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Ganga ram 22inch
- Thread starter wroughndt
- Start date
- Joined
- May 9, 2002
- Messages
- 12,681
I dunno, I'm athletic (well i was ONCE
) and I can swing a 22" GRS all day. It IS a niche khuk, but its really not that fatiguing...seriously.
) and I can swing a 22" GRS all day. It IS a niche khuk, but its really not that fatiguing...seriously.
Well, I have never backed down from a challenge in my life and I know that swinging that 65oz with one hand is NOT a good idea not too mention not very effective. I could swing a 35oz CAK about 4 times in the time it takes to swing the 65ozer and recover it once and while it has more mass to do the cutting it is has less inertia. By my guess I could do 2-3 times the cutting with the smaller chopper. After all we are cutting the wood not smashing it so its not like comparing a 3lb mull to a 10lb when breaking up concrete. I could swing it all day too but I sure can't slow it down very well once I have given it momentum. It just seems very unsafe but Steely you may be much stronger than me. Note: I am not known for my responsible decision making or acting in a manner consistant with one concerned with self preservation so... If I think its stupid its worth taking a look at. It just occured to me, I learned a little while ago that my old co-workers refer to cutting themselves as pulling a """""" (my last name). I have lost a lot of blood in my life and I am better and closing wounds and avoiding infection than a world class surgeon. I hope that paints a good picture of my perspective and justifies my advice that most people should avoid swinging this thing, of course mine seems to be a bit heavier than the average
If so that certainly does make a difference. I do think it would be much easier to manage with two hands but then it would basically be and axe and I would just by an axe as it would obviously be a little akward to swing in a downward chopping motion, which is why axes exsist.
If so that certainly does make a difference. I do think it would be much easier to manage with two hands but then it would basically be and axe and I would just by an axe as it would obviously be a little akward to swing in a downward chopping motion, which is why axes exsist.I agree with most of what you wrote, except for that last point. A 22" 65oz GR could be given a strong, nicely curved handle about 8-10" long that would retain the Khukuri look and provide a very secure two-handed grip for practical use. It wouldn't need a long axe handle. In that configuration it could be wielded in more ways than an axe and would be much more powerful than a hatchet or any normal khukuri.
It would be an interesting project to get one of these giant blades with a blem handle with the idea of rehandling it for two-handed use. A lot of work to get it right, but whoever does it would end up with a unique chopper.
-- Dave
- Joined
- May 9, 2002
- Messages
- 12,681
No sweat, Danboy
I am certainly not a monster of man with my 175# 5'10 frame
I just find a large khuk more controllable than an axe. For me, the axe IS faster, but it takes more effort. To swing an axe, I rotate my arms in an arc and concentrate putting all of my power into the head of the axe where it will strike. To swing my GRS, I bring it up to shoulder height and bring my arm down about 3/4 speed before snapping my wrist to let the blade's weight do the work. I pick up neither an axe nor my GRS to be efficient. I have a chainsaw for that, but truth be told swinging 4 and 5 pounds of razor sharp steel feels safer to use than a chainsaw...those things scare the hell out of me
I am certainly not a monster of man with my 175# 5'10 frame
I just find a large khuk more controllable than an axe. For me, the axe IS faster, but it takes more effort. To swing an axe, I rotate my arms in an arc and concentrate putting all of my power into the head of the axe where it will strike. To swing my GRS, I bring it up to shoulder height and bring my arm down about 3/4 speed before snapping my wrist to let the blade's weight do the work. I pick up neither an axe nor my GRS to be efficient. I have a chainsaw for that, but truth be told swinging 4 and 5 pounds of razor sharp steel feels safer to use than a chainsaw...those things scare the hell out of me
wroughndt
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2011
- Messages
- 1,688
I received my Ganga Ram today. Initial impressions: the handle is BIG. I'm 6"4 and it seems a bit big for me. First I am going to sand it down a little to make it smaller on the circumference. Does anyone know how much wood is usually there? I guess I'm asking how much wood could I sand off before I get into trouble.
I was very suprised at how lively a 60 ounce knife could be though, it seems to be very usable and actually much easier to swing than I would have guessed. Don't get me wrong, it's gonna take lots of practice but I was expecting it to be much more awkward in the hand. It's going to fill the role I had in mind very well.... Once I deal with the handle. I will do some tests next weekend and report back with some photos. Thanks to Danboy357 and thanks to H.I. For posting this on D.O.D..... Perfect timing.
Edited to add: I forgot to mention the chokma and karda (please forgive spelling) are the nicest I have seen. It's nice to have a guenuinely nice small knife in the kit with me. Overall I am very pleased with the whole setup.
I was very suprised at how lively a 60 ounce knife could be though, it seems to be very usable and actually much easier to swing than I would have guessed. Don't get me wrong, it's gonna take lots of practice but I was expecting it to be much more awkward in the hand. It's going to fill the role I had in mind very well.... Once I deal with the handle. I will do some tests next weekend and report back with some photos. Thanks to Danboy357 and thanks to H.I. For posting this on D.O.D..... Perfect timing.
Edited to add: I forgot to mention the chokma and karda (please forgive spelling) are the nicest I have seen. It's nice to have a guenuinely nice small knife in the kit with me. Overall I am very pleased with the whole setup.
Last edited:
wroughndt
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2011
- Messages
- 1,688
After the mod to the handle I took it out for a run. Much easier to chop with than I expected! My technique was a little rusty but I had no issues swinging it for 15 minutes or so. I don't know if it's the centrifugal force or the curve of the blade but it swings very nice. You definitely know when you hit the sweet spot, it goes from 1.5" deep bite to around 2.5" deep. It absolutely blows my CAK away. It seems to chop in a similar fashion to an axe. Anyone that is on the fence about getting one, DO IT! The quality on this Ganga Ram is the best that I have seen on a kukri. The blade is so flat and flawless that it one might assume that it was made by stock removal method. Very, very well made. The only thing I would change if I were to buy another would be to get a Chiruwa Ganga Ram.... This is my first chopper with the stick tang and while I know it's plenty tough, the though of the handle loosening makes me sweat. All around, I would say its a steal of a deal, even buying it full price.
