All you M-43 owners out there! :)

K

Kmark

Joined
Mar 21, 2000
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Hey guys, what do you think of your M-43s in terms of weight, balance and comfort? I'm particularly interested in the ones made by Bura, but any other ones are also welcome.
 
Mine is by Sher, and the handle is superb (as his tend to be). The one consistent complaint I hear about them is the little handles, but this one gives plenty of room, and I have pretty big hands. Balance is good, kind of like the WW2, in that it is kind of half-way between a fighter and chopper. Heavier than my WW2, but not nearly so blade heavy as my 18inch AK. I really really like this one. I have my eye out for a wood handled blem if it comes up... :)
 
My M43 is by Kumar. Has a thinner blade than most of the other HI khuks of the same length. It was made when the Kamis were putting thinner bevels on the khuks and as such it came with a wicked edge. The thing that really distinguishes it from say a WWII or Sirupati(besides the chiruwa style tang) of the same length is the balance. It feels different than the others.
 
My M-43 is by the ! Kami. It has a real nice flow to it. It has a good constant curve to the back, including handle. ! does some great work, fit and finish was overall great. It came dull, which was OK as it was a blem that needed rust removal and being dull did keep that process safer.;) I find my M-43 is now one of my favorite khuks. It feels more fighter than worker, but will do the work also without a hitch. Grab one if you get a chance. I think you will be pleased with the khuk!:D My m-43 comes in at about .300 to .350 at the spine depending on where it is measured. It has a great distal taper and is fast in the hand while still feeling slightly tip heavy. It is one of my fastest handling khukuris, next to my loved Kesar 18" GS.
 
Mine is made by the swastika Kami. Good thick convex edge but it took me a good while to get it shaving sharp. Despite the time it took the original edge profile/bevel has kept it from bending on heavy chopping. Mine chops great.

One thing interesting I think is the spine is thicker at the bend than at the bolster. As far as edge retention my top 3 khuks are my GK Bonecutter, then my Bura Ganga Ram, then this M43.
 
Nice range of M-43s from different Kamis...and nice observations too. So is it a consensus that it's more of a fighter than a worker, though it can be put to work if need be?
 
I would say (obviously only speaking about mine) that's it's more of a fighter than a chopper, just because it's more centrally balanced. You can do machete-type work with it very well, as it won't tire you out. It chops better than any bowie I have, just not as well as the big AKs. :)
 
Mine's by Sanu. Sanded and filed to fit my hand.

My 16.5" Bura WW2 is my green-eyed redhead. My Sanu M43 is my blue-eyed blonde.

I am going to add a grey-headed one to the list eventually ( besides the brown-eyed brunette and the raven tressed beauty ), as my wife's running more to salt than pepper. Still has plenty of spice left, though.
 
Mine is by Bura... And it feels great. It is a nice mix of weapon and tool. I have medium sized hands and the handle fits my hand perfectly. It is much lighter and thinner than the AK that I have, and I think that I prefer it over the AK. Kinda tough to find fault in Bura's work!:)
 
Mine is the only one I've handled, and Sher is kinda' known for making more western-friendly handles.
 
I found this to be the case with the Chiruwa M-43/Hanshee hybrid I pikced up in trade with James. It was from AC, and was called a WWII model by them. James got to hand pick it as he lives in GA near AC.

also, the handle on it is much smaller than an HI khuk, but the smaller grip packs the fingers together in a nice, secure grip. It also has interesting balance properites, due to the full curve from tip to buttcap.

Keith
 
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