Looks like a sledge handle to me. I've played with 'em some, but always found 'em to be too thick and cumbersome, good for committed hits, but forget about finesse.
Axe handles, on the other hand, are all sorts of fun to swing around. Lotsa different striking surfaces, good weight and balance, easy to hold on to, and so on. Like Clint Eastwood said after whuppin' some bad guys with an axe handle in Pale Rider: "There's nothin' like a good piece of hickory."
