Just Can't Find The "Perfect" Hawk!

M

Moving Target

Joined
Feb 8, 2000
Messages
617
Hi folks! Just looking for some advice or opinions about my choice of 'hawks. I currently own a Cold Steel Frontier and an American Tomahawk Company Next Generation Ranger Spike. The problem is that neither of them just "feels right" overall for my purposes (backwoods utility and self-defense).

HANDLES:

I like the longer (about 16 inch) handle of the Cold Steel Frontier and the "teardrop" shape of the wooden handle. I do not like the shorter (about 14 inch) handle of the NGRanger...but I do like the fact that it is checkered for grip and made of a nearly indestructible material that won't work itself loose. The head on my Cold Steel hawk has been worked loose twice, although never broke free before it could be replaced. Here are my observations/opinions:

BLADE HEAD:

I like both blades, but I prefer the more pronounced "hook" underneath and level top of the ATC NGRanger head. The problem is that I have found that I hate the spike! Sure, it looks cool, but for my purposes I have found it rather useless for utility and something of a liability in self-defense (that is, almost as likely to endanger YOU as your opponent). I would prefer to have something of a flat, or slightly protruding, hammer surface on the back of the blade instead.

SO basically, I would LOVE to have an ATC NGRanger with a longer, thicker teardrop shaped handle with a hammer pole on the back instead. But since that simply doesn't exist...alternatives I am considering are:

Bear Mountain Light Infantry
Fort Turner Iroquois
Fort Turner Trapper
Cold Steel Rifleman's Hawk
Cold Steel Trail Hawk

Anyone with some experience with these? Any comments or opinions would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks!
 
l have two 'hawks:

A Cold Steel Rifleman's Hawk l bought back in spring of 1994, and a Rogers' Rangers Spike Hawk l bought back before production switched from ATC to Bear Mountain.

ln both cases, what made them 'feel right' to me was making my own handles... and significantly longer handles than the ones originally on them.

HPIM0271.jpg
 
Man that handle work is top notch, love the patriot style design on the ranger. that's cool as hell. I have the Bear Mountain Frontiersmen which is pretty similar to the ranger, it's a great hawk. I gotta learn to work with tacks, thought about working a lot on the handle with rawhide and the like but I throw it too much it would see to much wear.
 
Thanks.

l hand carved both of them using a knife and a rasp. The material for the handles (on both of them) came from an ancient sledgehammer handle l found in a barn back in 1999.

That's some very well seasoned hickory.

l started out with the Cold Steel (that handle is about 24") and later when l bought Rogers Rangers l decided to change that super stubby handle it came with.

l'm 6'5". A tomahawk handle has to be at least 20" long to fit me. :D
 
Yes I've handled one but (1) I don't want a spike and (2) the handle isn't much different from the ATC Nexty Generation Ranger I already own. But I'll agree, it's a very well-built and popular 'hawk design.
 
The teardrop handles are defintely comfortable and the Light Infantry defintely has some weight behind it. The hammer is defintely a user and it has a lifetime warranty.
 
Wolf_1989 said:
l have two 'hawks:

A Cold Steel Rifleman's Hawk l bought back in spring of 1994, and a Rogers' Rangers Spike Hawk l bought back before production switched from ATC to Bear Mountain.
Click to expand...

Great stuff. Did u blue the head of the CS hawk? And if you left it in the natural metal finish, does that make it a rust magnet?
 
I also love the work you did with that CS Rifleman's hawk! That's almost exactly what I'm looking for. I haven't had a chance to handle one yet but I've heard they are a little too heavy in the hand - which may be a plus for chopping/hammering, but for my other potential uses I don't know that I'd want something that heavy.

Nowicki - That hawk looks great and is pretty much what I'm looking for. Thanks for the pics! (I wonder how the weight compares to the CS Rifleman?)

Right now I've kind of narrowed my choices down to the CS Rfleman's (low end), FT Trapper, or BM Light Infantry.

Thanks for all the ideas so far!

MT
 
DeerPark said:
Great stuff. Did u blue the head of the CS hawk? And if you left it in the natural metal finish, does that make it a rust magnet?
Click to expand...

The black coating originally on it wore off on its own through use years ago. What you see now is the natural patina it developed.

Rust magnet? You bet.
 
Moving Target said:
I also love the work you did with that CS Rifleman's hawk! That's almost exactly what I'm looking for. I haven't had a chance to handle one yet but I've heard they are a little too heavy in the hand - which may be a plus for chopping/hammering, but for my other potential uses I don't know that I'd want something that heavy.


MT
Click to expand...

0ne of the advantages of having a long haft is you can grasp it up a little higher. This helps shift the balance and makes a heavier tomahawk head easier to maneuver.

The RR tomahawk's handle l carved was also 24" but the balance felt wrong so l cut it back to about 22". That turned out to be perfect.
 
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