History Main / ImprobableUseOfAWeapon

[[folder:General]]
* While it's possible to swing the blade of a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusarigama kusarigama]] by the chain (Wikipedia calls this the "Houten Ryu style"), doing so has a tendency not to work very well, and the chain is just used for swinging the weight around. [[RuleOfCool Except in fiction.]] For this reason fictional examples tend to have smaller or non-existent handles.
* [[SliceAndDiceSwordsmanship All swords]] tend to always be used to slash. Even specialized swords which might be designed for other styles (for example rapiers are designed for thrusting and sabres are designed for slashing).
* All swords will be used to block rather than parry or riposte. Swordfighters will catch each others' impact on the edge of their own weapon when they block, and then [[BladeLock both will lock blades in order to grimace at each other determinedly]]. To really show their prowess, they will grind those edges against each other with all their might.
* Kunai are pretty common targets of this trope. Kunai are often portrayed as having sharp edges. In actuality, only the tip is sharp. The kunai was designed as a trowel, not as a dagger. Following that, they were not typically thrown (but then again, [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks neither are most weapons that get thrown in fiction]], and throwing a kunai is certainly more plausible than throwing a sword).
* [[GunsAkimbo Using two handguns at once]]. You can fire them that way, but aiming is impossible and since you're only using one hand each the recoil sends your bullets all over the place. Also, using high caliber pistols like a Desert Eagle with only one hand requires an extremely strong arm, as the thing weighs almost 2 kg, and that's not even considering the recoil.
* Shooting from the hip is pretty much pointing your gun in the general direction of your target and firing without aiming at all. With only 30 rounds in the magazine even an assault rifle has a very good chance to not hit anything at close distance.
* Catching a grenade and putting the pin back, thus making it not explode. Sorry, no. The pin is preventing the striker lever from being released when you're not holding down the handle. As long as you don't release the handle you could probably put the pin back, but once released, the fuse has already been triggered; your best bet is simply to notice when the grenade is coming your way and get the hell away.
* [[MoreDakka Continuously firing man-portable weapons on full automatic.]] In real life, the high volume of shots would not make up for the inaccuracy from recoil even at very close range, you'd have to reload most weapons after a few seconds, and the barrels of most weapons would quickly deform into uselessness because the overheating weakens the material. The only ''valid'' purpose of doing something like this is to get the enemy to duck behind cover instead of shooting at your comrades while they maneuver. That is the main purpose of light and medium machine guns (which also tend to have either large drum magazines or even larger ammo belts to sustain this kind of fire longer than an assault rifle could and barrels that can be replaced quickly) in infantry combat, but even those usually don't have whole magazines emptied in a single burst.
* Using a policeman's baton (or nightstick) offensively like a club, especially if it's an actual policeman using it; a baton is supposed to be a ''defensive'' weapon, and is never used that way by someone trained in its use.
* Using a SpellBook as a bludgeoning/throwing weapon. This one, however, is often used deliberately as a gag.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''Manga/OnePiece''

[[folder:Comics]]

* Hawkeye has nothing on ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' villain [[ImprobableWeaponUser Bullseye]], who's the best assassin in the Marvel Universe and is capable of killing with ''any weapon or throwable object.'' Things that Bullseye has used as weapons include paperclips, toothpicks, paper airplanes, golf balls, peanuts, and his own teeth.

* In the ''Comicbook/RatchetAndClankComic'' Ratchet throws his pistol at Zogg's robots twice after it runs out of ammo. Once in the first issue and once in the fourth issue.

[[folder:Fanfic]]
* In ''Fanfic/MyImmortal'' James Potter somehow manages to pull out a knife and start shooting at Lucious Malfoy with it.

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

* In ''Film/{{Predator}}'', Jesse Ventura uses a hand-held GE M134 Minigun. It is impossible for anyone to really hold and use this weapon. In RealLife this gun is mounted on a helicopter or armoured vehicle, it is far too heavy to be used otherwise. An even smaller version was actually designed to be man-portable, the [=XM214=] "Microgun" of the 1970s, but even it was designed to be used with a tripod, and never made it past the prototype stage because it didn't offer any advantages over existing single-barreled machine guns that its own weight and extreme fire rate didn't circumvent.

* In ''Film/PrinceCaspian'' Susan throws an arrow at a soldier. It lands point in, in his heart and kills him. Justified by the arrows being [[AWizardDidIt a gift from Aslan]]. And Susan wields her bow like a staff when soldiers are up close and personal.

* In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', Hawkeye runs out of arrows and is forced to fight the Chitauri with just his bow instead. This one has some historic precedent -- unstringed longbows, for instance, made pretty good quarterstaves. By the time of ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', Hawkeye has a new bow that can turn into a proper quarterstaff.

* In the trailers for ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', as in the comics, Rocket Raccoon is shown hand-wielding a minigun-type weapon ''bigger than he is.'' Not that a film featuring a gun-wielding raccoon and his buddy the talking tree should be [[RuleOfCool held to a high standard of realism]], but it may be justified as Rocket has been subjected to various painful augmentations.

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' The City Watch Novels, Detritus the troll's WeaponOfChoice is a ballista. He is able to use it like a crossbow just because he's so damn big. Sometimes it's used to fire the iron spears it was designed to fire, but most of the time Detritus loads it with bundles of arrows. Which shatter from the force of being fired. Then burst into flames from the air friction. When Detritus test-fired it for the first time, it wiped out the training targets, the hill behind them, and some birds that happened to be flying ''directly above him''. He calls it the Piecemaker. It cannot be fired indoors, primarily because it's no longer indoors after he fires.
--> '''Vimes''': When Mr. Safety Catch is not on, Mr. Crossbow is ''not your friend''.

* ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'': In "The Host," Kelly uses Ash's shotgun as a marijuana pipe.

* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype 2}}'': James Heller is capable of ripping weapon mounts off of tanks and helicopters and carrying them around. In universe he's strong enough to punch out a tank, so this makes sense. However, in addition to carrying these weapons around and [[ImprovisedWeapon throwing them]] ''he can actually fire them'' which qualifies for this trope since these are vehicle mounted weapons that fired from inside the vehicle and don't actually have triggers. Many of these weapons (especially helicopter missile launchers) seem to have far more shots than you would expect from looking at them, which also counts.

* RealLife: on ''Series/MythBusters'', shooting an escape hole in the floor or shooting out a lock proved possible but far, far more difficult than using the proper tools - a boltcutter and circular saw, and required fairly impressive firepower.

* Shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons, such as RPG-7, make excellent anti-helicopter weapons. The Somali insurgents downed two AH-60 Apaches in Mogadishu with shoulder launched anti-tank rocket propelled grenades.

* The Finnish RK-62 assault rifle magazines make excellent bottle openers. The [[IsraelisWithInfraredMissiles IMI Galil ARM]], which is based on RK-62 design, has a bottle opener built into its bipod because of problems with soldiers using magazines of other rifles as improvised bottle openers, damaging the magazine lips in the process and causing feed problems.

* Catching a grenade and putting the pin back, thus making it not explode. Sorry, no. The pin is preventing the striker lever from being released when you're not holding down the handle. As long as you don't release the handle you could probably put the pin back, but once released, the fuse has already been triggered.

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' has Rapid-fire muzzleloaders. It subverted the "used the blunt side" trope, though—Zelgadiss assures someone he's just cut that he didn't use the cutting edge, then pauses, and looks at his sword. "Wait...this is a double-edged sword. Uh, sorry?"

* Subverted by Manga/{{Golgo 13}}. His choice of an M16 seems an odd choice for a sniper, especially since popular imagination has it to be some kind of close combat sub-machine gun. However, as the creator is [[ShownTheirWork more than willing to point out]], the M16 is an assault ''rifle'', and is perfectly fine for sniping targets up to 500 meters, especially in the hands of a skilled user more interested in getting a job done than setting distance records…which Duke Togo certainly is. It's also a very easy gun to both find and modify, which is handy for a professional who discards weapons as soon as he's through with them. An M16 can also be made very accurate indeed, at least within the range limitations of its 5.56mm round.

* Izaya of ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}} uses several switch blades as ''projectile weapons''.

* Cap's Avengers teammate ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} is the world's greatest archer (and one of the above-mentioned other people who can throw Cap's shield effectively) as well as an all-around expert marksman--and we mean ''all-around''. He's subdued enemies with coins, normal playing cards, and even ''his own fingernails'' (in ComicBook/UltimateMarvel at least). Once when his bow was broken by enemies, he managed to subdue them by throwing arrows like darts. And when cornered, he can easily use his bow as a melee weapon.

* In ''Film/{{Predator}}'', Jesse Ventura uses a hand-held GE M134 Minigun. It is impossible for anyone to really hold and use this weapon. In RealLife this gun is mounted on a helicopter or armoured vehicle, it is far too heavy to be used otherwise. An even smaller version was actually designed to be man-portable, the [=XM214=] "Microgun" of the 1970s, but even it was designed to be used with a tripod, and never made it past the prototype stage.

* The IMI Galil ARM had a bottle opener built into its bipod because of problems with soldiers using magazines of other rifles as improvised bottle openers, damaging the magazine lips in the process and causing feed problems.

* In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', Hawkeye runs out of arrows and is forced to fight the Chitauri with just his bow instead. This one has some historic precedent -- unstringed longbows, for instance, made pretty good quarterstaves.

* In ''Film/{{Ultraviolet}}'', guns are used for '''everything''', including opening doors, cauterizing wounds, and occasionally killing people.

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' has Rapid-fire muzzleloaders.
** It subverted the "used the blunt side" trope, though—Zelgadiss assures someone he's just cut that he didn't use the cutting edge, then pauses, and looks at his sword. "Wait...this is a double-edged sword. Uh, sorry?"

* Kaede Nagase in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' is a ninja who mostly follows the rules of Hollywood Ninjas (kunai, explosives). Except for her being listed on {{BFS}}; it stands for [[FuumaShuriken BF]]''[[FuumaShuriken Shuriken]]''. She does throw it, but it's normally used to shield her and smash her targets. Note that shuriken were used as make-shift blades for close-in defense in RealLife. They just happened to often be small and annoying.
** On one occasion she does throw it, she takes out a number of opponents. She assures some onlookers that the giant whirling deathball she just threw is totally nonlethal because she hit with the back of the blade. Do note that her shuriken [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_kaede_with_her_shuriken_8798.jpg doesn't appear]] to actually ''have'' a dull side, and that the onlookers still think it should be fatal.

* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica uses his mighty shield as a throwing weapon. And as a club, but that's actually an often overlooked RealLife application of the shield; it's traditionally a bloody great lump of wood with metal furniture. Why ''wouldn't'' you hit your opponent in the face with it?
** Cap's shield has some special qualities that make throwing it a great idea, mainly due to being made of the fictional super metal Vibranium. Though only Cap and a small handful of other people are capable of throwing it without being more of a danger to themselves than to the enemy.
** Note that the shield's edge is sharp--he once used it to ''decapitate a vampire!''

* ''Film/TheGamers'': Attempting to perform a BackStab with a BALLISTA.
** Ahem. ''[[CrossesTheLineTwice Successfully]]'' {{Back Stab}}bing a person with a ballista. ''In a tavern.''
** Lampshaded by the DM.
** And [[TruthInTelevision technically possible]] in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', unless the DM [[RuleZero specifically forbids it]]. Probably best not to try unless your DM is ''very'' forgiving.

** More specifically, a big guy like Ventura can certainly lift the 70-pound Minigun, but carrying a weapon that heavy into battle ''in addition'' to all the usual equipment that any soldier carries would be quite impractical. And ''also'' carrying the 2,000-round ammo drum (the ammo alone would weigh over a 100 pounds) and power supply on his back would've been completely implausible. Because even standing while carrying that much weight would be difficult, Ventura carried less than a full drum of blanks (which weigh less than regular ammo) and the battery was on the ground, hidden from the camera's view. But the main problem is the recoil, which would be far beyond even the strongest human's ability to handle. Again the blanks helped with that (since blanks have much less recoil), as did slowing the rate of fire dramatically, which also made the scene more dramatic by making the barrels spin slowly enough for the human eye to follow.
** Not to mention that at a full rate of fire the ammo would have been expended in a matter of seconds.

** [[FridgeBrilliance She also made the coffin bullet proof, presumably so it could be carried by a super-strong cyborg.]]
* In TheFilmOfTheBook ''Film/PrinceCaspian'' Susan throws an arrow at a soldier. It lands point in, in his heart and kills him. Justified by the arrows being [[AWizardDidIt a gift from Aslan]].
** And Susan wields her bow like a staff when soldiers are up close and personal.

* The [[DrunkenMaster Demoman]] from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' uses a UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-era Stielhandgranate as melee weapon

** The sniper's [[CherryTapping taunt kill]] with his unlockable bow has him stab an opponent with the arrow.
*** Another of his unlockables is a tranquilizer rifle, which he uses to fire [[UrineTrouble piss-filled darts]]. They're as deadly as regular bullets, except they can't headshot.

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', the Warrior ability [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks Heroic Throw]] does exactly what it sounds like it does - no matter what size or shape the Warrior's weapon is. One tie-in novel has a (granted, extremely skilled and demigod-blessed) warrior throw his giant two-handed sword like a spear.

*** Monks in Mists of Pandaria are similar, mostly attacking with their bare hands.

* Aric Jorgan, the Trooper's ranged damage companion in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', qualifies as his combat stance is referred to as "Sniper Mode." His weapon of choice is also a [[{{BFG}} blaster autocannon]] held at hip level. Usually, people use sniper rifles to do their sniping, but not Jorgan. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Hathcock#Legacy Then again, neither do certain real-life war heroes]] mentioned in the real life section of this page, but Jorgan doesn't even use a scope or bipod, and, again, [[ImprobableAimingSkills shoots from the hip]].
** As of the Knights of a Fallen Empire re-vamp of SW:TOR across the board, this is no longer the case, as Jorgan is equipped by default with a sniper rifle and won't take any weapon except a blaster rifle(be that a carbine like the GCW E-11, assault rifle-type like the GCW-era A280, a long rifle like the Clone Wars DC-15A, or a genuine sniper rifle with scope and all like the GCW-era DLT-19X/E-11S(they're effectively the same weapon with two different names). Though with some other companions this veers right back around as Kaliyo Djannis, an Imperial Agent companion who formerly used blaster pistols now is restricted to blaster rifles, as above, even though her entire fighting style is/was heavily modelled on a brawler 'no-holds-barred' aesthetic, which a long-barrelled weapon is not entirely conducive to. Made even more frustrating in that many scenes have, at the time of this response, yet to be edited to match, so if Kaliyo is aiming her weapon at someone, it will register her as not holding a pistol and [[{{FingerGun}} make her hand empty]]--though everyone will still react as though she's holding a deadly weapon.
* As above about kusarigama, Axl Low of ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' uses one with a second sickle in place of the weight on the other end of its chain.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordhau Mordhau]] in German School of Swordsmanship. It is basically grabbing the sword on the blade, swinging it wrong way around and smashing the opponent's face with the crossguard. Likewise, the crossguard can be also used on tripping the opponent.
** This is something of an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] as the ''mordhau'' is not only practical, but in some situations is ''downright necessary.'' Despite what [[AbsurdlySharpBlade fiction tells us]], swords are actually quite poor weapons against plate armour, as the force of the swing is spread over a large surface area when the blade hits the armour. The ''mordhau'' essentially turns the sword into an improvised mace, focusing all the force of the swing into the tip of the crossguard which makes it far more effective at puncturing armour.
** In the German School of Swordsmanship, ''the whole sword'' is a weapon. The pommel doubles as a mace, the crossguard can be used as a weapon or tripping or binding instrument, and another unusual technique is ''Halbschwerten'', which means grabbing the sword with one hand on the hilt and another on the blade and cross-checking the opponent.

** Any form of sword fighting intended for use in real combat (as opposed to tournament fighting or acting) has this sort of thing. You're trying to kill or disable the other guy before he's able to kill or disable you, and you may be trying to deal with multiple opponents or confined spaces where some types of moves don't work. If you lack the room to swing your sword and have someone up close, striking them in the face with the hilt can be quite effective (most swords used in real combat would, used this way, be like being hit with a hammer).

** SWAT and Special Forces personnel called upon to breach a door are trained to shoot at the hinges instead of the lock as they tend to be flimsier, but even then, without specialised ammunition they're normally better off with a sledgehammer or crowbar.

** This actually becomes a case of RealityIsUnrealistic, as most people (especially gamers) commonly think of machine guns as inaccurate weapons. While heavy machine guns aren't quite as accurate as actual precision rifles, they usually have a long, heavy barrel and fire a heavy round with good ballistic characteristics at high velocities, and are more often than not attached to a very stable platform. Put these attributes together, and you have a weapon that will be able to consistently land shots at ranges that most infantry firearms will never be able to reach.

** That is exactly the reason why the Finnish army [=RK62=] magazines were re-designed to have sturdier lips.
** On a similar note, the Russian Makarov pistol makes for a great bottle opener when the slide is locked back, as there's just enough gap between the frame and the barrel to fit a cap in.
** The US Army had the same problem.

** Really PistolWhipping in general can count as this.

** Partially subverted. The original weapon was a mortar, and thus designed for use against bunkers (among other things). Its use as a depth charger was improbable, but somewhat successful.

* Using a weapon which shouldn't be available (e.g. being anachronistic or extremely rare and/or expensive).
** See RareGuns and ExoticWeaponSupremacy for the rare variant.

** Although they are designed primarily for thrusting, many rapiers ''do'' retain a sharpened edge. The resulting cuts are rarely more than a distraction or nuisance, but a well-timed slash to the head above the eyes can be quite decisive when your opponent is blinded by blood, not to mention if you can manage a draw cut that damages or outright severs a tendon.
*** The early rapier is in fact very much a slashing weapon and is more edge than tip. The swords which dropped the edge were later smallswords, and the idea that a rapier was mainly a thrusting sword comes from a particular english fencing master.
*** Similarly, there's an illegal move in boxing called "the sweetener" where you pretend to be throwing a hook, and hit the opponent's forehead with the bony part of your elbow ([[EverybodyKnowsThat elbow-blows are not legal in boxing]]). iI's quite likely to break the skin, and he'll get blood in his eyes. It's also difficult to tell if a hit like that was intentional.
** Conversely, it's common to see somebody get [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaled]] on all variety of swords, even ones that are designed with stabbing as a secondary function at best.

** To say nothing of the fact that the human eyes aren't designed to move independently, so looking down the sights of two handguns at once isn't going to happen. Even if a character is superhumanly strong and the recoil isn't a problem, the best they're going to manage is pointing in the general direction of the targets and hoping they hit. A [[TheReptilians reptilian]] character, on the other hand, might not have this problem, as some reptiles ''do'' have independently-moving eyes, though this would likely create problems with depth perception.
** While it's feasible that a person could train themselves to effectively point-shoot (using muscle memory rather than the sights to make the shots go where you want them to) with two handguns, doing so would take a ''lot'' of training, and would be relegated to the realm of trick shooting. That same training time could be far more efficiently dedicated to improving the more practical and more efficient art of using a handgun properly.

* Where the writer, actor, or animator didn't bother to find out how the weapon is used (e.g. Using a rapier to slash, using a vehicle-mounted weapon as a man portable weapon). Or the user failing to understand how to use it InUniverse because of a lack of familiarity.

* Using a weapon for its intended purpose, but also using it for other purposes as a secondary attack (e.g. using a bow as a close quarters melee weapon[[note]]This is actually possible in a pinch depending on the bow. For example, an unstrung English longbow can be used like a spear, because it has pointed horn knocks on either end which could inflict damage if thrust into the throat or eyes.[[/note]]).

* In the first ''Literature/WheelOfTime'' book, Rand uses his father's [[UnbreakableWeapons Heron-marked]] [[AbsurdlySharpBlade sword]] to cut the tongues off a wagon to make a stretcher. He's astounded that it works, and doesn't ruin the sword, not knowing at the time that it was made with magic.

* Using a weapon for its intended purpose, but also using it for other purposes as a secondary attack (e.g. using a bow as a close quarters melee weapon.[[note]]This is actually possible in a pinch depending on the bow. For example, an unstrung English longbow can be used like a spear, because it has pointed horn knocks on either end which could inflict damage if thrust into the throat or eyes.[[/note]])

*** Similarly, there's an illegal move in boxing called "the sweetener" where you pretend to be throwing a hook, and hit the opponent's forehead with the bony part of your elbow ([[EverybodyKnowsThat elbow-blows are not legal in boxing]])—it's quite likely to break the skin, and he'll get blood in his eyes. It's also difficult to tell if a hit like that was intentional.

* Catching a grenade and putting the pin back, thus making it not explode. Sorry, no. The pin is preventing the striker lever from being released when you're not holding down the handle. As long as you don't release the handle you could probably put the pin back, but once released, the fuze has already been triggered.

* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica uses his mighty shield as a throwing weapon. And as a club, but that's actually an often overlooked RealLife application of the shield (it's traditionally a bloody great lump of wood with metal furniture. Why ''wouldn't'' you hit your opponent in the face with it?).

* In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', Hawkeye runs out of arrows and is forced to fight the Chitauri with just his bow instead. This one has some historic precedent -- unstringed longbows, for instance, made pretty good quarterstaffs.

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' The City Watch Novels, Detritus the troll's WeaponOfChoice is a ballista. He is able to use it like a crossbow just because he's so damn big. Sometimes it's used to fire the iron spears it was designed to fire, but most of the time Detritus loads it with bundles of arrows. Which shatter from the force of being fired. Then burst into flames from the air friction. When Detritus test-fired it for the first time, it wiped out the training targets, the hill behind them, and some birds that happened to be flying ''directly above him''. He calls it the Piecemaker. It cannot be fired indoors. Primarily because it's no longer indoors after he fires.

* In ''VideoGame/GodHand'' you can get the tremendously useful rocket launcher... which you use with the same animation as every other weapon and use it to beat someones head in. After you've fired it's single payload of course.

* ''Literature/ChaosFighters'' has swiping, an type of attack which the weapon (usually a sword or a lance) is swung in a direction perpendicular to how its blade is alligned. In reality this would not work as well as depicted and potentially breaks the weapon.

** Partially subverted. The original weapon was a mortar, and thus designed for use against bunkers (among other things). It's its use as a depth charger that was improbable, but somewhat successful.

* Where the writer, actor or animator didn't bother to find out how the weapon is used (e.g. Using a rapier to slash, using a vehicle-mounted weapon as a man portable weapon). Or the user failing to understand how to use it InUniverse because of a lack of familiarity.

* Using a weapon for its intended purpose, but also using it for other purposes that it wasn't intended to as a secondary attack (e.g. using a bow as a close quarters melee weapon[[note]]Actually possible in a pinch depending on the bow, since an unstrung English longbow for example can be used like a spear because it has pointed horn knocks on either end that could inflict damage if thrust into the throat or eyes.[[/note]]).

* The ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series has a multitude of ranged and melee weapons that can be used in a normal fashion (though ''nobody'' actually wields the [[LightGun Super Scope]] as the manual says you should)... or you can simply opt to throw them into your opponent's face instead. Amusingly, this frequently is a more effective method of [=KOing=] your opponents than using the weapon in the standard fashion, due to it causing more damage and/or being a lot easier to hit them in this fashion. The Home Run Bat is probably the best example, as while being wielded, the only notably powerful offensive option it has is its [[AwesomeButImpractical ridiculously slow]] OneHitKO smash attack, whereas it can be turned into a speedy projectile with a strength rivaling that of many fully charged smash attacks when thrown.

* In ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', Kamina's first impression of a gun is to use its butt as a hammer to bash his enemies in[[note]]a completely legitimate tactic in real life, but it's not recommended because that's why you have a knife[[/note]], which doesn't even qualify as PistolWhipping. After almost shooting himself in the crotch through that method, he realizes how it's supposed to be used (but still holds it upside down). Later, during his first fight against Viral, he more cleverly uses an arrow as a makeshift knife.

* OneHandedZewihander

* Ramming a magic wand into your enemy's nose - HarryPotter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Compare ImprobableWeaponUser for when something that clearly isn't a weapon is used as one. See also: ImplausibleFencingPowers, OneHandedZweihander, RemovableTurretGun, ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks, ThrowingYourShieldAlwaysWorks, BulletholeDoor, GangstaStyle, PistolWhipping, SliceAndDiceSwordsmanship, NoScope, EnhancedArchaicWeapon. Not to be confused with the novel ''Literature/UseOfWeapons''.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* At one point in "Oglaf", Kronar uses the hilt of a sword to pleasure another man. This, predictably, does not end well.
[[/folder]]

* In TheFilmOfTheBook ''[[TheChroniclesOfNarnia Prince Caspian]]'' Susan throws an arrow at a soldier. It lands point in, in his heart and kills him. Justified by the arrows being [[AWizardDidIt a gift from Aslan]].

* In the ''HumanxCommonwealth'' novel ''The End of the Matter'', AntiHero Skua September puts in his [[BigDamnHeroes first appearance]] wielding a heavy military laser designed to be fired from a tripod. He wears the massive power supply as an impromptu backpack. He does comment that it's awfully heavy, which says something coming from a man as [[TheBigGuy huge as he is]].

* ''GauntsGhosts''' Trooper "Try Again" Bragg loves to use autocannon or heavy machine guns like they were rifles. He's [[TheBigGuy certainly massive enough to swing it]], and it helps make up for [[ATeamFiring his marksmanship]].