what steel for the ultimate tactical/urban jungle carry...?

V

Venice Will

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Jan 11, 2007
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Steel....let's talk blade steel -

I found a custom maker to grind me a special tactical/urban jungle carry...6.5 to 7.5 inches long...it's my desire to find the best steel for him to work on. hickness will be somewhere between .25 -.32 depending on the steel...

Edge holding critical...corrosion resistance...low maintenance in the field... something that scoffs at abuse :eek:

Suggestions are most welcome -

contenders for now:

A-2
D-2
S-7
VG-10
CPM10V
Starrett 496-01


Thanks much
 
A2 and D2 are great. Just remember to PMCS your tools.
 
well I like VG-10, its a really tough steel and can take alot of abuse. I'v never used s30v but I'v heard nothing but good things as far as a strong steel goes.
 
Preventative Maintainence Checks and Services
 
A-2, D-2 and VG-10 are good stuff, I have a few knives with those steels and they are all great users :thumbup:
I dont really have any experience with the other steels so I cant say much about them.
 
My choice would be good heat treated 1095, but if I'm limited to your list, I'd take the D2. Properly heat-treated, of course.

Charlie Mike said:
Preventative Maintainence Checks and Services
Click to expand...

I knew that one. :D After four years in the navy, I can figure out almost any acronym. (Drives my wife nuts.)

thx - cpr
 
What's not on the list - S30V. From a maker who has them in stock.

As for a "jungle" knife, the most used is a 1095 machete with a plain wood grip, used daily world wide. More like 14 - 20" is the norm.
 
I think he means "urban jungle", not Tarzan-type jungle.

If I was to go all tactical, I would carry a knife that was mass-produced so I could drop it if ever in a situation that I didn't want it being traced-back to myself.
 
Going thicker than 3/16-inch thick isn't needed for blade strength unless your blade is very narrow (regardless of the blade alloy). What your target thickness gives you is blade mass/weight for chopping momentum. You want an edge that is tough enough to prevent chipping if you whack something hard. For that I suggest differentially hardened 5160 or 1084. If you want to go simpler you might just go uniformly hardened 5160 or 1084 in the 56 to 58 RC range. For tough you don't need to be too hard--it just holds an edge longer. CPM3V will do the job, but I like the edge you get with 1084. You could also look at W2 or O1 with the same benefits. All of these are tough steels, but they don't offer corrosion resistance.

If you want to go stainless I like BG42 the best.
 
If the maker only has the steel listed available, then VG-10 is the only one that is stainless. VG-10 should be almost as tough as most of the other steel types listed (and much better than CPM 10V).
If you want something that will be super tough, S7 is the way to go.
If you want something that performs well all around, and is stainless, VG-10 is the only option, and IMO a good choice.
 
I'd take D2 from that list. CPM 3V if I had a choice of anything.

It's gonna be heavy in that thickness. Really heavy.
 
D2 is hard to beat.
Does anyone really know what Infi steel is? I was once told by a Busse dealer that it was developed especially for Busse by a steel firm. I found it hard to believe a steel firm would develop and produce a special steel for such a small market, the dealer quickly agreed.
 
Infi is a tough proprietary steel used only by Busse. I think that one of the elements in it is nitrogen.
 
Of the ones you wrote, I'd go with D2, but I do think a good heat-treated 1095 or O-1 would be great.

BTW, with a screen name of "Venice Will", but it have anything to do with Venice in LA county, CA? If it does, watch your laws, FYI. If so, you should be fine if it's open carry or blade length's 2.5" or less.

Good luck with whatever you choose/get.
 
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