Best Tomahawks

Do you want to fight with it, throw it in regulated competitions, or hang it on a wall and make everybody drool all over your "Welcome" mat when you open your door?

I would trust cold steel for good, hard use 'hawks. I do not know if they meet all the regs for official competition, but I would be willing to fight with them. Having said that, I don't own one of theirs, and have not ever used one.

If you want throwing hawks, my first choice would be attending a Rondy or Fair near you, and talking to a smith. Preferably a Rondy, since they actually do the competitions.


Stryver
 
I'm interested in this, too, specifically in ones that can be hung up on the wall and still be taken out back and used. More importantly, I was wondering if anyone out there knew of a maker of period pieces. You know, like the tomahawk/knife pairs that they used in "Last of the Mohicans" (the one re-done in the 90's) and movies like that.
 
Q: I bought some ColdSteel hawks. Is there a proper way to fix the handle in the head, or are they supposed to be a slip fit?
 
The best and most beautiful hawks I've ever seen were from Schepps's Forge in Nebraska, made by George Scheppers. These are hand forged Damascus and true works of art and function. They are a classic example of beauty in simplicity.

Jake
 
The handle in a throwing hawk should slip. This makes it less likely that the handle will break when you sink that head into a nice solid tree stump 45 feet away, or it smashes into flesh covered bone. The idea is the handle will slip out of the head on impact, rather than trying to absorb all that force. It works like a Pulaski or a pick axe, and can be fitted by a good sharp tug, assisted drop, or a straight swing.

The best place to find authentic hawks is a local rendezvous. Cold Steel makes relatively faithful machine made repros. A good hawk should not be very hard at all, it's designed as an impact weapon, and needs to be able to bounce off things. I still remember when I sunk a hawk into the tail end of another hawk head, and it stuck. I've split and stuck many handles, but this was the first time I'd ever stuck another hawk head. The blade edge was dinged, and the other hawk and a beautiful little nick in it. Man, ya'll are gonna make me buy a set of hawks now...


Stryver
 
I have a CS Frontiersman hawk. Very nice indeed. Can get it extremely sharp with a mill bastard file and the cost was right around 20 bucks shipped from Discount knive with the handle. For period correct peices at decent prices and very good workmanship try Dennis Miles at Double Edge forge. His shop is stuck in the 18th century and he forges correct period pieces for the mid 1700's up to about 1850. He does it just the way they did way back when. I know "trekkers" use his pieces. These are peopel as I understand it that actually will go out for weeks-months at a time and live just like the pioneers/mountain men did. For quick service and a nice hawk though at a great price CS is the way to go. Keep'em sharp.
PS If I was into rendevousing I would use nothing but stuff by Dennis Miles. Ihave a couple of his belt knives and they are great.
Modern metallurgy be dammned.
 
I have a FireStone Belt Axe by McGowan Manufacturing Company and it feels very solid, sharp and well balanced. It doesn't look much like a Last of the Moh. hawk, but I'm happy with it and can't wait to use it!

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"Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." Matt. 10:16
 
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