knife-spear

I don't think I'd ever use a knife as a spear, for all the reasons mentioned here.

But I do see some utility in lashing your knife to a stick to reach something like fruit way up in a tree, or small branches for shelter if there aren't any around. There is little chance of losing/damaging your blade by doing this. It's not a huge point, but something to think about.
 
I lash my knives to sticks often. I've never thought of it as a spear, and I'm not sure there's a good reason to do it for a spear. I think of it as an axe, and there is good reason to do it as an axe: the increased leverage vastly increases the chopping power with a given knife. To read some specifics on my results (old results; I do even better, now), and how I lash it, go here:

http://www.swampratknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=001621#000000
 
As far as using it as a spear for fish...I don't think a knife would be that good. A spear should have backward serrations or barbs so that the fish will stay stuck on your spear. With a knife, you could spear the fish, but then the fish could just as easily "un-spear" itself if there is nothing to keep it from sliding off of the blade. I used to spear fish and we always had barbed points to keep the fish on the spear.

I have never speared a wild animal before, but I think you would NOT want to have barbs or backward serrations because you would want to be able to keep the spear in your hands and spear the animal again (and again, etc.) until it dies. I doubt that one spear thrust is going to take down a wild animal unless you are extremely lucky to get it just right. Even then, I think a sharpened stick would be better than losing your knife blade.

I read a book a few years ago about a man in Brazil who spent a lifetime hunting jaguars with spears. He would get his dogs to tree the thing and then he would get close enough that the jaguar would jump at him (:eek:) and he would have the jaguar impale itself on the spear. If you are hunting jaguar, then maybe lashing your knife to a pole makes sense.
 
another good argument I've heard is some animal hides are too tough for wood points, especially if your not trained with it, it probably will bounce/graze off but a metal blade/spear can do it (stone also) much better.
but how many of us need to do that?
 
Dantor said:
another good argument I've heard is some animal hides are too tough for wood points, especially if your not trained with it, it probably will bounce/graze off but a metal blade/spear can do it (stone also) much better.
but how many of us need to do that?
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That is a good point. Wild pigs would be a good example.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about breaking the bushman using it as a spear,
check out knifetests.com for the destruction test.
 
SpookyPistolero said:
I don't think I'd ever use a knife as a spear, for all the reasons mentioned here.

But I do see some utility in lashing your knife to a stick to reach something like fruit way up in a tree, or small branches for shelter if there aren't any around. There is little chance of losing/damaging your blade by doing this. It's not a huge point, but something to think about.
Click to expand...

I thought of harvesting things like Saguaro fruits.

Although the traditional method is to use a pole with a stick lashed to it.

picking1.jpg
 
I read somewhere about a man that had the sheath to his main blade customised to carry a cold steel throwing knife behind it. He carried it to use as a spear if he ever needed it, not as a thrower.

I think this is not a bad idea. A thrower could be used for jobs you don't want to use your knife on, like digging, splitting a pelvis, a spear head, and maybe even batoning if it is sharpend right.
 
Butcher1 said:
I read somewhere about a man that had the sheath to his main blade customised to carry a cold steel throwing knife behind it. He carried it to use as a spear if he ever needed it, not as a thrower.

I think this is not a bad idea. A thrower could be used for jobs you don't want to use your knife on, like digging, splitting a pelvis, a spear head, and maybe even batoning if it is sharpend right.
Click to expand...

That is a pretty good idea. Plus, when you're bored, you could throw the knife for fun.
 
i dont like the rambo spear idea, but using the knife on a stick to harvest fruit from a tree is a good idea, also i think that mors kochanski like to attach a shorter stick to his knife to harvest grass.

alex
 
Horn Dog,

A friend of mine who didn't feel like carrying a firearm in the backcountry has used one of my CS spears as a walking stick. He said he felt more confident having a spear-tipped walking stick than a plain one.

DancesWithKnives
 
No one would argue that lashing one object to another is an important skill.

Then we need to look at what objects under what circumstances.

A knife to a long stick would be low on the list but still in the realm of possibility.

This world is a crazy place.

People have had fights with samurai swords in Montana????
 
psy-ops said:
No one would argue that lashing one object to another is an important skill.

Then we need to look at what objects under what circumstances.

A knife to a long stick would be low on the list but still in the realm of possibility.
Click to expand...

Chris,

Why do you feel it is low on the list? As I discussed in my link, above, it regularly increased chopping efficiency by over 500%, in the hands of an experienced chopper. It's well worthwhile.
 
Evolute said:
Chris,

Why do you feel it is low on the list? As I discussed in my link, above, it regularly increased chopping efficiency by over 500%, in the hands of an experienced chopper. It's well worthwhile.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I meant as a spear.

Chopping power would definitely be increased due to centripetal force.
 
I took a piece of 1/4 inch aluminum rod about a foot long and cut it in the middle at a 45 degree angle. That gave me two 6 inch, lightweight, sharpened points that can be lashed to a wooden pole. They weigh nothing and take up no space.
Barbs can be easily cut in them for hunting or they can be left smooth for a puncturing defensive weapon.
 
Hey button, There's a bunch of guys that go pig hunting with these ;)
I've often thought about it ...
 
Love the original Aitor accessory tool that was a spear point as well. They replaced it with another type of accessory knife that was an actual miniature knife, gut hook and spear head all in one, in two sizes. Great stuff. Too bad we can't get an El Cheapo run of the originals made, custom makers - time is money - would probably be cost prohibitive.
 
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