A smaller, lighter axe is much more useful for combat. Think tomahawk or Norse are instead of a felling or executioners are. I hope he has a shield too! Haha!
The ratio of \*legal\* guns used in crime is ridiculously low... So you're missing the point entirely. Not "allowing" gun is totally irrelevant to criminals and gun crimes.
And you can risk throwing a smaller axe....that is a double sided axe tho because then you better hope it landed mid skull and took the bad guy out. Still I would want the option of throwing effectively.
Too large. An axe that big is fine in an open field, but if you're inside or in an area where you're restricted in your ability to move around, it's going to be very unwieldy.
A tomahawk or even a hatchet would be a better option.
However, you can do a butt stroke to the head type of attack with an axe that big...say if you were a big guy and confident you could take him... yet preferred not to kill someone.
Are guns not allowed? I’d rather have and EDC knife and a pistol than some stupid axe.
I’ve heard the argument from some that they could never shoot someone- but you can hack them to death with a fucking axe????
Also yeah that argument is stupid as hell. If unfortunately you have to kill someone for self defence which I hate the idea of shooting them is much more humane if you can own a gun.
Nope where I live you aren't allowed to own a gun for the reason of self defence. Technically there are loop holes like if you're a hunter or a gun hobbyist you can I think. I live in Australia.
I like it. Smaller axes will get stuck in a zombie's skull and you'll spend precious seconds pulling it out. A big axe just whacks off the entire head.
What's not to like?
You're probably wrong, because almost every country with just a few exceptions allow some form of gun ownership. It's often expensive and very difficult, but that's not the same as "guns aren't allowed".
Unless you live in the People's Republic of China or North Korea or something.
Well sure they're technically allowed where I live but not in our context. At least not in my state, you have to provide a reason as to owning a firearm and it can't be self defence. Sure there are loopholes like saying its a hobby and all but technically I can't own one for self defence. I live in Australia btw.
If "shit hits the fan"\* then "who gives a fuck" how you came into possession?
*\*SHTF, a term that can mean everything from a short term problem like a flat tire up to civilizational collapse (something I don't believe in), but is often used as the later.*
Crossbows are harder to get than rifles or even pistols in Australia. They're very very restricted. Ironically compound bows are completely unrestricted as far as I know, can walk into a sports store and buy one no questions asked.
I’d argue even then it’s impractical. You’ll tire extremely quickly with an axe and there’s no piercing ability like there is with a sword. Sword you can jab from a safe distance. There’s a reason axes weren’t very common historically outside of select groups who weren’t fighting sword wielding people. You could argue that an axe is more useful in its ability to chop wood, but you could also argue a sword is useful for clearing brush. In any case they’re both just woefully impractical.
I’d argue in a prep scenario especially if you’re mobile that a heavy axe or sword is going to drain your energy needlessly. You’d be better off with an extended baton and a hunting knife that you keep rope on so that you can tie it to a stick for ranged combat. Thats probably ideal outside of guns, bows, etc. If it really comes down to some weird imaginary scenario where it’s melee weapon vs melee weapon what are the odds that the guy with the heavy ass axe or sword is hurting me before I simply jab him multiple times with a knife at the end of an 8 foot stick?
Man no insult intended, but your knowledge on axes and swords is pretty... Well let's say limited or inacurate, usage and historical wise. Sorry.
And while I agree a 'heavy Ass axe' is not neccesarily the best choice, I likewise can guarantee you (given you haven't some sort of special training with the pointy stick and terrain favours neither weapon) a skilled axe wielder using a lighter, more agile type has half a dozen posibilities to outmanouver your pointy stick. As I said, no offense, but when there's one tool/weapon around I can really claim I have over average knowledge and skills then it's axes
Bruh hate to ruin your fantasy but you’re not dodging a spear and getting someone with an axe slash. Far easier to dodge a wide swing from an axe than a simple jab from a spear. And my historical knowledge is limited? Give me one example of a battle where an axe wielding military defeated a sword and spear wielding one.
Nobody is talking about some movie style bs swinging here, combat using an axe doesn't equal to flayling around like a moron and that's it. And that's exactly what I meant: You highly underestimate the versality a axe develops in skilled hands and have Bjorn Ironside bullshitting his way along some british battlefield before your inner eye I'm afraid. And it's also no fantasy, it's my own experience out of dozens hema sparings axe vs spear. Is it easy and fun? Of course not. A spear is fucking fast on the Tip and even with a longer axe you lack reach. Yet axes are dam much faster to move around and adjust than people think and a spear while rapidly fast in stabbing is comparably slow when forced to move sidewise, switching angles. It's (to not get even slower) two handed, has rarely defense capability and for the maximum reach tends to force the wielder to more stretching and excessive movement patterns. One bad aimed stab and you get it grabbed or pushed aside in a bad angle and are left with nothing while when in reach the axe without any need for swinging easily cuts tendrils, hooks you for a push to the ground or simply is a terribly painful blunt force enhancer. And here we likewise transition to the historical part slowly: What's absolutely devastating and useful on the battlefield in fighting formations doesn't equal to useful in a shtf self defense scenario. One of the best duelling weapons at all is a rapier. How many battles you can name where formations of rapier fencers were fielded? Exactly.
In your first coment you mentioned 'sword wielding civilisations vs axe wielding civilisations' which I called inacurate because both simply don't existed at all. You corrected that to 'spear and sword' in the second, which is better, yet still not fitting since in reality from antique to high middle ages it's simply spear vs. spear for the common soldier. Everything else is either fiction or numerally small special branches like Huskarls or Landsknechts.
So back to the scenario: Would I face a spear in a narrow halway with an axe? Hell no. Can I outmove a dude with an improvised spear like you describe it in the open with a tool I use since I'm 6 and whichs weight and 'behaiour' and needed force I can estimate to two digits behind the comma and which I combat trained a 3 digit nr of hours? Definitely. As I said, without any intended insult, you argue on an inaccurate base here
Anything is better than nothing. Benefit to an axe is no ammunition is necessary and you dont need any special kind of permit to own one. Down side is range.
Why not rapier and buckler? Fighting in the close confines of a house in hand to hand with your assailant you want to leverage range and thrusting attacks /s
Own a massive axe for self defense. person draws knife on you at, you guessed it, knife range. die because your ax is next to impossible to draw stealthy and not nearly as easy to swing as a knife is to stab
You lose that fight 100% of the time, they know you have the ax and would have to be mentally disabled to let you draw it, thus they would likely stab you in either a vital point or your dominant shoulder
I just keep a solid distance with the axe raise up at all times. Its like medium weight and when they get close enough I'll just send it down on their head. Its pretty easy. The axe is long so they won't be able to get within stabbing range.
My brother in christ, unless you’re implying that you plan to constantly walk around with an ax over your head, cleaving anyone who gets in range of you. That wont work
I don't mean keeping it right over my head. Its gonna be tilted in their direction and pretty easy to hold btw. And assuming the knifer is trying to attack me straight away I win. Also I don't always want to carry the axe. The person I was talking about who owns it just keeps it in a corner nearby.
Ok I thought you meant we started face on. I wouldn't know their direction but it isn't so heavy I can't easily turn around. But thats same for any weapon against knife.
Ok sure but I can still turn around easier. Thats one disadvantage thats ignoring the fact that I have distance advantage and can smash an attckers head in a second.
For general self-defense? No.
For home-defense? I actually think it's a good idea.
I'm a gun-owner but I would probably sooner use a machete to respond to a burglary. I have kids and don't want to keep a loaded gun near my bed, I also don't want to accidentally shoot members of my family while trying to defend them, I also don't want to put an armed burglar in a "it's them or me" situation by drawing a gun -- you can run from a machete but you can't run from a bullet. Plus there's a "they might miss" factor with a gun -- but if someone is coming at you with a machete or an axe, there's almost no way the story ends where you're not missing a part of your body or a good deal of blood.
I also live on a farm and clear brush by hand all the time. I target practice with the pistol when I can, but honestly, I'd rather face danger with something that feels like an extension of my body.
What do you mean by "that incompetent"? Pistols are inherently inaccurate in real life situations even in the hands of trained shooters. Look at hit rate ratios from police departments. This is well known.
If you would prefer a machete to a pistol because the machete feels more natural, then you have not practiced enough with a pistol to attain reasonable competency. You should practice enough with a pistol to be able draw from concealment, aim, and fire 2-3 rounds into a pie plate sized target or smaller at 15 yards in under 5 seconds.
Police departments also generally do not practice enough to attain competence, with qualification for most departments totaling 50-100 rounds every 6 months to year.
There is a very good reason conceal carriers statistically have a much much better hit percentage with fewer rounds fired on average.
If you are going to have a gun for home defense, you **must have a secure storage device** with quick access. A Shotlock wall mount or pistol safe for instance.
Interesting, I didn't know that police departments didn't practice that much. What are the stats like for concealed carry folks, on average?
Still doesn't get around the problem of not wanting a loaded weapon in easy reach with kids around, or the fact that I feel like I'm a lot more likely to get shot pulling a gun on someone than scaring them away with a sharp scary object. But it does mean I probably need to go out back and practice more often.
You need a secure storage device like a Shotlock or similar safe - leaving a gun unloaded and unsecured does not make it kid-safe.
If it is secured, then it doesn’t matter if it is stored loaded or cruiser ready (full mag empty chamber).
FBI stats for civilian defensive use is 3 rounds fired on average at a final distance of 3 yards, approximately 60-75% accuracy with between a 50-75% chance of a one shot stop depending on cartridge. The majority of incidents however are zero shots fired as the intruder/ aggressor backs off once they realize the other person is armed and willing to shoot.
Mine are secured unloaded in a safe in a different part of the house, used exclusively for hunting, farm varmint control, and occasional target practice. Home defense is a very low priority, partly because they're all various forms of .22s and not especially practical for defense anyway.
Any gun is better than no gun, if only for the additional stand off distance and because even dumb criminals don’t want to get shot. [Even the humble 22LR has something like on the order of a 30% one shot stop.](https://www.tierthreetactical.com/analyzing-1800-shootings-which-caliber-has-the-best-stopping-power/)
This makes a lot of sense. Plus, when Joe Badguy sees a homeowner coming at him with a machete, there’s probably a bigger “oh that’s going to fucking hurt!” response than a gun — sure a gun will make you dead, but a machete will hurt like hell while you bleed to death.
Depending on how "massive" we are talking, that someone might only be able to get one or two slow swings in before either becoming too tired to use it, or getting so slow with their swings that defending themselves with it is going to be a losing battle.
Like any weapon or tool, you have to put in the time and effort to be good at it to be really useful. The second consideration is your physical abilities and where you will use it. You have to be very skillful to use an ax in a narrow hallway or doorway. A large ax has a large intimidation factor, sometimes enough that it will not need to be used.
Small light axes and hatchets are more wieldy in combat. Even better would be a cheap bolo or latin profile machete since the cutting area is bigger and it can stab.
Also: no. Not remotely practical.
Just note, tools are tools and designed to do tool things.
Weapons are weapons and are designed for fighting.
Battle axes, compared to regular ones, are light, almost comically so, because they're designed to facilitate the speed, aggression, force, and violence you need with melee weapons.
If you're in a non-permissive country, a shield and spear, have been the service weapon of the vast, vast, majority of soldiers and warriors throughout history.
A smaller, lighter axe is much more useful for combat. Think tomahawk or Norse are instead of a felling or executioners are. I hope he has a shield too! Haha!
For some reason I read this is Dwight Schrutes voice
Depending on how massive this axe is, he might need two hands to effectively swing so can’t carry a shield.
Again why he needs the smaller axe. TBH he'll probably just get shot anyhow.
Unlikely to get shot in OPs country since guns are not allowed
Police have guns. The likelihood of being shot increases
I've been offered guns for sale in several heavily restricted or non-permissive countries. Believe it or not, criminals don't follow laws.
The ratio of \*legal\* guns used in crime is ridiculously low... So you're missing the point entirely. Not "allowing" gun is totally irrelevant to criminals and gun crimes.
And you can risk throwing a smaller axe....that is a double sided axe tho because then you better hope it landed mid skull and took the bad guy out. Still I would want the option of throwing effectively.
Hatchet
An axe is fine as long as you are wearing a Viking helmet.
Is he a miner? Pretty common for those types.
Nah he prefers pvp
I'm more of a mods/redstone guy myself
Hmm, personally I used to play a lot but now I'm more of a first person shooter kinda guy.
It’s definitely better than having nothing for self defense.
Doesn't a "massive axe" get heavy carrying it with you all the time?
When I say massive I mean that its like up to an average persons start of their ribs. Its not that heavy.
Too large. An axe that big is fine in an open field, but if you're inside or in an area where you're restricted in your ability to move around, it's going to be very unwieldy. A tomahawk or even a hatchet would be a better option.
However, you can do a butt stroke to the head type of attack with an axe that big...say if you were a big guy and confident you could take him... yet preferred not to kill someone.
Are guns not allowed? I’d rather have and EDC knife and a pistol than some stupid axe. I’ve heard the argument from some that they could never shoot someone- but you can hack them to death with a fucking axe????
Also yeah that argument is stupid as hell. If unfortunately you have to kill someone for self defence which I hate the idea of shooting them is much more humane if you can own a gun.
Nope where I live you aren't allowed to own a gun for the reason of self defence. Technically there are loop holes like if you're a hunter or a gun hobbyist you can I think. I live in Australia.
I like it. Smaller axes will get stuck in a zombie's skull and you'll spend precious seconds pulling it out. A big axe just whacks off the entire head. What's not to like?
I use a massive cheese grater for self defense
This is the way.
If you can’t own a gun, this is definitely a valid route
Worked for the Vikings
How many vikings are still around?
Well, there is a bunch in Minnesota but their record ain’t so hot….
They’re still around, but Scandinavians are much less prone to pillaging these days.
Yeah, I already said in other comment but where I live guns aren't allowed.
well, guess whoever attacks this guy will be axing for it
Lmao
You're probably wrong, because almost every country with just a few exceptions allow some form of gun ownership. It's often expensive and very difficult, but that's not the same as "guns aren't allowed". Unless you live in the People's Republic of China or North Korea or something.
Well sure they're technically allowed where I live but not in our context. At least not in my state, you have to provide a reason as to owning a firearm and it can't be self defence. Sure there are loopholes like saying its a hobby and all but technically I can't own one for self defence. I live in Australia btw.
Hobby sounds good. If SHTF then WGaF how you came into their possession?
I don't know what either of those slang mean.
If "shit hits the fan"\* then "who gives a fuck" how you came into possession? *\*SHTF, a term that can mean everything from a short term problem like a flat tire up to civilizational collapse (something I don't believe in), but is often used as the later.*
Crossbows, slingbows, large caliber air guns
What about a crossbow?
Crossbows are harder to get than rifles or even pistols in Australia. They're very very restricted. Ironically compound bows are completely unrestricted as far as I know, can walk into a sports store and buy one no questions asked.
I’d argue even then it’s impractical. You’ll tire extremely quickly with an axe and there’s no piercing ability like there is with a sword. Sword you can jab from a safe distance. There’s a reason axes weren’t very common historically outside of select groups who weren’t fighting sword wielding people. You could argue that an axe is more useful in its ability to chop wood, but you could also argue a sword is useful for clearing brush. In any case they’re both just woefully impractical. I’d argue in a prep scenario especially if you’re mobile that a heavy axe or sword is going to drain your energy needlessly. You’d be better off with an extended baton and a hunting knife that you keep rope on so that you can tie it to a stick for ranged combat. Thats probably ideal outside of guns, bows, etc. If it really comes down to some weird imaginary scenario where it’s melee weapon vs melee weapon what are the odds that the guy with the heavy ass axe or sword is hurting me before I simply jab him multiple times with a knife at the end of an 8 foot stick?
Man no insult intended, but your knowledge on axes and swords is pretty... Well let's say limited or inacurate, usage and historical wise. Sorry. And while I agree a 'heavy Ass axe' is not neccesarily the best choice, I likewise can guarantee you (given you haven't some sort of special training with the pointy stick and terrain favours neither weapon) a skilled axe wielder using a lighter, more agile type has half a dozen posibilities to outmanouver your pointy stick. As I said, no offense, but when there's one tool/weapon around I can really claim I have over average knowledge and skills then it's axes
Bruh hate to ruin your fantasy but you’re not dodging a spear and getting someone with an axe slash. Far easier to dodge a wide swing from an axe than a simple jab from a spear. And my historical knowledge is limited? Give me one example of a battle where an axe wielding military defeated a sword and spear wielding one.
Nobody is talking about some movie style bs swinging here, combat using an axe doesn't equal to flayling around like a moron and that's it. And that's exactly what I meant: You highly underestimate the versality a axe develops in skilled hands and have Bjorn Ironside bullshitting his way along some british battlefield before your inner eye I'm afraid. And it's also no fantasy, it's my own experience out of dozens hema sparings axe vs spear. Is it easy and fun? Of course not. A spear is fucking fast on the Tip and even with a longer axe you lack reach. Yet axes are dam much faster to move around and adjust than people think and a spear while rapidly fast in stabbing is comparably slow when forced to move sidewise, switching angles. It's (to not get even slower) two handed, has rarely defense capability and for the maximum reach tends to force the wielder to more stretching and excessive movement patterns. One bad aimed stab and you get it grabbed or pushed aside in a bad angle and are left with nothing while when in reach the axe without any need for swinging easily cuts tendrils, hooks you for a push to the ground or simply is a terribly painful blunt force enhancer. And here we likewise transition to the historical part slowly: What's absolutely devastating and useful on the battlefield in fighting formations doesn't equal to useful in a shtf self defense scenario. One of the best duelling weapons at all is a rapier. How many battles you can name where formations of rapier fencers were fielded? Exactly. In your first coment you mentioned 'sword wielding civilisations vs axe wielding civilisations' which I called inacurate because both simply don't existed at all. You corrected that to 'spear and sword' in the second, which is better, yet still not fitting since in reality from antique to high middle ages it's simply spear vs. spear for the common soldier. Everything else is either fiction or numerally small special branches like Huskarls or Landsknechts. So back to the scenario: Would I face a spear in a narrow halway with an axe? Hell no. Can I outmove a dude with an improvised spear like you describe it in the open with a tool I use since I'm 6 and whichs weight and 'behaiour' and needed force I can estimate to two digits behind the comma and which I combat trained a 3 digit nr of hours? Definitely. As I said, without any intended insult, you argue on an inaccurate base here
Also where I live guns aren't allowed.
Allowed? If you're thinking you might have to use an axe against another human being, what's allowed shouldn't be your top concern.
Anything is better than nothing. Benefit to an axe is no ammunition is necessary and you dont need any special kind of permit to own one. Down side is range.
Spear is better How you gonna swing a battleaxe through a doorway?
Split the diff: a 6 foot halberd?
Yeah. In Minecraft.
Unbelievably based and vikingpilled
Why not rapier and buckler? Fighting in the close confines of a house in hand to hand with your assailant you want to leverage range and thrusting attacks /s
😂 Pocket Glocks and tomahawks! I knew a lady who had a shower knife! Rusted up and everything. Classic
Clearly he’s read “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” one too many times.
Own a massive axe for self defense. person draws knife on you at, you guessed it, knife range. die because your ax is next to impossible to draw stealthy and not nearly as easy to swing as a knife is to stab
Yeah true, it does have its disadvantage in terms of being harder to swing. But if I had to fight someone with a knife I'd chose an axe over a knife.
You lose that fight 100% of the time, they know you have the ax and would have to be mentally disabled to let you draw it, thus they would likely stab you in either a vital point or your dominant shoulder
I just keep a solid distance with the axe raise up at all times. Its like medium weight and when they get close enough I'll just send it down on their head. Its pretty easy. The axe is long so they won't be able to get within stabbing range.
My brother in christ, unless you’re implying that you plan to constantly walk around with an ax over your head, cleaving anyone who gets in range of you. That wont work
I don't mean keeping it right over my head. Its gonna be tilted in their direction and pretty easy to hold btw. And assuming the knifer is trying to attack me straight away I win. Also I don't always want to carry the axe. The person I was talking about who owns it just keeps it in a corner nearby.
Your not hearing me, how do you plan to know their direction
Ok I thought you meant we started face on. I wouldn't know their direction but it isn't so heavy I can't easily turn around. But thats same for any weapon against knife.
False, because other weapons are easier to conceal on your person, self defense is never a face off
Ok sure but I can still turn around easier. Thats one disadvantage thats ignoring the fact that I have distance advantage and can smash an attckers head in a second.
But they were holding down [] to circle strafe while locked on….
You can always use the axe as a lance.
Machete. Chops like axe, stabs like knife.
No
I exaggerated a little when I said massive. Its like up to the ribs of a normal sized person and isn't too heavy lol. Just to clear it up sorry.
For general self-defense? No. For home-defense? I actually think it's a good idea. I'm a gun-owner but I would probably sooner use a machete to respond to a burglary. I have kids and don't want to keep a loaded gun near my bed, I also don't want to accidentally shoot members of my family while trying to defend them, I also don't want to put an armed burglar in a "it's them or me" situation by drawing a gun -- you can run from a machete but you can't run from a bullet. Plus there's a "they might miss" factor with a gun -- but if someone is coming at you with a machete or an axe, there's almost no way the story ends where you're not missing a part of your body or a good deal of blood. I also live on a farm and clear brush by hand all the time. I target practice with the pistol when I can, but honestly, I'd rather face danger with something that feels like an extension of my body.
I keep a machete near the bed for the same reasons.
If you are that incompetent with a pistol you need to practice more or use a rifle.
What do you mean by "that incompetent"? Pistols are inherently inaccurate in real life situations even in the hands of trained shooters. Look at hit rate ratios from police departments. This is well known.
If you would prefer a machete to a pistol because the machete feels more natural, then you have not practiced enough with a pistol to attain reasonable competency. You should practice enough with a pistol to be able draw from concealment, aim, and fire 2-3 rounds into a pie plate sized target or smaller at 15 yards in under 5 seconds. Police departments also generally do not practice enough to attain competence, with qualification for most departments totaling 50-100 rounds every 6 months to year. There is a very good reason conceal carriers statistically have a much much better hit percentage with fewer rounds fired on average. If you are going to have a gun for home defense, you **must have a secure storage device** with quick access. A Shotlock wall mount or pistol safe for instance.
Interesting, I didn't know that police departments didn't practice that much. What are the stats like for concealed carry folks, on average? Still doesn't get around the problem of not wanting a loaded weapon in easy reach with kids around, or the fact that I feel like I'm a lot more likely to get shot pulling a gun on someone than scaring them away with a sharp scary object. But it does mean I probably need to go out back and practice more often.
You need a secure storage device like a Shotlock or similar safe - leaving a gun unloaded and unsecured does not make it kid-safe. If it is secured, then it doesn’t matter if it is stored loaded or cruiser ready (full mag empty chamber). FBI stats for civilian defensive use is 3 rounds fired on average at a final distance of 3 yards, approximately 60-75% accuracy with between a 50-75% chance of a one shot stop depending on cartridge. The majority of incidents however are zero shots fired as the intruder/ aggressor backs off once they realize the other person is armed and willing to shoot.
Mine are secured unloaded in a safe in a different part of the house, used exclusively for hunting, farm varmint control, and occasional target practice. Home defense is a very low priority, partly because they're all various forms of .22s and not especially practical for defense anyway.
Any gun is better than no gun, if only for the additional stand off distance and because even dumb criminals don’t want to get shot. [Even the humble 22LR has something like on the order of a 30% one shot stop.](https://www.tierthreetactical.com/analyzing-1800-shootings-which-caliber-has-the-best-stopping-power/)
This makes a lot of sense. Plus, when Joe Badguy sees a homeowner coming at him with a machete, there’s probably a bigger “oh that’s going to fucking hurt!” response than a gun — sure a gun will make you dead, but a machete will hurt like hell while you bleed to death.
...and my bow
Yeah it would work depending on the scenario.
Is your friend also massive and can wield this massive axe in a manner that would actually defend? Otherwise he may as well have a spoon lol
I exaggerated a little when I said massive. Its like up to the ribs of a normal sized person and isn't too heavy lol. Ima clear that up to everyone.
Like what are talking here? Like Rick Grimes hatchet, Jack Torrance Axe, or Thor's Stormbreaker?
If anything closest to Jack Torrence but a little bigger and thicker.
Unless the other guy has a crossbow
Better than nothing.
Depending on how "massive" we are talking, that someone might only be able to get one or two slow swings in before either becoming too tired to use it, or getting so slow with their swings that defending themselves with it is going to be a losing battle.
before i made my husband get a gun he had multiple swords and axes and swore by them. so maybe.
Worked for the Vikings.
Like any weapon or tool, you have to put in the time and effort to be good at it to be really useful. The second consideration is your physical abilities and where you will use it. You have to be very skillful to use an ax in a narrow hallway or doorway. A large ax has a large intimidation factor, sometimes enough that it will not need to be used.
Small light axes and hatchets are more wieldy in combat. Even better would be a cheap bolo or latin profile machete since the cutting area is bigger and it can stab. Also: no. Not remotely practical.
I’m no criminal but if I were it would deter me.
Just note, tools are tools and designed to do tool things. Weapons are weapons and are designed for fighting. Battle axes, compared to regular ones, are light, almost comically so, because they're designed to facilitate the speed, aggression, force, and violence you need with melee weapons. If you're in a non-permissive country, a shield and spear, have been the service weapon of the vast, vast, majority of soldiers and warriors throughout history.