I'd love to have an antique set because nostalgia. Aside from the stigma, I can think of a few reasons that might make them less than optimal.
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
Beware of my temper, and the dog that I've found...
How quickly could a proper grip be acquired on something with 4 finger holes if it is needed in a defensive situation?
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Any legal information I may post is general information, and is not legal advice. Such information may or may not apply to your specific situation. I am not your attorney unless an attorney-client relationship is separately and privately established.
I just started seeing this in the news also, and they're all reporting it as "brass knuckles, keychains and clubs". The keychains bit is apparently aimed at those cat looking things. I really want clarification on the "clubs" part. If it opens up saps, expandable batons, etc then that's a good thing. It's always been silly to me that we could carry guns with a license but no legal option for impact devices.
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I don/t want an attackers blood on my intact skin let alone broken skin. Brass knuckles have a really good chance of drawing blood from both the user and the target. If the attacker needs to be punched again (and its likely they will) I would be exposing my potentially abraded knuckles to their blood. Small OC or a tool like a SAP or flashlight would be my choice for an actual tool to be carried/used vs collected.
I have long been curious about their actual use. They seem to be a good way to damage your own hand. I’m sure it requires a certain technique and proper fit. I would like one for my collection but I don’t see an actual use. I think if civilians and police used them for self defense it would quickly go from bad to worse. I do see a use for them in the military/ combat arms but a good knife or e-tool would be more useful. A knuckle knife does have appeal for the infantry but that’s right up There with tomahawks and swords. Cool but gets ditched after a few missions humping too much weight.
These are aluminum that I wrapped in a length of hollow para-cord sheath after smoothing up all the rough casting marks. I carried them on-duty for a period of time about 40 years ago but never delivered any full-on blows with them ... only a few "love taps". However, like any good force multiplier they can be quite effective against soft tissue and joints.
I found them to be the most "friendly" to the hand when worn over the middle phalanges, not over the proximal bone.
The path of least resistance will seldom get you where you need to be.
I would imagine you would have to pre-emptively put them on (eg. walking around with hands in pockets, fingers already in the finger holes). Since knuckles do not have any belt clips, nor am I aware of people carrying them in any sort of holsters, you'd be fishing in your pocket for it - not something likely to succeed once the fight has already begun.
Proper design would also help - a lot of modern knuckles you see spread the fingers much too widely. I imagine striking with one of those can only end badly.
There's a guy on Instagram, billytrident, that posts lots of info on what makes a good set of knucks.
My Father was a streetcar conductor and operator, then bus driver 1940-1976. Most of that time with a well stocked changebox until they went exact fare/token policy to leave nothing accessible to steal.
He sold his revolver after he retired, darnit. I don't know what became of his spring shaft blackjack. But I still have his aluminum knuckles. He didn't tell war stories, so I don't know if he ever had to thump anybody, but some drivers did.
Code Name: JET STREAM