Chopper: M9 vs R9

C

cybrok

Joined
Aug 7, 2005
Messages
4,741
Hey guys.

I am looking for a big blade, but am not quite ready yet to put the money on a Battle Mistress. Someday.

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I used to love Ranger Knives, but with Ontario it's just not the same. I have a Bushcraft Series RD9, I wanted to save on the weight, but it is a bit thin for the job (3/16). I want the knife for the usual bushcraft/survival stuff: Chopping, batoning, carving notches (so the handle needs to be comfy when choked up), etc.

I haven't checked the Swamp Rat lineup for a while, I just noticed the new handle shape on the rodents. Anybody know the background for that shape? How does it feel in the hand, especially in small hands.

I was thinking about getting a M9, but I am not sure I can get one for the price I could get a Rodent 9.

Between these 2 knives, which one would you chose and why? I saw the Scrapyard 911, but the handle just doesn't seem designed to be choked up, but that might just be me.
 
The 'lightning strike' handles on Rodent line are love/hate affair for a lot of folks. I've got smallish hands and for me up to R5 they are comfy, but R7 & R9 are not, the hump spreads my fingers too far apart. Folks with larger paws are mostly happy with them.
911 is very comfy in hand, quite a bit lighter than R9, and Res-C is perfect for a heavy duty user, as long as you don't plan on batoning the handle. You can do detailed work with it using the choil fairly comfortably.
M9 is quite comfy in hand too, but the handle is quite wide and if your hands are really small, it might not be comfy for you at all.
 
Not sure I like the sound of that. I do baton on the handle sometimes, and have smaller hands :(
 
Ask the custom ahop to thin out the scales and remove the hump! I was thinking about ordering an r7 without the hump and some hand shaped scales.
 
I would not say I have large hands and I like the rodent 9 handles very much.
 
My medium sized hands love both the M9 and the Res-C handles like on this Basic-9, which is similar to the SYKCO 911. Both knives chop equally...

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I will try to get my hands on a M9, and if I can't I'll get a dehumped R9. I contacted Swamp Rat and it's really not that expensive.
 
elof_alv said:
I think I'd take Rat Mastiff over M9. Unless M9 had the handle of R6, for me it would make a world of difference.
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The Swamp really needs to put a guardless R6 handle on bigger blades, lets get it done Josh!
 
elof_alv said:
I think I'd take Rat Mastiff over M9. Unless M9 had the handle of R6, for me it would make a world of difference.
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I'm a little biased, I have all three but the user is the Mastiff. One amazing big knife. There's a pic of that one somewhere around here. I'll never let that one go.
 
leatherman said:
I'm a little biased, I have all three but the user is the Mastiff. One amazing big knife. There's a pic of that one somewhere around here. I'll never let that one go.
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I wish Swamp would have made the Chop Mastiff, that proto pic makes me salivate! Rat Mastiff is pretty damn cool too.
 
I do wish as well. The only one that could dethrone my Rat Mastiff. Too bad :(
 
I just bought a M9 :)

Now... what pants to get? I am not a big fan of kydex.

Savage leather? Chuddy Bear? Others?
 
Pictures! We must have Pictures!!! :D :D :D
 
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