Pistols are good as a back up and for carrying concealed when you cant sling a rifle. They are NOT optimal at any range. They have far less energy than the average rifle round. Same with knives x 10. A knife is something you may be able to carry when you cant even have a pistol, but its the last type of fight I would want to get in.
Real knife fights are invariably lethal, sometimes to both parties involved.
It’s amazing what a well placed or just lucky slash can do to ruin a persons day.
Lots of blood, and really hard to plug an 8 or 10 inch slash.