WIP tactical knife for a buddy...

Overmountain

Overmountain

Joined
May 2, 2013
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Well, here goes for my first WIP thread. Don't usually like to do this sort of thing as I don't think I have anything to teach anyone specifically, and most of what I make has a design that is specified by the end user or I am already pretty sure of what I want.
That said, this is going to be my first attempt at a tactical knife that is a wholly new design. This is going to a former partner of mine at my old department and will see sole duty on his entry vest as he is part of a large metropolitan area SWAT team. He and I put together have more than two decades of police experience, a large part of it spent on specialized teams. As with all of us types, we all develop our preferences and eccentricities. He likes karambit type knives, and also likes tanto blades. I don't really care for either. He also likes serrations, and I only do on knives I would most likely use for cutting seatbelts, webbing or rope.
He wanted something that tied all his likes together, and this ended up in me drawing design after design and sending them his way. Oh, and he needed it to fit in a particular spot on his vest. Three MOLLE lengths wide, no more than 9" tall. Oh, and carried right side up, blade facing left for draw karambit style. Pretty easy guy to please, no?
Materials have been chosen, the blade has been roughed out of steel and pictured below. I am using this thread for feedback and an opinion or two when needed. Please real and useful critique please. No mall ninja b.s. about how the design sucks because of some mythical tactical situation. I have been there, done that and also teach officer survival and defensive tactics as part of my assignment.

Here is the blade roughed out. 3/16" 1095 blade steel, will have micarta scales and a flat grind with about an inch of serrations and a nearly sharp top edge. (Ignore the minor cutting in, that's not there to stay by any means...) Sheath will be modular and a kydex and aluminum combination with blade-tech MOLLE-loks. He specified the finger grooves as well as the glass breaker type tip. Will be differentially hardened by me, and may ask for a little advice when it gets to that point. Final finish will be black oxide coated...
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Looks great! Make sure his pinky finger can't get stuck in there. You know small enough so it's not possible or large enough so it slides through easy.
 
Yeah, the pinky hole area/ index area when held as a karambit type knife is large enough so a finger clad in entry gloves can slip through. About 1" in diameter. That is actually one of my issues with karambits. Someone who knows what they are doing can use the fact your finger is stuck in a hole against you.
 
Is the glass breaker on the tip of the knife? If so, it seems like this would hugely reduce the effectiveness of the tip for anything else. I'd move it to the bottom of the handle.

- Chris
 
Glass breaker on the pommel. It is pointed rather aggressively, hence called it a tip. Not as I blade tip.
Yeah, I said ignore the little cut ins... I was demonstrating something and since I was going to be removing steel anyway and it was close by... they are only about 1/32 deep, the light makes em look deeper. It will be flat ground when finished with a nice taper. He will use it to pry stuff, so it will still have some body, but will be a slicer to be sure.
I thought it looked like a shark, he didn't... think we are right in this instance... lol.
 
Totally looks like a shark. I like it. Very aggressive look to it. The bevels look small to me too, but if hes using it to pry and whatnot I guess leaving alot of meat on it is the right call.
 
Hello,
Ok so I am posting an edited picture describing my design changes. I am not a fan of having fingers enclosed for obvious reasons, especially in a tactical knife but I think the changes are a happy medium. I also am a big fan of the Tanto style blade so I like that about this design. I also added a little more metal to the forfinger partial inclosure. I am still very new to knife making so if my suggestions are off or don't make sense, could you please explain why?

 
What if they used it as a glass breaker and smashed the pommel into something hard, wouldn't their ring finger slide right into that pointy little tail that's covering the pinky?
 
I like it better with a dorsal fin (glass breaker, or whatever it was). I do like the extended forefinger enclosure.
 
"Dorsal fin" is there because he rides the spine with his thumb during certain blade forward techniques. Index finger is not extended like that mainly for sheath retention and easy of draw reasons that will make more sense when I post the sheath. Added area on the back of the blade near the tip maximises frontal area giving it a spear like effect... I can go thinner and keep the permanent wound channel... (sorry, but remember what it is intended to do...) Believe it or not, we did a few trial runs with tac gloves on before settling at that much pinky / index coverage. Remember the knife is used both ways... Fingers in our hard shell entry gloves are pretty well protected.
Sorry if none of this makes any sense. I appreciate the input but the design is set. My concerns will probably be with just how hard is hard enough in the glass breaker region and the blade itself. I would prefer the finger guard to break away rsther than bend and crush a finger so I would think full hard in that area.
Sheath is going to be basically a kydex and aluminum sandwich with level one retention. It will have a kydex protrusion that engages the guard area (blade side guard, not the pinky one.) The dorsal fin and extended spine of the blade also assist in the way the knife settles into the sheath. I hope to do a skeletonized demo here during my long weekend and see what everyone thinks. We are basically trying to see if this is something that anyone else would want or if it falls just into his specific niche desires. Like I said, we swapped about 100 designs, drawn, cardboard, wood and even aluminum before he stuck to this... picky picky picky... lol.
Thanks for the input. If I keep making these, or even make more, that is something I will look into. I like your design changes if applied to bare handed use, and they certainly look nice and slick.
Cheers!
 
It looks like a really well thought out design. Most of the "tactical" knives I have seen definitely cater to the mall ninjas so its refreshing to see one thats built for a purpose. I know a couple of our police equivalents of your SWAT and this seems to cover everything theyve said they use their knives for and then some. I like that you have designed any protrusions in a way so as not to get caught up in all the other gear on his vest and the blade for a range of uses. Its impressive how well thought out this design is.
The only thing I would suggest is if you make more of these other end users may not like a couple of the handle/guard features/ deep finger grooves, extended guards etc. So a couple options in handle scales to fit individual needs might worrk. just a thought. As far as "designed for purpose" goes you really nailed it.
 
I actually sent him MY version of the finished design without finger grooves and with a little slimmer design.. he said he likes finger grooves... I personally don't as I feel they take away some of the utility of the knife, as in when it is held in a manner other than designed... We all know how good soldiers and cops are at using equipment "other than as designed..."
Thank you for the compliments, we had both become frustrated with the market and are maybe both just getting too salty to like anything anymore... lol. That being said, outside the Xerox copy market for the mall ninjas and whatnot, there are some really good custom makers out there. The only problem is the humble public servant can't afford a true custom. If I can get this thing to a stage where it is relatively easy to turn out, sheath and all, I may start offering it somewhat built to order, as in the design preferences listed above as being options, for a pretty steep discount to LEO's/Hose jockeys/ and other hut-hut types... Basically, if you can establish a real need for it, I will sell it to you cheap... I hate seeing anyone do without something that could truly help. If not just to boost morale.
 
No worries.. I don't mean to come off snarky or rude. Its hard to communicate emotion through type. I often answer via tapatalk while doing other things. For the most part, even though it wasn't what I was directly seeking, I have receieved some sound feedback for other things I can do should I stick with this line of thing for more than one knife...
Thanks.
 
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