1 trained swordsman VS an average person who has never shot a gun with a gun

[u/GodIsProbablyDead]

They are 10 meters apart (32 feet), the swordman's longsword is sheathed and the gunman's handgun is holstered. While the gunman has never shot a gun before he knows some concepts like knowing he has to turn the safety off (although he has never done it before) . Who gets the jump on who?

[u/bahamut19]

I have never used a gun before and I do not think I could draw a gun and find and turn off the safety in under 3-4 seconds, which is a pretty generous amount of time to cross a 10 metre gap.

[u/Confident_Natural_42 → u/bahamut19]

Yeah, even if you know where the safety is and how to turn it off it's gonna be nerve-wracking under life-or-death kind of pressure, someone who's aware of the concept but never saw one in real life is very unlikely to manage to do it.

[u/GovernorGeneralPraji → u/Confident_Natural_42]

As someone who carries, the general rule of thumb is that an attacker with a melee weapon can travel 21 feet in the average time it takes you to draw and level a handgun.

IF the swordsman rushes immediately, he likely wins. The extra 11 feet will give the gunman maybe an extra two seconds.

[u/Dexion1619 → u/GovernorGeneralPraji]

As someone who knows how to shoot (IDPA) and handle a sword (HEMA), (admittedly years ago for both) I agree.  With zero training and a high stress situation,  the gunmen is just as likely to shoot him/herself in the leg while drawing as they are to hit the swordsman.   Most people underestimate just how far away a sword can strike.  

[u/valdis812 → u/Dexion1619]

This is a great point. Most people have never seen a sword in real life. Let alone seen one used in actual combat. They probably think the swordsman needs to be right up on them like a boxer.

[u/Ralfarius → u/valdis812]

Or that sword swings are slow, wide arcing, dramatically telegraphed movements.

[u/Free-Duty-3806 → u/Ralfarius]

“I’ll just roll dodge his first swing, come up to a kneel, and shoot him”

[u/LeadingAd5273 → u/Free-Duty-3806]

Use those i-frames!

[u/BigMadHulk → u/LeadingAd5273]

Why am i fat rolling?

[u/Shieldheart- → u/BigMadHulk]

Belly flopping before getting carved open is probably one of the more embarrassing ways to enter valhalla.

[u/Ancient-Trifle2391 → u/Free-Duty-3806]

Idiot, I just threw the sword :D

[u/Ektar91 → u/Free-Duty-3806]

Wait unironially can I just run away while I find the safety?

Even if I am not as fast

Should buy a few extra seconds

[u/Free-Duty-3806 → u/Ektar91]

lol that’s actually probably your best bet

[u/PristineBaseball → u/Ektar91]

Haha that’s what I was thinking

[u/Kooperking22 → u/Free-Duty-3806]

Wouldn't the Swordman be doing the dodge roll first.

That would really throw off a gunman unprepared for it.

[u/Lor1an → u/Kooperking22]

Rolling is unbelievably slow compared to literally any other maneuver, including running from a stop.

There's also no real way to leverage your strength to enhance speed either, unlike with a swing where you can engage your whole core, etc.

[u/Fun_Cartoonist2918 → u/Free-Duty-3806]

Good luck with that. Swordsman is likely chopping down from shoulder level. At least that’s what I was trained to do in a rushing forward situation. Super easy to adjust and slice your spine open instead of your neck and shoulder

[u/c0p4d0 → u/Fun_Cartoonist2918]

I think the person you responded to agrees. They were being sarcastic.

[u/IndependentClub1117 → u/Ralfarius]

Yeah, seeing machete fights on Reddit. Completely wild. You blink and they have swung 3 times.

[u/ThinWave0-0 → u/Ralfarius]

Two points on this. 1. I would assume the shooter is not wearing armour so I’d have picked a rapier, saber or other light sword. No need to swing it. If it was I big heavy one I’d still be using the point.

1. Even the larger swords tend to be balanced so you can swing them pretty easy, make this wide ark a diagonal shoulder to opposing knee that’s a lot covered in one go.

[u/Top-Cry-8492 → u/Dexion1619]

To be fair it depends on the gun. Pistol swordsmen always win. AK-47 the guy has a pretty good chance. 

[u/Dexion1619 → u/Top-Cry-8492]

Yeah, tge prompt was "Pistol, holstered at waist" and "Inexperienced".   I don't like those odds for gun dude.

[u/Top-Cry-8492 → u/Dexion1619]

What type of holster? He may not even get the pistol out

[u/Emperors-Peace → u/Top-Cry-8492]

Unless it's a loose hanging cowboy style holster with no retention or they have time to check it. They're likely not getting it out before the first strike.

[u/Aeescobar → u/Top-Cry-8492]

Pistol swordsmen always win

I know you meant "[If they are holding a] Pistol [then the] swordsmen [will] always win"; but for a good second my brain registered it as "Pistol-Swordsmen (as in 'guys who wield gun-swords') always win [regardless of what opponent they are facing]".

[u/Top-Cry-8492 → u/Aeescobar]

Pistol swordsmen always win regardless of what gun or sword the other person has because they look cooler. 

[u/PloPli1 → u/Dexion1619]

And that's if they are carrying with a round in the chamber. If they have to rack the slide and have never handled a gun, no way they can do it before they are skewered.

[u/TheAbsurdPrince → u/GovernorGeneralPraji]

As a certified firearms instructor, the person with a gun is most likely screwed. Realistically they are not going to put sights on target and be able to assess within that distance and accurately be able to manipulate the firearm they're unfamiliar with. most likely they'd push on the slide-stop, get confused, freeze and than get sliced.

[u/SlayerSFaith → u/TheAbsurdPrince]

As someone who is your average person who has never shot a gun with a gun, what is the part that makes it so difficult in this situation? Let's assume I have successfully turned off the safety (or for the sake of argument let's say it was never on in the first place). I'm definitely not going to get the sights properly aligned or anything, but I feel like could still get it lined up with the other guy for the first shot just by like, looking at the gun and getting it at roughly the right angle? (second is going who knows where because I can't control the recoil). The guy is like 10 feet away and I don't know anything about guns so I'm legitimately asking.

[u/Conspark → u/SlayerSFaith]

Not a firearms instructor but someone who's handled guns and fired them quite a bit: Adrenaline is a bitch and handguns are far more difficult to use effectively than movies and shows make them out to be. At such a close distance you could certainly get "close enough" aiming on intuition alone for your first shot I think, but if you've never experienced recoil from a gun, even something mild like a 9mm, it's probably going to startle you and throw what little aim you already had off by quite a bit.

[u/TimeKillerAccount → u/Conspark]

Normally I would agree with you, but in this specific scenario I don't think the recoil is going to matter much. They already don't know how to aim, and are panicking, so the recoil jumping their followup rounds a few inches or even a foot isn't going to make much of a difference to the three feet of screaming target they are panic firing at. When the initial aim is terrible, missing it isn't that detrimental.

Depending on the gun, I think the recoil combined with an incorrect grip may cause more problems with jamming than aiming.

[u/Conspark → u/TimeKillerAccount]

true, a panicking first time shooter is probably not going to have a firm grip on the gun, and god forbid it's something silly like a .44 magnum and smacks them in face.

[u/TimeKillerAccount → u/Conspark]

Custom loaded +p rounds in a short barrel 500s&w. The swordsman dies from a graze, the shooter dies when the gun flings back and crushes their ribcage, and at least 2 nearby birds die from surprise. The shooter may die, but the memory of their end will last for generations.

[u/Conspark → u/TimeKillerAccount]

Sounds like 400% accuracy to me

what a chad

[u/RevengerRedeemed → u/TimeKillerAccount]

Im not going to lie, that gave me a giggle fit.

[u/SlayerSFaith → u/Conspark]

At least to me I feel like I could line up the gun in roughly the right direction. Is the issue that "roughly the right direction" is just still way off most of the time? Like 5 degrees off is enough to miss? I feel like the aggregate lifetime experience of just like, using power tools, Wii motes, paintball or laser tag, fps games, even if they aren't the same as hip firing a pistol should be enough for 10 feet.

I think if the first shot does manage to hit then the swordsman will drop and it should be easy enough from there.

[u/Conspark → u/SlayerSFaith]

Is the issue that "roughly the right direction" is just still way off most of the time?

basically, with the issue getting much worse with increasing distance, but since you're shooting at a human-sized target at very close range you've at least got a chance if you can survive long enough to point and shoot.

that said, firearms and especially pistol caliber firearms are also not as immediately deadly or incapacitating as media tends to portray. Whether the shot you manage to land actually does "drop" the swordsman is going to depend very much on where you hit. The swordsman will presumably be amped up on adrenaline just like you.

[u/Vansiff → u/SlayerSFaith]

Most people could line it up. The key here is not having any experience with a weapon and having to shoot an assailant in what is going to turn into close quarters very quickly. Being evening slightly off when shooting at a moving target will cause you to miss very easily. 5 degrees is alot.

Let's say dude has the weapon in his hand at his side.

The moment the fight starts- adrenaline will start pumping and he is gonna start to shake. He is either going to over or undercompensate when lining up his shot. He will be shaky and won't be able to hold the weapon still. And that's if someone who is unskilled in a handgun even attempts to grip it properly. You'd be surprised how many people who've never held a pistol before and their first instinct is to try aiming it one handed like they're John Wick.

This is also assuming the Melee fighter is engaging in a dead on charge. We aren't even factoring in if he closes in diagonally to force the shooter to constantly have to adjust to hit a moving target. 21 feet is not much time and it would be unlikely to even be able to lead a target with that much adrenaline flowing being that inexperienced.

Sure you can get a quick first shot off, most of us would try. It would be unlikely to hit though unless if you practice drawing and aiming from holster and built up the muscle memory.

Circling back though, They would have better odds waiting for the attacker to come in closer and shoot center mass at the heart. They would have greatly increased chance of hitting a larger target and it is better to get a lung or the heart with a single shot than to not land any shots at all because you're dumping your magazine.

[u/clandestine801 → u/Conspark]

Late, but as someone who's also done quite some shooting and training (defense, CQB, etc) depending on how "close" we're talking about, is gonna be the difference between shooting from a full extend to a compressed ready or just flat out shooting from retention. Perhaps the average person who has little to zero training, yeah 10 meters is dangerously close and likely a death sentence against a guy rushing at them with a long sword. 7 meters for people who shoot or moderately skilled shooters from the draw is also quite a close call and most definitely induce an adrenaline dump at the absolute least. But anything within 5 meters, we're talking about backing up to maintain distance and firing out of retention while extending out to shoot until the threat is down. Granted, shooting out of retention requires you to really train a lot otherwise even intermediate shooters just get their guns tangled up by garment or putting a hole through their hands under pressure, falling down and losing control of everything.

[u/DUNLEITH → u/SlayerSFaith]

Not the person you're asking but it takes a lot of training to overcome most people's natural instinct to not purposefully and intentionally kill others. In a moment of extreme life or death panic, most people cannot accurately and effectively draw, aim, and shoot before someone with a blade closes the distance.

[u/Timmytanks40 → u/DUNLEITH]

So it's a bloodthirsty Olympian with a sword coming at a nun?

[u/TheAbsurdPrince → u/SlayerSFaith]

Realistically the most difficult part is firearm manipulation. All the way down from drawing from the holster. Most holsters use some form of retention system that someone who's unfamiliar with it may struggle with figuring it out in the moment within 1-2 seconds. Next step would he actually drawing the firearm and engaging the safety. Depending on the gun you may need to add additional steps however let's give our shooter the best chance possible. So we will say it's a gun without any external safety system such as a Glock 19. We will also say the shooter is carrying with one in the chamber. Giving them the best odds that means all they need is to line up the shot and shoot. The biggest problem they're next going to face is that if they draw the gun incorrectly, and hand is not properly on the firearm lining up that single shot is extremely difficult, to add to that adrenaline is acting against them as it's flooding their body and making them want to react immediately when they need to mentally slow down to process and proceed forward. And giving them even that, and saying they drew accurately. Pointing and shooting risks missing vitals, granting our trained swordsman additional time as we line up our second shot. The swordsman would understand that range is his weakness and continue to close the gap if he could. (We're also assuming 9mm as it's the most common carried caliber)

Not to mention humans are survivalists naturally (animals dont like to be killed) so they're more likely to react in a way that they trust. I.e they probably wouldn't draw the gun regardless if they have it. If you do not trust your tools you typically won't use them because you trust your body more naturally. So you're more likely to trust your arms and your legs. If we allow them to the shooter would likely attempt to flee without ever drawing the gun. If we dont allow that they might try to use their hands to fight the swordsman (less likely) if they trust their body more than they trust the sword man knows what he's doing. Overall our shooter isn't doing very well. It'd require luck for them to win.

[u/Mean-Math7184 → u/GovernorGeneralPraji]

This is why Bill Jordan and other old-time lawmen practiced the fast draw and had custom holsters and grips for their pistols. Bill Jordan advised that a competent policeman be able to draw and fire, hitting a man-sized target near the center at a range of 25ft, in about .25-.50 seconds. He based this on the idea that a person without training but familiar with firearms (your common bad guy) would be able to do the same in about a second. This allows about half a second to detect that your foe is reaching for his weapon and decide to draw and fire.

[u/2_short_Plancks → u/GovernorGeneralPraji]

And 21 feet is a man with a knife.

Depending on sword type, the last ten or so feet can be where they can hit you.

If it's a smallsword (one of the fastest swords, used for dueling in the early modern era) they've got three feet of steel, a couple of feet of arm length, and another few feet of lunge distance. It's fast because it only weighs about a pound, and they usually have a colichemarde blade - that means a triangular cross section that leaves a really ugly hole.

My money is on the swordsman in this scenario, unless the untrained gunman gets very lucky.

[u/Classy_communists → u/Confident_Natural_42]

There are lots of handguns without thumb safeties. The gunman is gonna have a much easier time with a Glock than an M&P. Still probably give it to the swordsman, but if it’s a Glock I’d say 60-40 instead of 80-20 with a thumb safety handgun.

[u/JayPet94 → u/bahamut19]

Why are you standing still though? Couldn't you retreat for a bit while you figure out the weapon?

[u/TedW → u/JayPet94]

Can you figure it out while sprinting? If not he's just gonna getcha from behind.

[u/JayPet94 → u/TedW]

To be honest? Hard for me to think of what an average person is on this topic. Me personally, I've never held or fired a gun but I understand what a safety is, and have a general understanding that it's usually on the side of the gun above the trigger.

I think I personally would figure it out, yeah. Because I'm really just using my hand to feel for where the safety is because I already have a good idea of where it should be. I think I'm fairly representative of the average person, too, because the scale ranges from "incredibly good with guns" to "no idea how guns work", and "has a small understanding of guns but no experience" seems somewhere in between

[u/FriendshipIntrepid91 → u/JayPet94]

I have experience with a multitude of firearms including many handguns. If i was put in this situation I'd give myself a less than 50/50 chance of getting the safety off and shooting the attacker before he stabs me.  

[u/KarmaticIrony → u/JayPet94]

You could definitely figure it out in a few seconds without issue if someone just handed you a gun. But in this scenario you get the gun right as someone charges you with a weapon. You only have a few seconds before they're on you. It would be a challenge to properly employ the gun quick enough for someone familiar with that specific weapon and experienced with firearms.

I highly doubt someone who wasn't quite sure what to do exactly could figure it out and do it in time under stress. They might get lucky and manage to do the right thing in time in a panic though so it's not totally hopeless.

[u/thedude_63 → u/JayPet94]

Can you tell the difference between the safety switch and the magazine release button? Because if you press the wrong one, you're pretty much done for.

[u/Alexexy → u/thedude_63]

Maybe it's the slide release. Maybe the gun is a single action and it was handed to the shooter in half cock. Maybe there's a transfer bar safety.

A lot of shit can go wrong.

[u/SlayerSFaith → u/JayPet94]

I'm like you and yea my sense is it depends on the gun but there's probably a little switch that toggles like where you said around where my thumb would be.

I could also be completely wrong in which case I'd be pretty fucked though lol.

[u/redreddie → u/JayPet94]

This, and probably every other movement scenario, has been tried and it makes little difference. Within 21 feet a knife wielder beats someone with a holstered pistol almost every time.

[u/RickySlayer9 → u/bahamut19]

In the US we have what’s called the “21 foot” rule, which is about 6-7 meters. It’s a doctrine that basically says a VERY trained gun slinger on average will die against an assailant with a knife if they’re within 21 ft, you cannot draw and fire in the amount of time it takes for a guy with a knife to close the gap and stab you. And it’s about 2.1-2.2 seconds.

10 meters, trained swordsman? You’re dead.

Most pistols you will carry (or should carry) don’t have a safety. Like a glock

[u/sprintcarsBR → u/RickySlayer9]

I like that you brought that up, but just remember it’s more of a guidance than a “rule”. It’s based on averages and can be affected by a lot of variables. And just to clarify, it’s for a competent gun user that has some fair practice and it assumes the assailant has the knife in their hand and you’re drawing from the holster. The main takeaway from that study is to just keep in mind the reactionary gap you may need for someone with a knife. A lot of people get too confident about having a gun at a knife fight that they don’t realize how much time and distance they should account for.

If your gun is out and up, an assailant with a knife is almost guaranteed to get shot (although they could still stab you if they don’t get hit in the head or heart). Not to mention a trained swordsman (whatever that entails) is going to be above that average and would likely push that 21’ back further in terms of the reactionary gap you would need.

[u/Brodins_biceps → u/sprintcarsBR]

I’d also add, the gunman can also run…

It doesn’t say in the prompt he can’t.

And I think I largely agree with you that the “rule” is guidance. It’s an average. In these scenarios it’s always painted like the person with the gun is totally planted but if someone’s charging me with a knife and I have the ability to run, carrying or not I’m gonna run… if they give chase and it seems like they’re faster? Unless they’re Usain Bolt, I will have had plenty of time to draw and even at that point turn and fire.

Then I guess it’s a question of stopping power and whether they will go down before I get stabbed. You’re either going to stop the computer up top, or the hydraulics in the body, and sometimes it takes awhile for the hydraulics to leak enough that the person drops.

Also, even backing up will buy you a little extra time.

But the 21 rule is really there to train it in to people to account for that distance and draw and ready time. Every scenario will likely be different. If you’re in a convenience store and your assailant is at the door, you won’t really have anywhere to go. But even still a gun is still super lethal even if your have a knife in your gut so it’s still a lose/lose proposition.

Moral of the story is it’s better to be further away from your assailant if you have a ranged weapon.

… unless you’re this guy… https://youtu.be/fXv8IepBVJQ?si=BDh3U8A6ncmGzLts

Look up Jim Zubiena… scary SCARY fucking fast.

[u/CertainFirefighter84 → u/RickySlayer9]

I'm a cop in Norway and we call everything within 10 meters the death zone. Meaning if you're closer than 10 meters with a knife I better be fucking ready to shoot you

[u/JonnyGalt → u/bahamut19]

Some of the most common guns like glocks do not have an external safety. You just draw and shoot.

[u/bahamut19 → u/JonnyGalt]

I didn't know that, having not operated a gun before. There is a 50/50 chance I don't think about it and get lucky - still doubtful I can hit the target but this is an improvement.

The other 50% of the time I'm looking for a safety that doesn't exist and die anyway. That's.... kind of a comically sad way to die.

[u/Existing_Charity_818 → u/JonnyGalt]

Someone who has never shot a gun won’t know that, and will look for one anyways

[u/isitva1711 → u/Existing_Charity_818]

I think someone who has never shot a gun will just pull the trigger first.

[u/Existing_Charity_818 → u/isitva1711]

I’m interpreting “knowing he has to turn the safety off” as “person is under the impression that you have to turn the safety off before you can fire no matter the gun” and don’t really see a reason they’d try the trigger.

But, I guess that interpretation is a bit open ended

[u/JonnyGalt → u/Existing_Charity_818]

Having introduced firearms to people who have never handled a gun before, I’d say the tendency is to just pull the trigger. I usually tell people multiple times never to pull the trigger even when I hand them an unloaded firearm. One of the first things I teach people me to not even have their finger on the trigger until they are properly sighted on target and is ready to shoot.

I’m not an expert or anything, this is just from introducing a few people to firearms.

[u/981032061 → u/JonnyGalt]

I helped run a photo booth at a comicon once. People would stand in front of some scenery from the series we were promoting, and we’d give them safed prop guns to hold.

The number of people who, upon being handed a fake gun, immediately point it at their friends or their own head and pull the trigger, is kind of disturbing.

[u/Scaredsparrow → u/Existing_Charity_818]

Yeah as a guy that's only shot rifles I'm getting diced up by the swordsman while looking for the non existent safety.

Well its either that or he lobs my head off while I'm fumbling around trying to figure out how a holster works.

[u/wingspantt]

This depends wholly on one thing.

Does the swordsman know the other person has a gun, and does the swordsman know what a gun is?

If the answer to both is yes, swordsman will rush the gunman as fast as possible and win 10/10.

Nerves and fear will make the gunman fail to shoot (or shoot accurately) before a single fatal sword strike.

If the swordsman doesn't know, it gets complicated. They might spend too much time assessing what weird object the gunman is holding until it is too late.

[u/KarmaticIrony → u/wingspantt]

If the swordsman knows their objective is to kill the gunman, they are not going to be overly concerned with figuring out what the stuff the gunman is carrying is until after killing them. If they don't know that's what they are there to do, then this question doesn't make sense.

[u/wingspantt → u/KarmaticIrony]

I mean if the swordsman is from say, the past, he may assume the person he's fighting also has a sword or spear or crossbow or something.

If he is just teleported there, he'd probably want to visually confirm what weapon(s) his opponent has before randomly running at him.

There is a difference between walking towards someone you think might have a sheathed weapon you can't see yet, or charging someone with a ranged weapon before you have no chance.

It doesn't make sense to blindly charge someone who might also have a sword. You'll just exhaust yourself while they prepare to cut you down.

[u/KarmaticIrony → u/wingspantt]

You can tell from 30 feet apart if you're enemy has something bigger than a sword on them. Whether they have a dagger or something concealed on their person will not be worth worrying about in this scenario. The goal is to cut them down before they draw a weapon regardless.

[u/steveCharlie → u/KarmaticIrony]

Or take cover, you don't know if the other person is trained or not.

[u/Scriftyy → u/wingspantt]

I mean, how far in the past we're talking? Because guns gave been around since the 1400's. And thry haven't changed shape all too much either. If a swordsman saw a modern pistol they would probably think it's a new type of flintlock, and promptly rush the hell out of the shooter. 

[u/AddanDeith → u/wingspantt]

I mean, you can tell pretty much instantly whether or not they're carrying a sword lol.

If you can't see their weapon at first glance, it's probably a knife/dagger. If I have a longsword, I'm not really that worried lol.

[u/mcfiddlestien → u/wingspantt]

Why would you assume the swordsman wouldn't know what a gun is? The prompt says nothing about time travel and we have professional swordsmen in 2025.

[u/wingspantt → u/mcfiddlestien]

Fair, I know. But sometimes redditors mean "the best swordsman in history" so just putting it out there.

Even still, if a modern swordsman got dropped into a magic teleport duel they might assume their opponent is also a swordsman, and that couple seconds where they learn otherwise could be life or death.

Also consider if they're not bloodlusted, a swordsman might surrender. The gun person, even poorly trained, might just shout "drop the sword or you're dead" even if they don't feel confident, as a show of force.

[u/DrFabulous0 → u/wingspantt]

Well, if we're talking the greatest swordsman in history, then someone like Miyamoto Mushashi probably takes this.

Otherwise, I reckon the gun is an overwhelming advantage, even without training, everyone knows to point and shoot.

[u/wingspantt → u/DrFabulous0]

Everyone knows in theory, but having ten seconds to do it for the first time in your life while a guy charges you with intent to kill is another.

We also don't know what the gun is. If it has high recoil and limited shots, a person might fail to land shots once the first shot misses. Most people won't have an instinct to control the gun carefully and unload the entire magazine.

[u/pandaheartzbamboo → u/wingspantt]

Does the swordsman know the other person has a gun, and does the swordsman know what a gun is?

Another thing to build off that is does the swordsman know the other guys inexperience with guns. If he knows the guy is inexperienced, I am 100% with you. If he doe not know, there might be more hesitation.

[u/Several_Goal2900 → u/wingspantt]

Holy wingspan, I was a fan of your eve stealth bomber videos many years ago, did not expect this

[u/[deleted] → u/wingspantt]

I think something a LOT of people here are forgetting or not recognizing is that gun shot wounds aren’t like what we see in the movies.

Movies portray gun shot wounds to be immediately lethal. In reality though someone typically dies via blood loss unless it hits a lethal spot. Which the average person isn’t going to be able to do at all outside of getting very lucky.

So even if the person with the gun manages to get a couple shots in the swordsman is going to easily close the gap and adrenaline will carry them through the pain. From there the swordsman will slice and dice and gunman is dead. Meanwhile swordsman is likely wounded at worst and needs medical attention.

TLDR: Most likely outcome is swordsman is wounded and gunman dies. Second most likely is both end up dead with the swordsman dying second due to blood loss. Very low probability of Gunman actually living and if they do live they are likely uninjured because they got lucky and got a lethal shot before swordsman could close the distance.

[u/MasklinGNU]

It’s sheathed, not sheeted.

Swordsman wins most of the time. You can close a 30 foot gap in 2 seconds, and ain’t no way you’re figuring out how to turn a safety off while under pressure in only 2 seconds. Even if you could, accurately aiming and firing at a target running at you if you’ve never fired a gun is also not a guarantee

[u/GodIsProbablyDead → u/MasklinGNU]

Whoops

[u/ahhhaccountname → u/MasklinGNU]

Why cant the gun guy run and try and figure it out on the run

[u/Certain-Definition51 → u/MasklinGNU]

Additionally - only a small percentage of gunshots are instantly effective. The vast majority of people who are shot by a handgun survive for at least five minutes.

Even if you land multiple torso hits, a determined swordsman is going to kill you before ex-sanguinating (losing enough blood to lose consciousness).

[u/JonnyGalt]

There are too many factors you did not specify.

What type of hand gun is it? Some very common guns like the Glock don’t have a manual safety. Is it a double action revolver? Single action?

How was the gun carried? Does it already have a round chambered? Is the gun carried with the safety on?

What caliber is the gun and what type of rounds is it carrying?

What type of holster is being used? Some holsters have a strap keeping the gun in, others do not. Where is the gun holstered?

How is this going to play out? Are they facing each other and there is a count down? Is the average person going to stand still or is he able to run?

In the worst case scenario where there is a strap holding the gun into the holster, and it’s holstered somewhere inconvenient, there is a safety and there is no rounds chambered, even an experienced gunman will lose.

In the best case scenario, with a easy to draw holster, rounds chambered and no safety, and 9mm or above hollow points rounds, and the guy is prepared for the charge, I’d give it 6/10 to the gunman.

[u/dontpushpull → u/JonnyGalt]

this guy USA

[u/Blizzk → u/JonnyGalt]

Always with the scenarios

[u/Braverzero → u/JonnyGalt]

The best answer. The conditionals must always be established

[u/jaxon517 → u/JonnyGalt]

Wholly agree with this assessment

[u/HundredHander]

Feels like your tossing a coin, but honestly I think the shooter is going to panic knowing someone with a sword is a couple of seconds a way from gutting them.

[u/mrmonster459]

Swordsman.

Believe me, if you've never shot a handgun, you have no idea how hard it is to hit something at even what you'd think is point blank range. It takes a surprising amount of training just to hit something that you'd think is too close to miss. The first couple times my dad took me to the range, I was shocked how hard it is.

A trained swordsman would absolutely close the distance and disembowel someone who can't aim for shit.

[u/rayschoon → u/mrmonster459]

It’s kind of insane how bad I was at shooting at a target that was 20 feet away

[u/CambionClan → u/mrmonster459]

I honestly don't think that very many people who have never shot a gun (and presumably never drawn one from a holster) could even get the gun out before the swordsman kills him.

[u/DoughnutUnhappy8615 → u/mrmonster459]

Everyone thinks they’re John Wayne until they get out on the range for the first time and all of their shots are pulling low left at 10yrds.

Including me.

[u/rincewind007 → u/mrmonster459]

It is actually much more interesting with an untraoned swordsman aswell.

[u/Rapo1717]

People are forgetting that the gunman can just start sprinting away from the swordsman, and while doing so, figure out how the safety works and then just unload everything to the swordsman.

[u/OriEri → u/Rapo1717]

Try looking at something in your hands and figuring something out while running at full speed. You can’t .

It is a red herring question anyway. Some gun safety mechanisms are far less intuitive than others

[u/CowFirm5634 → u/OriEri]

You wouldn’t have to figure it out while sprinting. You merely sprint away from swordsman and outpace them with ease as they are carrying a sword. Once you’ve increased the space you draw the weapon and try to figure out the safety catch - if the sword fighter gains in that time you start sprinting again to distance yourself. All things equal you will have more gas due to less weight. You use superior mobility/stamina to keep the distance until you eventually figure out the safety and then its point and shoot and it’s all over.

[u/OriEri → u/CowFirm5634]

You have apparently not trained with many swords. A sheathed sword is non encumbering at all.

[u/cosmicmnkey]

If its a glock the average person should win

[u/jhax13 → u/cosmicmnkey]

Lol, it's technically a safety so it counts right?

Even with a glock trigger, 2-3 seconds is still a hard ask for an untrained person. Maybe they manage a shot without aiming though

[u/GymTanLoiter → u/jhax13]

At that distance it’s point and shoot. The problem would be not shooting enough. If the person pulled the trigger once thinking it’s like a movie and one shot will 100% put someone down then they will die from the charging swordsman. If they point shoot and mag dump they win.

[u/CTKM72 → u/GymTanLoiter]

Yea lol I don’t understand all the replies talking about aiming, you’re definitely going to be able to hit a body sized target with a full magazines with of bullets because I’m pretty sure most people aren’t going to stop pulling the trigger until it’s empty.

[u/jhax13 → u/CTKM72]

Look at a stab drill and you'll see what we're thinking: at that distance without a clean drawing motion, the distance is covered to the point where you will have a sword in your face right as you're pulling the trigger.

You won't have time to mag dump, you might get a shot or 2 off and you better hope 1 hits cause you're not taking another one if the sword slashes your arm.

That's why people are talking about aiming, cause if you just start pulling the trigger you're going to hit a bunch of ground and sky.

[u/GymTanLoiter → u/jhax13]

Stab drill is 21 feet. Assuming they backpedal upon go draw within 1-2 seconds which is more than reasonable and point the gun straight they should get shots on target.

It would be an interesting simulation to run and would bet it would be about 50/50.

[u/OmegaKitty1]

If the gunman has the sense to turn around and run , while figuring out the safety then the gunmen wins most of the time.

If the gunman holds their ground while the swordsman rushes him, the swordsman usually wins

[u/[deleted]]

Gun is a pretty broad term.

[u/BonhommeCarnaval → u/[deleted]]

So is sword to be fair. Guy with a zweihander is closing the gap faster than a guy with a gladius. 

[u/tonyis → u/[deleted]]

Yeah this really depends on the gun. A .22 pistol with iron sights? The gun guy has no chance. A 10mm Glock with a red dot? Its not a sure thing, but I'm putting my money on the gun guy.

[u/Gilthwixt → u/tonyis]

Yeah I don't like the top comments for the sole fact that they're basing a lot of their arguments on assumptions like the gun having a safety, needing to chamber a round, etc.

If you give the amateur a double action .357 revolver with a reflex sight there's very little they can fuck up.

[u/jpeck89]

The gunman is already dead.

Law enforcement has a "21 foot" rule, if a person is closer than 21 feet they can charge you and hurt you so you need to use lethal force to neutralize the threat. The swordsman is only 11 feet further away at this point. Law enforcement also do drills to make drawing a firearm muscle memory, our gunman does not have this level of training. Additionally, adrenaline can mess up fine motor skills and make you miss even at point blank range with a rifle or carbine which have higher accuracy than a pistol.

If he's lucky, the gunman will draw and get a shot off and hit the swordsman, before the swordsman kills him. If he's not, he will die as he's drawing the his holstered weapon.

[u/NotAnotherEmpire → u/jpeck89]

And it'd be more than a 21 foot rule if the default was "this person is trained to kill with a 3 foot weapon."

[u/Tytonic7_ → u/jpeck89]

I'm glad somebody else mentioned this. It's based off of the Tueller Drill, and is extremely applicable to many police shooting incidents these days. It's a great drill for person self defense training too.

[u/PhilRubdiez → u/jpeck89]

The 21 foot is draw and fire two aimed lethal shots. You could theoretically get it lower if you have luck and training (obviously not part of this scenario). Maybe you get a break if you have heard of the OODA loop and getting off the X. Usually, that comes after the firearms training, though.

[u/Cymon86 → u/jpeck89]

Some of the worst shots I know are cops. LE =/= firearm proficient.

[u/sprintcarsBR → u/Cymon86]

Anecdotal (I’m not saying you’re lying or that some aren’t dog shit shooters), but even the worst cop is going to be slightly more proficiency than someone who has never fired a gun since they literally have to shoot a gun and complete training before becoming a cop.

[u/kkibb5s]

Depends if the gorilla had breakfast that day

[u/DFMRCV]

Given guns are a game changer cause it allows even untrained civilians to take down armed thugs...

I'll say this: it depends on holster and gun.

The big American gun is the M1911. The safety is honestly kind of obvious on it. A lot of other guns don't even have safeties, too, but if the holster is a police holster rather than a simple leather holster, the person might not know how to undo it in time.

[u/redreddie → u/DFMRCV]

The big American gun is the M1911. The safety is honestly kind of obvious on it.

Maybe. I have shot a lot of rounds (probably more than 100k) through a lot of guns and when given a 1911 to shoot I invariably forget about the thumb safety. Of course, if it was a gun I commonly shot than it would probably be muscle memory and a non-issue but I have put a LOT more rounds through Glocks, M&Ps, various DA/SA and DA Sig Sauers, and revolvers that do not have thumb safeties. Before I knew what I was doing, being told a pistol had a safety led to me hitting the mag release as it was similar to a safety I had on a BB gun as a kid.

[u/DFMRCV → u/redreddie]

You're right on that.

I tend to forget the mag release on the 1911 can actually cause issues if you don't know about it (something similar happened to me with an airsoft replica).

I just went with it as an example cause it's one I'm more used to as someone who's really only fired a few handguns in my life.

I think there may be more obvious safety options for some other handguns, but I'm not sure any that come to mind.

But yeah, if they have a Sig or a Glock that has no obvious safety could make all the difference.

[u/redreddie → u/DFMRCV]

Personally I think the best "safety" on a pistol is a relatively heavy double-action trigger, like in many DA/SA Sigs like the P226 (And similar P229, P224, etc.). I also think this is safer than a striker fired gun when holstering. There is a reason there is a thing called "Glock leg". It is a non-issue when holstering a hammer-fired pistol (especially double-action) as long as I keep my thumb on the hammer. If the trigger catches on something there is immediate feedback BEFORE it goes bang.

[u/DrJupeman]

Safety? There is a reason Glocks have inspired an entire generation of carry pistols…

[u/isitva1711]

There is a lot of 3-4 seconds clearing 10 meters with a longsword in your hand. Is the swordsman also a sprinter? A longsword could weight 4 lbs (1.8kg) or more and be 4ft (1.22 m) long. That is an awkward thing to sprint with.

[u/DewinterCor]

Guns are incredibly easy to use.

Like...it takes minutes to teach young children how to shoot.

And at 10m, you simply need to point and shoot. Aiming isn't necessary.

I have instructed before and most novices are capable of drawing and firing in the general direction of a target in 2-3 seconds before any kind of training is done.

So I'd go 50/50.

The shooter should always get 2 shots off before the knight reaches them, but i give them a 33% chance of hitting with either round.

[u/Davy257]

I’ve never shot a gun with a gun, I’ve only shot other stuff with a gun

[u/NotAnotherEmpire]

Ten meters? Someone skilled with blades would have a good chance against a moderately skilled handgun user. A novice with no muscle memory likely can't get the gun up in time.

If the handgun user can't draw and snapshot directly into the (running) head or neck, this is at least a mutual kill. 

[u/Otaraka]

If he’s had no practise it’s going to be bad unless he is smart enough to run while working out the safety.

[u/TedW → u/Otaraka]

It'd be hard to sprint while figuring anything out. The swordsman is also sprinting, and has no distractions.

[u/WickardMochi]

Some handguns have no safety. Might depend on what gun you have on you

[u/y2ketchup]

Glocks don't have safeties.

[u/b0v1n3r3x]

assuming this is a musket and the gunman has never shot before but knows the concepts, while he is trying to open his powder horn the Samurai is already past him and the gunman hasn't realized that he was just cut in half

[u/Mixilix86]

Are you allowed to turn around and run while getting ready to shoot the guy?

[u/RevengerRedeemed → u/Mixilix86]

It won't help.

[u/bigbangbilly]

That question reminds me of why firearms were a big deal in japanese history

[u/Gishky]

I'm betting on the gunman 9 out of 10 times. they can run away too. and figure out how to de-safetify the gun.

[u/IAmFullOfHat3]

Does the gunman have knowledge about his gun? Like, do they know where the safety is?

[u/goteamventure42]

Is there already a round chambered? Is the safety on? What type of gun?

If the person who has never held a gun has to draw, chamber a round, and find the safety they are definitely losing.

If it's something like a revolver they just have to draw it could go either way, good chance both die.

[u/MatTheScarecrow]

Depends on the gun and how coordinated and level-headed our gunman is.

A reasonably coordinated person (perhaps they play baseball or something) with a simple gun that lacks a mechanical safety, like a snub-nosed double-action revolver or a glock with a round already in the chamber, will probably be able to instinctively yank the gun out of a holster and intuitively point and shoot it with some luck.

Whereas the more complicated the gun gets, and the less coordinated our gunman is, his odds of winning drop rapidly against a trained swordsman 10m away. Whom I assume is sprinting at butthole-puckering intensity.

I'd guess that as soon as the gun has a mechanical safety to operate, our untrained gunman is doomed.

[u/raith041]

Probably not as clear cut as people think. Most on here give the win to the swordsman because he's closing the distance in roughly 3.4 seconds which would typically be too quick for the average person to draw and fire accurately, depending on the type of handgun, safety catch etc and the assumption is that the gunman is either stationary or trying to open the distance. The other assumption is that the swordsman charges straight away whilst drawing his sword.

So what if the swordsman draws his sword whilst stationary and the gunman is backing up? As the question states the gunman knows about safeties and most average people have seen enough movies to understand that the gun likely needs to be cocked before firing. these things will take time to work out but if you're backing up whilst the swordsman is drawing his sword whilst stationary, you're buying yourself a couple more seconds. You might get lucky and have a gun that's ready to fire without fucking about with safeties etc and be able to get a couple of shots off. Even if you just clip the swordsman, that could change the dynamic of the fight in your favour giving you more time to put more lead downrange.....at least until your ammo runs out. So potentially a 50/50 split here.

But then, what if you don't run away or try to open the distance? Instead, what if you draw the gun, let the swordsman (who has drawn his sword) close to within 9-10 feet, throw the gun at his head and charge him? Yes you could end up skewered on three feet of bright steel if he ignores the heavy metal object arcing towards his head but most people (even trained swordsmen) will typically try to block or duck which draws his blade out of his line of attack and puts him off balance. If you can get inside his guard at that point or tackle him then it comes down to who is better at beating the crap out of people. Of course the swordsman would still likely have the advantage due to comparative fitness but the prospect of immediate death from shish kebabing is reduced significantly.

[u/mambotomato]

They both die. You can stab somebody after being shot, and you can shoot somebody after being stabbed.

[u/walletinsurance]

Studies have shown that a knife has the advantage over a gun for 21 feet or less (6.4 meters.)

I'd give it to the sword fighter. If the gun man has never shot a gun before, it's probably less likely he has one in the chamber.

[u/illinoishokie]

I'm going with the gunman. The first time I shot a handgun in my life I was 6/10 from 30ft. With the swordsman getting closer the whole time, that accuracy is going to increase with each successive shot. Assume a 15 round magazine and a 70% hit rate, that's 10 or 11 rounds hitting their target. If those are defensive rounds, the swordsman is dropping after 3 rounds as most.

Start them at 10ft apart to make this fair, IMO.

[u/bladex1234]

The most popular handgun in the world, the Glock, and many others like it have no manual safety. But drawing without shooting yourself is still a question.

[u/Dogstile]

Holstered pistol with the safety on?

Average person's getting fucking skewered. A trained gunman would probably still get skewered, 10 meters is not very far

[u/Personal_Ad9690]

It’s generally accepted in at least the handgun community that <20 ft, a blade is as lethal as a gun. I imagine a sword at 32ft would be just as lethal

[u/Willing-Luck4713]

Not knowing how to work the safety (or where it is) is going to be the nail in the coffin here. There's a time and a place to learn such things, and "while a dude with a sword is rushing you" isn't it.

Sword guy wins.

[u/Chance-Spend5305]

Yes the unholstering safety and chambering a round are the biggest problem points. I’ve never shot a handgun, just a rifle and a shotgun, however my dad said military taught them to keep gun in the center of their body and aim with their body. Swordsman being almost point blank by the time you could get a shot off makes hitting them almost certain. If you are holding gun center of your body chest high it should be a good shot.

That said most would fail to unholster, safety off and chamber in time.

I’d trust more in karate training to be moving sideways to their approach to throw off the angle of their strike, and literally act like I was throwing something at them. It’s pretty ingrained instinct to dodge if you think something is being thrown at you even if you can’t see what they are throwing.

That might buy enough time, by changing their angle of approach, while moving laterally.

[u/Beefgrits]

assuming the gunman can run away to keep a sizable gap, they'd eventually get it unless the swordsman has incredible accuracy and distance for throwing his sword.

[u/DasUbersoldat_]

This is a dumb battle. Knife always wins. Mythbusters proved even an out of shape middle aged man could close the distance before an average person could draw the gun even if you knew how to use it. Which is exactly what I was taught in the army as well.

[u/Fadroh]

Gunman wins with one caveat. The second the match starts he turns and runs the other way while drawing. So long as he maintains some distance he'll be able to deactivate the safety then it's just a matter of hitting really any body part in the center of mass.

If he stands still he just dies before he can get his bearings and aim.

[u/RonocNYC]

I saw this in a market in Cairo once. A raggedy archeologist in a fedora shot a guy with an Arabian scimitar. Not a fair fight.

[u/JimmyGreyArea]

I would bet my entire life savings on the swordsman.

[u/xDotSx]

The gun guy gets stabbed before being able to pull and aim.

[u/NovaNomii]

Both die.

The swordsman certainly gets there first, and gets a basically free hit, but just as someone doesnt instantly die from getting shot in a limb or lower chest (still takes like 6+ seconds if the bullet hits the heart). A single good cut doesnt end the fight, it takes time to bleed out.

So the person with the gun, only has to move backwards or run, while fiddling with the gun, or atleast not get their eye or neck slashed, and they should be able to shot it before they die

[u/captain_ricco1]

You guys are treating this swordman as suicidal and bloodlusted and the gunman as the most incompetent human to ever hold a gun.

The gunman can simply point the gun at the swordman and yell hands up motherfucker and then its over.

[u/RevengerRedeemed → u/captain_ricco1]

It very definitely isn't. Police and military training have a rule of thumb (it varies between 21 and 40 ft, most places) that says someone with a knife in that range is an extreme danger to you. A knife. And that's to people trained at the police/military level.

Now stretch the knife to 3 feet, give it to an expert, and ask the average person whos never used a gun (which is literally what the post says) to draw, undo the safety, and put an accurate shot down range. Not Happening.

Also, yeah, of course we assume bloodlusted, it's a theoretical battle, it's asking who would win in the conflict scenario, not "would the scenario ever happen". Plus, I promise you, people with swords and knives DO charge people with guns.

[u/First-Lengthiness-16]

I would say the swordsman wins against the average person who has experience with a gun.

The swordsman stabs the gunman within 3/4 seconds.

Most people aren’t quick enough to get their gun out and shoot in this time

[u/Confident_Natural_42 → u/First-Lengthiness-16]

I'd disagree, someone who has experience with a gun (and is aware it's a life or death situation) *should* be able to send a few rounds towards the swordsman. Whether they'd hit, that's another story. :)

[u/Existing_Charity_818 → u/First-Lengthiness-16]

The rule of thumb, as I understand it, is that someone with a knife can close a 21 foot gap and make the kill before a gunman can pull his weapon and fire. This assumes a trained gunman. A sword also extends reach, so call it 25 feet. Starting 32 feet apart, so the time it takes the swordsman to run 7 feet is the margin of error for this inexperienced gunman.

Yeah there’s no way the gunman is getting a shot off

[u/Ok-Temporary-8243]

Swordsman. If you watch old police training tapes, you'll see how fast a person can get multiple stabs in before you can even process you're being murdered 

[u/Joseph_Colton]

Look up the 21 Foot Rule and I say that someone who is not trained in handling a handgun will not be able to effectively defend himself in this situation, especially if he has to manipulate a manual safety.

[u/flossdaily]

At worst it's a coin toss. It would depend on the temperament of the gunslinger. Anyone who could keep a cool head could easily gun down the swordsman, because by the time the gun is out and ready to fire, the swordsman has closed the distance to the point where the gunman can't miss. And the swordsman is only getting closer as the gunman empties the clip.

Given the choice of who to be in this situation, I'd go with the gun every time. It's literally bringing a gun to a knife fight.

[u/walletinsurance → u/flossdaily]

People have missed entire magazines while being a few feet from each other.

Adrenaline is crazy.

[u/TheDankKnight115]

Smart money is on the swordsman. Even trained marksmen need about 21 feet (6.4 meters) to shoot someone with a knife in similar scenarios. I've also seen enough people shooting a gun the first time to know they have a hard time drawing, aiming, and shoot accurately at the best of times, let alone under heavy pressure.

[u/WoodpeckerOk8706]

Y’all do realise that having a gun doesn’t mean you can’t move. “Swordsman closes distance”, yeah sure and me, never having used a gun, runs the opposite direction while figuring out the safe of the gun…. Lmfao

[u/RevengerRedeemed → u/WoodpeckerOk8706]

Go ahead and dead sprint from someone in better shape than you trying to murder you with a 3-4 ft long weapon, while you try to stare at your hands and figure out a gun for the first time lmao.

[u/Educational-Cash-329]

Can't the gunman just run away while he is trying to figure out the gun? Just immediatly start sprinting the other way?

[u/RevengerRedeemed → u/Educational-Cash-329]

1) it said the average person VS a trained swordsman. The swordsman is going to be a lot more fit, good luck outrunning.

2) go ahead and take a full sprint, and pick up something complex that you've never used before, and try to look at your hands enough to figure it out, while trying to outrun someone with a 3ft deathstick who wants to kill you, while dealing with the panic.

[u/Xbsnguy]

Is it a retention holster with the snaps? If so, the average person is screwed. Like others have posted already, we have good studies that show how far an attacker with a knife can start and still reach a trained shooter before they can fire a shot. In this scenario, the two combatants start further than the 21 feet rule, but the combatant has a long sword which reduces the distance the attacker needs to close AND the untrained shooter needs to draw their handgun from the holster before aiming and shooting. If it's a retention holster, there's a strong possibility they don't even successfully draw the gun before getting cut or stabbed.

[u/BUKKAKELORD]

Tested in Mythbusters. Swordman advantage even against someone who knows how to operate the gun. Overwhelming swordman advantage against the novice.

[u/Raintamp]

It's a gun, so long as the safety is off it doesn't take much to use.

[u/Sea-Influence-6511]

Easily:

1) The swordsman rushes

2) The guy with the gun is trying to take out the gun

3) THe swordsman is 2 steps away

4) The gunman finds the trigger and shoots, aiming straight at the swordsman's head

5) Swordsman cuts the bullet in half with his Katana

6) The gunman shoots again and grazes swordsman's cheek

7) The gunman is killed by the swordsman who is now bleeding

8) Catgirl runs from behind and hugs the swordsman. Bad day for the bad gunman.

[u/Imperium_Dragon]

Since the gun is holstered and at that distance then the guy with the sword.

[u/WorkerClass]

If the gunman can do one thing while drawing the gun, he'll win.

As most people pointed out, without experience turning off the safety, you won't do that while the swordsman is closing the distance. However, people forget one thing.

The gunman can run too. If he can think to run away while he's drawing and figuring out the safety, he can win.

[u/[deleted]]

The swordsman likely wins, but it may depend on the type of gun (and how easy it is to use), and the nerves of the person wielding it.

The gun wielder could also try to run in order to make time to figure out the gun.

[u/Jaguar_556]

The swordsman wins unless the shooter gets lucky. I’ve seen beginners shoot; they’re really awkward, especially with handguns. Also, depending on what type of pistol it is, recoil control is gonna be a big factor after that first shot if they even get one off.

[u/Odd_Welcome7940]

I think this isn't more about who wins but what percent of people can pull it off. With the criteria listed? I think the swordsman wins atleast 75% of the time. Maybe 85%.

There are plenty of people who have never shot a gun but would be familiar enough that as long as it's loaded and all they had to do was hit the safety could figure it out.

There would be a lot more who couldn't figure it out or would simply be paralyzed by the fight or flight response.

[u/C0smo777]

Matters the gun, some have integrated safeties that don't need to be flipped, in the case I will take the gun. If you need to do anything but point and shoot I take the sword.

[u/hammilithome]

Gunman has 2 seconds to fire or die.

If not a Glock, swordsman wins 10/10.

If a Glock without a chambered round, swordsman wins 9/10.

If a Glock with round chambered (as it should be when carrying), gunman wins 9/10

[u/Kelome001]

Considering how fast martial artists can move (yes swordplay is a martial art) im giving it to them. Sure if the gun holder will likely get a couple shots off, but luck will play a big role in getting any hits. Much less a hit that will incapacitate the swordsman long enough to not be killed. Whats worse, this assumes a simple gun like most modern pistols (assuming pistol and not long gun). Give them a 1911 and probably wont get even one shot off while they fumble the safety.

[u/PermanentlyAwkward]

The trained swordsman, almost definitely. He’d start closing that gap immediately, while the gun-rookie would be looking down at his weapon trying to find the safety, in most cases. Even if he gets the safety off immediately, most people don’t know how to hold a hand gun, and their accuracy can leave much to be desired in such a case. His best bet is cut the safety and wait for a point-blank opening.

[u/[deleted]]

Depends on the gun. If it's a loaded double action revolver, the person with the gun wins. If it is a handgun with the safety off and a round chambered, then again gunman wins. If there isn't a round chambered, then probably the swordsman would win.

[u/Cymon86]

Needs more detail. What pistol? Many modern pistols use integral safeties and don't require a safety be disengaged. Is a round chambered? What kind of holster?

[u/AdPlenty6904]

Make it a shotgun and a much larger percentage of people with the firearm would win. But, swordsman probably wins 99/100 if it's a handgun.

[u/Imaninja72]

Run away as drawing and turning off safety, gunman could win

[u/bigmcstrongmuscle]

I'd put my money on the swordsman. The conventional wisdom is that a charging opponent could successfully sack a trained gunman before they could draw from 21 feet away. I don't think 50% more time is going to be enough to compensate for the total lack of training.

If the distance was 20 meters, that's a different ballgame. I think in that case even an untrained gunman would have a very good opportunity to get a few shots off before impact.

[u/jhax13]

Sword 100% of the time.

Even a trained gunman that doesn't train drawing A LOT is going to struggle with this. If you know your gun and have the draw in muscle memory, I think they take it.

I believe it's something like 3 seconds to draw, aim, and fire if you have the motion down smooth. I'd have to look at the numbers again, but I do know the average person trying for the first time is going to be well over 10 seconds, and thats if they dont totally freeze with a giant sword coming at them with aggression, which they 95/100 times will.

That's plenty of time for the sword bearer to close the distance and ruin the gunman's day. If we're talking about really well trained gunman, it's closer. I have to check the numbers of people's fastest draw speeds but I think a rather skilled person who remains calm will win.

[u/Holeshot75]

If the swordsman rushes him immediately there's very little chance he could get the gun out and pointed up before being cut down.

[u/wolfofoakley]

The only chance the guy with the gun really has is if it's a double action revolver where if you pull the trigger hard it will fire. Otherwise it's almost certainly lights out unless he can outrun the other guy while fumbling with his gun

[u/Slow-Maintenance-670]

Are we assuming the gunman has to stand still and can’t run?

[u/End_Of_Passion_Play]

Guns are fairly intuitive, though I'd say it depends a little on what kind of gun it is. Generally the gunman wins.

[u/JustafanIV]

I think a lot depends on the status of the gun.

If the gun is something modern like a Glock 17, with a full magazine and round in the chamber, I think the gunman stands a decent chance. Glocks lack a manual safety, so all the gunman has to do is point and shoot. Their accuracy will be poor, but probably good enough to win at least 70/30 with basic knowledge and 18 rounds to work with.

As soon as you add more complexities though, the edge dramatically favors the swordsman. Something as simple as no round in the chamber will throw off a first time shooter, and figuring out how to rack the slide will take far more time than is needed for the swordsman to close the distance. Maybe if all that is stopping them is a safety they could figure it out, but I doubt it gets them any better than 20/80.

Having taken several first time shooters to the range, it becomes pretty obvious pretty fast that there is a good amount of skill and experience needed to operate a firearm effectively.

[u/ehaugw]

The gunman can run in the opposite direction while figuring it out. He will win 10/10 of the time

[u/Agitated-Objective77]

Since i read police is Shooting by under 30 feet theres no way to survive a trained Swordsman for a Firearm amateur

[u/Merdestouch]

Can I use the gun itself as a projectile? I feel more Confident in hitting the mark with a small iron brick that I do firing a gun

[u/B-Twizzle]

Swordsman wins easily. The gunman probably wouldn’t think to rack the slide if he’s never fired a gun. Add a couple of seconds for the safety and he’s fucked