in praise of military & tactical knives for the woods

[DOC-CANADA]

And not let's forget the Bravo-1.

Doc

[hollowdweller]

I've taken my Microtech LUDT many times as my only knife.

I think the OTF's gum up too much for woods use though.

[jds1]

My first "serious" fixed blade was a SOG Seal 2000. It still resides in my truck camp bag.

Jeff

[Bushman5]

You gotta use whatever works for you...

I really Like that Emerson PUK

How's it cut like??

better than some scandi and convex knives i have. The PUK takes a wicked edge and makes huge long fuzzsticks.

[TheGame]

RAT Cutlery blades are the only blade that I will always have one of with me. (Izula, always) They are fantastic blades, and do not limit anything, imo.

[mistwalker]

Anyone who really knows me knows that I personally have a thing for tactical styled knives. I grew up influenced by Marines, Army Pathfinders, and Green Berets. Pilot Survival Kinves and Ka-Bars were the first knives I was taught any real skills with and later I fell in love with my SOG Bowie


I really don't see the Team Leader Survivor as a great tactical blade. In CQC the saw is likely to get hung on bone or cartilage slowing things down. However I do think of it as a great woods and survival knife.


fuzzies





saw









I personally see the Creed, with its broad weight forward point, as being equal parts bush and tactical....

[mistwalker]

When I think tactical I think more like these. I know there are many others out there but I'm just going through my own pictures.












and the full tang designs I came up with based mainly on my love for SOGs knives but a little more stream lined.










Even my "bushcraft" knife....








started out looking a lot more like this, minus the bright handle lol, on the drawing board.

[haloblue]

This is a modded Ka-Bar of mine that gets heavy, heavy usage outside:



For the price, it's hard to beat.

[wildmike]

For years I carried a pilot's survival knife by Camillus. I ground down the top guard, reduced the bottom guard, and hand ground down the edges to a scandi (took about 20+ hours with a small diamond hone). That knife served me exceptionaly well for a long time even under extremes of use.

A U.S.M.C. Ka-Bar has spent years on my hip as well.

I have used tactical or military knives for years and they work ok in the woods. The problem with many tactical knives is that they weren't designed by the knife users themselves, but often by commitee which resulted in some compromised designs being accepted.

The most important thing isn't the knife or the design. It is the skill set, ingenuity and mind of the user. I have seen knives that would be considered completely inadequate used to good effect by users who had the ability to improvise and make what they had work.

[skitertank]

i have a sog seal pup and that knife is a great little blade,but i never find myself bringing it along anymore unless im going to be around alot of water.i also have a a traditional style kabar in the smaller version but i have never been able to warm up to that blade.for some reaoson i cant get it to take that razor edge and it feels awkward to carve with.i know they have proven themselves by being on troops sides for years so everyonce in awhile i try again.

[kalama]

the m95 ranger puukko never leaves my side when in the bush,i think its a perfect tactical/bush knife,i just wish it came in 7 an 8 inch blade models

[brians]

My tacticool blades that see field time and praise:

Crewman:



Grip:

[Iboschi]

I agree with the O.P. for sure. Many of my woods bumming knives are tactical

[tholiver]

When I think tactical I think more like these. I know there are many others out there but I'm just going through my own pictures.

Love the original and that Super Bowie!
Your frequent SOG pics fed the flames, i bought a (2006) SOG Trident used on Ebay recently!
Very nice knife, very comfortable grip.
($60 used, Cha-ching!).
I'm thinking of duplicating those fingergrooves in my leather handled Marbles Trailmaker.
The Trident is not my first SOG, bought a TomCat/Desert Dagger/Paratool all in the first year each came out.
But this newest SOG is my first "new" SOG in over 10 years.
Other than this SOG i have a Kabar which i have had since 2000 and have used quite a bit, can't remember the model number but its the stainless version of my other Kabar the 1271.

[mistwalker]

Love the original and that Super Bowie!
Your frequent SOG pics fed the flames, i bought a (2006) SOG Trident used on Ebay recently!
Very nice knife, very comfortable grip.
($60 used, Cha-ching!).
I'm thinking of duplicating those fingergrooves in my leather handled Marbles Trailmaker.
The Trident is not my first SOG, bought a TomCat/Desert Dagger/Paratool all in the first year each came out.
But this newest SOG is my first "new" SOG in over 10 years.
Other than this SOG i have a Kabar which i have had since 2000 and have used quite a bit, can't remember the model number but its the stainless version of my other Kabar the 1271.

Sometimes I think I'd much rather have a Trident than the SEAL Teams I have. I think I'm gonna look for an older one. At $60.00 the one you got was a steal! What kind of sheath did the 2006 models come in?

[Switchblade61]

I think the only military type knives, that won't do well in bushcraft/camp chores are the bayonets. The rest will perform just fine.

[DWK2]

Agreed---although Skeeter Vaughn used to take deer with a thrown bayonet (slightly modified).

I've found that it's hard to get optimum cutting performance out of even bayonet-style knives, like the Glock. It can be made to work, but not the best.

DancesWithKnives

[SpookyPistolero]

eh who cares.....Use what ya like. I hate labels. "survivalist" "Trads" "bushcrafters", all human beings who enjoy being outside, and practicing skills, observing nature, and just escaping for a bit.....

Military knives are KNIVES. A piece of metal with a sharp edge. No doubt some cut better then others. All hand shapes and personal tastes are differant. I like the looks of a military knife, but also can appriciate an old hickory skinning knife. My big thing is supporting the "local" makers and the soul that goes into each blade. They are about the same price, and feel alot more personal....Thats just my preferance. Most of my blades have a Military, utilitarian look to them, but are generally smaller in blade length, thickness, and overall size. Best of both worlds I guess.

Its like boots. Military, cowboy, Hikers, motorcycle, etc....differant tastes for differant folks. All performing the same task generally speaking. Its not a fashion show out there...

If you got skills you can make anything work. Some people use their gear as a crutch IMO.....

Bingo! Simply put, Jake.

[Esav Benyamin]

One reason so many tactical knives work well in the woods is, that's what they were designed for. How often do modern soldiers fight with knives, compared to how often they camp out or hunt with them?

The archtype is the Ka-Bar, and that was a copy of the Marbles Ideal, a purely civilian camp knife.

[Mikel_24]

When I think tactical I think more like these. I know there are many others out there but I'm just going through my own pictures.

I always liked those knives in the picture. I was about to purchase the spanish version of it made by the brand Muela, that is, the Muela Bufalo.


Why doesn't SOG get into modern steels and keeps sticking to AUS-6 and AUS-8? Nothing wrong with those two, I own knives with both of them but... I think they could do better.

Mikel