Ontario OKC3S bayonet?

D

DocNightfall

Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
268
Has anyone handled this thing? How does it do? Does it hold a good edge? Where does it balance?

From the little I've been able to dig up about it on the net, the consensus is that it is better than previous bayonet models like the M7 and M9 at doing the things that knives are supposed to do. And that as a bayonet, it is better than the M9 but still not quite as good as the old M7.

I have an M7 bayonet and it is a bad knife. It won't hold a fine edge and the balance point is about an inch BEHIND the guard, which makes it handle very poorly as a knife. But it sure is pointy.

And what about the identity of this mystery carbon steel?
 
All the product descriptions I have found describe the steel to be "proprietary." My concern is that it is some unproven homebrew alloy.
 
From what I've heard of those that carried it in Af-raq its a great tool. It hasn't gotten critized like the M9 and M7 have and seems to be great quality. I handled it and was very impressed. You know that you have something designed to take and give a beating. It seems to be pretty well balanced. Oh, I'm pretty sure that the USMC martial arts program had a lot of say in its design so its pretty much good to go.
 
It's been three and a half years since the last posting on this thread and I decided to bump it because I am wondering about this blade too.
So, do any other members have experience with this bayonet/utility/survival knife? Do we now know what the "proprietary" steel is?
 
I've handled one. All I can find about the steel is this...

"The 8" blade is 1.375" wide, and features a 1.75" serration section for extra cutting power on dense materials. Made of Ontario's new proprietary Diamond Steel, it is .200" thick and has a 53-58 Rc Hardness. Each blade is coated in a phosphate non-reflective finish.

The handle is composed of Dynaflex over a full tang, and has been ergonomically designed handle to reduce hand fatigue."

I believe it is 1095 steel and the handle feels kind of like rubber. I think it is a better all purpose knife than the old M7 and the handle is more comfortable than the M9. The OKC3S has an inch more blade than the M9 as well as a bit more belly towards the tip, some serrations, a longer swedge, and no "saw" teeth on the spine. I also noticed the OKC3S I handled did not have the torx screw on the butt cap like the M9 does. So I guess it's a press fit blade instead of being screwed to the tang like the M9.

The sheath on the OKC3S was decent. Fairly light with good drainage, molle compatibility, and a hidden ceramic sharpening rod on the back protected by the webbing. Blade retention in the sheath is very good. The blade is secured by spring tension as well as two separate snap straps; one on the guard and one on the handle.

Overall it looked like a very durable, well designed knife with the added benefit of fitting perfectly on the business end of my Mossberg 590.
The only reason I didn't pick one up was because the local surplus store that stocks them was apparently smoking crack while they were setting the price. :rolleyes:
 
I've just gotten this knife, the Ronald Reagen version (limited to 500), and are impressed by it's widely aspect of abilities. As you probably know aldready, it's design to be more of a knife, and not just a bayonet. The fact that its made full-tang makes its just more predictable, and will work in any line of work. Its a very solid knife, and extremeley nice to handle with the Dynafles handle. The Scabbard/Sheath is with the molle-system and grinding-stone makes it even more perfect for survival-use.

This knife impressed me in every way!
 
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