Military "issue" knives?

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knorr91

Joined
Apr 9, 2002
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Yo. I have recently been reading some books about various military units (SEALs, SAS, Green Berets etc.) and I did read in some of them, or more likely most of them, that these units had special knives. It does make sense, but I have never heard of it before. For instance in the book "Bravo Two Zero" by (excellent) author Andy McNab, I can read that they considered using their "SAS knives, looking similar to the 'famous' american commando dagger from WW2".

I tried Googleing and Altavisting this subject, but came up dry. So if anyone knows of some knives used by various (elite) military units, please let me know.
 
Well, as i'm sure you are aware, the United States general issue combat knife is still the KA-BAR (as far as I know Camillus and Ontario are still contracted to produce these knives).
Austrian Special Forces (and maybe their regularly military too) get the spiffy Glock Combat Knife.
The Russian Spetznaz just got those spiffy new Smersh knives we all read about in Tactical Knives (basically a plastic-handled, russian-made Puuko)
As for American military special forces, this may surprise you, THEY HAVE NO REAL ISSUE.
When you work the special forces and your ass is on the line, when it comes to knives, you basically get what you want. Sometimes, depending on the missions, the commander of the special forces unit decides what knives he'll be issuing to his subordinates, but at least he still gets what he wants. Sometimes the knife can also be restricted by mission parameters (Like the fact that the SEALs doing under-water demo work aren't gonna use anything BUT a Mission knife.)
Choose, but choose wisely.
 
hmmmm what's that model....well, Navy SEALS use that SEAL knife made by SOG.

I'm unsure if the Kabar is still in use in the general military but I imagine it is. I'm also unsure of what knives any spec ops guys use...I figured they chose their own.

I also know that a lot of military carry small folders (ie Spyderco) and/or multitools (Leathermen).

Warthog
 
Warthog,
From what I have gathered the Navy Seal knife made by SOG is just another company cashing in on the title "Navy Seal." There has never been any official statement from the Navy saying that the teams use the SOG knife. Furthermore, I read somewhere on this forum that the SEAL's are not told or forced to use any specific knife; the SOG knife was just the blade that came out on top when subjected to the torture tests SOG loves to talk about. As a matter of fact, just about any company can create a set of tests contoured so that there knife will come out on top. It has been said that the teams created their own tests, but I have a hard time believing that SOG didn't have a voice.
 
I'm sure the Commando knife they are talking about is the British Fairbain dagger. Still in prodution. The american dagger was modeled after it. The one I have has a NATO number on it. Basically a long 6" or so pointy diamond cross sectioned needle point dagger. Most of the military guys I know, the M-16 bayonet is the field knife of issue. I know in Viet Nam, one of the most popular knives carried by Spec. Forces was the USAF Jet Pilot survival knife. 5 1/2" blade, Still in current production. It was easy enough to carry, cheap and fairly robust. If the Spec Forces guys could afford it, a Randall was always a hot item. Also, when they first came out, the Buck 110 was one of the most used knives in the military, spec forces, infantry...you name it.
 
Based only on what I have read here, here's what I have to say:

Youngcutter: The US Armed forces have no real "issue" blade, other than perhaps a bayonet. Whatever they are issued varies by branch.

Knorr: The SF units are the last ones to ever get "issued" anything. Those guys can carry whatever the hell they want! Their carry blade depends on their mission and personal preference. Any blade claiming to be "SEAL-issued" or the like, its most likely just marketing hype. Your best bet would be to find a retired (active if you're REALLY lucky) seal and ask him. (Yeah, right...)

For example, the Buckmaster 184 was actually designed for the Seals by Buck, but it never ended up seeing much use by them because of its weight. (About 2lbs! :eek: ) However, I did see some documentary once, and one of the Seals did have a 184 strapped to his belt!!! :D

good luck
drjones
 
According to moderator Frogman at Tactical forums, US Navy SEAL's typically use their own purchased knives, there is no uniformly issued knife. (Frogman is ,by all accounts a legit 14 year SEAL veteran). He did say that many in SEALs and special operations community continue to hold Randall knives in high regard, also that Mad Dog's Atak was issued on a one time basis. The Mission knives are not widely used, it appears, he recalled perhaps seeing a fellow SEAL carrying one once.
Martin
 
At times, Commanding officers have a certain amount of money at their "disposal" for use to purchase anything the unit may need. Sometimes it's used for equipment the CO deems that his unit needs that's not supplied through GSA or Quartermaster systems...
 
I dunno, seems to me the closest thing to a "general combat issue" is the kabar.
But the waters are so muddied on this point.
Btw I hear a rumor to the effect that some of our pilots are being issued Fallknivens.
 
ahhhhhh, did not know that Carl...I usually set aside most of those claims as marketing......just saw the testing comments @ the website and figured it was accurate...probably is, IMO, BUT doesn't mean the SEALS use them...only a hunch....there is a SEAL at a computer message board I frequent but he is away now or else I'd ask him:

http://www.sogknives.com/seal2k.htm
 
Czech army uses these knives made by Mikov:

109191_uton_all.jpg


and some of our paratroopers use Chris Reeve ProjectII knives (yes, officialy bought by our government)...

David
 
The GI M-9 or M-11 is the basic field knife of the US. The M-11 is the same knife as the M-9 with out the bayonet attachment. I also heard some green berets carry Al Mar's... I'm not so sure if there is any truth to it... but I do know the original Al Mar SERE was designed by Al Mar and Col. James "Nick" Rowe. Rowe also is the one who developed SERE School (Survival,Evasion,Resistance,Escape)for the army.
 
>"Also, when they first came out, the Buck 110 was one of the most used knives in the military, spec forces, infantry...you name it."

====================================

Just as an aside, in Steve Dick's book "The Working Folding Knife," he writes that he carried a Buck 110 daily during his stint in Vietnam. He says his was the only one he ever saw there.
 
Back when I was a Soldier (86-92), there were several knives that I was issued:
The M-9 bayonet (actually not issued, but you signed it out from the Arms Room along with your rifle).
The Ontario pilot's survival knife (I don't recall the model number).
And I had an electrician's knife in my tool kit (a two-blade folder with one blade having a flat screwdriver tip).

BTW, my brother's a Marine (in aviation) and he got me one of those Camillus orange-handled switch-blades. It's not a great knife but apparently it's still issued.
I don't think he ever had a Kabar issued to him, but that might be due to his job.

Good luck,
Allen.
 
Except for units that choose to purchase and "issue" knives to their soldiers - a rare occurrence, since it means spending unit funds on individual equipment, instead of a new big screen for the dayroom- the only official "issue" knife in the US Army is the M9 Bayonet. It's issued with the soldiers rifle, and stored in the arms room.

As for "SEAL Knives", etc, the special operations community has a considerable amount of discretionary funding available to test and purchase equipment that they feel will aid mission accomplishment, without the constraints "regular" units have to adhere to regarding "official issue". In addition, PLENTY of companies line up to donate gear to the SOF community, in order to advertise that their gear is the "choice of NAVY SEALS" etc.

In the end, most soldiers, regular or otherwise, purchase knives the same way everybody else does - based on personal preference.

Certainly, some knives have a reputation with soldiers that aids in their distribution - Strider and Busse come to mind, Gerber in years past - but those knives aren't "issued" in the official sense.


:cool:
 
This thread has reminded me of one question I have had regarding the M9 bayonet. I see some of these for sale by internet dealers, and I wonder if the ones for sale are exactly the same as the military issue bayonets? Here's why - at least one ad stated that the steel was 420 stainless, and another said it was stainless, but didn't specify what steel is used.

Therefore, I am wondering if the military issue knife is actually made from 420 stainless, which is often described as the worst of the low end stainless steels? The M9's I have seen sell for around $100, which is far more than I would pay for a 420 stainless knife.
 
ahhhhhhhhhh....SAME question I was gonna ask, Beck.

*awaits answer also*

*edit -
to see "an" M9 for sale, just type in M9 in teh search (it won't let me link to the exact page):
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/

Many years ago they had those for $20, supposedly the 'guide had a ton of them *shrugs*

What I don't like about them is that the handle seems misproportioned to the blade (the handle is skinny).

Warthog
 
Buck Knives was the initial contractor making the M9, licensed from a Phrobis design. An otherwise decent reference I have on military knives (Brassey's Military Edged Tools / Marchington)lists the blade material as "forged steel RC 56-58" which doesn't help a lot.

I've heard from people who should know that the blade is either 420 or 425 mod stainless, depending on when it was manufactured and by whom. The latest contractor is Ontario Knife Co.

Blade length 7 1/8", OAL 12 1/4", Blade thickness 7/32", OD Zytel handle.

By the way, the wire cutter on the sheath works VERY well, just keep your fingers outta the way.
 
I saw an ad for the Ontario version somewhere recently. I can't recall if the steel was named.

MelancholyMutt -

Which one in the picture is you?
 
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