Longsword is a word that has been stretched to cover almost anything long, so it is worth pinning down. In the sense the fencing manuals used it, a longsword is a straight double edged blade with a grip that takes both hands, roughly 40 to 48 inches overall, balanced so the point moves quickly. That is what is gathered here, along with the hand and a half swords that sit at its edge.
Grips, guards and pommels
The longest is a two handed sword at 48 inches with parrying hooks above the guard and a ring terminal crossguard. Below it sit pieces at 46, 45, 44, 43 and 42 inches, and an arming sword at 40 inches with an engraved arched crossguard and a tan grip. The hand and a half swords are the interesting middle: one at 42 inches with a faceted pommel and a navy leather grip, one with a cast wolf head pommel over an etched knotwork ricasso, and one with an open ring pommel and a belt hung scabbard. The guards vary more than the blades do, from scrolled and downswept to hooked twin quillons with an etched valknut, a barbed guard with longship engraving, an S curved crossguard and a knotwork cut crossguard. Pommels run to crowns, faceted crowns, scallops, a raven etch and a wolf head. Grips are wrapped in black, brown and navy leather, and every one comes with a fitted scabbard. Steel is plain 1095 high carbon at 54 to 58 HRC or forge welded 1095 and 15N20 Damascus at 58 to 60 HRC. Prices run from 459 dollars to 695 dollars.
Choosing at this length
Grip length is the number that decides whether a sword is genuinely a two hander. A short grip on a long blade is an arming sword with delusions. After that the question is what the sword is for, because a sharp blade and a display piece are stored, handled and insured differently: display against battle ready covers it. For everything else worth reading before you spend, start at our guides. The full range is in longswords and the mixed grip pieces are in bastard swords.
Ransack Viking is a US company based in Chicago, Illinois. These pieces are handmade in the Czech Republic, then imported, inspected and shipped from Chicago. Engraving is done in the US after arrival: text 19 dollars, symbol 39 dollars, family crest 49 dollars.
Free US shipping
On most pieces. Heavier and oversized ones carry a flat charge.
Hand Forged
Heated, hammered and ground by hand.
Engraving available
Names, dates or Norse runes on most pieces.
