RMJ Shrike arrived today!

S

Simple Jumper

Joined
Sep 27, 2011
Messages
127
Since buying my first tomahawk about 10 years I've always had an affinity for them. Since last year I've bought half a dozen of the "lower end" options, always eyeing and envying RMJ's work. Currently deployed to Afghanistan, I decided it was time to treat myself and ordered an S13 Shrike. Firs off I have to make a note of the excellent customer service. I was in contact with Richard and he was more than accommodating and promptly replied to any question I had. Much to my surprise and delight, my Shrike arrived in 9 days from the day I paid for it. A huge thank you to the entire RMJ staff!

My first impression was quite simply a stunned awe. It was love at first sight!

I showed it off a bit and quite a few guys were impressed and then it happened...:eek:

One of the NCOs who claimed he used to throw axes, hatchets, knives, e-tools etc decided he'd try sticking it into an 8X8 about 10 feet away; his aim was off and it went blade first into an old Afgan brick wall. I brushed off my initial panick, well...until I took my Shrike back from him. He did quite the number with that single throw and chipped the blade pretty badly. This resulted in me spending an intimate 4 hours re-profiling the blade by hand with a coarse sharpening stone. I suspect I still have about an hour or two to go until I smooth it out, with the exception of the deepest chip which will most likely remain and serve me as a reminder to not be so trustworthy.

I'll post pics shortly, as well as a local Afghan axe I picked up a few weeks ago!
 
Nice choice on hawks, bad choice on letting someone else throw it first. That's the problem with other people using your stuff, they aren't always going to care about the edge. Sure, in an emergency situation, chop through a cinderblock wall if you must.

I was, and still am, reluctant to show off my Winkler RnD hawk, cause someone is going to get stupid with it. The S13 was a very close second choice to the Winkler, and even the Jenny Wren. I may get both at some point.
 
Sorry to hear about your new toy getting abused , a great hawk choice and not so much in throwers. I has happened to us all.
May she serve you well ,stay safe and thank you for your service.
 
Lesson learned indeed!

As promised, here are some pictures to make this threat worthwhile.

This is decorative axe I bought in one of the bazaars, figured it'd make a decent wall piece
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I hope it was a lesson learned.Never ever give your weapon/tool over to someone that is going to do something stupid!
 
Nice Shrike you've got there, the nick does'nt look too bad now. That's the problem with letting someone else use your tools they'll get abused and tore up most of the time. I would get a cs throwing hawk to have if someone wants to throw one their pretty cheap alot more than your shrike.
Well take care brother and Thank you for your service.


Doug
 
I've sharpened it for about 5 hours now and to be honest there is only that one prominent nick/chip left. It isn't leaving my hand anymore.

And for all of you thanking me for my service, thank YOU for the support! We have a bunch of Americans in our camp and they're a great bunch, I always enjoy multinational environments!
 
nice tool, now it has been ding there will not be any second thoughts if you need to beat hell out of it.
 
RMJ, thanks for the offer, but as I told Richard, it just gives it character and having worked on it for 5 hours and counting I've created a bond to this one!
 
Simple Jumper said:
RMJ, thanks for the offer, but as I told Richard, it just gives it character and having worked on it for 5 hours and counting I've created a bond to this one!
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Good choice, for many reasons. The first nick always is the hardest to take, it's like scratching a new car. Now that it's really yours, all the work you've put into restoring the edge, you'll appreciate it more. It will also remind you of the lesson learned. I've only shown my Winkler to a few people, but I always say "don't drop it, puncture yourself, or do anything stupid" and those few people were smart enough to know better anyway.

It's awesome that Ryan made the offer to replace it, but the fact that you're keeping the chipped one is honorable on your part. Thanks for buying American made products! and for your service!
 
Thanks for your service. Please keep your head low (and other parts, too).

Simple Jumper said:
I'll post pics shortly, as well as a local Afghan axe I picked up a few weeks ago!
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I'd love to see what a local Afghan axe looks like. Was it made in a factory or by a local smith? Inserted bit or solid carbon steel?
 
Simple Jumper, I was looking to pick up an S13 in June. I was hesitant about the price, but after seeing how RMJ offered to stand behind your hawk I will definitely getting one now! My only dilemma now is the S13 or the original Shrike.
 
Square_peg said:
Thanks for your service. Please keep your head low (and other parts, too).



I'd love to see what a local Afghan axe looks like. Was it made in a factory or by a local smith? Inserted bit or solid carbon steel?
Click to expand...

It's nothing fancy or practical as it's purely decorative. The grain of the haft isn't properly positioned and I'd have to say it's factory made (but Afghan factories aren't very elaborate) the shop had quite a few different sizes, all fairly similar in production. Definitely no inserted bit, and did not possess an edge as it was purely decorative.

I'll take more pictures tonight and post them up.
 
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