12” AK versus 10” BDC

G

Geoffrey Raiser

Joined
Sep 24, 2003
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118
I’ve been wanting an easy-to-carry, versatile khukuri that could do camp duties, so I snagged two recent UBBBs to try out for this role.

I received a very pretty 10.5 inch 11 ounce Bura BDC last week and had a chance to give it a good workout on Saturday. I cut with it, chopped resinous pine with it, and challenged it against an old wooden bar stool leg. It held up to all of this perfectly, with no edge deformation or loss of sharpness. As a chopper, though, it really did not feel like it had enough mass to bite into the wood and I found it quite tiring to work with.

Yesterday I received one of Sher’s 12 inch 14 ounce AKs. It was love at first sight! It slices, it dices, it stabs and It Chops Wood! Even though the BDC was sharper the AK easily outperforms it, at least for my needs. This one is definitely going to do the trick as my indispensable camping knife.

Thanks Yangdu, Sher and Uncle Bill!

Geoffrey :)

PS: I noticed something interesting about the AK. The handle is offset by maybe 10 degrees laterally from the blade so that it is angled inwards towards the left (when held in the right hand). I did not even notice this at first; I only noticed how natural the knife felt in my hand. When holding it in the left hand it feels very awkward. I looked at my Sgt. Kharka Bilton and it is offset the same way, though not as pronounced. Is this often done on the smaller khukuris? It certainly makes them feel “right” if you are right-handed, though I doubt the lefties out there would be too keen on this!
 
I have 2 - 12" knives, a Bura AK and a Sirupati (no name). Both have handles that line up straight, and I wonder about yours.
I had another Bura 12" villager sirupati - same story. I gave this one to my daughter, since she liked it better than a 15" Amtrack Sirupati.
My 12" knives are lighter than yours, but everything is in line.
I would like a heavier 12" Ak - but must wait. Just got a knife and my wife already thinks I have an "illness."
Not me....nope!
 
Consider the Pen Knife as a peer to the 12" AK.

Some have said it chops better, and is an excellent camp knife.

10" BDC is more a knife than khuk, due to that same lack of mass, as you said.

My.02, worth little. Repeating things read. YMMV.

Like my PK a lot, tho. Can tell you that.



Ad Astra
 
Geoff that offset has been mentioned a couple of times or so before by others and not just on the smaller khuks IIRC.:)
Every time I've seen the reference I think, "Damn! I need to check out all of my khuk's too see if I have any like that." then I go back to reading posts and promptly forget until the next time.:rolleyes: :grumpy: :D ;)
Actually I think it was discussed a bit one of the times and again IIRC someone mentioned why such an offset would be beneficial.
I'm not going to think that I need to check out all of mine this time, no sense in going through that again.:rolleyes: ;) :D
 
They can obviously make a straight blade....so why is the tang "bent" then? ;)


there is surely a reason - and you're on to it, friend.


Just tonight I was fitting together a khukuri handle on a bent/offset/angled/whatever tang. Most I've seen are like that. Makes me want to rethink some of the handle work I've been doing!
 
Daniel Koster said:
Just tonight I was fitting together a khukuri handle on a bent/offset/angled/whatever tang.

Most I've seen are like that.
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Dan can you explain this phenomenon a bit clearer. What I'm understanding is that the end of the handle isn't aligned up with the blade but angled maybe 10 degrees?
You say you're seeing this on most of the khuks. I just checked out two of Sgt Karka's and one of the antiques from AC and I'm just not seeing anything off of true.

Of course looking at it long enough my mind wants too see a little offset but nothing like what 10 degrees would be.:confused:
 
To be honest, Yvsa.....I'm having a hard time myself understanding that very thing.....I've pulled apart at least 20 khukuris, at least half of those were stick tang and more than half had a tang that was angled to the left by 10 degrees or so.

I think, perhaps in Geoff's case, they didn't align the handle properly.....or maybe they did....I can remember at least a half-dozen of the khukuris I've tested having this angle too.

I can't attribute it to sloppy work...because, like I said, they can make a pretty straight blade.

So, there must be something to it - that's my only conclusion.

I wonder if it's because of the balance of that particular khukuri?

It's terribly easy to straighten a tang. Don't even need to heat it up most times.

I've had a few that had the handle "rotated" relative to the blade - mostly smaller khukuris - but I attribute that to hurried work, rather than design intent.

So, when I say "most khukuris I've seen" - I mean of the ones I've torn apart. The tang is angled even if the handle is straight.

I have two blades here that are "older" (over 50 yrs old) and they have this very same thing - an angled stick tang.
 
I totally agree with AA about the Pen Knife. As a matter of fact, i'm probably the cantina's formost AK bowie/penknife broken record:D I love all of my khuks and HI knives, but the Pen Knife just does so much. It really is an ideal survival knife if you could have just one. IMHO, there isn't a 12" knife that gives you as much bang for your buck as the little PK. Honestly, if i could pick only one fixed blade to take with me out into the woods for an extended period of time it would be the PK. Light, strong, and very reliable. If Uncle Sam called me up one day and said he wanted me to head over the to the sandbox i'd take the PK.
No bells, no whistles, no smoke and mirrors...just a really well designed knife (thanks Dan:)) that has be crafted to exacting standards by a master craftsman (Thanks Bura:)).
Just my $.0354 (inflation's a B****:))

Jake
 
I have. Like everything else...it has it's strong points / weak points. Not a competitor with teh 10" BDC, though. Totally different animal.
 
Many thanks Dan.:D Mayhaps one of these days the light will come on.;)

cognitivefun said:
anyone actually put a Bilton to use?
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I wouldn't be surprised if someone has, even if it was for something inane. One of the old timers, Dan K I think it was, used a Kagas Katne to cut a Christmas tree in two.
It did however serve a purpose and proved a point; ie, even the smallest HI has more than one use.:D
 
Daniel Koster said:
I have. Like everything else...it has it's strong points / weak points. Not a competitor with teh 10" BDC, though. Totally different animal.
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Should've known it would've been Dan the Man Koster.:rolleyes: :p ;) :D
LMRRAO.:D
 
Daniel Koster said:
I have. Like everything else...it has it's strong points / weak points. Not a competitor with teh 10" BDC, though. Totally different animal.
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Bilton uses? Good for practicing surgical techniques on a leg o' lamb perhaps. Or field dressing a penguin. Or whatever :)
 
I put a very sharp edge on it and left it in the kitchen drawer - wife has found various uses for it. I'll have to ask her what she's used it for. To be honest, I'd reach for a thinner-bladed knife in the kitchen for slicing. But this one has been good for me on boning meat, cutting joints, etc. - stuff I don't want to subject my thin-bladed fine-edged knives to.

I've also used it to cut up kindling for fire prep, make fuzz-sticks, etc.
 
Seems like I remember Kismet(?) doing something with it......I'll do a search....
 
I've used my bilton in the kitchen, just because, and it worked fine. It actually we needed to but up some frozen chicken, any my skinny cheap chef's knife wasn't up to the job. My 12" AK is hell on frozen chicken, though.
 
Shann said:
I've used my bilton in the kitchen, just because, and it worked fine. It actually we needed to but up some frozen chicken, any my skinny cheap chef's knife wasn't up to the job. My 12" AK is hell on frozen chicken, though.
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khuks are fine for this, aren't they? I use my AK Bowie for despatching frozen raw chicken backs to the next world...my dog's bowl.
 
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