KaBar for a woods knife?

D

Deere Man

Joined
Oct 1, 2008
Messages
190
Alright, so I'm pretty sure that my next knife purchase will be a standard size KaBar fighting/utility knife in foliage green with the Kraton G handle and plastic sheath. I've wanted a KaBar since I was a kid and I think it's about time. Does anybody have an opinion on how this knife functions in the woods (ie survival/bushcraft)? I'm thinking about using it as an intermediate sizes knife for hikes when I just want to take one knife since it falls between my RC-4 and Heavy Bowie. The way I see it, the KaBar should be large enough for batoning/light chopping yet small enough for finner work. Plus, it has a reputation for being tough, can be used as a hammer, and isn't all that heavy. I hope to get an RC-6 for this spot someday. How does the KaBar compare to the RC-6?

Thanks.
 
Well, I can help with this one seeing is I have both.

The first thing I will say, the RC6 is a better knife, in every aspect, except the price to some however. That said, I like you had wanted a USMC model for a long time, when I got it I was not disappointed. A tried and true Carbon steel, good sheath, good handle and a decent grind for a production knife.

Lets get a few pics going.
First up the RC6, 1095 carbon steel, Full flat grind with a secondary bevel(which I convex for that extra umph) A "real" full tang, as opposed to the Ka-bar which has a full tang, but it not the full width of the handle, just a RAT tang. the sheath on the RC6 is a higher quality, Micarta handles and a somewhat abrasive coating(more so than the ka-bar)
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A great combo with a folding saw.
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Good battoner.
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Also makes a great ferro striker, just a little loss to shaving ability.
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Now for the Ka-bar.
While I dont have the knife now (sent it to a fellow board member) While I had it I loved it. It was a decent cutter (kinda like a BK7) would baton any wood I needed it too, also If you want a knife for fighting, its the one to go with.:D
It Also sports a 1095 carbon steel blade, Mind had leather stacked handles, and a leather sheath, but I also have a 8" tanto which came with the plastic sheath. It has a Saber grind with a secondary bevel (both knife I believe are at 20* per side) All in all a good field knife for heavier stuff, can cut you camp wood, build a shelter with ease and skin a rabbit should the need arise. (yes I have done it)

I personally bent the top portion of the guard down to choke up some with the thumb, I recommend you do the same.
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For reference on size.
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Really not the different from a 119 either.
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Wow, all this talk is making me want another one, thanks bud now I need to go buy another one.:D

So, in the end, if you can wait, I would say do so and get the RC6 when you can manage it. On the other side, if your sitting stur crazy wanting a new knife and that ka-bar is calling out to ya, go for its certainly no slouch. Its like comparing a Casio to a Citizen, sure there is a price difference but in the end they do the same thing, they just bring it in a different platform.

Got any more questions post away, or e-mail if the need arises.
 
+1 to the above.

The RC6 is the better knife for everything but fighting.

However, a Ka-Bar was my first "big" field knife and I had no trouble with it. Personally, there's few chore that I ever do with my thumb on the spine of the blade, so the guard doesn't bother me. To each his own. However, instead of bending it, I'd just take a hacksaw and cut it off (be sure to file what's left to remove burrs and spinters), rather than bend it.

It gets pooh-poohed a lot because it doesn't fit the accepted "bushcraft" pattern. However, I've found that you can adapt to any knife for the most part, so long as you want to work with it. One of my friends and former coworkers sees no reason to go in the woods with anything but a Ka-Bar and a SAK, and he does just fine.
 
I carried one in a big jungle far to the south of where I am now, a couple of decades ago. It always did what I asked it to do. Can't ask for more than that. You won't be disappointed.

Ron
 
My Dad got me one when I was 15, used the hell out of it till I got a CS Trailmaster when i was 19, now I use a Becker CU7 but the old Kabar is still around for my boy if he wants it. like the others said cut off the top half of the guard its alot nicer imho.
 
I keep putting off buying one. I think I'd better get off my ass before prices start to go up.
 
I've been around knives for most of my 55 years on this Earth, and in all that time I've never heard one person say anything bad about the Ka-Bar. OK, maybe it's not all things for all people, but you'll never go wrong with one, especially for the price. And yes, it makes a very good, if not perfect, woods knife. Go for it, you won't regret it.
 
Fonly, I just found this section of the forum from a move of another post. Looks like this can be a bad place for knife addicts.
The RC6 in your upper photo with the cutout at the back of the blade looks great. Are we allowed to ask the supplier and is there a sponsor of the site that sells them? Thanks!
 
stockdog said:
Fonly, I just found this section of the forum from a move of another post. Looks like this can be a bad place for knife addicts.
The RC6 in your upper photo with the cutout at the back of the blade looks great. Are we allowed to ask the supplier and is there a sponsor of the site that sells them? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Do you mean the finger choil?

I'll send you a PM.
 
I have a 1943 KaBar and I love it. I also have a 119 and 105 from Buck as my main kitchen knife. I am pretty confident that when TSHF I will take the KaBar and the wife will have the 119.
 
The kabar is a great knife that should function for your needs, but I think there are better choices for a dedicated woods knife as opposed to general purpose field knife which is more the role I see the kabar filling.

The swedge at the tip will make batoning less effective.

The saber grind results in a thicker edge. Good for splitting wood, bad for everything else.

The top guard generally needs ground off if you're like me and place your thumb on the spine for extra control during smaller cutting tasks.

The balance and heft leave a little to be desired when it comes to chopping.

Personally I'd take an RC6 or similar for the job you describe. Nothing against the kabar, it just isn't as focused as a design for general woods work in my opinion.
 
Everyone needs a KaBar - and a Buck 119 - and a Buck 110. You could have them all for what a great RC6 runs, especially if you get the Bucks at WallyWorld. I used the KaBar my Dad had in the So. Pacific - and a pocketed SAK - for years as my camp knives. At sixty, I've accumulated a lot of great bushy-knives. That KaBar was all I needed - except for whittling, for many a trip.

Stainz
 
Now, if KaBar would make a 5" version w/out the blood grove. But, I guess that would make it a RC5. They do make a 5" KaBar, but it is a downsized knife. Great knives.
 
SetokolJKH said:
My Dad got me one when I was 15, used the hell out of it till I got a CS Trailmaster when i was 19, now I use a Becker CU7 but the old Kabar is still around for my boy if he wants it. like the others said cut off the top half of the guard its alot nicer imho.
Click to expand...

its not really that its a lot nicer... that freaking guard digs in to your hand for nothing....

This also brings up my question... wtf did kabar put a gay little guard like that... I think its the most pathetic aspect of this knife. Otherwise... the knife itself kicks arse!
 
IIRC that guard, with both sides bent back towards the hand, was designed so a marine could use the knife to help work his way through concertina wire.
 
I own over 115 knives.If I had to sell off most of my blades my leather handled Ka-bar will never leave my collection.I have 7 other Ka-bar brand knives but the classic knife holds a special place in my heart.I carried it for years in the woods with no complaints.My good buddy and fellow survival nut still carries his with total confidence.He uses his with an almost surgical precision. Great knives.
 
Before the little knife syndrome came to the U.S. from England's bushcraft celebrities, the Ka-bar USMC fighting/utility knife was the workhorse of the American combat soldier. I was Paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade. That translated to a 4 year long camping trip (165 days required field training exercises a year) for me, culminating with the invasion of Panama. From the woods of Ft. Bragg, to the highlands of Honduras, to the jungles of Panama the Ka-bar did it all for the Infantrymen. I was also Sniper qualified, so making very concealed spider-holes for long term observation of enemy activity was a duty that my spotter and I constructed with an E-tool (issue folding shovel), and a Ka-bar. The things that we used them for are too numerous for me to try to type them all. G.I's didn't make much money in those days, so the Ka-bar was the most popular private purchase knife serving in the front lines back then. As a young private in 1986, my first Kabar was purchased at General Jackson's in Fayetteville, N.C. for $27.99, and I put it through hell and back for the entire time of my enlistment. So, with that said, The RC-6 is a great knife, but until you can afford one you will not feel "underknifed" with the venerable Ka-bar. The Marines that put the flag on Iwo-jima, and all the U.S. fightin' men that have kicked ass around the globe for the last 60 years didn't. Go get you one! JMHO. H-Minus
 
K-bars bend at the hilt when pryed on. They are not designed to be a do all woods knife.

They can do some work but there are much better options for the money IMHO.

Skam
 
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