Survival Hawk opinions

M

Mountainwind

Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
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I'm sure this has been asked before, but a search turned up empty.
What is the best hawk for survival?
Your in the woods and will not be found for maybe a year. (for those who want time away from your wife, make it 2 years)
You have a knife, and a hawk. You will depend on your hawk for chopping firewood, making a shelter, maybe pounding, defending against killer rabbits, whatever it takes to survive.
Which hawk will you choose. It has to be easy to sharpen, keep an edge, easy to maintain (broke handles) and do what needs to be done.
It can be from one of the various forges, or a production model, or a past production model that can still be found.
I'm sure some of you have been in the woods for a few days and have used your hawk for such camp chores and have discovered what works and what doesn't, so your thoughts are valued.
 
At this point,I don't think there is a "best" hawk. But if given a choice, I would choose my Equinox Coronado or Vec hawk with the trail hawk head. I am very pleased with the quality of the cold steel hawk heads and with a Vec handle on it, it has been improved considerably. I own a number of hawks and that is my go to at the moment.
 
Give me a few days and i'll post one I have been working on. I would not be afraid to depend on in the wild year after year.
 
RMJ Forge Eagle Talon

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Right now I am thinking of getting one of Vectors hawks, but I am wanting to see opinions on others.
Knghtwalkr, I will be waiting....
Teague, "you'll put your eye out".
 
The Vec hawks are awesome. Beaware that what he does is take a Cold Steel head (actually he could probably put any head on you wish) and then make one unbelievable handle for it. Vec hawks are my personal go-to hawk. No doubt about it. At some point he may forge his own heads, but that is down the road a ways.
 
A $150+ hawk is of zero utility to me, as I simply will not be spending that kind of money on such a tool. Better a $25 CS Trail Hawk that you actually OWN than a piece of fantastic gear that is still at the factory, purchased.

I am awaiting the arrival of Vec's slip-on handles with interest. In the meantime, the default answer in my book would be a CS Trail Hawk and about 4 or 5 stock handles, which I figure is roughly equivalent in durability to one of Vec's handles. In the interim, the stock handles can be hardened to a fair extent, as my own project Trail Hawk can attest.
 
The "only" thing I don't like about my trail hawk, is the the blade length. Even another 1/2 in. would be good.
Just for my information, as I have never found info on it, if I decide to get one, does Vec use his heads, or do I send him mine?
 
i'd stick with my tried tested and true CS riflemans hawk. The hammer poll can be used for many things, driving stakes, driving wood wedges to split logs lengthwise, breaking rock to make rough hewn plates, the ax can be used for a gazzilion things too.
 
My ideal survival hawk would be a Swamp Rat Crash Axe with a longer handle. Maybe about the length of the larger RMJ hawks. Better steel than the RMJ, still easy enough to sharpen, no haft to break, and that guy will be there whether you survive or not.
 
Mountain Wind here ya go should have finished pics up by tomorrow. Hope ya like.
DSCN5239.jpg

Gonna have this finished up by the end of the weekend.

14" Hollow Grind with Convex Edge
5" Cutting Edge
18" Overall length
ATS-34
The steel will be getting bead blasted for a brighter look for those times it gets dropped in the bush, a orange and od green G10 handle will also help pop it out.
 
Now that is a piece of steel. Can't wait for some demo pics also.
I have asked a couple of forges if they make custom orders and they reply yes, but when I send back what I want, no more replies.
Either it's to hard, or the attachment/pics makes it go into the spam mail and they don't ever see it.
 
Apologies for being a bit OT, but does anybody have the website or contact info for the Vector handles mentioned above?
 
I was thinking ATC VTAC first, until I thought about a hammer pol (Bushman5 made me think, thank you)...
CS Rifleman's Hawk is a bit heavy (to me), so I suppose I would go for a CS Trail Hawk, with 3-4 extra handles...
My Glock Model 81 would be the knife to go with it...
 
Glock the Riflemans hawk in a tad heavy for me also. When adding a pack, knife, rifle etc, a few ounces here and there adds up.
Here's one I was looking at, but it's only 11 ounces, and I wanted about a 16 ounce head, and it says hardened... but to what it doesn't say. And only has a two inch blade. I want about 2 3/4 inch.
2606273167_934cabd9a9.jpg
 
KnghtWalkr said:
Mountain Wind here ya go should have finished pics up by tomorrow. Hope ya like.

14" Hollow Grind with Convex Edge
5" Cutting Edge
18" Overall length
ATS-34
The steel will be getting bead blasted for a brighter look for those times it gets dropped in the bush, a orange and od green G10 handle will also help pop it out.
Click to expand...
Looks great ! Lets see more pic's
 
Would it be out of line to suggest a good hatchet / hunters axe? A hawk is a compromise between a tool and a weapon. I would much rather have a Wetterlings 20" hunters axe than a hawk in a survival situation. Sorry if my response is off topic.

Just my 2 cents,
 
Never out of line of line...... I'm just looking for something light enough to carry, and small enough to not get in the way.
I just received an email with pics.... maybe I will be getting something after all.
 
For "survival" as in shelter building, etc, the Fiskars or Gerber hatchets or great. Or a Gransfors. You need something with some weight to fell small trees.

Fighting is a different matter.
 
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