I regularly use a cane to assist me in walking. I have been wondering if anyone makes a defensive quality example as I have to carry one anyway?
Jim

I don't use a cane but have thought if I did I'd insert a good sized slug of lead into the bottom of it. That should make a pretty good defensive piece without, as far as I know, breaking any laws.
Steve W

A good hickory cane is suitable for self defense. The tricky part is mastering it's use.

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Expect the unexpected

Cold Steel make a variety of good quality self defense canes to fit most laws of the land.

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LEX ET ORDO

I have a cold steel sword cane. Not sure how legal it is and I hope I never have to find out

Italian sport, pm sent.

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Diddums

Burger Brothers produce the finest sword canes in the world. I purchased the model 4, with the Damascus Blade several years ago. Check out their site, however, I must warn you, the price of these canes can equal or pass the cost of collectable S&W's or Colt's.

I have a nice cane/walking stick, Piece of willow with a few small diamonds and beaver chew marks. Found it striped by beavers down on the creek. Bit over an inch at the top which they rounded nicely. I cleaned it up a bit and did a 1/2 hitch wrap near the top. If I ever go on a plane again I will take it with me. Find it hilarious that they won't let me carry a knife with a 3" blade (or even shorter) but they will let a 300# man carry a big stick. Humanoids were killing with sticks long before they figured out any kind of knife.

On another forum I frequent, shillelaghs are often discussed. Some folks really dig real, authentic blackthorns.

There is a traditional Irish stick-fighting style that uses the blackthorn cane as its primary tool.

My interest is piqued, but I have too many projects and things i want to do first.

I question the use of something you need to walk as a weapon. If you need help walking, how much force do you hope to generate swinging a cane? Like chubs says, the swing is "all in the hips happy". If I was a young and capable strong armist, an old man with a cane just would deter me very much. Seems like you'd be much better off using the cane for its intended purpose and buying a great equalizer like a firearm if your intent is self defense.

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Ban this man,
'89

Kendo is a great upper body workout.
Last time I was in Central Park NYC, broken glass etc etc where I played as a kid and BGs just looking for a mark, a stout homemade walking stick was my sidearm.
1992.

ADA laws make that happen. I have been carrying canes onto airplanes for years. Way before I actually needed one and after the knee surgery I'll continue to carry canes onto planes. The first time I did it, years ago, I was carrying a cane made in Africa, with a hippopotamus head on the top (kind of uncomfortable, actually), and made of 4 different kinds of wood held together by a solid iron bar. When they x-rayed it they allowed it because it was HELD TOGETHER! The bar was somehow glued in there so it couldn't be accessed. Let me tell you, that is one doggone heavy cane - you could break skulls with it. The law says they must be permitted.

All well made canes are excellent defensive weapons. It is true that "mastering" their use takes practice but it doesn't take a lot of practice to swing one if necessary - you just have to realize it can be caught when you're doing that. Holding it in closely and tightly in your hand and getting into a perp's "space" with it works better.

One of the best defensive canes is a shillelagh. They are always extremely solid if you buy a quality stick and without hooks and handles they are very maneuverable two-handed weapons. My two choices when I fly (I have choices) are either a standard hooked cane or a shillelagh.

In either case I just pretend to be a silly old man with a limp and a cane. Well, that is actually true, now, I suppose, as opposed to years ago, but I promise nobody wants to enrage me when I have a cane.

Now, speaking of sword canes, and I have had one for over 50 years, they are no longer illegal in Texas. However, they might be very illegal where you live so if you have one at home leave it there unless you are certain that your state and local jurisdiction allow it.

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Come and take it!!

When I was a small lad most old men in my area carried a "Hog Stick" which was a heavy walking cane (Hickory ?) plus a sharp pocket knife (Barlow) for whittling, a pocket revolver (usually hammerless .32/38) , and a pocket watch. Smart folks did not mess with these old men. The pocket knife was also used to cut off a "Chew" from a plug of "Brown Mule" chewing tobacco.

Ka-bar makes one that I use


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Wheel guns are real guns too.

Side bar:

If you need it desperately I agree, maybe it's not that great a weapon. I have arthritic knees but I can walk and there is nothing wrong with my upper body. If you really have significant walking issues where you might fall if you swing your stick then it's not a good weapon. I don't have those issues. Not yet, anyway.

Standard cane and Irish shillelagh. You can't see it well but the shillelagh has a deep curve - it's really cool because the tip and the handle are perfectly matched so using it is "normal". It was custom made for me in Ireland, it has my initials and the word "Gramps" using the same "G" and has an Irish coin embedded in one of its knots. It is a formidable weapon - the history is left for another thread someday.



By the way, the standard cane is 36 inches long. If you're not average height, get one made to fit your size. A six foot man could not use my sticks; they would be too short for him. Those two are perfect for my shorter stature.

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Come and take it!!

I have several walking sticks, not canes, while they do support balance their primary purpose is as an accessory to your outfit, much as your pocket watch would be

This picture is bad because it is my umbrella stand in the new house and I have many of the swords in there as well while I figure out what to do with them

One of the sticks is a sword, but it is threaded in to the cane and MUCH too slow to be useful in an emergency. It is easily seen as the one all the way on the left. You can not tell on this image, but the handle's panels are very nicely hand engraved. As a straight walking stick, this one is classy

All the way on the right is the copper Steam Punk style walking stick. It does have good mass for a fight buy it is more trendy then pretty

The one that really works for me is at the back of the bucket. It is an ebony shaft with a few inlays, but the handle is an old Ivory billiard ball. The ball has a flat spot. It is hidden in the back. All you can see is the ball almost between he handles of the two sabers

The ball has very good mass and when swung by holding it at the tip end it can generate substantial head energy

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"Acta non verba"

Can't carry a gun on a plane, in a courthouse, a post office etc etc. Just because and old guy is carrying a cane doesn't mean he needs one. A stick helps me climb up stuff and get up from the ground. I bet I can still knock just about anyone on their rear. Most young dip wads just see old guy and cane as a mater of fact the cane probably makes them seem even more helpless.

But, mostly, yes, I carry a gun, a 325 loaded with 6 fat 200gr 45acp hollow points.

The cane I have been using while I recuperate from a knee replacement is topped by a heavy brass knob that looks like an onion bulb. It would hurt to get hit with it, and the right blow could crack a skull. Because of its weight, the other end feels quite light and whippy.

Good point about lack of mobility for someone with badly arthritic knees. I am hoping the new knee will let me get some of that back.

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Not in jail.

I have three of these, he now makes them in two different lengths. Superb quality and likely indestructible, there are a few YouTube videos of people smashing them against trees and pallets with no damage.

This is light enough that you would deploy it a bit like a sjambok. I would not use the ball or "mace" end for impact use, I would use that for my own gripping and work on my technique (pool cue strikes, etc.) with that in mind.

BlackSwift Sticks - walking stick self defense

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Benefactor Member, NRA

Lacking the facts, however, I believe Rex Applegate in his senior years used a cane to defend himself against a much younger ne'er do well with outstanding results!

After having back surgery I ordered this from Midway:
Cold Steel Blackthorn Irish Walking Stick Impact Tool 37" Polypropylene Black.
Added a black rubber "crutch" tip to it and I was off to the races, KINDA. Helped me get walking and that in turn shortened my recovery tremendously.
Now many years later, I use it now due to a number of dog attacks on folks in the neighborhood walking. In fact last fall I had one ankle biting dachshund/alligator crossbreed come clear up into a yard trying to get me while it was being walked on a 20 ft lead by a 5 year old girl. I was armed but thought it better to fend the dog off with my walking stick rather than kill the dog in front of the little girl. (Although, I legally would have been perfectly justified. Just because you can do something , doesn't mean you should.)
Only criticism of the Cold Steel walking stick is the "knob" on the end is a little large and I have medium to large hands. But that "knob" would do a number on ribs, collar bone, forearm or skull if required.

The current American Handgunner has a short article on sticks.

Go to cane master web site, have a great hickory cane ,and he also sells videos on how to use, you can order the cane as aggressive as u want see web and u will understand

Check out a local "Antique Stores" that are pretty much just carry junk these days. In my area, they buy the leftovers from estates, and have a selection of used canes.

Flying with a cane: TSA cannot ask you why you need that cane. It does NOT matter what age you are. It is a "mobility device". However, the cane must be put thru the X-Ray, so keep those sword-canes at home.

I have not flown in over 5-years, but if I fly again I'm bringing a cane just because I can. Currently I use a walking stick while hiking, but walking sticks are not allowed for carry-on (may be checked).

Last time I did go on a plane, I put a hammer in my checked baggage because it was allowed (however not allowed for carry-on). I also brought two rolls of quarters in my carry-on bag, AND a pair of socks


Canes | Transportation Security Administration

Disabilities and Medical Conditions | Transportation Security Administration

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John

As Jerry52 mentioned above Cane Masters has a really good video out on Kane fighting/self defense use and the fact that ADA allows them to be taken anywhere. There are Cane fighting classes available.

And around here, add a narrow brim fedora tipped down in front just so, with a long sleeve shirt buttoned to the neck. Hard, lean men, they were.

After much research, durability, strength, legal issues, etc. I went with an aluminium cane from K-BAR. Quite a weapon without being a weapon, cut to your desired length, knurled grip areas, agressive tip and rated to 400 pounds so I can get up if I fall. All for $100.

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Bob P.

I bought a authentic Irish fighting stick that doubles as a cane from Oldeshillelagh.com made in Shillelagh, Ireland. I like it.

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well done.

Remember, if you go to that website you will see short sticks called cudgels. Those are NOT allowed on planes. Those are clubs, pure and simple. The short history of the shillelagh as I know it is that during the British-Irish confrontations of the 17th through the 19 century the British banned weapons, which a cudgel certainly is. Thus, the Irish worked around this restriction by carrying "canes". It's hard to ban a walking stick.....

There are many legends but that's the one I am familiar with.

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Come and take it!!

I met Rex late in his life but he was very active and still giving a presentation on the value of knowing when and how to use "Point Shooting". We were attending a LEO training session in 1989. I was using my duty belt and holster during the exercises. He saw the ring on my belt for carrying my Monadnock Side Handle Baton. He asked me if I had ever had to use it. At that time I hadn't. He said let's have lunch and I will tell you a story. Four or five months prior he was invited to San Francisco to give his presentation to a meeting of local LEOs. They put him in a hotel three or four blocks from the meeting site. He was 75 years old at the time and walked with a little difficulty from a back injury of many years before. He came to need a cane and using his knowledge of the Monadnock baton he designed a long version of the side handle baton that worked as a cane and a self defense tool. He was taller than 6'2" and the cane worked best for him at about 48". It was made in his Oregon home by a local professional woodworker. It was laminated of hard woods and had a matching side handle. This all paid off the night of the meeting as he decided to walk those few blocks. About half way two young men in their low 20s came toward him on the same sidewalk. They looked him over and pulled out knifes and demanded his wallet and watch. He warned them to leave before they got hurt. They laughed at an obviously old man walking with a cane and pressed their attack. He backed to a store front and started working them over with his cane/baton. In just a short time he had them both laid out and without their knifes. He picked up the knives and threw them on a low near by roof. Then he went to the meeting. In the mean time the thugs went to a local emergency facility for some very necessary doctoring. The staff called the police thinking these young men had been beat up by a gang. The thugs told the police a wild story about being victims of an attempted robbery by a big guy with a lethal weapon. Rex reported the incident to an active officer at the meeting who called it in. After getting both stories the police arrested them for felony assault and battery on an elder person. At the time Rex was telling me the story a trial was pending. I believe that their attorney had them plead out. Rex said the police got a big laugh out of the end result for the thugs and invited him to come back and teach their next side handle baton class. He declined that honor.

I am a firm believer in the capability of offence or defense with the Monadnock Baton, but after transitioning to the ASP I now think the ASP is the better tool for the average LEO. Rex traveled all over the world with his custom cane/baton and was never questioned by anyone. It is on my 'to do list' to build myself a copy of Rex's as I am within months or a year in needing a cane myself. ......

I love that story. Just an old man with a cane. OK

I do use a cane and I've added 3 oz of lead shot to the base

I use a cane to walk with. The VA supplied it to me. My first cane was made out of some weak metal and actually bent. ( O.K. I'm a big guy )
My new cane from the VA is made out of heavy metal and weighs about 5 pounds. Great for self defense was the first thing I thought when I got it.d

If you read the original post, the OP clearly says he uses a cane to assist him in walking. I never questioned a the use of a cane from someone capable of swinging it effectively, so please don't try to use a straw man against me; in layman terms, don't try to debate a point with me that I never made, thanks. I'm glad you are hard and can still hit knock a young man down with a stick, but what does that have to do with the OP having trouble walking and trying select an effective defensive weapon? Absolutely nothing.

I stand by my original post. If you need a cane to walk it's because your lower body is decrepit or injured. That being said it is very difficult to generate much swinging force without using your lower body. It would be prudent if a person that has trouble walking to find a different defensive weapon than the tool they are using to keep them from falling down.

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Ban this man,
'89

I just ordered my third "Hog Stick" from Lehman's. I totally remembered my Grandfather's very stout hickory cane that came compliments of the Purina feed company.

You can spend a lot on 'fighting' canes, or, get a basic livestock cane and alter it as you see fit. Like finger grooves for a better grip on the shaft, or steaming the grip a bit open for 'hooking' a leg.

What I use is made by the Amish (no China junk here), and is intended as a working tool and very sturdy hickory. It is:

Item#22211057 Hickory Livestock Canes
36" L Cattle Cane $29.99 (They also offer a 60" version).

I still needed to trim a few inches off so my hand would rest naturally on the grip. A rubber cane tip completed it.

Got the first one 12 years ago, long before I actually needed one, mostly for dogs while walking. Now, I'm getting a third to have in the house besides the two I keep in the vehicles.

You can spend way more, but it is kinda doubtful you'll find anything better suited to your needs.

Rob

All I know is that Ka-Bar makes one from aluminum, Cold Steel has both walking- and sword canes (an older example was designed by Steven Seagal) and Gil Hibben offers cane swords.

Be careful about laws, especially if you are getting a cane- or umbrella gun! They'll qualify as AOW under NFA!

KA-BAR: TDI Self-Defense Cane

UnitedCutlery.Com: Gil Hibben Old West Custom Sword Cane - GH5045

Cold Steel standard canes

Cold Steel sword canes

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Jorge

When I was young and muscular I think a strong cane would have been a formidable weapon. I’m old now and my hand strength has diminished a lot. I would fear that hitting some young buck with a cane might not put him down with the first hit. Then he grabs it. Could I retain it? So a cane, to me, is a great weapon for the person who doesn’t need it.

I have a bad right knee and must use a cane. I bought one at the local farm store for $ 13. With the assistance of the store I researched what type of wood the cane was made of. It is part of the locust family that is grown only overseas. On the hardness scale it is right up there with oak and hickory. This was long ago so I cannot recall the name of the tree, but any Orscheln farm store can help you. With years of baton training during my 30 years as a deputy sheriff, I feel confident in it's defensive use. Any hard wood cane, or the hard plastic ones mentioned in the first post, would suffice as a defensive cane. Study the use of a police baton and you can easily learn what points on the body to hit without causing death.

I made my own cane from a piece of wood dowel the same diameter as the largest rubber cane tip in our local hardware. I drilled the tip and added fishing sinkers then plugged the hole with plastic wood and replaced the rubber tip. I wrapped the straight handle with skateboard tape and drilled a small whole thru it below the grip and ran a piece of paracord thru it and tied it in a loop. I have carried it on board a plane. After the xray, a TSA supervisor asked me about the weighted tip. My reply explained that, if dropped, the weight made it land more upright where I had a better chance to grab it before it went all the way down, then demonstrated for him what I meant. Like some other posters, I have had years of LE baton training.

BTW, don't put your hand thru the loop put only your thumb and wrap the cord around your hand. If a thug grabs the end of your cane, you can release it before he can throw you around but you still have leverage so as to make it unlikely to drop it from the impact of a blow running up thru your cane. Just my $0.02 and inclination to do things economically.

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SWCA 3417 HF 642 NRA-TC

Spend some search time on YouTube. some good information and characteristics that I would not thought of when buying a cane. Remember, it can be used against you so learn and train first.

There are lots of trees on my property when I spot a promising limb or branch that might make a cane I cut it and do just that. Here are a few
some works in progress. I have given a few away. I got the idea from a cane made by my Grandfather's Grandfather E.N. Calef in 1869 it has been signed and dated by each generation who inherited it, which I did in 1975. It will go to my oldest son someday.
Steve W

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I made my own defense cane.

I took a 7/8" hickory stick, and put a "T"-shaped masonry hammer head on it. The hammer head makes the perfect handle.

Pictures will follow.

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So very Politically Incorrect

About a half century ago, learning how to use a riot baton from a crusty WWII MP, he left us with a few tidbits.

These are the five fatal impact points. Remember them.

Don't raise it over head like a club, it looks bad on camera.

"Poke" with the tip, it "looks" less threatening on camera. Used like a sword you can concentrate considerable force.

The command, "Long thrust series..." might evoke some images and memories.