Throwing a knife for survival reasons?

Midnight Scout

Midnight Scout

Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
299
I was reading another thread about which knife to choose out of an assortment of field/survival knives, and several of the comments were, "The knife is a good thrower too."

I've always heard that the last thing you should do is throw a knife because you could lose it or damage it. I've thrown knives before and it was generally ineffective. I don't think I would use a throwing technique for self defense or for survival hunting situations.

Am I missing something as far as our field knives are concerned? Thoughts?

Scout
 
I agree throwing my knife in a survival situation would be a truly last resort. Generally it would be a lot smarter to make a wooden spear with your knife, fire-harden the point and throw that.
 
There is no reason why you would throw away a perfectly good knife. If you need a weapon to throw, use that knife to make a spear or any one of several, sharp ended tools.
 
longbow50 said:
There is no reason why you would throw away a perfectly good knife.
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I know of one reason. I had a couple Black Jack throwing knives years ago. Picked them up ay a gun and knife show for $12ea. They were fun to throw in the yard at an old stump or some scrap plywood. The real usefullness of it all was the fact that I learned tha throwing knives isn't easy. Throwing at a large object at a set distance is simple. A small target from an unknown distance? I never got that good.

I do wish I still had 'em. Don't know what happened to them. I think I lost them durring a move.
 
I think it would be a lot better making a double ended throwing stick (2 points), or an apache star(4 points). When it comes down to throwing my only knife i have in the field, I would rather throw a rock, and when i miss, use my knife to help make a fire and carve some pine bark and boil and eat that :)
 
But what if something like a bear is charging you and you don't have time to make a spear? I sure as hell would chuck a knife at him hoping to thwart him, instead of holding on to it and waiting till he gets close enough to use it on him(which would probably be my last time ever using any knife lol)
 
I haven't gotten myself into a just one knife survival situation since I got caught in that pit in the desert at age 10. Mostly my survival knife is just an ultra rugged knife that I haul around with me. It is the only knife I am likely to have on me when I get really bored out in the forest. What better way to fight off deadly boredom than throwing your survival knife.

My experience with throwing knives at rabbits indicates that they have to be very tame and you are very likely to lose your knife. Your knife will sort of slip under the roots of grass and completely bury itself. For my hunting throwing knife I wrapped the handle loosely with cord and under the cord I put crinkled-up aluminum foil. The crinkly foil was easy to see if even a trace of the handle was exposed. You might want to paint the pommel of your knife dayglow orange if you are going to throw it much in the great outdoors.
 
PS. Not all survival knives work well for throwing. I think that the old Cattaraugus Q knives are great for survival, but stacked leather handles tend to bend when a throw lands wrong. You need a full tang as a rule. You need either the blade or the handle to be designed so that you get a clean release without cutting yourself. Lots of fancy handles, saw-backed blades, or sharpened clip points don't work well for throwing. It also helps if the knife is relatively symmetrical, the blade is straight, and the point is somewhat thick and wide (so you don't bend or break the point). A throwing knife should be softer than most other knives, probably under 55 RC and maybe down in the 40's.
 
This reminds me of the time I threw my rifle at a bear in an attempt to save bullets... nah that never happened, but I agree with the others for not throwing a knife. The only reason I'd bring a throwing knife into the bush is to keep me entertained. Happy halidays all.

-Chris
 
I've found throwing at extremely close range very useful, and have killed a number of varmints in that manner.
 
the possum said:
I've found throwing at extremely close range very useful, and have killed a number of varmints in that manner.
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What counts as "extremely close range"? What kind of varmints were they (how big were they)? Was the knife a dedicated "throwing knife" or a field knife? Did the knife point or blade get the animal or was the sheer weight and size of the knife sufficient to stun/kill it? Enquiring minds want to know. :p

I have not thrown a knife lately (I think the last time was in the Boy Scouts playing mumbley peg which the Scoutmasters forbade us to do), but I think the type of knives that I have now would be difficult to accurately aim since they are sharpened and honed on one side and have a decent spine on the other. The throwing knives I've seen are cut the same on each side thereby making them better balanced for throwing, but not so great as field knives.
 
I usually have better luck with a baseball than a knife....course I pitched in HS and College and have effectivley terminated things with baseballs at respectable ranges.

I really see no reason to throw a knife, I was entrigued a while ago with it and leaned more toward hatchets in the end. I agree that making a spear or something of that sort makes much more sense to me. The last thing I want to do is lose my knife or get it dinged up.
 
That Cold Steel Torpedo, double-ended and a whopping two pounds will probably kill or at least render unconscious just about anything up to and including man and deer. Good luck hitting both but it's not impossible. People that say it's impossible don't spend time doing it but they are right for the most part in this way, do you really want to spend that amount of time gaining that real skill?

The good side of things is, the CS Torpedo, CS throwing knives, the older Blackjack throwers mentioned earlier...my Custom Bowen Bowie Thrower...old Tru-Balance throwers and things like Estwing Hatchets - they will all kill small to medium game and you don't have to hit them with point or edge - it's a few or several ounces of thrown steel - it's going to wreck them no matter what way it hits.

Another interesting thing about the physicality of throwing knives is this...take a CS throwing knife and go up to your throwing target and in reverse grip, thrust into it as hard as you can. (Know what you are doing with knives so you don't hurt yourself, too...) Now step back after you learn how to throw it - and - throw it! You will find that you can usually throw what feels like a medium power throw and the knife will stick deeper than a manual thrust that feels very, very powerful when you do it.

I really don't believe that people should be chucking their primary knife or even their secondary knife or tertiary...I guess if you want to carry one purpose-made that would really be heavy enough to knock an animal out or kill it, well, personal preference. If I met you in the woods and watched you throw the damned thing I probably wouldn't tell you that you didn't know what you were doing or all the other crap we read in so many threads. Beware the man that knows how to throw even the much-maligned shuriken, for he can put your eye out or open your teachea for ya. :D
 
Rocks, pine-cones, coke cans? Cheaper than your knife, you're not prone to care if you lose it, doesn't matter which side hits, simple and effective, I think most kids know that and we get a little sophisticated about it all. Unless you are very well practised, in my experience, it's a great way to chip, blunt, break a good tool.

Merry xmas all

Jules
 
I wouldn't toss my main woods knife for any reason. A dedicated mild steel thrower is a better option. There are better and lighter options for killing small game than a throwing knife.
 
I am not proud of it, but the fact is I have killed game with a thrown shovel. anything with some weight will kill, a rock, throwing stick, and stuff like that. I know a friend who throws knives, but it seems more like a hobby than a dedicated way to secure game. It is fun to try. :) SO is the cold steel shovel, and tomahawks. But I wouldn't count on it to feed myself. I would rather have a blowgun, than a throwing knife.
 
I threw my S1 at a grouse once; as soon as it left my hand I thought what a stupid thing to do. Luckily I missed it and any near by rock. I have never thrown it again.
 
btuner said:
But what if something like a bear is charging you and you don't have time to make a spear? I sure as hell would chuck a knife at him hoping to thwart him, instead of holding on to it and waiting till he gets close enough to use it on him(which would probably be my last time ever using any knife lol)
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One thing I know for sure, if a bear is charging you and it is within range of your throw, it would be on you long before the knife hit the ground. You would be much better off assuming the fetal possition, keeping your knife at the ready, for when a vital area on the bear opens up. I mean, you're gonna get chewed up either way, but at least you would have a fighting chance with your knife in hand.
 
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