Air Force Survival Knife - Opinions?

The teeth work for putting shallow square cuts in wood, useful for traps etc. But I had also heard that the original intent was cutting out of a downed aircraft. I won't ever have to do that, so I'm cool with using them to score wood ;)
 
skammer said:
Maybe so, but that is in fact what they are for (taught in airforce SERE school). To think those anemic teeth could do anything but score branches is a pipe dream.

Skam
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Yep probably so. I thought I had read it someplace, but who knows. :rolleyes:

How does one reprofile the blade? No grinders or buffers in our small home, but do have a Mill file around someplace for sharpening broadheads. :D
 
i was thinking about buying one of these knives and grinding down the handle, and wrapping it with para cord, and putting a shaper point on the blade. think its a good idea? input please? i know that giving it a better point will weaken the tip, but i usually stab(for slaughtering rabbits and such, not people!) and drill with the tip of a knife, ive never pryed before, and hopefully never will!
 
Longbow,

I used a Lansky sharpener and the coarse stone to reprofile mine. I do this with lots of knives. The Lansky will keep the "grinds" even on both sides of the blade. It takes alot of elbow grease to stone down the blade like this but you don't heat the steel up.

The result was worth the effort. My AFSK is a much better cutter and it makes a passable chopper for saplings and such. I did this with my Glock knife as well and actually turned it into a knife. Mac
 
Pict, thanks for the info. I'd like to increase the efficiency of the blade and that seems like it would take care of it.
 
I have an Ontario AFSK bought in I think 75. The sheath is metal tipped and still as good as new function wise., The blade as mentioned above took some work, and could use more profiling, but takes a great edge quickly. A nice small package. Why the changing of for round handle to oval? I have small hands and taking any more leather off would be counterproductive..
 
Has anyone purchased the new, improved Air Force survival knife made by Ontario? How does it perform in comparison to the old model? Thanks.
 
I've also tested the saw blade on sheet metal, aluminum and light steel and got good results. The knife is strong enough to hammer through and cut the metal like a can opener as well.

They also work fairly well on bamboo but tend to clog on the green wood. A sidewards swipe on a pant leg clears them out. Mac
 
The Fallkniven F1 is certified for USAF pilot carry, I believe. A much superior blade IMHO. Get a sheath from Normark. I'd trust mine as my sole survival blade.
 
uitlander said:
Why the changing of for round handle to oval? I have small hands and taking any more leather off would be counterproductive..
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a round handle turns in my hand so i cant cut very well and i was goind to really sand the crap out of the handle so i can wrap ALOT of paracord around it.
i just looked at cheaperthandirt.com and they are out of them! :mad: they had used for $20!
 
longbow50 said:
Even though mine has the metal section on the sheath, I replaced it with a Blackhawk sheath. I like the replacement a lot better and it has several advantages over the original. Mostly, the larger pocket and multiple carry options.

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Nice sheath! Where did you get it? Thanks!
 
elvenbladesmith07 said:
a.
i just looked at cheaperthandirt.com and they are out of them! :mad: they had used for $20!
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Did you check the link I posted earlier in this thread?
 
elvenbladesmith07 said:
i was thinking about buying one of these knives and grinding down the handle, and wrapping it with para cord, and putting a shaper point on the blade. think its a good idea? input please? i know that giving it a better point will weaken the tip, but i usually stab(for slaughtering rabbits and such, not people!) and drill with the tip of a knife, ive never pryed before, and hopefully never will!
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Buy one and try it. It was designed, in part, as a stabbing weapon. You may find the point is already satisfactory for your purposes. I'd sure "lose" the top guard. I saw many today at a show that were priced around $20, depending on the condition (Several already had the top guard gone and one had the teeth removed.) Some are usually being sold on eBay if that's your "thang."
 
I like the blackhawk just fine, but for the money, look at the Spec Ops sheath. The difference in price between them and blackhawk is minimal and even though I don't have experience with the SO sheath, it looks like a good one with a larger pocket, which makes for more gear within easy reach. Besides, I believe they're made right here in the good ol' USA and I believe the blackhawk is an import, but my sheath wasn't marked as such.
 
I used to own the modern version of the old USMC fighting knife design that's put out by Case. I gave it to a friend that couldn't afford one and he's beat the living heck outta it over the years and it's still working for him. There were several makers of the combat knife but for some reason, Kabar got top billing. Camillus still makes their version in it's original configuration and it's a bit cheaper than the Kabar version and is the one I'd buy if I were inclined to get another. Anyways, the Kabar (?) fighting knife is a good one. Longer and with a better (larger, better gripping) handle than the USAF PSK. Same steel and leather handle design as far as I know.
 
elvenbladesmith07 said:
i saw the ones cabelas (camillus) offers and it says that the blade is stainless? is that true?
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I think they must be mistaken, I've never seen one in stainless. The one on their site looks like a regular run of the mill AF knife.
 
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