Why the Russian army adopted checkers and abandoned the use of sabers

During the Caucasian War, Russian soldiers for the first time saw the cold weapon of the mountaineers - checkers. It was used instead of traditional sabers, which the Caucasians also used earlier, but eventually ceased. And after the unification of weapons in the Russian army, sabers disappeared from use there too. There are several hypothetical versions of why this happened. But the real reasons are quite unexpected.

1. The checker has much less weight than the saber

There is a version that the checker weighs less than the saber / Photo: masterok.livejournal.com

There is a difference in weight between a saber and a saber, but it is not as significant as some sources indicate / Photo: masterok.livejournal.com

There is some truth in this statement, but the difference is insignificant. In different years, the weight of both weapons fluctuated significantly, and its configuration also changed. In addition, it is not clear what weight is indicated in the sources: directly from the weapon or complete with a scabbard.

2. The checker has no guard

Indeed, a saber that does not have a guard is not easy to imagine, although there were such checkers, namely artillery, which existed at the end of the nineteenth century. Cossacks used checkers without a guard.

They do not fence with a saber, but chop, so there is no guard. This opinion is also not absolutely correct, since even a cane is suitable for fencing. But this is for the Europeans, while the Caucasians have a completely different story. Therefore, the swordsmen of them are not very good, but they knew how to cut skillfully.

And since it was also more important for the Cossacks to cut, and not to fence, they were the first to abandon sabers in favor of checkers. And the changes taking place in military affairs also contributed to this. The cavalrymen also began to chop the enemy, and the saber became indispensable for them. From time to time it was possible to practice fencing with a saber.

3. Shifting the center of gravity

This moment was actually present, since the handle of the checker was lighter than that of the saber and the chopping effect was enhanced. But if you study all types of sabers and checkers, then their balancing was different. Sometimes checkers had a heavier handle.

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What are the true reasons for the rejection of sabers

There really were reasons, only a matter of price, method of wearing, fastening, material for production.

• Price. A slight decrease in cost due to the fact that there is no guard, a little less weight, a cheaper version of the scabbard for the country has become a significant saving.
• Fastening. For the warriors of those times, it was also important that a saber, unlike a saber, was worn on a shoulder harness, and not on a belt.
• Suspension. The checker was hung so that the bend was directed back. Thus, after the blade was removed from its scabbard, the hand in which the checker was located was already at the start. Even a fraction of a second saved thanks to this could save lives in battle.

It will be no less interesting to know what a solid dagger Ivan the Terrible had from the famous film.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/190321/58248/

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