I do know what I'm talking about,excuse me,but in the 90"s there was a big article about his knives in Fighting Knives mag.And it did state he was switching to A2,plus the reason his knives are in demand is because of that article,and there are so few of them on the market.He went up against SOG and others back then for the seal knife,and lost to a production company....nuff said
Check your facts ... The ATAK was the only knife to survive the knife test carried out, undamaged. Post the knife that beated the Mad Dog with verifiable proof or stop believing everything your read. MD has never used A2 in the ATAK series and have never indicated his wish to do so.
Below the actual result of the knife test ......
MEMORANDUM 4 May 1992
Fr: John Dudinsky, CNSWG-1/N8
To: LCDR Reynolds, CNSWG-l/N7
Subj: SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION FOR ADVANCED TACTICAL ASSAULT KNIFE, (ATAK)
1. Over the years, NSW has recognized that the initial issue knife, the MK 3,
is not suitable for the type of use that it normally is put to. Common
complaints were that the blade rusts easily, the tip of the blade commonly
breaks, the knife blade itself breaks, and the knife does not hold an edge.
Last August, the N8 department interviewed numerous NSW operators to
determine what characteristics a new knife should exhibit. Following is a
list of key requirements.
a) The knife blade should be 7" long
b) The knife should have a full tang
c) The knife should be of a field design, with one edge and no stress
risers (wire cutters, serrations, etc. . . . )
d) The knife should be corrosion resistant
e) The handle should be plastic, non-slip, with a lanyard hole
f) The knife pommel should be suitable for pounding.
g) The entire knife should be matt black in color
h) The knife should hold an edge, yet be flexible (Our requirement was
for an edge hardness of 62-63 Rockwell "C", with a hardness of 56-58
in the blade away from the edge)
i) The sheath should be fabricated out of KYDEX plastic
2. Starting in August, 1991, CNSWG-1/N8 started procuring commercially available
knives as part of an effort to identify a replacement to the MK 3 knife. The
following knives were evaluated during the period of August, 1991 to April, 1992.
1) Gerber LMF
2) Gerber Mk I
3) Gerber Mk II
4) Gerber Patriot
5) Glock 81
6) SOG Government Recon
7) Phrobis CUK
8) Buck Model ST
9) Mad Dog ATAK
10) Scubapro Titanium
11) Gerber Mk II CS
12) SOG Trident
13) Gryphon M30A1
14) USMC KA-BAR
15) USAF Pilot's Survival
16) M-7 Bayonet
17) Buck M-9 Bayonet
18) Gerber Tac II
19) Gerber BMF Survival
20) Buck Fieldmate
21) Buck Frontiersman
22) Buck Special 119
23) Buck Apache Bowie
24) Buck Vanguard-R
25) Buck Special Prototype 01
28) Buck ST0
27) Buck ST5
28) SOG Pentagon
29) SOG Nite-Tech
30) SOG Bowie
31) Blackjack Blackmoor Dirk
The RDT&E department has made every effort to evaluate all commercially available
knives that might satisfy our requirements as part of this evaluation.
3. The knives were all evaluated based on form, function, and cost by the N8 department
and by a number of operators from our component commands. Of these knives, three were
chosen for a final operational evaluation held on 13 April at ST-5. The knives
evaluated were the SOG Government RECON model, The BUCK ST model, and the Mad Dog
ATAK model.
The knives were subjected to a harsh series of seawater submersion, wet and dry chord
cutting, wood chopping and boring, a bending stress test, and a 3/4 inch multiconductor
electrical chord cutting test. Representatives from each SEAL TEAM and NAVSPECWARCEN
were present at this evaluation.
4) The MAD DOG ATAK was overwhelmingly voted on as the best knife of the test. Both the
Buck and SOG units experienced permanent deformation as a result of the bending stress test
(this test was carried out by wedging the blade between two boards and doing pull ups
with a 200 lb man - this is indicative of actual use if the knife was needed for survival
use). It should also be noted that the Mk 3 was also tested - it's blade broke in half
during this portion of the test.
5. As part of our work, we also determined that the sheath should be constructed of KYDEX with
noncorrosive rivets and of a design that is self draining and that utilizes no fasteners
to hold the blade into the sheath. The ATAK sheath satisfies these requirements and is
included in the price of the knife.
6. Due to the fact that NSWG-1/N8 has conducted an extensive and unbiased test which
identified the ATAK, as a successor to the Mk 3, it is highly recommended that the ATAK
knife be procured using other than full and open competition.
......Kevin said no charge. When it arrives ... I'll post an image. Whent he chipos are down, true friends step up and a beter friend, you won't find!! I am always humbled by Kevin and Teryl when I visit. More generous, caring and warm people I have not found to date!!
