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Ontario Marine Raider

The ontario ranger series, are knives designed by Justin at Ranger Knives, different from the RAT ones.
 
It's a bargain but it benefits from some customization. I thinned the bevel quite a bit on mine. And later replaced the rubber handle with wood.
 
Remove the brass thong tube for the lanyard and the rubber handle slides off. My Dad and used some mortised scales prepared by a cousin. No pins. Just another thong tube and epoxy of course. The tang is almost full length and pretty wide. I'm not sure how the guard is attached but it's solid even when the rubber handle is removed.
 
We used walnut. By the way, the Kabar Heavy Bowie handle and the Cold Steel Trail Master and its ilk are attached in the same fashion. The thong tube is all that holds them on.
 
It is one heavy SOB. Much heavier than the BK9. I think the Raider is about 30oz compared to about 18oz for the BK9? Correct me if I'm wrong. The Raider is .25" thick and the saber grind contributes to the weight.
I like it as a chopper and trust it. As much as a full tang like the BK9? Maybe not.
But like I said, out of the box, it needs work. I didn't like the thick factory edge or the handle.
 
It's a sleeper. The Gen 2 Ontario Spec Plus line feature similar handle designs at almost twice the price of the originals. The Raider is my favorite of the Ontarios. I don't think you could break it without really trying.
 
I like my Marine Raider. I had the edge thinned out. The handle isn't too bad. The sheath is terrible though. But I'm sure you would be able to find some one to make an inexpensive sheath for you.
 
I find the sheath totally adequate.

001-2.jpg
 
Fifty bucks for one of these guys is a steal. The factory edge is crap -- but there are a lot of people on this forum who could change that.

The Raider looks pretty scary, but it really does not have the balance to be a fighter. Rather, it an inexpensive, capable tool for hard use utility tasks.
 
I have had one for several years and really love it. It is a brutish chopper, and holds an edge quite well for a budget blade. I have my sheath rigged with a camera case kit, and while it IS on the heavy side, I can really work with it when needed. Here are some old work pics of my Raider Bowie. Since shooting these pics, I have worked the guard down by about 50%, leaving just enough to allow the retaining strap to hold. Now considering drilling the bottom of the guard to attach a "D" style lanyard.

chopped dry seasoned limb into small chunks.
Bowie004.jpg

baton split this chunk of red oak into slabs.
Bowie008.jpg

Didn't have the super smooth edge afterward, but still sliced paper well enough.
Bowie011.jpg

and a shot of my camera case sheath kit.
sheathkits004.jpg
 
Thanks. No, just as a hobby. For the grind, I rested the blade bevel flat on my DMT Diasharp XX Coarse and removed steel until the secondary bevel was much smaller. The knife tip is already thin so I avoided removing steel from that area. I like the two-tone look.
A cousin with a fancy wood working tool made the job much easier. He provided the wood scales with grooves machined (for mortised construction).
 
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