This Persian Shamshir (or Scimitar) has a blade of 1055 high carbon steel. The all-brass crossguard ends in the rounded finials common to historical examples. The thick blade tang is triple-riveted to polished wood halves that define the grip. The pommel has been drilled to allow for the inclusion of a sword knot or lanyard – it is lined with brass.
To prevent the blade and hilt construction from rattling or loosening itself easily the guard langets have been filled with a black filler that puts the forward sloping brass langet of the guard into contact with the blade – it is a design to improve construction stability and eliminate the rattling of a langet moving into contact with the blade. This filler, in conjunction with the three rivets is designed to make the hilt resistant to loosening with use.
The companion scabbard is crafted from robust black leather ; the fittings are brass with matching brass hanging rings.
Although the shamshir is strongly associated with Persia – its likely origin, the efficient design clearly spread throughout the middle east as the sword would also be used by warriors of the Ottoman Empire and the famed Mameluke cavalrymen. Many shamshir exhibit impressive craftsmanship in both blade quality and overall decoration, though even simpler examples have elegant lines and form.
Not merely pleasing to the eye, the curve of the Shamshir or Scimitar creates a blade designed to cut deeply and swiftly. As the blade enters the target on the bottom of the blade curve, the angle of the tip as it passes through the target ensures that the wound is made as deep as possible. Though the blade is curved, in skilled hands it can be a sword that can bring a surprising thrust to an opponent who expects a slashing sword when he glances at its appearance.
Like historical examples, this reproduced Shamshir is a swiftly striking blade that feels quick and responsive in the hand. The curved grip with a swollen pommel not only acts as a backstop to keep the blade in hand mid-swing, but it also brings close contact with the back of the hand. This contact allows the wielder to subtly power the blade through the swing with back of the hand, not just the palm and wrist.
Shean –
Beautiful Scimitar! I ordered this sword with the KoA sharpenimg service and both the quality of the sword and their sharpening are extremelly nice. The PoB really helps with the overall handling of the scimitar and the grip also feels nice overall. Something to note: since the scabbard is lined with leather, the blade might have some small leather scraps on it however these are easily cleaned off with a rag or papertowel.
Jon –
Beautiful Swingy Thingy! Great feeling and a beautiful handle. I got the KoA sharpening and its what youd expect for backsword or saber, not too sharp and a close bevel to maintain durability, could be honed farther if you wanted. The blade fits snug into the leather scabbard and wont fall out if inverted. My only complaint is that the leather scabbard was overdyed and rubs off onto my hands, fixed it with a quick wipedown and a bit of shoepolish though! On an off note it even smells nice out of the box, couldnt go wrong with this piece.
Luke (verified owner) –
Really nice saber. I really like the simple, yet pretty aesthetic. Fits well in hand, handles well and KoA did a good job sharpening the blade (ships un-sharpened by default). My main and only complaint is that the cross-guard has been assembled somewhat miss-aligned. This defect does not prevent the blade to be sheathed in the fitted scabbard, and it’s not readily visible from a distance and doesn’t really affect blade alignment when swinging. To be frank, I haven’t noticed it for several days until I was doing some cleaning of the blade which made me look very closely at the base of the blade. From up close you can see the cross-guard is not perfectly parallel to the blade edge, but rather sits at a slight angle. This might just be a one-off assembly error, as all the other parts of the saber are well fitted and.
ᠤᠯᠠᠭᠠᠨ ᠦᠨᠡᠭᠡᠲᠦ ᠸᠠᠩ ᠃ (verified owner) –
This is a good sword for the price range, however, the black paint immediately comes off the scabbard if exposed to any moisture. I was wearing the sword one day, with my traditional Mongolian attire, and went to wash my hands, my hand touched the scabbard, and I was suddenly shocked to discover my hand was black! Don’t wear this sword in any foggy environment and definitely don’t ride your horse through any unexpected rain! I only bought this sword to wear temporarily while I arrange to have a much finer custom sword made. This is a good sword for the price range, but don’t get wet.