Most used Military knife?

J

JDC

Joined
Jul 26, 2000
Messages
5
A friend of mine just returned from a tour in Iraq, and I asked him what knife he used the most. Of course he replied "The one I had on me." That raised a good question. I know that the US military supplies our troops with a knife they call "the best" but I was wondering....... What knife do the US troops serving in combat try to get thier hand s on the most? I am speaking of one fixed blade and one folding knife.
 
I know that the US military supplies our troops with a knife they call "the best"
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:confused: News to me. The only blade the average grunt will be issued is a bayonet, other than that we're on our own. By far the most common blade you'll see a soldier use is a Gerber or Leatherman multi-tool. After that, whatever is sold at the PX, or some cheap Chinese knock-off they picked up on a streetcorner somewhere. :rolleyes: I've seen more of those than anything else to be honest. What's funny is when one of the knock-off carriers sees my knife and comments on how sharp it is, then asks me to make their POS as sharp as my Spyderco. :barf: Not happening man, not happening.
 
...also get a Ka-Bar. Leathermans are ubiquitous, and as late as '92 Buck 110's were a popular choice. Now, Spydercos are common, but mostly grunts are too broke to buy anything fancy.

Regards,

Jeremy
 
Sadly I am going to have to agree with Roadrunner, most guys dont have much. In my Guard unit, most guys dont even carry knives (with the exception of one of the Ranger tab and one vet of Desert Storm). I have a Buck/Strider tanto point which I carry to drill and when I am doing Army stuff here at VMI. I just ordered a Swamp Rat, which i will probably also bring. When I was at Fort Benning this summer, I was in one of the PXs and rather upset to see how many absolute crap knives were for sale. There was a back wall of knives and leathermans. On this wall, there were 2 models of Spyderco folders, 1 Gerber folder, and 1 Gerber fixed blade. All the rest were JUNK. As for the leathermans, it was the same. One actual Leatherman model and the rest were knockoffs. My roommates and I were even debating about, once we commission as LTs, buying a decent folder (Delica, Gator, Vapor, M16, etc...) for the men in our platoons.

AIRBORNE!!
Jonathan
 
I would venture to guess that the longest running issued knife would be the Navy Mark2, aka the Kabar and it's various clones... Over 60 years according to my shoddy math.
 
well its usually going to be a F/U, or an M-7 bayonet, unless they have been fazed out yet? And, or they may be issued the old metal handled mil-k folding utility. I was active duty AF for 8 years 88-96, I used all three. Many of us used leathermens and SAK's, of course that was 13-14 yrs ago?
 
Back when I was in the Army the PX had Buck, Gerber, Leatherman and Spyderco. I carried a 110 in garrison and an Endura in the field (tanker coveralls have no belt to carry a sheath knife).
 
I did 4 years in the INFANTRY. If a new butter bar did that for me it would go a long way to showing that he was a real guy,not just another knowitall college boy with a crisp new commision. GRUNT
 
Knife carrying and posession is usually dicated on the company level, unless someone higher up decides otherwise. Woe to any officer on the platoon level who tries to look the other way.
 
Jerok said:
...also get a Ka-Bar. Leathermans are ubiquitous, and as late as '92 Buck 110's were a popular choice. Now, Spydercos are common, but mostly grunts are too broke to buy anything fancy.

Regards,

Jeremy
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Thats news to me?!?!(I know they use to issue these knives to us.) had a pistol the past two times I'v been I'm Iraq but never a Ka-Bar. Most of the Ka-bars are old and cut as well as a butter knife because that have been abused so much. The knife that was carried the most in my unite was a Ka-bar new ones and I'm in a grunt unit.
 
I was always in Wpns. Companies (0352 in Weapons Co. 2/4 and 2nd Tank Bn.), but when I was in (got out in '92), everyone with a SAW or was a gunner on a crew served weapon got a pistol an Ka-Bar for personal weapon.

No argument that out of the armory those things sucked a$$, but people took it on themselves to sharpen them up. The were also issed in leather(!) sheaths.

I carried a Buck 110. Some guys carried SAK or some pocket knife, but only boots in SOI and real hard-core guys bought their own fixed blades. I'm sure things are different now.

Semper Fi, Dog.

Cpl. O'Kelly
 
The Army issues a variety of knives, mostly procured thru the supply system or GSA by the individual companies or battalions. The only official issue cutlery I have encountered are the M9 bayonet and the Gerber multiplier. The most prolific knife I have seen soldiers carry is the Kabar brand combat/utility knife (Kabar). A close 2nd is the Cold Steel SRK, and then the SOG SEAL Pup. All are available thru the PX system for private purchase. Folders are a mix of Gerber, Buck, and CRK&T, again all purchased thru the PX system. I see very few Spyderco knives, maybe because they are more expensive than other folders sold thru the PX and not as exstensivly stocked. Most the the Spydies I see are from us old timers or from guardsmen or reservists who are LE or firefighters in the real world. Special Ops, OGA, and the PSD guys are a whole different game. As an aside, I have yet to see a TOPS or Strider being carried over here, and only 2 RMKs (Mine, a #15 and one of the guys in our Scout Plt has a #14). Some of the SF guys I have run into are carring the CRK GB knife and a couple of our guys have them also. Not much difference from when I was here during DS, although the Multi Tool has pretty much replaced the SAK.

Operations NCO
1st Cavalry Div
 
Here at VMI, we are blessed with not only a large ROTC staff, but an extremely competent one. Currently, we have a SFC and MSG from the Ranger Regiment, a 82nd SFC and MAJ, along with two green beret MAJs and the COL who just left was also SF. I was talking to a couple of them, and they dont really get too worked up over what knife they have. Most of them do go purchase their own fixed blade, but they were not tossing around high end names like Strider and Busse. But every single one of them owns a quality multi-tool (Gerber and Leatherman are most popular it seems). Also, in response to Melancholy Mutt's post regarding Will P and myself buying knives for our platoons, I think you would be hard pressed to find any company CO who would not allowed a folder of a reasonable size (4 inch blade and under). Haha and hopefully that CO is a fellow VMI grad in which case you could buy ATC Vietnam hawks for the platoon and he wouldnt bat an eye :D
 
I am currently in Iraq, and although I am Air Force, we can pretty much carry what we want. We got issued leathermans, benchmade auto strykers, and surefire lights. Most of the Army that I have seen here carry auto strykers. I have asked if they were issued them and everyone has said yes. Most also have Multi-tools by Gerber or a leatherman. I have not seen many with fixed blades, but occasionally there are some. The selection here at the BX is mainly CRKT, Ka Bar, & Cold Steel SRK. The over all choice is Ka Bar. The Air Force SPs get issued the Benchmade Nimravus. Pretty cool. Getting them home may be a problem with the customs guys. That sucks.
 
My brother currently carries a KaBar and a CRKT M16. He did have a Gerber multitool but lost it at SOI. Also sometimes uses a S&W SWAT.
 
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