Are throwing knives and ninja stars really lethal ao just another way to sell movies?

DarylE@cascadeaccess.com

A throwing knife is certainly capable of penetrating to a lethal depth.
The wisdom of using a throwing knife for a combat weapon is another question altogether...

"Ninja Stars" are properly called Shuriken, and there are many types. The multi-pointed ones are, of course, limited in penetration by the adjacent points...
Historically, these were distraction weapons, thrown at an opponent's face to allow escape or the use of a better weapon.
Some were reputedly poisoned.
Carrying around a multi-pointed poisoned weapon doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

what if you through a knife and then through antoher one and hit the handle and stick to it.

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what if you through a knife and then through antoher one and hit the handle and stick to it.

Eh???

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what if you through a knife and then through antoher one and hit the handle and stick to it.

I have never stuck one knife into another, but when I was younger, my cousin and I would by cheap butcher knives made by "Old Hickory," that had nice smooth handles, and were just the right length for holding by the handle and throwing.

We would take an 8" slice off a cedar stump about 3' in diameter and use it for a target, sticking cards, bottlecaps, etc. it the end grain wood to aim at.

We got pretty good, and we knocked the handles off of several of them by calling "Handles," and trying to hit the others knife handle.

IIRC, they cost about three bucks each, and we had hours of fun with them.

Many dedicated throwing knives have no grips at all; none of mine do.
At best, a couple of thin leather "scales" tightly riveted, or a wrap with paracord.

Throwing knives puts enormous stress on the weapons, and grips are often the first thing to go.

The "Mountain Man" knife that I used in blackpowder Rendezvous throwing contests, I forged out of a leaf spring, and has flush riveted leather scales.

I got the scales from a shoe repair shop, they had some scraps left over from re-soling shoes, it was about 1/2" thick.

It has held up pretty well, and will be easy to replace if needed.

Will a throwing knife have enough energy to stick far enough to kill you.

Can a thrown knife or ninja star penetrate through bone? Sure they can go between bones, ribs, but I want to see it proven or not if they can go through bone.

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Originally posted by djsteven92:
what if you through a knife and then through antoher one and hit the handle and stick to it.

Can a thrown knife or ninja star go through bone, sure it can go between and be lethal. But, can it be lethally thrown through rib bones?

Only a fool would throw away his weapon. This is why javelins used through out the centuries typically broke when they hit, or bent (like the roman one)
Throwing axes, liek the Franks used, are a different story, and were used in mass just before engaging in melee.