RMJ Tactical Shrike Out Of Its Element.....or is it?

Mistwalker

Mistwalker

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2007
Messages
19,076
Some weeks back, while seeking help on a project I am working on, I was fortunate enough to have my friend and neighbor introduce me to a man named Ryan Johnson. I have been familiar with his work for years and some of you may also be. You may have seen his demonstration of the Eagle Talon, his first production tactical tomahawk, on YouTube, or you may have seen him on the History Channel’s “Modern Marvels” going into the current production process of the newer Shrike. For any of you not familiar with any of this Ryan owns a company called RMJ Tactical which produces the best tactical tomahawks I have ever had the privilege of working with. I know some of you are probably wondering what a tactical weapon has got to do with Wilderness & Survival Skills but there is a tie in. After talking to Ryan I found myself working on a project for him, and this has given me a chance to really get to know the tools on a more intimate level. In working with them and looking back through the photos I thought there were some good things to share here and some lessons that could be passed on to any who may find themselves in possession of one of these tomahawks. I asked Ryan if he minded if I posted these and he said I could so here goes.

This is the current production Shrike Tomahawk. It is 15.5 inches long and handle and head is a one-piece full tang design that is hammer forged of 4140 Chrome Molly steel. The head has different edge geometries and grinds to perform different tasks. The primary edge is a flat ground radius, the spike is a flat ground tanto tip, (both of those for strength), and the beard has a hollow ground edge for better cutting capabilities. The handle is injection over-molded DuPont ST801 Super Tuff Nylon which has an electrical insulation rating of 500 volts per 0.001 or 1/1000 of an inch of material. This handle is rated to 3000 volts insulation. The Shrike is designed as a close quarter combat weapon and as a breaching tool for ripping through metal and chopping and breaking through walls for evasion or extrication, it stands up to impacts with masonry very well.

IMG_9499.jpg



It comes with a bottom eject kydex scabbard, and has a cylindrical ceramic sharpening stone in the handle under the “skull crusher” butt cap.

IMG_9516.jpg


IMG_9517.jpg


IMG_9518.jpg





You can see how the primary edge is not ground at a very acute angle so that it can take such abuse with minimal damage to the forward edge.
IMG_9484.jpg


IMG_9502.jpg


IMG_9486.jpg


IMG_9487.jpg


Here is a short video of chopping the brick and block.

[youtube]wmCbB24Wuhk[/youtube]
 
The Shrike, while being primarily designed as a close quarter combat and breaching tool, is not as optimized for cutting as the Kestrel (more on that one later), but it will still function very well outside the urban environment if the need arises. After all it is still for all intents and purposes an axe…of sorts. It will still chop and split wood for burning or for making a base to build a fire on or a fire board for a bow drill.

Chopping.jpg


ShrikeSplittinglogforahearthboard.jpg


ShrikeFatwood.jpg



I personally don’t care much for standard axes, but I have always really liked the tomahawk because it is more portable and because of its multiple edges and its usable point on the rear end.

IMG_9511.jpg


IMG_9512.jpg


IMG_9456.jpg


IMG_9457.jpg


IMG_9458.jpg
 
Over the last little while I have used the Shrike and a magnesium fire starter and firesteel to ignite several tinder piles, and start several fires. Following are some of the pictures and videos taken.

BambooTider-1.jpg


BambooTinder-2.jpg


FatwoodTinder-1.jpg


FatwoodTinder-2.jpg




This picture…..

ShrikeWithFluffTinder.jpg



… was taken right before this video

[youtube]1Bd9EAv3HYo[/youtube]



And this picture…

ShrikeTrioxane.jpg



…was taken right after this one.

[youtube]8XYe66MHkx8[/youtube]



**NOTE** As usual this thread will be developed over a period of time. The review and pictures won't be limited to the original post.


.
 
Last edited:
Great review...I've had my Ealge Talon for several years...it's a stout hawk and is the older one-piece. It's a little too heavy to tote around, but I do need to do some limbing on some down trees:D

It's good to see it can take the abuse if needed and still be utilitarian!

ROCK6
 
ROCK6 said:
Great review...I've had my Ealge Talon for several years...it's a stout hawk and is the older one-piece. It's a little too heavy to tote around, but I do need to do some limbing on some down trees:D

It's good to see it can take the abuse if needed and still be utilitarian!

ROCK6
Click to expand...


Thanks Rock. The Talon and Shrike were designed from the start to take a lot of abuse, and I've seen Ryan's hawks take some serious abuse. They were meant to be able to make doors where there weren't any and things of that nature. The newer Kestrel has a shorter handle, and a more acute edge geometry that is more organic material friendly.
 
ROCK6 said:
Great review...I've had my Ealge Talon for several years...it's a stout hawk and is the older one-piece.
Click to expand...

All of their hawks are one piece, this one just has an over-molded handle for electrical insulation for protection when cutting through live wires in wall or vehicles. There is a steel tube welded to the end of the tang that the butt cap is threaded into for holding the sharpening stone.
 
its that solid one piece design that attracts me to these hawks. Hope to pick one up soon
 
Mistwalker, you keep forcing me to add stuff to my already long want list with these posts! :)

I saw RMJ Tactical on Modern Marvels and then ran into that crew at Blade 2009 last spring. Stand up guys with an excellent product.

I have to get one of these things.

Thanks for the post.
 
haloblue said:
Mistwalker, you keep forcing me to add stuff to my already long want list with these posts! :)

I saw RMJ Tactical on Modern Marvels and then ran into that crew at Blade 2009 last spring. Stand up guys with an excellent product.

I have to get one of these things.

Thanks for the post.
Click to expand...

Thanks man, glad you enjoy the posts. They really do make a great product and are really good guys.
 
Very nicely done Mistwalker.

One HUGE thing that designs like the Shrike have going for it that traditional 'hawks do not is the junction of the head and haft. On a traditional 'hawk there is a large swell in the head to create the eye. The cutting edge transitions abruptly to this swell and creates a "stop" that does not split wood well. On the Shrike, and other one piece hawks, this large swell is not there, allowing the head to move easier through the material that is being split. I never really thought of that until I saw your pics.
 
matthewdanger said:
Very nicely done Mistwalker.

One HUGE thing that designs like the Shrike have going for it that traditional 'hawks do not is the junction of the head and haft. On a traditional 'hawk there is a large swell in the head to create the eye. The cutting edge transitions abruptly to this swell and creates a "stop" that does not split wood well. On the Shrike, and other one piece hawks, this large swell is not there, allowing the head to move easier through the material that is being split. I never really thought of that until I saw your pics.
Click to expand...

Thanks Matthew, I'm glad you enjoyed the thread.

Yep, that is definitely a huge plus for this design.


squishware said:
I *really* want a kestrel.
Click to expand...

The kestrel definitely has some advantages over the shrike in the woods....but the handle doesn't have the same electrical insulation and the edge grind isn't quite as impact resistant when versus masonry and such. Which one people will need or want will depend greatly on the application and environment.
 
Wow, they're not inexpensive, that's for sure. I would really like one to test out, but it doesn't seem excel at chopping, and I don't do too much breaching. How would you stack it against a dedicated chopper for wood processing? Why were they featured on Modern Marvels (the company that is)?
 
If I had a nickle for every time I needed to cut through a block and a brick in the woods - I.... would be broke. ;)

I think it is a bit too tacticool for me.

TF
 
Talfuchre said:
If I had a nickle for every time I needed to cut through a block and a brick in the woods - I.... would be broke. ;)

I think it is a bit too tacticool for me.

TF
Click to expand...


Lol, I know what you mean. If I had a nickle for every time I found myself explaining my crazy view of the world to a devout bushcrafter I'd take the missus to Rembrandt's for a coffee...well hot cocoa in her case... and a danish :D

Don't take this thread wrong I am not promoting this tool for bushcraft at all, the project I am working on is quite the opposite. That little video was just a quick one I did in my back yard just to show a little of how tough it is. The Shrike was never designed for the bush. It was designed from the beginning as a close quarter weapon and breaching tool. I'd say the odds of you finding yourself low on ammo and pinned down in a building by a bunch of guys who would love to behead you and drag your body through the streets is pretty slim. So it is highly unlikely that you will ever need to make a field expedient door in a rear concrete block wall, or framed wall with a lot of live electrical wires in it in order to evade...or make a hole in a partially destroyed building to extricate wounded friends.

Survival is a term with a very broad scope and how one visualizes it is all in context of training and personal experiences. Sometimes surviving is a simple matter of being able to build a fire and shelter to weather out the night, sometimes it's just having the strength of will to push yourself to limp on a sprained ankle long enough to make it back to the vehicle, other times it can be a little more intense than that. I grew up raised by combat veterans...my grandfather was a pathfinder in WWII, my father a Marine in Korea, uncles that served in Vietnam. So words like exfil, e & e, and di di mau were in my vocabulary and what they could entail and visual images of the consequences of failure to do so were etched into my brain at a very early age.

Don't get me wrong Tal, I am very glad that you and others can't even visualize a need for this tool.That's probably a good thing because in a perfect world no-one could. However we do not live in a perfect world and there have always been and hopefully always will be young men who go out in harms way to defend our right to a peaceful life. The fact that you cannot even picture a usefulness for tools such as this is a testament to just how effectively those young men do their jobs. But for me those guys are constantly in my thoughts. Several are family and friends, and now sons and grandsons of friends. I have helped to teach and helped equip quite a few of them, and am always relieved when I get emails from them. They are on my mind every time I teach a wilderness skills class to the earth club at my daughter's high school or take a group of teenage boys to the woods for a day to teach them something besides video games and skateboarding. Thoughts from the perspective of those young men in harms way are figured into everything I design. I've never personally been in "military" combat...but having been outnumbered and fought and ran for my own life a few times I can watch the video footage and hear the stories and put myself in that position from a somewhat educated perspective. I make every effort to put that ability to a positive use.

The next time you look up to see your flag blowing in the breeze take a minute and think...then go find a soldier and tell him thank you. A lot of them have seen, done, and been through a lot of things they will never want to talk about just to ensure that flag stayed right there on that pole for future generations to see.


.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top