Perfect Weapon

Blunt weapons are some of the oldest weapons mankind has invented. And yet even now, the baton is one of the most important weapons used by police forces around the world. Monty and Stuart pick the chain flail and the war hammer to champion. They also explore other similar weapons like the Nan chuck, the truncheon, and even the human fist.

With the advent of gunpowder, warfare changed irrevocably. Monty and Stuart examine the science behind how firearms work and put the canon and Three Band Enfield head to head. Using these weapons they explore their range, accuracy, rate of fire and ease of use. They also train using the SA80, the submachine gun used by the British Armed Forces.

Sieges are a staple of all warfare from mankind's earliest days to the modern-day. As recently as 1992, the largest ever modern siege occurred in Sarajevo as the city was pounded for four years. Monty and Stuart pick two medieval engines, the trebuchet and the mangonel and build them before performing a series of range and accuracy experiments.

In their heyday, projectiles like bows dominated the field of war, and making them was a huge industry. Monty and Stuart pick the longbow and the crossbow as their favourite weapons and then visit a blacksmith to learn about arrow making. Using their weapons they perform a series of experiments to understand the range and accuracy of their weapons.

From the Bronze Age, blades formed the mainstay of warfare. Monty and Stuart choose the long Sword and the Poleaxe and then they conduct a series of tests on their weapons to discover the strengths and weaknesses of both. They wheel in some very modern technology, a Motion Capture system, to help them to use their weapons with better technique.

Monty and Stuart explore the role of armour in warfare from ancient times to the modern era. Having chosen plate armour and medieval brigandine to focus on, they then perform on them a series of tests to find out which protects best and which is easiest to move in.