Busse for a Marine buddy

jnphares said:
Not to step on Busse Combat in their own sub-forum, but you might consider sending an email to renee@scrapyardknives.com to explain your situation and ask if they have an extra Scrapper 5 to sell you. The pre-order period is over and they've just started shipping, but perhaps they have some extras or maybe someone canceled their order. Scrapper 5s are a through-hardened SR-101 knife with "Mudder" Res-C handles, and were released at $99.95 + S&H. It promises to be a truly outstanding knife and (like all Bussekin knives) carries a lifetime warranty.
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Thats a good idea. Their Scrapper 5 LE model should be coming out sometime soon too. It may be made of INFI steel.
 
i remember when got out of basic and graduated airborne school i ordered a BATAC with black scales what a great blade......... drools a little shakes head and slaps self

so back on topic.... if he isnt infantry he really isnt gonna need anything other than a folder. busse family knives are the bes tof the best but theyre so hard to come by that ive never carried one with me in the last 3 years RAT cutlery makes some damn good and easy to carry knives that are molle ready the military model is perfect. remember that when you get a busse it doesnt come with a sheath so youd need to get a sheath to go with the knife. the RAT knives come with great molle ready sheaths. ive never been a big fan of kabars alot of soldiers in world war 2 carried bowies with them and in vietnam the famous knife is the gerber mark 2 i gave a very close friend a gerber mk2 that had been carried in vietnam and desert storm when i switched units. this knife will be a constant companion to your freind a useful tool and a last ditch weapon but id suggest that you get him a Rat or a kabar and get it engraved or fileworked so that he'll hav e much needed morale boost while hes out there sucking in a thrid world country. oh and whatever you do give it to him after he graduates the military frowns on knive sin basic in case you didnt know. just my .2 cents
 
With your budget, a BATAC would be a great choice, as would a Satin Jack Tac. Maybe a Jackhammer. Another I would recommend is the Swamp Rat M6. Personally, I probably wouldn't go any larger than these, unless he really wants a bigger knife.

Add to that a Spec Ops sheath, and he's pretty well set.
 
If he really wants a machete, the Bark River machete is the way to go. If you want something close to a machete, the Bark River Golok is pretty sweet too (heavy machete). I'm thinking I'd ask him what he'd like. A Hellrazor or a Jackhammer would be good; and there's a few on the exchange right now in your budget. Worst comes to worst, toss him your BATAC and tell him you want it back when he gets home and done. You can always tell him to keep it later.
 
BlackHills said:
I was thinking more along the lines of 0331s, 41, 51s, etc....the ones who are designated as the 'gunner' are issued a pistol.



That had to have been a strange experience.
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all my friends were either 0311 or "6400" mos's. i might be wrong they might actually get issued kabar's. i was only on marine corps air stations
 
yea some will say oh to heavy, well we carry so much shit in the Military, it ain't funny. I worked with Marines in Afghanistan and they usually had more stuff then we did, so don't worry about the weight CG ASH-1 will do the trick.


RickJ
 
The big question is his MOS. I'll have to agree that an 0311 "infantry" are the one who use their knives the most and need a good utility/fighter, but anyone in the field needs a decent knife for a variety to situations. Yes, you have chosen the best brand out there with swamp rat/ Scrap yard being very good lesser $ options.
Weight is always to considered on one's LBE. I like the spec ops sheaths and the coyote tan goes perfect with the rest of the issue gear. In my humble oppinion, here are some excellent options.
1. Satin Jack tac> excellent size, good point for penentration
2. Badger attack tactical > not as good a point as the sjtac but good over all utillity knife. light weight
3. If you want a little heavier duty, and larger blade. A skinny Ash1, old SFNO or Sarsquatch are excellent choices.
I think if I had to pick one of these, I would go with an old SFNO
Anything larger IMO would not be functional in the desert environment. If he were in the jungles of SEA or in a woodland area, I would definately recommend a Fusion Steel Heart, but he's not. Any of the five a devil dog would be proud to carry.
My son is a Marine now, and I was in for a short time. He loved the batac size on his vest.
 
My vote would be for a Hell Razor. Big enough for most anything he will encounter, yet not so heavy as to be a burden. Back in the day I carried a cheap USN MK3 Mod 0 (which was more than enough for the REMF I was), but if I were going to be the pointy end of the spear and had the scratch I'd go with a HR. You can find an off the shelf Spec-Ops Large sheath that fits it just fine for <$50.

For duty I'd prefer the coated version by far. The competition finish will get surface rust quite quickly in a salty environment without constant/regular care. Not a big deal, but why give him one more thing to look after? His life will be tough enough as it is.
 
A nice folder is better for a Marine. This isnt the video games or movies...theres no need for a machete and when he shows up with one his NCOs are gonna have a field day with him. Haze the boot will take effect.

A nice folder or a realistic sized fixed blade

folderfan2093 said:
he's NOT going to be issued a kabar. they don't issue kabars. the closest he'll get is a bayonet and he won't be issued that until he's about to deploy
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Where are you getting this information

Marines are still issued KaBars and no longer issued a bayonet. The kabar is actually the bayonet for the m16/m4 class weapons
 
It is true on the Kabar. The new bayonet is made by ONtario OKC-3S is its designation. You can buy a Kabar at the PX, but the new bayonet is also their fighting knife. It has a great feel, serrations and a much thicker blade than the old ka-bar, plus a great sheath that fits on your flak vest. Kabars are no longer issued. BUT> they have issued a nice Benchmade auto-folder
DSC00583.jpg

The far folder on the right is issued; at least in my son's unit. had a box full of them and said, "take some!"
Busseknifepics046.jpg
 
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let me weigh in, regardless of what you get him, i am 98% confident it will be nicest knife in the unit. nost guys arent knife nuts, they will have a $20 walmart gerber paraframe and/or a kabar. this being said, i believe soldiers and marines are given some sort of auto , i think a BM and a gerber multitool.
i suggest a a leatherman charge ALX for $120, a busse nmsfno for $400ish, and a benchmade griptilian for $60. a flashlight would also be helpful although he will already have the POS elbow flashlights. my experience is that surefire is grade A! streamlight would also suffice.
all of this can be had for $700ish which is under ur $1000 budget but still, for some unemplyed kids....
 
bradpierson26 said:
let me weigh in, regardless of what you get him, i am 98% confident it will be nicest knife in the unit. nost guys arent knife nuts, they will have a $20 walmart gerber paraframe and/or a kabar. this being said, i believe soldiers and marines are given some sort of auto , i think a BM and a gerber multitool.
i suggest a a leatherman charge ALX for $120, a busse nmsfno for $400ish, and a benchmade griptilian for $60. a flashlight would also be helpful although he will already have the POS elbow flashlights. my experience is that surefire is grade A! streamlight would also suffice.
all of this can be had for $700ish which is under ur $1000 budget but still, for some unemplyed kids....
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Big A+ on the surefire light and leatherman suggestion. the light is useful in many situations as well as a weapon for blinding people coming up on your position. just make sure you get him a supply of surefire batteries, they use up quick. Leatherman super took is the best with blade lockup, great for all repairs etc. forgot to mention the hellrazor, its good size and weight as well, although as he mentions, many marines aren't as much into the "super knife" thing like us hogs are, but they do appreciate a good strong blade that won't break. My son sent his back to me and had me send him a Gerber LMFII because he didn't feel like messing up an expensive knife, and would rather screw up a $75 gerber.."which he did" hammering, cutting rope, opening mre and ammo crates, prying open crap.. I did tell him what ever he wanted was fine with me, but a busse would do everything he did better than any other knife! He still can not fathom using a knife over $100 and for what their gear goes through.. I can see why
 
I will throw my two pesos, the suggestion was made to wait until he graduates Recruit Training. I think this is the best advice so far. Not every recruit can become a Marine. I am not trying to sell your friend short but I have a bit of experience with recruits who have not been able to make it.
 
after graduation and i would go the graduation without a doubt, be sure and videotape it and then buy the production video as well, you will not regret it at all, once he gets through the most of his basic, you will have a good idea if he is going to make it, he has to make the crucible as well.

get a swamprat or scrapyard or the rat rc-5 and then i totally agree with the multi-tool and crkt makes one that is considerably cheaper than leatherman, also the flashlight is great and sure fire makes one that you can get for about 25 dollars that is excellent little light.

you will be suprised at what the corp does not supply, he will even have to buy his dress blues and several other things that you will not believe, but the px does have good prices, i still like going to them, when i am close to a base.
 
I like the Scrapper 5 idea...also you could look in wanted to buy for a Howling Rat or Yard Keeper- nice size for carry and tough. Ya would need to score a sheath though.

Also, you could think of a Rat RC4 with the molle sheath. Nice set up at a great price. You could also bag a new Spyderco Manix 2 to throw in.

Or maybe a Rat Izula or Swamp Warden. As a small cutter to match with a bigger blade. I think I like the idea of less money, so he wouldn't be too bummed if it was lost or stolen.

You guys are good friends...good on you...
 
I've been out of the Marines for less than two years. So, as of January '08...

They did NOT issue ka-bars unless your duty weapon was the M9. Your friend being new, his duty weapon will not be an M9. He will be issued the OKCS bayonet.

He will also be issued a multi-tool (we got Gerbers) prior to deployment.

Every unit has Gear SOP. He may not be allowed to carry any gear that is not issued to him. It depends on his unit.

And, if he is an infantry unit (even as attachments...remember, infantry units have 0621's and 0861's that hump everywhere the 03's hump) that is in Afghanistan, where lots of humping is involved, every ounce counts. Ounces make pounds, and pounds make pain. If he's gonna have to hump, he ain't gonna want a heavy blade.

I was an 0861 in an infantry unit in aghanistan and humped many a mile with full ILBE. The issued OKCS bayonet was more than sufficient. It's a good blade.
 
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