and GOST R51500-99 "Knives and daggers hunting". Well, move on.
Length
If a knife or any other cutting product is included in the category of cold steel, then the length of its blade should be clearly 90 mm, not less. This value is measured starting from the base of the handle and ending with the extreme point of the knife tip. It doesn’t matter if one centimeter’s weapon is missing to this mark or just one millimeter - in both cases it will not be considered a cold weapon. You can measure the length of the blade with a simple ruler or centimeter. This criterion is the most important in the assessment of pricking and cutting objects.
Thickness
If we are talking about the signs of cold steel at a knife in Russia, then it is impossible to miss such a parameter as the thickness of his blade. It is measured by the height of the butt - that is, the side opposite the tip. In order to be considered a knife cold steel, the thickness of the butt should be at least 2.6 mm, but not more than 6 mm. This value is measured by the thickest part of the blade, even if it is uneven. We also note that in our country there is a certain value - 2.4 mm, on which many knife manufacturers rely. Everyone knows it because there is a law that allows you to carry knives with you, the thickness of the blades of which does not exceed this mark. They are not considered edged weapons in our country, therefore you can buy and carry them without breaking the law.
Hardness
As mentioned above, if the blade of the knife does not have a certain hardness or is made of soft material that cannot provide the desired cutting effect, it is considered a household item. Signs of cold steel are mainly a steel blade, the density of which also matters. In our country, this indicator should be at least 42 Rockwell units. The degree of hardness of steel can be indicated on the blade itself, and if there is no such mark, then there is a special device for determining this value.
Safety handle
This sign means the presence of a limiter or its analogue, a sub-fingernail notch, which seems to separate the handle of the knife from its cutting part. According to these criteria, the signs of cold steel are the presence of one limiter, the height of the protrusion of which is 5 mm. If there are two of them, then their total height should be equal to this indicator (that is, 2.5 mm each). As for the sub-fingering recess, if it is one, its depth should also be 5 millimeters. When there are two, three or more, the depth of each should be exactly 4 mm. And do not forget that the main function of the limiter or recess is to protect the owner’s hand from the blade of which it consists.
Sharpening
To determine this criterion, you can navigate according to GOSTs. You can also take on the concepts of universal humanity. The signs of edged weapons are determined in Russia in a simple way: it is believed that a well-sharpened knife easily cuts a birch branch, the thickness of which ranges from 10-12 mm. At the same time, the cut remains smooth and even, without splintering, unevenness, etc. Well, if we start from the concepts of humanity, a well-sharpened knife is determined by the extracted and thin edge, which, at the slightest contact with the body or objects, can damage its surface.
Steel arms. Signs and classification in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation
Based on our legislation, cold steel is divided into various types depending on the type of use, purpose, purposes for which it is acquired, as well as on the basis of its own characteristics and features. Among these types, three main ones can be distinguished:
- Battle. It is manual and small. It is used to solve operational-operational or combat missions only if the case allows its use in accordance with the law of the Russian Federation on the use of cold steel. Most often found in public and private military organizations.
- Service. It is carried by representatives of law enforcement agencies, government officials, as well as legal entities that have permission to do so.
- Civil. The right to carry this type of knives can, in fact, be obtained by every citizen of the Russian Federation. It is used for hunting, practicing appropriate sports, self-defense, etc.
Restrictions on knives in Russia
A number of certain tools that can cause injury or death to a victim are prohibited in our country. This means that even if you have permission to carry and purchase knives, you do not have the right to legally buy these items, much less use them. These rules apply to both civilians and all public servants. Among those items that are not sold legally in Russia, we will name:
- Brass knuckles, shurikens, bristles and boomerangs. These guns are considered to be a historical and social memorial rather than an object of defense. All other impact-crushing and throwing objects can also be classified as their category. An exception is a sports throwing core.
- It is forbidden to store and use knives whose automatic blade is removed from the handle, while its length exceeds 90 cm.
Also note that in Russia it is forbidden to send melee weapons by mail. It is not allowed to bring such items with you to meetings, rallies, and demonstrations. In this case, the rules apply exclusively to cold steel, and not all items that may be similar to it.