Humans began using weapons deep in prehistory, many thousands of years ago.
From the first rock thrown in anger to the ballistic missiles lurking in hidden silos, the evolution of weapons has been dramatic.
The usefulness of some weapons has outlasted entire civilizations and spread across the globe.
Although the Stone Age ended long ago, and we are no longer bound by the materials and practices of the time, the weapons created then can still be useful in emergencies or survival situations.
Here are six primitive weapons you should know how to make.
Knife
Of all the weapons on the list, a knife is the most important to know how to make. With it, you can craft all the others.
Ideally, you will always have a steel-bladed knife with you for this very reason. A cutting edge is all that is needed for a knife, though a handle and a point are also very good to have.
If you find yourself in need of a knife in urban areas, look for metal scraps that can be sharpened on concrete or stones. It may be time-consuming to get a nice cutting edge, but you can make a durable and effective knife this way.
Tightly wrap string or fabric around the handle portion for better grip.
Shards of broken glass can be used instead, though this is a much more fragile solution.
If you are outside of urban areas and relying solely on natural materials, look for a fine-grained stone. The smaller the individual minerals are and the denser the rock, the better. You can test density by tapping the rocks together.
The best rocks are glassy in sound and texture (think obsidian). Hold your rock firmly against a larger stone and then use another rock to strike the edge. It may take a while, but you can get flakes of various sizes with decent cutting edges.
Bow and Arrow
The bow stave can be made with flexible and sturdy materials like PVC pipe, a metal rod that can be bent but returns to its original shape when pressure it released, or natural materials like a branch.
You will need to shape the materials by ensuring the side facing away from the string is rounded and the side facing the string is flat. This will give it a D-shaped profile that is ideal for bows.
PVC pipe can be carved or gently heated and molded to achieve this shape, while branches may need to be carved.
The string can be any durable and strong material, like shoelaces, para cord, or any other strong cordage you can find. The string should be shorter than the stave to create the necessary tension.
For the arrows, find straight, lightweight materials like narrow wooden dowels, metal or stiff plastic rods, or even narrow copper tubing. Arrowheads can be made by sharpening the tip into a point or fastening glass shards, rock points, or other sharpened materials.
Though not always required, fletching can be made with feathers or paper. Fix the fletching with string, glue, or pine sap. Carve a notch on the back end of the arrow and you have yourself a functional bow and arrow.
Spear
A spear can be simply a long pointy stick, or it can be more complex with specialized spearheads. Make one by first finding a suitable shaft. This can be a broom stick, metal pole, plastic piping, or a straight branch. You can sharpen the point against concrete or stone and fire harden the tip for additional strength.
To make a more durable and sharper spearhead, you can cut a lengthwise slit in the spear tip and slide a blade or sharpened piece of metal into the slit.
The blade should be sandwiched in the middle of the slit with string or another fastener sinching the spear material tightly to the spearhead.
You can also cut the slit and then cut off one side completely so half the diameter of the spear is missing at the tip. In this space, you can fasten a knife with a handle. This will provide a backboard for the knife, so it does not slide back when used and better centers the blade in line with the spear shaft.
A fish spear can easily be made with a straight branch. Just cut two perpendicular slits lengthwise into the tip of the branch, so it looks like a plus sign. Cut each slit about 6 inches down into the spear shaft, then wedge small sticks down each axis of the slits. This will spread the tips into 4 separate tips.
Secure the small sticks with string or glue, and then sharpen and harden each of the 4 tips. Cut small notches or barbs into each tip, and you will have a functional fish spear.
Bola
A bola is a simple weapon used to entangle the feet of an opponent or animal.
It is the more basic and longer ranged version of throwing a net over your target.
To make one, gather 3 pieces of cordage and tie all three together on one end. Each strand should be about 3-4 feet long.
On the other end of each cord, affix a weighted object like a rock, tennis ball filled with pebbles, or even a handful of washers.
You do not want it to be heavy, just to have enough heft so you can swing it around easily. With some practice, you can use a bola effectively when hunting.
The weights can be removed until needed, making it easy to carry just the string and find weights whenever you need them.
Blow Dart
Blow darts are simple and effective weapons for hunting small game. Metal or plastic tubing are perfect because they are straight and smooth. Hollow plant stalks like cattail or bamboo are great natural alternatives.
Cut a section of the tubing and make sure the ends are smoothed to avoid injury to your lips. The longer the tube, the more accurate the darts will be, but also the more unwieldy. 18-24 inches should be enough.
Create darts using needles, stiff wire, or narrow and straight sticks.
Sharpen the tips or affix a tip like a miniature spearhead.
Add fletching to the back by affixing feathers, a small bit of fabric, or something similar.
It may take a bit of experimentation to get the fletching sized correctly, but the compact size of darts means you can carry a lot of them and don’t need to make any sudden moves to hunt small game.
Rock Sling
Slings are one of the oldest projectile weapons and very easy to make.
All you need is a square or rectangle of fabric or hide that is about 4-6 inches long on each side, and two sections of string or cord that are about 5-6 feet long.
Tie one end of each cord to the fabric, on opposite ends of each other. The other ends of the cord should be free. You will retain control of one cord while using, and the other will be the release cord that you let go of when you are ready to fire.
You can use small rocks, ball bearings, marbles, or anything similar for ammunition.
You want it to be small enough to fit within the pouch, but hefty enough to get good momentum. Like the blow dart, rock slings are easy to carry abundant ammunition for, and more rocks can be found just about anywhere.
While these weapons are primitive in design, their usage still requires practice and experimentation.
In an urban setting, finding materials for these weapons should be fairly easy.
In nature, you will have to work a little harder, but it can be done there too.
Just knowing how to make a few of these weapons can make all the difference in a survival situation, so get out there and practice!
What are some other primitive weapons everyone should know how to make? Let us know in the comments!
via askaprepper
