Rambo’s “Real” knife

SharpBits said:
He had a wife in Japan at the same time. He’s not a good person.
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Never liked him just teen lust with his hottie.....😜
SharpBits said:
From the book I read years ago, the Tunnel Rats also used 1911s in the tunnel.
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SPARIINGLY............. wouldn't hear shit for hours after shooting a 45 in that tight space........Happened often I'm sure but.given a choice........🤔.......Who knows😉
 
Realistically, he probably wouldn't have been carrying a large fixed blade wandering around towns. He would've been very savvy and wouldn't want to take unnecessary risks with the law. To be discreet, but still well armed, in a manner of speaking, I'd say a Buck 110 would've been on his belt in a well worn leather sheath/case. I've heard they were popular in Vietnam, as they were as bullet proof as a folder could get back then and large enough to be very capable. While not as fun, I think this is more likely.

If we're saying it needs to be a cool fixed blade, a Randall of some sort would be hard to beat! A Gerber Mk. II could easily be his choice, or the aforementioned Kabar. One of a hundred stout hunting knives could do, as well. There were plenty of great knives available during Vietnam. A lot less ChiCom junk was filling store shelves, so it would be easy to walk into any sporting goods type store or gun shop and walk out with a high quality knife capable of anything he needed, except holding the sutures he used to fix himself.

I'll add a cool one, though I don't know when it was first produced: the Grohmann #4 Survival model. It has that unique Grohmann profile in a beefy blade with an acute point for taking out sentries 😁 I have one in black Micarta and it's a really good knife, that any self-respecting green beret in 'Nam would've been proud to carry!

iu
 
I think he would have carried a Ruana, I mentioned it before I think in this thread. After the war, he would be living in a van down by the river, and be a motivational speaker, only after retiring and drifting through the 80s and 90s, and having missed the call for the Predator mission, spec ops. Or an EK commando knife, after I saw one in the other thread.
 
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Synov said:
Sort of like how some vets started "remembering" being spit on after coming home from Vietnam but only decades later when that became a common scene in movies. No contemporaneous reports of anti-war hippies spitting on Vietnam vets have been found.
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In 1972 they spit on my dad. You could do anything you wanted in a fight. You could break them cut them stab them you didn't shoot them but if you spit on them he'd beat your ass. Might want to find a little better example.
 
Brews_N_Ale said:
I know Rambo’s knife is a contintious subject, but please bear with me. . .
theoretically, if John Rambo were a real person at that time, what knife could that have been? I’m guessing either the Spanish Aitor jungle survival knife or more likely a Randall.
Essentially, what are some real world inspirations for that knife.
Thanks
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Buck 110
 
killgar said:
It's my understanding that in the book "First Blood" by David Morrell, that the movie was based on, Rambo didn't even have a knife.

But I'll say Marine Kabar. He was a Vietnam vet after all.
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He actually took a "hunting knife" off Teasle's mentor after killing him!
 
DMG said:
I was good friends with, until his passing 6ish years ago, one of the more famous members of the LRRPs. We shot together, traded guns, raced cars, etc but to my regret, don't think we ever talked knives. I am still friends with his old best frIend. I'll ask him if he knows what he carried in Vietnam.
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I was talking to his best friend. He said Randy carried a kabar. Probably a Marine kabar but possibly a civilian model.
 
MK2 ("Ka-bar")
Buck 119
MK3 trench knife
Randall Model 1 or 14
A smaller buck hunter, I can't remember the model.
Gerber Mark 2

This is based on seeing what dudes from 5th Group (when I was at Ft. Campbell and helped play OPFOR a couple times) and talking to some dudes from 1st Group, as well as former SF I've known and/or served with.
 
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The knife issued to graduates of the Jungle training course in Vietnam was the Jet Pilots Survival knife. This is probably what Rambo should have carried. The Randall model 18 was originally designed for a helicopter pilot who wanted something that could help him escape from a downed aircraft, that also had a compartment to carry medications (speed and pain killers) to help the crew avoid capture; none of which applied to Rambo's MO.

Link:
www.usmilitariaforum.com

Presentation Jet Pilot Survival Knife

Pulled this one out of the bunker when I was shooting some pics of another JPSK for a different thread. You do not see many of these so Ive attached a few pics. First are a couple of overall shots of the knife and scabbard. This is an Ontario (1-1973) as is the sheath which is dated 02/73. Note t...
www.usmilitariaforum.com www.usmilitariaforum.com

N2s
 
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I think we need to take a turn with this thread, what would he have after coming home, I didn’t see the last movie and I know some designs were chosen, but what would he carry around the ranch and into town? I guess I want to see later in life he would use and maybe stowed away the ones from the war. I think the Buck 110 or 112 on his belt, and a Buck 124….hey, they have in different steels now. Maybe a Buck 119. Or maybe Kabar slab side. If he is in the nursing home, and dexterity is hard due to arthritis, a good Buck auto. I keep choosing Buck as a classic American company. I don’t see him using a Tracker type either. Just food for thought.
 
A buddy that I’ve lost touch with his dad was a Green Beret in Vietnam. I would not have guessed it when I first met him tho. He had a Randall he used there. He still had it in his safe and stored it out of the sheath.

I would think regardless of what the book or movie said he would have kept a his knife (Randall) which would have been a treasured and trusted tool.

As far as the book goes I’d bet in that time frame it would have been a Buck 110 he took off the guy he killed.

I love all the Rambo movies. Pure entertainment 👍
 
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