Ka-Bar Becker Bk-7 for stabbing

[laea7777]

The BK-7 is marketed as a combat/utility knife, and Ethan Becker said in an interview both that this is his version of the Ka-Bar fighting knife and that you could stick something with it. However, I am leary of stabbing with it, due to the lack of a full hilt. The jimping and the index finger nub (I'm not sure of the technical term for that - handguard?) definitely help; but, in all honesty, what is the likelihood that your hand would slip over that nub and you'd end up slicing your fingers if your were to, for example, hit a bone? Would you feel confident using this knife for pig hunting, for example? Thanks.

 

[axlplayer14]

Ethan's handle designs are incredibly ergonomic. CM Rick has a video on here of a stabbing test where he oiled up the handle and stabbed into a log. No slippage. You shouldn't have any problems unless you aren't holding onto the handle. After all wood is harder than flesh. Of all my Becker knives I've never had a problem slipping forward onto the blade when I was stabbing stuff. And that was with blades with no lower guards at all, unlike the 7 that does have a lower guard just in case.


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[SALTY]

The above post beat me to the punch.

I wouldn't hesitate to stab with the 7. Ethan's handles provide a great combination of purchase and comfort - typically mutually exclusive criteria. With a view towards stabbing, the 7's lower guard provides an added benefit.

Be reminded that Ethan is an outdoorsman with specific food prep background. I cannot help but to think that that he brings these backgrounds to his designs - even a combat knife. To me, full hilts get in the way. Sure, they serve a purpose when stabbing but at the expense of limiting functionality in other areas. Though Ethan's various designs excel at one particular facet of knife use or another depending on the model, all of his designs lend themselves to a broader spectrum of knife duty than most.

The BK7 is, in the opinion of many, one of the most versatile of the Becker line-up.

 

[NJBillK]

How about coating the handle in oil and stabbing a tree?

Watch the video here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1372971-Video-I-May-Have-Gone-Too-Far

 

[beckerbrain]

With the 7 & the 9, my hand really locks into place. If you're going to use it primarily as a pig sticker, maybe a ranger band or something would be warranted to help a little, or a short lanyard with the end of the loop up over the hilt, to prevent any forward motion, but I'm not sure how convenient that would be in the heat of the hunt. I've never dispatched an animal with my beckers, but I would trust the handle design 100%, after just stabbing into tree trunks, logs, etc. there's a post somewhere within a couple pages of a Bk9 being used to stick a goat behind the shoulder blade & he said it was effortless. Also, in addition to the video of the guy that oils up his hand before stabbing, there's a YouTube video of a guy stabbing ammo boxes with a bk9 & excellent penetration. With the 7's longer swedge and pointier tip, I imagine it would have even less resistance & therefore less chance of sliding up onto the blade.

I'd like to see someone put some factory scales on a completely dull slab of steel (for safety) and use it to stab things full force to see if you could even get the scales to slip (I doubt someone could, without serious carelessness).

Edit: As Ethan pointed out, guards were often used to protect your hand from an opponents blade, not your own. Some cultural knives come to mind, like a Scottish dirk, definitely used for stabbing & no guard. I think the Becker handle design is about as good as it gets.

 

[laea7777]

Thanks, everyone. You've reassured me that I made the right decision six years ago by making the BK7 my 'if I could only have one knife' knife. I couldn't bear to watch that video all the way through, even knowing that he makes it out okay; I'll take your word for it; it makes my heart pound, worse than watching Olympic ice skating.

One more question, though - would the upgraded Micarta grips be better or worse than the stock Grivory? They feel grippier, but maybe the Grivory is deceptively grippy. I've been thinking of switching back to the Grivory to save some weight and to store petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls inside the hollows, but the Micarta felt like a huge improvement six years ago. (First I have to locate the misplaced Grivories, anyway...)

Thanks again.

 

[Bladite]

the new grivory is very diamond patterned, very aggressive. without gloves, a long day of hamming stuff would flay some skin. with gloves, pretty positive grip for sure. probably chew up gloves. some people de-tune the handles.

 

[Xr6x]

The BK-7 is marketed as a combat/utility knife, and Ethan Becker said in an interview both that this is his version of the Ka-Bar fighting knife and that you could stick something with it. However, I am leary of stabbing with it, due to the lack of a full hilt. The jimping and the index finger nub (I'm not sure of the technical term for that - handguard?) definitely help; but, in all honesty, what is the likelihood that your hand would slip over that nub and you'd end up slicing your fingers if your were to, for example, hit a bone? Would you feel confident using this knife for pig hunting, for example? Thanks.

Leary about stabbing with it , get some VZ scales for it. The 7 won't leave your hand unless you open it.

 

[Ethan Becker]

In Cammillus days there was a BK-9HH or Hog Hunter model that was requested by a national hog hunting magazine...... I have not personally dispatched a boar with one but it is reasonable to assume that the Nine has done a few.... The stock grips work just fine....... Historically the main reason that knives had long full guards was the deflection or "catching"of an opponents blade or as a back up for a poorly designed grip...... Or, as a fashion statement....

E

 

[RRR1977]

The BK-7 (Cammillus era) was my first Becker. I acquired it mid deployment during the initial year after the push into Iraq. I have used the 7 for plenty of tasks, some intended for the tool, some not. I never had an issue stabbing with it (or breaking into houses and buildings when a dynamic entry was not optimal), and never lost grip. However, if you intend to use a knife specifically for stabbing, get one with a thinner (more narrow) blade. Something like a M3 trench knife, or M7 bayonet (same blade profile). Thinner is better.

 

[coote]

I'd happily use a '7 for dispatching a pig. I think that the knife is pretty much ideal for a pig hunter. The handle design makes it safe. I really appreciate not having a guard on my Beckers. A guard can make a knife more problematic to hold in a sheath, and guards can get in the way on a working knife.

I was once asked, on the spur of the moment, to help a guy retrieve his monofilament fishing net in some fairly unpleasant weather. I was not dressed as I would normally be for working on a boat. I had leather hiking boots on, and I had a homemade hunting knife with a short brass guard.

The boat was a runabout maybe sixteen feet long with an outboard motor. The net was set near a lee shore maybe a mile away. The boat owner was wearing one-piece overalls. Neither of us was wearing a lifejacket (as has been our lifetime habit... although not necessarily a good one. We carry lifejackets in the boat as required by law).

The net was set fairly close to a rocky shore, and the sea was quite choppy. Instead of approaching the net from one end, the skipper took the boat alongside the net on the windward side. Within a few moments the propellor got caught in the net and became surrounded by a tight binding of strong nylon netting. Duh.

We couldn't pull the net off the propellor and we were being washed toward the rocky shore. When we reached shallower water the owner jumped over the side and attempted to hold the boat off the rocks. The boat was hit by a wave and got pushed over the owner. I jumped in with my boots on. I asked the owner for his knife (everyone carries a decent knife on their boat, right?).... but no, he didn't have one. I only had my fairly short hunting knife with the protruding guard.

If I need to slice cordage in a hurry, I would choose a sharp knife with a fairly long, thin blade. With a long blade you can use a decent sawing motion.

I attacked the nylon with my knife. Nylon monofilament can catch up and tangle on anything, so as you can imagine the guard on my knife was not a good thing to have as the net swirled around in the water. I should add here that when working up close with monofilament nets, the buttons on your clothing are also likely to get caught.

Anyway... I finally cut off the compacted net. The net was wrecked and, as far as I recall, there were no fish in it. Fortunately the shear pin through the propellor was still intact and we were able to take the boat back to where we were staying.

Shortly afterward I gave the owner a nice stainless knife with a longish blade (and no guard) to keep on his boat.

I've stuck pigs using knives with no guard and just a plain handle. I like to hold the handle so that the base of it is jammed at least partially against my palm. I don't hammer the knife into the pig (which could result in my hand slipping down the knife), I hold it against the pig and push it in a controlled manner as best I can in the circumstances. Although it is sometimes safer to stick the knife in behind a front leg where you may encounter a rib, the preferred method that I've seen is to tip the pig over and push the knife in alongside the brisket. Sometimes I have pushed the knife handle into the pig as well to get a bit more penetration, and a guard would make this more difficult to do. When sticking a pig in the artery alongside the brisket, the knife doesn't have to go far in to be fatal. I just like to reach further for a quicker result if possible.

I am yet to stick a big pig with a BK9. I have pushed the '9 into a goat as described in another post, and I've stuck a pig with my BK2... although it didn't slide in as easily as other knives that I've used (even though the knife took considerable force to push in, my hand did not slip on the factory scales. I think the factory scales are fine). I've since made the point a bit sharper on my '2.... although I am unlikely to take the '2 on a pig hunt now that I can use a '9.

So yeah.... I think the BK7 is a great knife for the job. Best wishes from NZ.

 

[coote]

I keep thinking about this topic.

I've never used a BK7, so I am not an expert on that model (although I can say that the Becker handles are fantastic).

For a dedicated sticking knife, I'd probably pick something narrower, thinner and pointier than the '7. And I'd possibly even break my own rule of 'just one sharpened edge for safety' and have the back edge sharp for at least an inch or so. And I'd probably choose a blade at least 7" long... maybe an inch or two longer. And I'd have a really sturdy sheath.

However... a dedicated sticking knife like I've just described would be relatively hopeless for all the other tasks a more general purpose knife like the '7 can do.

 

[J W Bensinger]

I'd like to see someone put some factory scales on a completely dull slab of steel (for safety) and use it to stab things full force to see if you could even get the scales to slip (I doubt someone could, without serious carelessness).

Edit: As Ethan pointed out, guards were often used to protect your hand from an opponents blade, not your own. Some cultural knives come to mind, like a Scottish dirk, definitely used for stabbing & no guard. I think the Becker handle design is about as good as it gets.

Ask and ye shall recieve:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-trainer-handle-slip-test?highlight=bensinger

 

[bootzon]

the new grivory is very diamond patterned, very aggressive. without gloves, a long day of hamming stuff would flay some skin. with gloves, pretty positive grip for sure. probably chew up gloves. some people de-tune the handles.

Did you mean Micarta? I haven't seen diamond patterned grivory from factory.

 

[beckerbrain]

Ask and ye shall recieve:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-trainer-handle-slip-test?highlight=bensinger

Yes! This is exactly what I was talking about. That test, along with the others, pretty much puts the "slippery scales" debate to bed in my opinion. That trainer is awesome too. Were those full force stabs? They looked pretty damn hard, poor tree haha. Thanks for the link man, I've been wanting to see something like this for a while now. Any doubts I had left are gone now.

 

[granitestateofmind]

Did you mean Micarta? I haven't seen diamond patterned grivory from factory.

Actually I think he was referring to the VZ grips Ka-Bar sells. They are diamond checkered and have some serious, velcro-like grip. I have only one pair (sale, they were out of the factory Micarta that I wanted) on my RBK - which I always use with gloves. But they are excellent grips, IMO - even if they are pretty aggressive. Though, I don't know if I'd want them on any of my non-chopping Beckers.

 

[coote]

I once worked with a guy that was a keen pig hunter. He told me he used a 'trimming knife' to stick his pigs. (The trimming knives used in our local fish factory are what other people might call boning knives). Because these knives don't generally come with a sheath, I asked him how he carried it. He said he carried it in a waist pack, presumably jammed into a bit of plastic pipe to keep things safe. I'm also guessing the knife didn't cost him much.

I would not choose to go pig hunting with a knife carried in a waist pack. I might carry a second knife in a pack, but if I had a pig leg in one hand I wouldn't want to be fumbling trying to open my pack to find a knife in a hurry.

I'd much rather have a BK7 on my belt. I could use it for pigs and other chores to which it is well suited. Going pig hunting is an opportunity to 'dress in your Sunday best' as it were. Nevertheless, I guess that guy with his trimming knife achieved what he wanted even if he didn't share my sense of occasion.

Here is a picture of a typical trimming or boning knife like the ones I used to see being used for fish processing. It has a five and a half inch blade:

 

[NCSlice]

Actually I think he was referring to the VZ grips Ka-Bar sells. They are diamond checkered and have some serious, velcro-like grip. I have only one pair (sale, they were out of the factory Micarta that I wanted) on my RBK - which I always use with gloves. But they are excellent grips, IMO - even if they are pretty aggressive. Though, I don't know if I'd want them on any of my non-chopping Beckers.

 

[njr]

The BK-7 (Cammillus era) was my first Becker. I acquired it mid deployment during the initial year after the push into Iraq. I have used the 7 for plenty of tasks, some intended for the tool, some not. I never had an issue stabbing with it (or breaking into houses and buildings when a dynamic entry was not optimal), and never lost grip. However, if you intend to use a knife specifically for stabbing, get one with a thinner (more narrow) blade. Something like a M3 trench knife, or M7 bayonet (same blade profile). Thinner is better.

I have a CRKT Hissatsu that is optimal for this. The Hisshou is even closer to the original tanto length. Both are designed by James Williams who teaches Kenjitsu.

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[Kentwood33]

Digging it!!!