As the American frontier pushed farther west from the late 18th to early 19th century, these small multipurpose axes became a staple of the equipment carried by both civilians and military. Though not large enough for heavy woodcutting, they were a sufficient utilitarian tool for most camp related tasks, as well as making a fine hand to hand weapon should the discharging of a firelock fail to ward off an attacker. They are typically smaller and lighter than hand axes, yet styled more like a woodland tool than their weapon-like tomahawk counterparts. Most of these scarce small axes consist of either just the axe head or have a replaced handle. This axe still has the original black paint or dried grease on the head and hasn't been reworked. 12 3/4 inches from the end of the candy striped handle to the head and a 5 inch long iron head with a 1 7/8 inch wide edge.