A question for Vec and others

C

coyotebc

Joined
Jan 26, 2005
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Vec if you would be so kind to give me your opinion here. I have only just started playing with hawks.
Presently I have three Cold Steel hawks;
The Norse Hawk
The Rifleman's Hawk
The Trail Hawk
I know the first thing I should do is to smooth out the inside of the collar and fit the handle nicely.

My question is this, I bought a 30 inch handle today and wondering, which of these three hawks would you put this handle on? Or would you cut the handle to a different length?

Next question should I cut the hammer poll off the Rifleman's hawk and if so would this change your answer about the handle.

Thanks in advance for your reply
 
Since I fall under the "others" description. . .

I'm a "long hawk" kind of guy and would put the 30" on all of them.

For a "true tomahawk" the Trail Hawk is it. Seems to me, that on the TH head, 24-26" is the sweet spot. I'd put the haft on and see where you like to grip it best (often the best grip, unless you're just using it like a hatchet, is 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up fromt he bottom), and then cut the haft to the length that works for you.

Same with the others.

I never liked the Rifleman's hawk, because of the poll. I think Vec thinks highly of them as a camp axe when you lop the poll off. Use the same process as above to choose handle length.

The Norse Hawk, makes a great all-round tool. With its long cutting edge, you can choke up and do a lot of your knife chores with just the Hawk.

Which head you choose to mount the long haft to really should be determined by what you want the finished tool to do.
 
I just bought the one handle because I wasn't sure I would like it.

Thanks for you advice, the only one I have had for any time is the Rifleman's hawk and I haven't been a fan.
Bushman5 mentioned that he cut the poll off and it handles much better now.

I was thinking the norse hawk may have more use like an ulu so a longer handle maybe a waste.

I want to try the handle on one and if I like it I will buy more
 
I can only express my opinions and not those of Vec, so here they are...

The Norse Hawk is very good as it is (in relation to handle length).
006-52.jpg


Smooth the eye and handle, convex the edge, and cord-wrap the handle. Do these and it will be a great thrower and an excellent all-around tool.

The Trail Hawk is nearly perfect for a tomahawk. If the cutting edge were maybe an inch longer, it would be perfect. I put the 30" haft from a War Hammer on mine and cut it down to 24" so it works well for me.
004-66.jpg


With the War Hammer for size reference...
018-34.jpg


I ended up convexing mine and adding a 1" sharpened edge underneath the primary edge. Stripping the head an adding a mustard patina gives it the look of an old, slightly rusty tool without having any rust on it at all.
014-43.jpg


The Rifleman's Hawk is an ideal camp hatchet, and serves as a secondary defensive tomahawk. It's not for breaching or throwing in my opinion, although it's capable of either one. I'd leave the poll on and put a 22" haft on it.
001-61.jpg

(The Rifleman's Hawk is wearing a 30" handle in this photo.)

005-59.jpg

War Hammer, Trail Hawk with 24" haft, Trail Hawk, Norse Hawk, Vietnam Tomahawk.

Be careful with tomahawks; they're addicting...
032-12.jpg
 
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When I make handle for my tomahawks, I start with an extra long handle and gradually shorten it till it feels right. CS Rifleman Hawk feels right (to me) with about a 24" handle.
 
some really good advice here so far IMHO, brother 'yote.

the Trail Hawk is the one i would personally choose to put on the thirty inch handle.

i have been doing a lot of work on Rifleman's Hawks lately - yes to cutting off the poll, - one should also consider trying the lopped-poll Rifleman's hawk at 12 - 16 inches - it is really interesting as a hideaway with a lot of punch at the shorter lengths, especially with a retreactable lanyard that lets you get to swinging it, etc.

i had a short little 12 inch Multicam lopped Rfleman a while ago that i gave to a best friend during one of my fits of fraternal love/insanity a month or so ago - just a beautiful little hawk to carry in the back looped through your belt, with no one the wiser until you needed it. i am definitely going to that one again, and i encourage the brethren here to try it as a mod.


i love the Norse Hawk, but it never quite got under my skin - the new Frontier Hawks oughtta be refined more than the old ones, and i am looking forward to getting a hold of some of those, as well as the Spike Hawks, if they ever get out....

vec
 
Thanks guys
The handle I bought is for the war hawk.
I am going away for the weekend (memorial service for my wife's uncle), probably start working on the next weekend.
I am already thinking of a spike hawk.

Did I mention I bought a trail hawk for my nephew that turns 16 next week.
I bought a norse hawk for another nephew (now 22) for Christmas 3 years ago and he loves it and uses it hiking, camping and 4x4'ing
 
Gave my 16 year old nephew his trailhawk for his birthday Saturday.
His dad phoned me yesterday to tell me, he spent most of yesterday cutting kindling and throwing it.
They heat their house with a woodstove and live on acreage.
 
coyotebc said:
Gave my 16 year old nephew his trailhawk for his birthday Saturday.
His dad phoned me yesterday to tell me, he spent most of yesterday cutting kindling and throwing it.
They heat their house with a woodstove and live on acreage.
Click to expand...

that is so cool.

vec
 
coyotebc said:
Gave my 16 year old nephew his trailhawk for his birthday Saturday.
His dad phoned me yesterday to tell me, he spent most of yesterday cutting kindling and throwing it.
They heat their house with a woodstove and live on acreage.
Click to expand...

I remember back when I was 8 or 9 on the farm going to a small woodlot chopping down some 4 or 6 inch oaks with an old hatchet. It was fun to me chopping the crap out of stuff. he ought to enjoy it.

Pat
 
Real interested in the newer designs coming out from cold steel, the Spike Hawk or Pipe hawk heads seem pretty ideal as a long fighter...
 
personally I hate it, just started playing with hawks and I have three now and waiting for the cs spike hawk to come into my local store.
Won't be long before something more expensive catches my eye
 
coyotebc said:
personally I hate it, just started playing with hawks and I have three now and waiting for the cs spike hawk to come into my local store.
Won't be long before something more expensive catches my eye
Click to expand...

just taking forever, we want them NOW.
 
There are frontier hawks for sale on Ebay, I'll nab one as fast as budget allows, I find the general style to be the most efficient throwers. As thin of a blade as the trail hawk has makes me wonder what would happen if you shortened it by an inch or so and lopped the poll off, then chopped the handle, theoretically as a to-scale back pocket thrower sort of deal. It could make for a handy backup if your full sized hawk is already burried in Hadji A and Hadji B comes around the corner...
 
PayetteRucker said:
There are frontier hawks for sale on Ebay, I'll nab one as fast as budget allows, I find the general style to be the most efficient throwers. As thin of a blade as the trail hawk has makes me wonder what would happen if you shortened it by an inch or so and lopped the poll off, then chopped the handle, theoretically as a to-scale back pocket thrower sort of deal. It could make for a handy backup if your full sized hawk is already burried in Hadji A and Hadji B comes around the corner...
Click to expand...

don't shorten the bit by much on any of the Cold Steel hawks - they are zone hardened about 3/4 - 1", so unless you are going to re-heat treat the heads, i would argue against it.

a Trail Hawk with just the poll lopped off is a great fighter at that point anyways IME.

vec
 
thanks Vec, didn't consider differential HT. At that point I may as well try my hand at railroad spike hawks anyway. The long thin head seems almost disproportional to me, they obviously get the job done, they just don't feel nearly as natural as my frontier-style HB hawk. I really like the swept beard of the new CS pipe hawk-if it comes down to grappling you could use the defined point for stabbing at the back when you choke up on the haft. Real interested to see how the overall weight and balance is on it.
 
According to the CG images available, the Pipe Hawk, Spie Hawk and new Frontier Hawk all have the same, sweeping head. I think it's great, you get to choose between hammer, spike, or no poll.


As a development of what you were thinking of with the Trail Hawk, I thought up a nice idea (I think) for one of my characters (I like writing fiction): Basically, take the Trail Hawk, lop off the hammer to where the center of the flat is the same thickness of the sides of the eye, but leave the flat spot on the back, and cut the haft short, like 12" short. What he does is carry a couple of them specifically to throw on the way to the melee, where he draws the long hawk and long blade.
 
That's kind of the idea I was going for with a short bit Trail Hawk, something with small haft and proportional head specifically for disposable throwing in a combat situation. It's just theory though, I've never thrown anything that small, let alone used it in a combat situation.
 
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