RC-5 for combat purpose?

N

noviomagus

Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Messages
575
The RC-5 is mainly made for survival purposes(that's the idea I got about it).
Like a pilot who crashed in the middle of nowhere and needing a sturdy almost unbreakable knife.

My question is;

is it also made ,with the intention of taking out bad guys looking for you in that area?

some people argue that is too blunt for being a good fighting knife.
I understand that it has no Bowie or Dagger tip.but many Tanto knives do also have a thick point.

what are your opinions on this.
 
I guess you could just hit someone on the head with it; but, more importantly, a downed pilot should not try to kill people, but rather escape and evade.
If they come looking for you, they won't be alone; and, a knife vs. 30 rifles and dogs is just not a fair fight. But yeah, of course you could stick a pig with it.
 
Out here you see guys with big knives like Ka Bars and the Gerber LMF Infantry and other knives in that category and those knives look brand new while the crkt or gerber or sog or benchmade folder in their pocket has seen its fair share or use. A big knive does has its propose but unless it is mounted om your vest or next to your seat in your vehicle its not going to see that much use. Now the RAT 5 is a serious knife made for serious work but unless that down pilot lost his m-4 and 9 mill side arm he is not going to take out his knife unless its for some kind of bushcraft that his edc folder cant handle. But a knife is a knife and I would rather have one than not, I just dont think that the RC5 is the best knife for edc out here. But it is one hell of a knife for just about everything else.
 
Tenacious said:
So you plan on stabbing people with your RC5? Pretty much every knife can do that..
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to answer your question.
no.
but my question is,is that also one of the possible purposes when they made this thick knife.
that's all.

I know that most soldiers if any will never use their blade for such a purpose.

but it can happen.
things you really dont expect do happen...
 
Tenacious said:
So you plan on stabbing people with your RC5? Pretty much every knife can do that..
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Except the TOPS Tom Brown Tracker...

TPT010T2.jpg
 
While it could be used for combat in an emergency I highly doubt it would be very effective, due mainly to the points you mentioned.

And, if you think about what the RAT EESE (or SERE) ideology is, that type of use wouldn't really fit into their plans. Like Stoffi said, if your being pursued by someone/a group of people, combat should be the last thing on your mind. The best way to stay hidden is to leave no trail behind, and a dead body would be a surefire indicator to your trackers that they are still on your trail. Escape and Evasion are the two best tools you have in that situation, get out without being seen, and shake your opposition if you are spotted. That's why RAT has always tried (and imo succeeded) to make simple, heavy use, no nonsense blades. You want something that will do what you need to do without getting dull quick or requiring any fancy rigging to make it work. If your facing that type of situation there is no need to prove your Rambo meter is at full, or that your the next one man army. Your only concern should be to get out as quick as possible before any more SHTF stuff goes down.

Having said that, obviously anything with a sharp edge could be used to kill someone, so technically it would perform that task.
 
You could, but it doesn't pierce well. I've owned one. Sold it, because it didn't do a single thing decently. Great build quality though.
 
stoffi said:
You could, but it doesn't pierce well. I've owned one. Sold it, because it didn't do a single thing decently. Great build quality though.
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I was wondering that, I had seen it at a show a while back and the design caught my eye....but I couldn't see any reason to get it, I didn't think that it would preform well at all. I'm sure for someone it'll do what they need, but I couldn't for the life of me justify buying it. Thanks for showing me my thought process was on the money! :D I don't like wasting cash on bad knives, takes away from all the good ones I could have bought. :p
 
De4thStr1ke said:
I was wondering that, I had seen it at a show a while back and the design caught my eye....but I couldn't see any reason to get it, I didn't think that it would preform well at all. I'm sure for someone it'll do what they need, but I couldn't for the life of me justify buying it. Thanks for showing me my thought process was on the money! :D I don't like wasting cash on bad knives, takes away from all the good ones I could have bought. :p
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yeah this were my thoughts too actually.
I think the RC-6,for example, is better at most tasks than the RC-5.
the RC-5 is probably overkill ,as a knife.

as a mini club ,maybe there it has its value :o
 
stoffi said:
You could, but it doesn't pierce well. I've owned one. Sold it, because it didn't do a single thing decently. Great build quality though.
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doesnt sound like what a knife is supposed to be.

the fact that is sturdier than most blades doesn't mean it is a better knife .

even a kitchen knife you use the tip to penetrate and cut fruits and vegetables.
 
De4thStr1ke said:
While it could be used for combat in an emergency I highly doubt it would be very effective, due mainly to the points you mentioned.

And, if you think about what the RAT EESE (or SERE) ideology is, that type of use wouldn't really fit into their plans. Like Stoffi said, if your being pursued by someone/a group of people, combat should be the last thing on your mind. The best way to stay hidden is to leave no trail behind, and a dead body would be a surefire indicator to your trackers that they are still on your trail. Escape and Evasion are the two best tools you have in that situation, get out without being seen, and shake your opposition if you are spotted. That's why RAT has always tried (and imo succeeded) to make simple, heavy use, no nonsense blades. You want something that will do what you need to do without getting dull quick or requiring any fancy rigging to make it work. If your facing that type of situation there is no need to prove your Rambo meter is at full, or that your the next one man army. Your only concern should be to get out as quick as possible before any more SHTF stuff goes down.

Having said that, obviously anything with a sharp edge could be used to kill someone, so technically it would perform that task.
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yes I understand that it's the wisest thing as a pilot in enemy territory that you dont want to face the enemy at all.

maybe the RC-6 is better for a pilot.
it cuts better I asume.
never owned a RC-5 ,just held one.
it looks brute.but if it slices etc as good as an RC-6 which I know well...
 
De4thStr1ke said:
Well, while it wouldn't do a good job, you could still technically stab someone with that.... Wouldn't recommend staking my life on it though.
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The Tom Brown Tracker is even worse at stabbing yes.

it probably falls in the catogery screwdrivers ,as far as stabbing ability goes.
 
noviomagus said:
yes I understand that it's the wisest thing as a pilot in enemy territory that you dont want to face the enemy at all.

maybe the RC-6 is better for a pilot.
it cuts better I asume.
never owned a RC-5 ,just held one.
it looks brute.but if it slices etc as good as an RC-6 which I know well...
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I haven't used either one yet, as cash flow hasn't been the best lately, but from what I hear the RC6 slices a little better than the RC5 out of the box, but with the proper edge the RC5 will do just about as well.

As for which is better, personally I would be willing to sacrifice a little cutting ability to have a knife that I know would handle everything a EESE situation would require. It will still cut like a RAT knife (in other words, awesomely) but it also has the heft to be used to baton wood, hammer stakes, ect without a single problem.

But each person is different, and the gear that they carry would just all depend on their personal choice. You can't really go wrong with any RAT knife you choose, they are all made with top quality materials and are some of best blades I've ever used in my 16 years of handling knives.

As for my comments with Stoffi, I just want to make sure you understood I was talking about the Tom Brown Tracker not being worth the money, not a RAT knife. I have never had any second thoughts about the RAT knives I've bought, they are well worth every penny and do everything Jeff says they will. Just wanted to clarify in case there was any misunderstanding.
 
I understood that it was the TOPS TB Tracker you were talking about.
I think the RC-6 is an awesome blade, although not perfect. But, until something better comes along, that's what I'm packin'.
Last weekend I was out choppin' wood with it, batoning the spine with a log, to split other logs. After about 45 minutes of splitting oak I was beat, but the blade still popped hairs on my arm. So, if you've sharpened and honed it well, it'll have pretty good edge retention. It was just as easy splitting wood with the RC-6 as with my Fiskars medium sized axe. A lot of them I only needed to chop once to split them with the blade and without clubbing on it.
 
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stoffi said:
I understood that it was the TOPS TB Tracker you were talking about.
I think the RC-6 is an awesome blade, although not perfect. But, until something better comes along, that's what I'm packin'.
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Sorry, I should have clarified my clarification. :D I was making sure that the OP knew that we were talking about the TOP's knife.

I am hoping to get my hands on an RC6 real soon, as everyone I've talked to loves it. Maybe when I get my Christmas bonus from work.... Heck, who knows, maybe they'll be generous and I can get both the RC5 and the RC6. :p
 
Could you? Sure, it's sharp enough, it'll cut flesh. Is it going to be the most effective thing out there for that purpose? No. Too heavy, too thick, only sharp on one side, not likely to get deep penetration without some serious force. Even freshly sharpened, try stabbing a ham with it. I do love this knife, and if it's all I had on me, i'd use it... But I would much prefer a dagger if it came to that.
 
De4thStr1ke said:
Sorry, I should have clarified my clarification. :D I was making sure that the OP knew that we were talking about the TOP's knife.

I am hoping to get my hands on an RC6 real soon, as everyone I've talked to loves it. Maybe when I get my Christmas bonus from work.... Heck, who knows, maybe they'll be generous and I can get both the RC5 and the RC6. :p
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I had also Tops knives.
the MAK-7 and the Screaming Eagle.

I'm not fond of them.for cutting a knife is a better tool ;)
 
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