Which throwing implement would win a fight?

Hammer or Jav. Jav can stab you, hammer can obliterate you.

Hammer. You're probably not going to actually disable anyone by throwing the implement. You're unlikely to hit a moving and reactive target from any great distance with any implement, and once you've thrown the thing, you're unarmed. So it will probably turn into more of a close quarters fight with people attempting to strike others directly with the weapons. The jav and hammer have the reach advantage over the discus and shot in this scenario. Of the two, I'd give the nod to the hammer due to the force with which it can be swung.

Which implement was actually designed as a fighting weapon?

I'm going with Jav, but like the above poster, I'm suggesting that they shouldn't throw it at range. Instead, they should hold onto it and either throw it at a close range (say 5-10 meters) or use it as a thrusting spear.

I think jav is right. When throwing, the jav is the most accurate. You probably don't want to throw any of them, however, because if you miss, you're unarmed. The shot and the discus are both poor melee weapons unless someone is very close in.

That leaves the hammer and jav, which you can either throw or hold onto and use as effective melee weapons.

Between the hammer and the jav, the hammer would be more unwieldy than the jav and it's not practical to whirl in circles constantly in close combat.

My ranking:

1. Javelin

2. Hammer

3. Discus

4. Shot

Dude, it's basically rock (shot), paper (discus), scissors (javelin). You know how the game works. One implement doesn't always win.

I am going with the discus.

In all cases, assuming we are working in relatively close corners.

1 - Shot - too heavy and easy to avoid when thrown at you.

2 - Hammer - too cumbersome to get going at someone easily and quickly. Even if you get going, getting the proper direction would be tough

3 - Javelin - May be too big to maneuver well in such a short space. Only advantage over Discus is that if fighters are too close, you could beat them with the javelin

4 - Discus - In short range, this could be the best weapon as it can be released quickly and relatively straight and you could knock someone down hard if you can get them because of the speed.

What about the pole vault pole? It has a much longer reach than the hammer or javelin.

Cindy a climate scientist wrote:

What about the pole vault pole? It has a much longer reach than the hammer or javelin.

2 things wrong with it. First, it's not a throwing implement.

Second, too big and cumbersome to control well. I feel that you would need to get a big swing with it to have real impact. In the time it would take to swing, I could move out of the way and get you on a counter before you could recover. Also, I could choose to get close enough to you and the pole so that you wouldn't have enough room to get a good swing on me.

ummm, dont you kids ever watch gladiator movies or 300 or Braveheart? One on one, the spear wins

Cindy a climate scientist wrote:

What about the pole vault pole? It has a much longer reach than the hammer or javelin.

Not very heavy either.

The spear fer shur

, but if I was Thor, it would the hammer

Men of Troy wrote:

The spear fer shur

, but if I was Thor, it would the hammer

A field hammer is too limp for the Mighty Thor. It is merely a shot on a string.

Jav is best weapon, but hammer gives you a good defensive position. Just spin around in circles and nobody can come bear you.

Shot or jav, take yo pick

Is the shot putter allowed to fire his cannonball from an actual cannon?

For me, a hammer is practically useless - by the time you've got enough momentum to get a good enough swing, your opponent's too far out of reach for an accurate shot.

Shot has more of a use than a hammer if you could creep up on someone and drop it on their head. But still, not very good.

Discus is lighter, so it's easier to manoeuvre, yet will still cause considerable damage.

Javelin is the winner for me. Accurate, could cut someone fatally, unlike all the other equipment.

Just spitballing here, but can you use the pole vault pole as a straw, to blow a javelin through it like a spitball?

How long could someone spin "defensively" with a hammer? I'd say at about sixty seconds you'd fall down exhausted. Plus, once you get in a rhythm and the other guy figures out what you're doing and how big your circle is, he's gonna throw a javelin right through you.

I think you'd be an idiot to throw anything that you're holding and leave yourself empty handed. The javelin as a (not thrown) spear is probably best and pretty long. The hammer if used offensively is pretty wicked too but less versatile.