Issue Carry Opinions?

Triquetra

Triquetra

Joined
Mar 7, 2002
Messages
759
We all know that Uncle recommends the 18"WWII as the Khuk that he thinks should be the issue weapon and Pala thinks that the GS (18"?) is ideal. How do these compare or what are the advantages to these over the M43 and which one does everyone else think would be the best choice and the advantages of each? Could also compare the recommendation for the combat soldier vs the regular soldier.
 
A soldier, combat or regular, needs a GP knife adaptable to numerous useful purposes. Fighting with a knife is way down that list. An "issue" knife must be adaptable to all soldiers, who may get a day of training with it during Basic. Even Specops troops don't spend a lot of time on martial arts training, so many train on their own. Today, weight and bulk are more critical than ever. Soldiers wear Kevlar helmets, vests with ceramic plates, 1-2 liters of water, rifle, and maybe pistol too, ammo, and a host of other necessary gear. When I could shave weight, I would. When I could carry more, I added ammo. That being said, I'd opt for a lighter, faster utility blade. Ka-Bars, USAF survival knives, Randall model 1/15/18 series knives are utility blades, not primarily fighting knives. Fewer solders, even in the Specops community, need a Fairbairn-Sykes, Gerber Mk II, or Randall model 2. My personal choices in khuks for military use are:


  • GP: 16.5" WWII (mine's a village model with blued blade).
  • Combat: 18" Sirupati (again, mine's a 17" village model with blued blade. Going to war, I'd also blue the pommel and bolster.
  • Breaching: 16.5" Chiruwa AK (not the best fighter, however).
I think the 16.5" WWII, or even BAS, best as an "issue" khuk. I'd probably choose the Sirupati, since it will do everything I generally ask of a military knife. If I was involved in rescue or breaching operations, and traveled by vehicle, I'd want one Chiruwa AK with the team, in the vehicle.

Look to the Brits and Gurkha Bde. They are the real experts. They've carried a 15" BAS type khuk with an 11" blade, essentially since WWII. I expect there's a good reason. Most of the WWII models I have are lighter than HI equivalents (HIs are thicker at the spine and have more grip). The WWII blades are generally 12"-13" long, and about 1/4" at the spine. A K-45 feels light and fast - and right. My WWI khuks may be more in the 13"-14" range.

And then you have to consider what's acceptable to the command. They can be funny about individual modifications to field gear, or haircuts. Specops has a lot more latitude in this area.

- Former Airborne, Ranger, Special Forces, Vietnam Vet
 
As much as I love khukuris... if I was gonna give HI to a pal going on deployment, I'd probably choose a 12" AK, Kumar Karda, or an Ang Khola Bowie. Less weight. I love the AK Bowie, if the handle slabs get smashed off it still works because of the full tang and integral pommel. Hard to beat it :)
 
cucharadedragon said:
We all know that Uncle recommends the 18"WWII as the Khuk that he thinks should be the issue weapon and Pala thinks that the GS (18"?) is ideal.

How do these compare or what are the advantages to these over the M43 and which one does everyone else think would be the best choice and the advantages of each?

Could also compare the recommendation for the combat soldier vs the regular soldier.
Click to expand...
To choose between the criteria you've set up:

I believe that Bill and Pala's preferences are personal preferences based on their own judgement. We all have our favorites.
And with that said, I don't believe any of the ones you've listed are better than any other one nor does one have an advantage over the other.
Personally I would choose the M-43 over the other two.:p ;)

And last but not least: All soldiers are combat soldiers when the need arises. Some are kept behind the lines because of their particular talents and specialties I think.
 
Yvsa said:
And last but not least: All soldiers are combat soldiers when the need arises. Some are kept behind the lines because of their particular talents and specialties I think.
Click to expand...
That is very true in the Marine Corps. A Marine is a rifleman first. What ever else he does is secondary.


Semp
 
I am a huge fan of the UBE. I think a 16" version with a slightly thinner spine to reduce the weight a little, would make a great general carry/combat knife. I love the recurve.
 
Me too. The fully curved spine makes sheathing and unsheethinng smooth and speedy, and Hey! It is patterned driectly off the old Mil M-43s. The M-43 I got from RR is a really close repro of the old service M-43 I have--so close, I wonder if he had one on hand for specs!

Well, I think they'd all do a good job, and yes some are more specialized than others.

my .02

Keith
 
If you spend a lot of time in a vehicle then you could probably handle a larger knife. If you are on foot a lot then a lighter smaller knife would be better.
 
There's a 16.5 Himalayan Imports khukuri for sale on eBay, but I can't list the link. But it is there, honest. Might be the perfect compromise. ;)

As I recall, Sarge liked the Pen knife in Afganistan, but came to prefer the point on the 12in AK. He was Air Support, I think.


Kis


Edit: There seems to be a new listing for an AK Bowie Blem on eBay as well. :rolleyes:
 
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