How heavy is a claymore sword?

A two-handed Highland claymore weighs about 5.5 to 6.5 pounds. The later basket-hilted broadsword weighs roughly 2 to 3 pounds.

How long is a claymore?

The two-handed type runs 50 to 55 inches overall. The basket-hilted broadsword is closer to 38 to 42 inches.

Is a claymore the same as a Scottish broadsword?

Not originally. The name properly belongs to the two-handed great sword, but it was later applied to the basket-hilted broadsword as well, and both uses are now common.

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The Claymore: Two Swords, One Name

The Highland two-hander and the basket-hilt that stole its name.

Two different swords share the word

Claymore comes from the Gaelic claidheamh-mor, great sword. It is used for two quite different weapons, and knowing which one someone means is half the argument in any Highland sword discussion.

The earlier claymore is the two-handed Highland great sword of roughly 1400 to 1600: 50 to 55 inches overall, straight double-edged blade, and the unmistakable forward-sloping quillons ending in four-leaf clover terminals.

The later claymore is the basket-hilted broadsword of the 17th and 18th centuries: a single-handed sword with a full steel basket around the hand, the arm of the Jacobite risings.

Weight, honestly

A genuine two-handed claymore weighs about 5.5 to 6.5 pounds. Heavy, yes. Not the twenty-pound slab of legend, and never so heavy that it needed two men or a special strength.

The basket-hilt broadsword weighs around 2 to 3 pounds, much of it in that steel basket.

Buying one

For a wall piece, a decorative claymore is acceptable and cheap. Check the hanging weight — a fifty-inch sword needs proper mounts and a stud, not a drywall anchor.

For handling, buy carbon or spring steel with a full tang running the entire grip and a peened pommel. A threaded pommel on a sword this long will loosen with use.

Measure your wall. Fifty-five inches is longer than most people picture.

The wall this cry speaks of

The Long Blades

Where this steel hangs

Medieval Swords for Sale

Asked of the house

How heavy is a claymore sword?: A two-handed Highland claymore weighs about 5.5 to 6.5 pounds. The later basket-hilted broadsword weighs roughly 2 to 3 pounds.
How long is a claymore?: The two-handed type runs 50 to 55 inches overall. The basket-hilted broadsword is closer to 38 to 42 inches.
Is a claymore the same as a Scottish broadsword?: Not originally. The name properly belongs to the two-handed great sword, but it was later applied to the basket-hilted broadsword as well, and both uses are now common.

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