This style of knife is believed to have been used by Soviets. It used a compressed spring to launch the knife from the body (top) when a firing button was depressed.

  • Deuces@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Soviets really over here taking inspiration from a 7th grader with a mechanical pencil

  • Candelestine@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    SpecOps makes no sense to me, just throw it. Better control, power, range, everything. An intelligence service, on the other hand, could want something slightly more concealable and versatile. Also would not be as bothered by its lack of any kind of stabilization fins on the back, which means this thing has a pretty short range before it starts tumbling end over end and becomes basically harmless.

    Most likely some trial thing that got dropped imo. It’s just not actually a good idea, mainly because its mechanisms will worse it as an actual utility knife, which is like, 99% of its use.

    • FireTower@lemmy.worldOPM
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      11 months ago

      I looked it up. It might be a translation mistake, spetznaz can be used on occasion as basically saying someone is a part of any official but irregular force. Russians might call Seal Team 6 ‘american spetznaz’.

      But I think, if Wikipedia can be trusted, modern Russian Spetznaz are equivalent to a mix of American Navy Seals and the FBI’s HRT but the Soviet Spetznaz might have been something more like the CIA’s MACV SOG.

      Any Russian/Soviet experts please correct me if I’m wrong.

      • napalminjello@kbin.social
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        11 months ago

        FBI’s HRT

        I screamed for years and years about the FBIs super femboy program and you all laughed.

        • FireTower@lemmy.worldOPM
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          11 months ago

          Hostage rescue team, that one’s on me. Most people probably haven’t heard of them should have spelled it out.

    • ZapBeebz_@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Arguably, the spring would probably improve the effectiveness when you stab someone, and because the blade isn’t attached to the handle, it would remain stuck in the victim after stabbing. Might not be the worst substitute for an actual knife. Just as long as you don’t actually try to shoot it at someone.

      • Froyn@kbin.social
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        11 months ago

        I wonder if the spring could help with armor penetration?
        If the compressed force is higher than one could stab with, tapping the button at the end of your plunge might be enough to break through?

    • FireTower@lemmy.worldOPM
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      11 months ago

      From my little research it seems like there was a Soviet guy who wrote a book where someone used one then they were kinda popular for a short bit. Apparently they even got fully banned federally in the US which is weird, because pipe bombs aren’t even fully banned.