- Joined
- Dec 27, 2004
- Messages
- 1,500
Introduction
As part of their 2005 product line, Benchmade introduced a number of models to be sold by the National Rifle Association through their NRA Store. Unlike prior years, the 2005 NRA Outdoors knives aren't just standard Benchmade models with NRA branding on the blades and/or handles, but rather models unique to the NRA, although other retailers have gotten ahold of them, too.
This new NRA line includes the model 12500, a large fixed-blade designed by Warren Osborne, and the subject of this passaround.
First Impressions
The NRA knife arrived without the usual Benchmade packaging, just in the sheath, but it made a good impression! The sheath is made from leather, with a glossy black finish and attractive embossing near the tip.
Out of the sheath, the knife itself is equally appealing. The satin-finished, 440C blade is all curves: a deep-bellied, recurved edge; a uniquely "recurved" spine, with a gentle dropping curve towards the tip; even the plunge line has a nice curve to it.
The hilt has an unusual shape: almost rectangular in cross-section, with a slight reverse taper (wider toward the pommel). No finger grooves, no palm swell, no pinky hook, and unlike the blade, no curve. There are, however, a series of ribs in the soft rubber-like (kraton?) grip surface that provides a secure grip. The grip is bracketed by a highly polished guard and pommel, the curves of which flow smoothly from the lines of the hilt.
A Closer Look
(From top to bottom: Benchmade Nimravus, Benchmade Rant DPT, Benchmade NRA Outdoors, Cold Steel SRK, Cold Steel Recon Scout.)
The sheath comes up high enough to cover all but the last 1-1/2" of the hilt on three sides; the back is left open to expose the entire hilt, though, and the handle's rubbery ribs make it easy to draw. A single strap wraps around from the back, around the guard, and snaps to the front of the sheath to retain the knife; certainly not jump-rated, but secure.
The blade has a flat primary grind, unlike the deep hollow grind used on Benchmade's Rant fixed blades. It can be difficult to see in the stock photos, but the spine has a concave curve near the hilt, sweeping up to a long swedge that runs the remaining two thirds of the blade's length. Together with the recurved edge, the spine's curve gives the blade a distinctly wasp-waisted silhouette, and provides a place for the forefinger for "choking up" on the blade. (There is no forward finger choil, however.)
The edge was well ground: unlike some recurves I've seen, the angle and depth were even from plunge to tip, and the grind was smooth, with no odd angles, roughness or flat spots. And while Benchmade has been known to ship knives with less-than-sharp edges, this one came with an even, slightly toothy, sharp edge.
The guard protrudes downward in strong rearward hook, nicely shaped to fit the index finger unless you catch the fairly sharp tip, while the top of the guard offers just a slight thumb ramp, just enough to let you know it's there. Personally, I would've preferred the top of the guard be flush. The pommel is rounded; no "skull crusher" or other nonsense, this knife is marketed for hunting, not self defense, military or other "tactical" use.
There's a torx screw in the pommel, which allows the knife to be easily disassembled for cleaning; Benchmade refers to this as "the B.I.L.T. System". (I must've missed the memo where they defined what "B.I.L.T." stands for.) I tried it, and it works as expected -- remove the screw, and the pommel drops off, which allows the hilt to slide off the tang. The screw threads into a long hex nut of sorts, which fits snugly into a slot in the tang. To be honest, though, I'm not sure why I'd want a fixed-blade knife that disassembles for cleaning, vs. one that has the guard, hilt and pommel tightly fitted to prevent gunk from getting inside in the first place!
Despite the boxy shape of the hilt, it felt pretty good in my hand, despite the lack of uber-ergonomic features I've come to expect of the best modern grip designs. The soft rubber ribs tend to deform to fit the fingers for a sort of universal fit; if you can ignore the feel of the ribs, it's reasonably comfortable and very secure. (Of course, if the ribs bother you, you might never be happy with the feel of the grip.) The grip shape is neutral enough, though, that it works equally well in a variety of grips, and isn't particularly sensitive to hand size. The balance point is just behind the index finger, making for a more neutral feel than the front-heavy blade shape would suggest.
In Use
I had a camping trip planned for this month, and hoped to take this one out into the woods for a proper workout; but alas, the trip got cancelled, so you'll have to settle for my modest testing here around the homestead.
Since it was a passaround, I didn't baton with it, but I did try a little chopping on a nice wedge-shaped piece of well-aged hardwood firewood, along with a few similar-sized knives. Despite its neutral balance, there's enough mass towards the tip to get some "oompf" behind a chop. It felt most similar to my Cold Steel SRK while chopping, but the higher grind and thinner blade stock helped the NRA penetrate deeper with each chop than the SRK. The Cold Steel Recon Scout, with it's much heavier blade, outchopped the NRA; but considering its weight, the NRA held it's own very well.
On cardboard, the NRA Outdoors knife's high, flat grind sliced well through single-thickness corrugated. On thicker cardboard, though, it tended to drag, which is typical of flat-ground blades in my experience.
In the kitchen, it proved to be a good slicer, although the guard made it difficult to use more than the tip and belly near the cutting board. The rubbery grip, though, was secure even with wet hands. For such a big blade, the neutral balance allowed it to handle more nimbly than I expected.
Despite having "only" a 440C blade, the NRA was just as sharp when I sent it off as it was when I got it, with no sharpening on my part; a little stropping was all I gave it. As any owner of a Griptilian or TSEK could tell you, Benchmade knows how to heat-treat 440C properly for maximum performance. Don't forget, there've been probably more custom blades made from 440C than any other stainless out there. It might not be The Trendy Steel Of The Week, but Benchmade's 440C will get the job done.
Conclusion
So, is the Benchmade NRA the right knife for you? It's got a lot going for it: it's solidly built, stylish, handles well and cuts well. Unless you prefer a traditional design, with a street price of $65, you could sure do a lot worse than this one.
My only caveat: the grip design is probably one of those love-it-or-hate-it things. Since they don't seem to be sold over-the-counter, you might want to order it from a retailer with a generous return policy.
As part of their 2005 product line, Benchmade introduced a number of models to be sold by the National Rifle Association through their NRA Store. Unlike prior years, the 2005 NRA Outdoors knives aren't just standard Benchmade models with NRA branding on the blades and/or handles, but rather models unique to the NRA, although other retailers have gotten ahold of them, too.
This new NRA line includes the model 12500, a large fixed-blade designed by Warren Osborne, and the subject of this passaround.
First Impressions
The NRA knife arrived without the usual Benchmade packaging, just in the sheath, but it made a good impression! The sheath is made from leather, with a glossy black finish and attractive embossing near the tip.
Out of the sheath, the knife itself is equally appealing. The satin-finished, 440C blade is all curves: a deep-bellied, recurved edge; a uniquely "recurved" spine, with a gentle dropping curve towards the tip; even the plunge line has a nice curve to it.
The hilt has an unusual shape: almost rectangular in cross-section, with a slight reverse taper (wider toward the pommel). No finger grooves, no palm swell, no pinky hook, and unlike the blade, no curve. There are, however, a series of ribs in the soft rubber-like (kraton?) grip surface that provides a secure grip. The grip is bracketed by a highly polished guard and pommel, the curves of which flow smoothly from the lines of the hilt.
A Closer Look
- Weight: 9.1 oz.
- Overall Length: 11.1"
- Blade Thickness: 3/16"
- Blade Length: 6.25"
(From top to bottom: Benchmade Nimravus, Benchmade Rant DPT, Benchmade NRA Outdoors, Cold Steel SRK, Cold Steel Recon Scout.)
The sheath comes up high enough to cover all but the last 1-1/2" of the hilt on three sides; the back is left open to expose the entire hilt, though, and the handle's rubbery ribs make it easy to draw. A single strap wraps around from the back, around the guard, and snaps to the front of the sheath to retain the knife; certainly not jump-rated, but secure.
The blade has a flat primary grind, unlike the deep hollow grind used on Benchmade's Rant fixed blades. It can be difficult to see in the stock photos, but the spine has a concave curve near the hilt, sweeping up to a long swedge that runs the remaining two thirds of the blade's length. Together with the recurved edge, the spine's curve gives the blade a distinctly wasp-waisted silhouette, and provides a place for the forefinger for "choking up" on the blade. (There is no forward finger choil, however.)
The edge was well ground: unlike some recurves I've seen, the angle and depth were even from plunge to tip, and the grind was smooth, with no odd angles, roughness or flat spots. And while Benchmade has been known to ship knives with less-than-sharp edges, this one came with an even, slightly toothy, sharp edge.
The guard protrudes downward in strong rearward hook, nicely shaped to fit the index finger unless you catch the fairly sharp tip, while the top of the guard offers just a slight thumb ramp, just enough to let you know it's there. Personally, I would've preferred the top of the guard be flush. The pommel is rounded; no "skull crusher" or other nonsense, this knife is marketed for hunting, not self defense, military or other "tactical" use.
There's a torx screw in the pommel, which allows the knife to be easily disassembled for cleaning; Benchmade refers to this as "the B.I.L.T. System". (I must've missed the memo where they defined what "B.I.L.T." stands for.) I tried it, and it works as expected -- remove the screw, and the pommel drops off, which allows the hilt to slide off the tang. The screw threads into a long hex nut of sorts, which fits snugly into a slot in the tang. To be honest, though, I'm not sure why I'd want a fixed-blade knife that disassembles for cleaning, vs. one that has the guard, hilt and pommel tightly fitted to prevent gunk from getting inside in the first place!
Despite the boxy shape of the hilt, it felt pretty good in my hand, despite the lack of uber-ergonomic features I've come to expect of the best modern grip designs. The soft rubber ribs tend to deform to fit the fingers for a sort of universal fit; if you can ignore the feel of the ribs, it's reasonably comfortable and very secure. (Of course, if the ribs bother you, you might never be happy with the feel of the grip.) The grip shape is neutral enough, though, that it works equally well in a variety of grips, and isn't particularly sensitive to hand size. The balance point is just behind the index finger, making for a more neutral feel than the front-heavy blade shape would suggest.
In Use
I had a camping trip planned for this month, and hoped to take this one out into the woods for a proper workout; but alas, the trip got cancelled, so you'll have to settle for my modest testing here around the homestead.
Since it was a passaround, I didn't baton with it, but I did try a little chopping on a nice wedge-shaped piece of well-aged hardwood firewood, along with a few similar-sized knives. Despite its neutral balance, there's enough mass towards the tip to get some "oompf" behind a chop. It felt most similar to my Cold Steel SRK while chopping, but the higher grind and thinner blade stock helped the NRA penetrate deeper with each chop than the SRK. The Cold Steel Recon Scout, with it's much heavier blade, outchopped the NRA; but considering its weight, the NRA held it's own very well.
On cardboard, the NRA Outdoors knife's high, flat grind sliced well through single-thickness corrugated. On thicker cardboard, though, it tended to drag, which is typical of flat-ground blades in my experience.
In the kitchen, it proved to be a good slicer, although the guard made it difficult to use more than the tip and belly near the cutting board. The rubbery grip, though, was secure even with wet hands. For such a big blade, the neutral balance allowed it to handle more nimbly than I expected.
Despite having "only" a 440C blade, the NRA was just as sharp when I sent it off as it was when I got it, with no sharpening on my part; a little stropping was all I gave it. As any owner of a Griptilian or TSEK could tell you, Benchmade knows how to heat-treat 440C properly for maximum performance. Don't forget, there've been probably more custom blades made from 440C than any other stainless out there. It might not be The Trendy Steel Of The Week, but Benchmade's 440C will get the job done.
Conclusion
So, is the Benchmade NRA the right knife for you? It's got a lot going for it: it's solidly built, stylish, handles well and cuts well. Unless you prefer a traditional design, with a street price of $65, you could sure do a lot worse than this one.
My only caveat: the grip design is probably one of those love-it-or-hate-it things. Since they don't seem to be sold over-the-counter, you might want to order it from a retailer with a generous return policy.
