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

[jw2n]

I have the Kestrel, and have been using for the past eight months. I will be going back for the Loggerhead. A companies products have got to be really good for me to be a repeat customer. I operate in a mixed rural/urban environment making these type of hawks viable. Plus, I do not believe I will break a handle on these. I do pay attention to the beard in really rough use. RMJ addresses this on their site.

 

[Anrkst6973]

Great thread Mistwalker! I too am a fan of tac-hawks in a "WSS" enviroment. My ATC VTAC is one of my "go to" tools no matter where I am, it chops wood or dismembers game with equal abandon and the spike is my "digger/pickaxe" for harvesting roots and tubers..or digging holes to dispose of same! I've looked into the RMJ's..you may have just sold me on it!

 

[ROCK6]

ATC's VTAC is another great tool. I like the looks of the Kestral as it's built like the larger Eagle Talon which I already have. My preference is for the Shrike. Demolishing, breaching or chopping around any type of urban environment will have the potential of hitting live wires...that insulated handle is a must for my requirements. If you've ever seen the power and communications lines on a larger Afganistan FOB, you'd understand the danger of doing any digging, breaching or chopping through walls for commo line runs.

ROCK6

 

[Mistwalker]

Nice job man!!!
I've been in the market for a tactical hawk specifically for breaching.
I've narrowed it down to the RMJ Shrike or Swamp Rat Crash Rat.
Thanks for showing some bush craft skills with that bad @ss hawk!!
Thing is AWESOME!!!

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the post. The Shrike models (large and small) were designed for breaching and extraction with steeper grinds and insulated handles. I have had a chance to try a few of the other models out in bushcraft and the new design Talon, Kestrel, and Hammer Poll all have a much better grind for cutting, chopping, and whittling but would be a bit more fragile versus masonry and metal. I needed to know what all I could do with it in the bush and I wasn't disappointed.

Looks like a useful axe. So what if it's not a classic woods tool? Use what works. Plus, I like seeing the boundaries tested. Thanks for the review!

Thanks, testing the boundaries was the exact point of the experiments.

Hey Mist, I may not always comment, but I wanna let you know I always look forward to your posts. :thumbup: They're always informative and very interesting, keep it up.

Kyle.

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy the posts.

I have the Kestrel, and have been using for the past eight months. I will be going back for the Loggerhead. A companies products have got to be really good for me to be a repeat customer. I operate in a mixed rural/urban environment making these type of hawks viable. Plus, I do not believe I will break a handle on these. I do pay attention to the beard in really rough use. RMJ addresses this on their site.

The Loggerhead is one heck of a chopping tool. I got to borrow one for a while and I hated to give it back! The beard is the weakest point on these hawks but also one of my favorite parts for utility cutting.

Great thread Mistwalker! I too am a fan of tac-hawks in a "WSS" enviroment. My ATC VTAC is one of my "go to" tools no matter where I am, it chops wood or dismembers game with equal abandon and the spike is my "digger/pickaxe" for harvesting roots and tubers..or digging holes to dispose of same! I've looked into the RMJ's..you may have just sold me on it!

Thanks, the spike giving me a usable tip is one reason I prefer hawks or hatchets in the bush.

 

[Anrkst6973]

Ryan has a new one out called a "Jenny Wren" that just calls my name! I found a photo circa 1940-41 of a London firefighter with a small hatchet hanging on the back of his belt that looks excactly like it...blade shape,haft lenght,even the spike was correct. Got to have one! (See Parragon Books, "Great battles of WW2" pg 45 for the pic)

 

[Semper Fi1985]

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.

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

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.

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

[youtube]wmCbB24Wuhk[/youtube]

The shrike is such a monster but i like the s13 better. More concealable and still a monster

 

[Mistwalker]

Yeah the Shrikes, big and small, are pretty sweet! Especially since the newer edge geometry. Lately I've been fielding a Stormcrow proto, it suits my uses better

 

[dfsutton]

Any updates on this? Just curious to see how the various RMJ models have held up to use.

 

[WJC01]

Great review-I'm sold, found a Shrike-getting it tomorrow.
Thanks
Bill