Production Sword Review: Arms & Armor Model "Braveheart"-style sword
A sword inspired by the motion picture starring Mel Gibson

Article and Photographs by Adrian Ko.

Since the release of Mel Gibson's film, Braveheart (Paramount Pictures), many manufacturers have gone about recreating the famous movie sword of Sir William Wallace, and each has had varying degrees of success. With so many replicas made in India or Spain, one often wonders if the magic was lost to the merciless hand of mass production such as Highlander swords being copied and duplicated by Taiwanese copies (for more information on that, see my other website. Arms & Armor created their rendition of the Sword of Wallace for one of our readers on a custom basis. The sword was larger than any rendition I've previously held, being more than 8 inches longer than Del Tin's 5154 Two-Handed Sword ("Braveheart"). As I had this on loan from one of our readers, the evaluation of this sword is only an aesthetic one.

Vital Statistics:

Steel ....................... AISI 1075 high carbon steel
Point of Balance (POB)....... 6 inches from hilt
Center of Percussion (COP)... 18.5 inches from tip
Overall ..................... 62.75 inches
Blade ....................... 47.75 inches
Leather-wrapped ricasso...... 13 inches (secondary grip)
Blade Width ................. 5 cm at hilt
Blade Width ................. 4.7 cm at mid-point
Weight ...................... 6 lbs. 3 oz. (2820 grams)
Crossguard .................. 12.7 inches (32 cm)
Pommel Length ............... Approx 3 inches
Handle Length ............... 12.4 inches (leather portion only)
Handle Width ................ Tapers from 4 cm to 2.7 inch at pommel
Handle section .............. Hexagonal geometry

Holding the sword with one end on the pommel and the other on the leather-covered ricasso (just before the crossguard) was another matter; the physics of the handling changed. In this regard, the sword handled like a reasonably well balanced polearm, howbeit the balance was more in hilt than the blade such that "power" was derived from cuts performed in this fashion.

In addition, while the ricasso area was not sharpened and sported a leather wrap, the blade was still thin enough to make grippage uncomfortable, as this portion of the blade is not necessarily ergonomic.

In giving the blade a strike with a fist on the first third of the blade proceeding from the hilt, the vibrations took as long as over 10 seconds to fully dissipate. While a bit vibration-prone, the shock transferred to the hilt was noticable but acceptable. In its as-shipped condition, the stitching of the leather was not perfectly straight but forgiveable if function is preferred over form. The leather had some "usage smears" - I would recommend treating it with a leather cleaner and protector prior to use. All in all, the customer had purchased this sword with the hopes of a handsome display piece that had the potential of use. The sheer size of the sword commands a presence of its own. Its more rustic and used look gives it an air of authenticity; combined with the dimensions the sword comes across with originality (especially in light of there being so many "Braveheart" replicas - make sure you read David K. Wilson's article: The "Braveheart" Broadsword Buyer's Guide" in this Issue of the e-zine.)

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Joel Whitmore, and to Craig Johnson of Arms & Armor for borrowing the sword.

Contact Information

Arms & Armor Inc.
1101 Stinson Blvd.
Minneapolis, MN 55413 · USA
http://www.armor.com/
(612) 331-6473

Click here for website.

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