How To Use A Blackjack Weapon

When you're inside striking distance, use a blackjack weapon to put the smackdown on your opponent. Here is RECOIL'due south Buyer'south Guide to Blackjacks and saps!

Warning! The blackjack weapon and devices shown here are subject to diverse, capricious local laws and regulations. Before acquiring whatever one of these devices, ostend you aren't breaking a constabulary by owning, possessing, or using ane. Does anyone even read these things?

What is a Blackjack Weapon?

A blackjack weapon or sap refers to a group of weapons that are short, concealable, and weighted (ordinarily filled with lead pulverization, molded lead dirt, or atomic number 82 shot) to plant an effective bludgeoning device.

The terminology used to refer to these weapons tin can be very imprecise depending on the menstruum. Whether it'south a sap, blackjack, slap jack, beavertail, cosh, slapper, jacksap, slap-stick, or any one of the most three-dozen names for this unique weapon, a rose by any other name would olfactory property as sweet.

Although their recorded tale is murky, confusing, and all but lost, the one affair that remains perfectly articulate is that these weapons hold an iconic position in America's rough-and-tumble history.

These foreign fighting implements were embraced by constabulary officers and gangsters alike and could exist establish in the pockets of soldiers, sailors, cowboys, miners, duelists, bouncers, bikers, prostitutes, and common folk. Blackjack weapons appeared in movies, plays, and literature, and even graced the cover of the very kickoff comic book.

The origins of the blackjack weapon can be traced back to Renaissance-era fighting manuals, which describe the use of the sand guild. Slungshot war clubs like those used by the Apache bring u.s. fifty-fifty closer to our modern form.

Blackjack Weapon History

The sap and jack as we now know them began to accept course in the 1800s. Simply prior to the Civil War, President-elect Abraham Lincoln was escorted to the nation's capitol past his friend and fellow lawyer Ward Loma Lamon, whose personal armory consisted of two pistols, a pair of contumely knuckles, a big Bowie knife, and a blackjack.

The (unofficial) adoption of the sap and blackjack by American law enforcement began in the mid 1800s with the creation of the first professional person police forces in Boston and New York, and peaked in the 1960s.

Every bit the 20th century progressed, these weapons began to fall out of favor with police administrators and were banned by most departments. Many states and municipalities passed laws prohibiting their possession, many of which are still in effect. By the 1980s, the sap and jack were relegated into obscurity.

Nevertheless, a contempo surge in interest has begun to lift these tools out of the darkness and dorsum into the limelight. Whether information technology's for nostalgia's sake or their true self-defense value, need for the blackjack weapon is on the rise and simply grows stronger as more and more craftsman of these weapons surface. To assistance you with your own search for a handcrafted rendition of this iconic weapon, we've put together this sap and blackjack buyer'due south guide.

Foster Impact Devices Blackjack Weapon

Foster Impact Devices has been producing custom saps and blackjacks since 2004. Brothers Scott and Todd Foster inherited some of the tools of the trade from their grandad, who had been a security officer for the railroad during the 1960s. Their fascination with these tools and the lack of available quality pieces led them to brainstorm making their own. Today, they offering handmade reproductions of the almost popular models of the erstwhile Bucheimer and Jay-Pee saps and blackjacks.

Midget Sap

fosterimpactdevices.com
Weight:  8.7 ounces
Dimensions:  vi by 2.5 past 0.v inches
MSRP:  $60 to $85
Notes:  The Midget is a reproduction of the Bucheimer Midget flat sap. This compact beavertail sap has a handbasket-weave texture and an integrated leather manus strap. The rigid handle and lead-weighted caput give it a substantial corporeality of mass for its modest size.
Pros:
–    Solid leather construction
–    Compact size makes it easy to carry and conceal.
–    Integrated retention strap keeps it secure in the hand and allows for open-handed grabs and controls.
–    Strap can be held with the fingers to deliver whipping strikes.
Cons:
–    Compact size reduces striking range to extreme close-quarters.
–    Retention strap extends deployment time when not pre-staged.

Convoy Blackjack Weapon

fosterimpactdevices.com
Weight:  xiii.five ounces
Dimensions:  ix past 1.5 inches
MSRP:  $60 to $85
Notes:  The Convoy shown here is the blue line edition of the original Bucheimer Convoy blackjack weapon. The blueish accents represent the thin bluish line of the law enforcement community. The jack has a pb head and coil leap handle wrapped with braided leather. A woven leather mitt strap connects at the bottom of the handle and at the base of the head.
Pros:
–    Weighted roll spring blueprint reduces the potential for causing lacerations.
–    Broad retention strap increases retention and protects part of the mitt.
–    Increased range due to the length
Cons:
–    Larger size and weight brand it harder to conceal and more than cumbersome to carry.
–    Overt nature of the pattern makes it
harder to disguise as a weapon.

Mean Factor Leather

Gene "Mean Gene" Higdon is a leather maker who shifted his talents toward the tactical nylon gear industry in the mid '90s while making pocketknife sheaths for a couple of U.Due south. Marines. Word apace spread among the ranks, and Higdon began working on ghillie suits, packs, and other tactical gear. After helping his wife and a business partner establish High Speed Gear, Inc. in 1999, Higdon somewhen returned to his leather-making roots in 2013, with a new focus on tactical leather goods.

Hot Tamale 5-1

meangeneleather.com
Weight:  3 ounces empty
Dimensions:  10 by 3 past 0.25 inches
MSRP:  $35 to $50
Notes:  The Hot Tamale V-1 coin purse sap has a canoe paddle profile. When filled with loose change, the weight of the sap is increased significantly (upward to 8 ounces), allowing it to strike with authority if used as a cocky-defense weapon. The V-1 has 2 directional security snaps that allow it to be folded in half and worn inconspicuously over a chugalug for convenient admission.
Pros:
–    Compact and easily concealable
–    Coin purse design makes it less conspicuous as a weapon.
–    Flexible handle increases the whipping cistron when delivering strikes.
–    Economically priced
Cons:
–    Flexible handle doesn't allow for border strikes or thrusts.
–    Lighter than a traditional sap of similar dimensions
–    Less consistency in weight

Hot Tamale Five-ii

meangeneleather.com
Weight:  4 ounces empty
Dimensions:  7 past 5 by 0.25 inches
MSRP:  $37 to $52
Notes:  The Hot Tamale V-2 coin pocketbook sap has a less traditional, geometric shape that resembles a wallet and makes it less conspicuous as a weapon. A rectangular cutout on the back flap forms the handle when used as a sap. The zippered coin pouch tin can be filled to increment the weight of the sap to upwards to xiii ounces. Four DOT Durable fasteners secure the V-2 in place when folded over a belt. Note: Non a blackjack weapon, just a sap.
Pros:
–    Coin wallet design allows the sap to be carried where other weapons might be prohibited.
–    Handle design improves weapon retention and increases whipping activeness.
–    Significantly weighted when filled to max capacity
–    Economically priced
Cons:
–    Nontraditional rectangular shape limits the sap to the use of slap strikes.
–    Double snaps increment the potential for hang-upwards during deployment.

Lake Metropolis Tactical

Lake City Tactical out of Watertown, Due south Dakota, might exist known for their concealed acquit and defensive handgun training courses, simply they're also the domicile of Quondam School Saps. Old School Saps are hand-stitched and tooled with in a classic handbasket-weave blueprint and are available in hand-strap and pocket-clip variations. If one of their saps is always used in a legal self-defense state of affairs and is confiscated for evidence by the police, they'll replace it in exchange for the story.

OSS-1

lakecitytactical.com
Weight:  7.5 ounces
Dimensions:  9 by 2.v past i inches
MSRP:  $65
Notes:  The OSS-1 is a club-shaped sap with a leather hand-strap. The head is shot-filled roughly 2.5 inches just above the hand-strap fasteners on the solid leather handle. A mitt-tooled handbasket-weave pattern adds texture and grapheme to the hand-cut and stitched leather. Note: Not a blackjack weapon, but a sap.
Pros:
–    Hand strap provides actress retention and protection.
–    Flexible leather handle reduces the adventure of excessive injury during less-lethal encounters.
Cons:
–    Protruding hand strap makes darkening more challenging.
–    Hollow handle reduces the effectiveness of thrusting strikes.

OSS-ii

lakecitytactical.com
Weight:  10.six ounces
Dimensions:  8.5 by two.25 by 1 inches
MSRP:  $65
Notes:  The OSS-2 is like in size to the OSS-one, with more of a spoon-shaped design and a more subtle flair at the lesser. The entire length of the sap is pb-shot-filled. A deep pocket clip is fastened to the backside, along with a steel lanyard ring. The brandish side is decorated with the same handbasket-weave pattern.
Pros:
–    Pocket clip allows for convenient acquit and deep concealment.
–    With a lanyard fastened, the sap tin exist deployed quickly and used as a slungshot.
–    Shot-filled handle fills the palm for a ameliorate grip.
Cons:
–    Lead shot is less rigid than a steel shank and tends to give more than.
–    Length of the sap requires a deep pocket for pocket-clip carry.

OSS-3 "The Don"

lakecitytactical.com
Weight:  14.5 ounces
Dimensions:  seven.25 by three.5 past 1 inches
MSRP:  $75
Notes:  The OSS-3 is the beefiest and smallest sap in the Old School Saps lineup. This brusque, beavertail sap boasts a hefty 14.5 ounces of pb shot that fills its entire mitt-stitched leather body. The Don has a deep pocket clip on the behind and the same basket-weave pattern every bit its Old School Sap siblings. Annotation: Not a blackjack weapon, but a sap.
Pros:
–    Overall dimensions and deep pocket prune make information technology very concealable.
–    Heavy shot load offers substantial impact potential.
Cons:
–    Short handle limits use to extreme close-quarters.
–    Weighing only a couple ounces shy of a subcompact handgun, this sap isn't for the nice user or the scantily clad.

Bad Love Leather

Bad Love Leather is endemic and operated past leather craftsman Travis Poole, who makes merely about everything but shoes and clothes. Poole put his company on the map with his wet-formed leather valet trays, which are basically EDC dump trays for storing and displaying everyday conduct items.

He began making saps about two years ago at the asking of some of his customers. After extensive research and development, the Bad Dearest Leather Sap was born. Their unique pattern and custom tooling brand them some of the most aesthetically pleasing saps on the market place.

BLL Sap

facebook.com/BadLoveLeather
Weight:  10 ounces
Dimensions:  9.75 past 3 past 0.5 inches
MSRP:  $eighty to $150
Notes:  The Bad Beloved Leather Sap has a 10-ounce solid lead patty inside the spoon-shaped head. The handle, which flairs slightly at the bottom, has a spring-steel core and a riveted lanyard hole. Each leather-wrapped sap is hand-stitched and stamped with the twelvemonth and serial number on the back. A handsome skull and the BLL initials adorn the top. This standard model is available in plain leather, textured leather (shown here), and elephant. Some cute custom-painted versions are likewise available.
Pros:
–    Forwards weight of the head increases kinetic impact potential.
–    Spring-steel core adds to handle rigidity for edge strikes and increases snapping activity when using the apartment.
–    Weapon retention capability is increased with the utilize of the lanyard.
–    Overall size and weight make this piece a substantial force multiplier.
Cons:
–    Length of the sap makes discreet carry more challenging.

Conclusion

Choosing a sap or blackjack weapon is a highly personal and intimate process, perhaps fifty-fifty more so than choosing a handgun or knife. Find the one that best suits your needs regarding size, weight, flexibility, retention, acquit method, and local laws.

Purchase from a reputable maker like the ones listed hither and avert the Internet knockoffs. If you're going through the trouble of carrying a huge chunk of leather-wrapped lead, so you'll want one that'south reliable and performs when called upon.

Editor'due south Note: Equally part of his inquiry for this article, the author used background information from a volume titled "Saps, Blackjacks, and Slungshots: A History of Forgotten Weapons" by Robert Escobar. For those interested in a deeper await at the history of the products featured here, Escobar's book is a skillful resources.

Be sure to check out our Holster Options guide

Corey Graff contributed to this article.

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