Busse for a Marine buddy

[emperorwang]

And that benchmade a/o sucks. Sorry, I love benchmade (love their balis, and I sport a fixed griptillian often), but that issued a/o is quite flimsy and cheap.

 

[Will York]

Just wanted everyone's opinion on which Busse to get him.

Busse Basic 7.

Significantly less carry weight than full tang models of the same blade length, thicker blade @ 1/4" than many mentioned above with resulting increased strength, more ergonomic Res-C handle for prolonged use over hard micarta, indestructible. Can also go smaller or larger with a Basic 5 or Basic 9. If he mentioned he'd like something in the machete-size class, the Basic 9 is over-the-top strong, lightweight, and killer quick. Here's some personal brush-bashing experience with the B9:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201627

 

[folderfan2093]

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



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

i got out 2 years ago and i was issued a bayonet not a kabar. a buddy of mine worked at the armory and he said they didn't have any kabars. but i did see a bunch of bayonets laying around.

i actually managed to keep my bayonet. i'm looking for it to post some pics for the guys on here that haven't seen the new ones. they're pretty cool

 

[folderfan2093]

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

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!"

Glad someone got a picture of the new bayonet. now i can stop looking for mine.

those auto folders are great for all sorts of non field related tasks. they're hard to get though. only supply guys get 'em and pilots. they go in the pilots seats. part of the gear that comes with 'em if they have to eject

 

[folderfan2093]

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.

That's because dress blues are optional. he'll be issued alphas and that'll take care of all his needs. other than that he's going to get a uniform allowance so that helps pay for the rest of that stuff.

i actually waited until after my first ball (training command trick here) go to the local dry cleaners and see if someone hasn't picked up their dress blues. they'll let 'em go real cheap. i picked up my blouse for $40

 

[emperorwang]

I concur with will york--assuming his unit allows aftermarket equipment and assuming it is practical for his deployment and mission to sport an aftermarket blade, the busse basic 7 is the perfect choice.

 

[jbombelli]

One thing that occurs to me...

A friend of mine is deploying to A-Stan, and when I asked what one thing he really needed, he told me he needed a good knife. I told him I would hook him up, and asked him to check on what they would allow, since I didn't want to get him something just to see the Army take it, and I was sure there were some sort of rules involved. I specifically asked about serrations as well, since I'd heard those were a no-go. He told me a couple days later, after checking, that serrations were fine, and that he could take up to a 6" blade, and that the measuring stick was a dollar bill. They wouldn't allow him to take anything longer, and they were definitely checking. He also said that if he got over there and THEN they found a longer blade, there would be no problem.

So I gave him a choice... any of these knives and sheaths. I figured with 15 years in the Guard, he should have an idea of which combo would work best for him:

Swamp Rat Custom Shop M6, Spec Ops Sheath

Swamp Rat M6, Spec Ops Sheath

Busse Batac (with one of the above sheaths, I would have resized the kydex insert to fit the thinner blade properly)

I let him choose the combo he wanted. I even included my Snakeskin handled BATAC (bottom pic) in the choices. He opted for the knife from the top pic, and the ACU Spec-Ops sheath, shown in the second pic, since it matches his gear. I was really surprised he didn't choose the BATAC.

May he carry it in good health.

 

[Jaxx]

Although there are many great Busse family knives to choose from, you may want to consider a few points...

*Can it do everything that will be asked of it?
*Will it do all of these tasks well?
*If lost/stolen/ditched, can it be replaced fairly easily and without spending a(nother) large sum of cash over retail?
*Is it worth its weight so as to not be left behind, no matter how physically daunting the assignment will be?
*Does it have a successful track record in the field?

With the BATAC, the answer is yes to all of the above. With its sabre ground blade, ample belly and strong tip, tough is an understatement. Its large finger choil also allows for choking up when using for more 'delicate' tasks. It has a lot of handle for use with even the thickest of gloves and is secure in the hand in both forward and reverse grips.

Don't take my word for it, check the 3 pix below. These are of the 'famous' Embrace The Suck BATAC owned by forum member, recondo4u. I believe that he is still with PSD Team Delta, and carried this BATAC with him while in Afghanistan for over a year, IIRC.

(photo credit for the 3 images above, recondo4u)

I'm a fan of the BATAC, and if I had to make this choice for a friend or myself, I'd be confident in choosing this model. Here's my favorite Busse user below... No surprise that it's a BATAC.

If looking for something with more of a clip point, you may want to check out the SRKW Ratmandu, with is similar to the BATAC in many ways. It might be cheaper, that is if you can find one for sale...

jbombelli mentions in his post above that the rule is 6", and the measuring stick is a dollar bill... If this is correct for your friend's unit, this may very well rule out the SJTAC, the ASH-1, and the Hell Razor. A one dollar bill is approx. 6.25" long, and all three exceed this by a little, the Hell Razor a little more than the others... But the BATAC (& Ratmandu) easily fit under this 'measuring stick' with room to spare. The last thing that I prefer about the BATAC is that you don't look like Rambo carrying it, LOL. It is not flashy nor threatening looking yet it WILL get its point across if need be. :thumbup: For your friend, I'd look for one with micarta grips, either standard or magnum, so if he wishes to mod the grips to fine tune the knife to what fits him, he can do this easier than with G-10 grips.

If he can take something larger, The SJTAC & the Skinny ASH-1 might be worth checking into, or if he will definitely see combat up close & personal, the Hell Razor. Also, I'd back up your choice with a decent sturdy folder, perhaps an automatic. Others here will have better suggestions than myself as I tend to carry pricey custom folders.

BATAC & ASH-1 (2007SE) comparison pic:

I wish your friend all the best!

 

[u812]

He will have a bayonet.So pick him up a nice AD and order up a custom sheath for it.That knife may be much more useful to him.It might be cool to have USMC and his name stamped into the sheath.You also my be able to get Busse the laser his name and the USMC logo on the blade.In short you could get a AD and make it something special for the same price as a large blade.

 

[jnphares]

In one of the other discussions on this topic (it may have been for a soldier instead of a marine), the AD was a very popular choice -- it's an extremely tough, useful size knife that isn't going to have anyone making snide Rambo comments. It isn't, however, current production, so would carry a premium on the price.

 

[Guyon]

The BATAC is a very useful blade for field work. Good recommendation, Jaxx. :thumbup:

I took a pic of a number of Busse sub 5" knives. The BATAC (top left) is the largest of the bunch.

 

[resinguy]

In one of the other discussions on this topic (it may have been for a soldier instead of a marine), the AD was a very popular choice -- it's an extremely tough, useful size knife that isn't going to have anyone making snide Rambo comments. It isn't, however, current production, so would carry a premium on the price.

The MiliGanza ADs trade pretty often at close to list price.

 

[amflud]

Scrap Yard Scrapper 6, Scrapper 5, Swamp Rat Camp Tramp, Busse SAR5, Busse HG55, and it looks like the Busse Tank Buster will be out sometime this week. You should avoid anything much larger than the above items and you should probably avoid the LE's because the flashier the knife is the less likely he will want to use it for the purpose it was intended, and he WILL get some ribbing from his fellow Marines for having a "fancy" knife. I have been out of the Corps for 7 years but I think my personal preference would be the Swamp Rat Camp Tramp. That's my 2 cents, hope it helps. Good Luck.

 

[rpn]

You make your buy yet??