The 5 worst hand-held weapons of all time

In "The World's Worst Weapons," Martin Dougherty details the long history of overambitious, underachieving weapons that failed to hit their mark.We've already describedthe eight worst guns of all time, now take a look atthe five worst hand-held melee weaponsever produced.SEE ALSO:The world's 8 worst guns everExtendable batonsThe extendable baton can fit on an officers belt and spyglass out to an impressive length when needed for combat, but the collapsing mechanism in the baton proved both a gift and a curse.For one, the violent flicking action needed to deploy the baton often hurt the user or an ally. After heavy use, the batons become unpredictable, either not deploying fully or collapsing prematurely.Country: United StatesYear introduced:1990Range:Close combatLength:15-25 inchesWeight:1-1.5 poundsUsers: Police, securitySource: "The World's Worst Weapons"Sabre-briquetIf you've never heard of the sabre-briquet, that's probably because it wasn't very good.Made during the awkward stage when militaries transitioned from traditional melee weapons to muskets, the sabre-briquet was already obsolete by the time of it's adoption by Napoleon's men."Fighting at close quarters, soldiers found they were better off with their bayonets or fighting with clubbed (reversed) muskets," Doughrety writes.The french officially abandoned the outmoded sabre in 1807, finding it useful for little more than chopping firewood.Country: FranceYear introduced: 1780Length:Three feetWeight:Two poundsEase of use: HighUsers: Napoleonic infantrySource: "The World's Worst Weapons"Flintlock sword pistolsFlintlock sword pistols represented a gallant attempt to combine the best parts of swords with newly emerging flintlock pistols.Already flintlock pistols had issues with misfires, and were difficult to use. The addition of a sword to the pistol made it even more unwieldy, and swinging around the pistol in close combat endangered the delicate cap-and-ball charge.In the even that you successfully struck an opponent with the sword component of the pistol you'd run the risk of a misfire in a gun that is notoriously slow to reload.Country: FranceYear introduced: 1800sRange: CloseLength:3 feetWeight:2-3 poundsUsers: Militaries, privateSource: "The World's Worst Weapons"See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Click here to read full news..