Although I have not received my specimen of the Gunny Knife yet, one is on it's way to me via US mail.
While perusing some online knife vendor sites a few weeks ago, I ran across one and it caught my eye. I didn't immediately order one, but it was certainly placed onto my wish list, (and hence the placement of my order).
Anyhow, there were some things that stuck out to me, and those things are what brought me to ordering one sooner than later.
I took these things, (my inner thoughts about this model knife), and put them in an email that I sent to Ka-bar. I don't usually feel compelled to email manufacturers, but this was one of those times.
The following is what I wrote...
So, today I finally decided to pull the trigger on ordering myself a Kabar Gunny Knife. I really paid notice to it a few weeks ago, and it was almost immediately placed on my personal wish list. Anyhow, the vendor I chose to use was ********, my paying the few extra dollars for them to send it to me via priority mail. I am very excited in having decided to get one sooner than later.
Anyhow, these are some of the reasons I find this new offering of yours to be irresistible.
The Gunny seemed to be one heck of a nice guy, and very unique in many ways. That right there is my first reason... This knife seems to borrow and combine some of the best features from other well established knife patterns, (like the dagger and bolo), but then adds enough of it's own flair to be really unique, (just as Gunny himself was). Gunny was obviously "old school", and some of the knife's features seem so fitting to what an old school sort of a guy would like to see in such a knife. He obviously realized that wood for handle scales, while nice in feel and appearance, was too susceptible to cracking or rotting from weather exposure over time. So, you folks using the laminate wood is something I could see him settling for. It would offer some of the natural look of wood, while also being extremely resistant to outdoor elements and oils that are commonly used to protect carbon steel blades. Ah... and then there is that 1095CV steel, which I'm sure a guy like Gunny would be more than happy with on a knife he surely designed to fit into the Fighting/Utility category. The blade has the shape and length to help with utility chores that the traditional Ka-bar F/U knife would fall a wee bit "short" on. And, that extra reaching length, combined with it's integrated guard, makes it a beast for not only slashing, but for thrusting as well.
Then there's the fact that you folks went with the more traditional slotted/phillips head screws... And that, (imo), was brilliant! I mean, I'm sure a guy like Gunny would have found hex or star headed screws to just not look right on a knife that carries such a nostalgic appearance to it. These screws were the perfect choice for the overall look of this knife. Not to mention that it's obviously easier to find some improvised object that could be used to tighten them if they loosened in the field, (not so much with a hex or star head screw). And then there is the choosing of a USA made leather sheath for it's final touch... Much kudos on that! To have gone this far in making this USA made knife, and no less by the current manufacturers of the knife that Gunny's favorite force, (the Marines), made famous... and then gone to an overseas sheath to finish off the package... Well, that would have not done justice to the Gunny or his Gunny Knife design. Nope, you folks did the sheath the right way... Using leather and making it in the USA! Kudos, Ka-bar.. Kudos!
Anyhow, I can't wait to get my specimen in the mail!
So, those were my thoughts that I sent to Ka-bar concerning their Gunny Knife.
I would also like to add a few other thoughts to the above...
The choice of colors used for their laminate wood scales, was also a good one, (imo). The two colors are black & brown... A nice simple blend for this knife's overall look. The protruding tang, effectively forming a pommel that has a slot for a lanyard, (or for some other needed attachment), is also nice, and still allows for it to be used as a striking end. I like the deviation from it being just another round hole through the grip/tang method.
And last, but not least, the facsimile of Gunny's signature on the blade... I feel that is an awesome way in honoring the man behind this Ka-bar knife design
