survival knife for military personal

S

sandgroper

Joined
Apr 13, 2009
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gday gday

hope u guys r well...was wondering if anyone had any experience with Chris Reeves knives, specifically the project 1 and 2 and the shadow 1 and 2. Im thinking about ordering one. The sort of tasks it would need to cover are all the basic survival tasks u expect from a decent survival type knife and id also like it to cover defence/attack type situations as im in the ADF (Australian Defence Force). I also like the Randall made knives as well, im a sucker for the hollow handle survival knives!

cheers fellas
have a good one
 
Welcome aboard sandgroper (or should I say 'mate':D);

For a hollow handled knife, I would have to say that Chris Reeve's are right at the top for the price. I have a Project 1 and an older Mk III. For a knife the size of the Project 1, it will excel as decent chopper (not great, but functional); it as a very good spear pointed blade. I don't think you'll do too many small knife chores (pair it with a SAK or similar small utility knife). Some find the round handle uncomfortable for extended use; it's a decent sized chunk of A2 steel, so weight may be a factor as well. Another thing to look out for is that the dark colored blade will absorb a lot of heat if left in direct sunlight (have a pair of gloves handy or cover the handle with rubber/bicycle inner-tubing).

I won't comment on the defense/offense aspects of the knife; not really qualified and that's why I'm issued or carry a firearm:D

It's a good knife and one that I would rely on base on my experience and use with it.

ROCK6
 
If you are open to knives without the hollow handle, you might want to look at the Steve Woods Hide Fighter. It was featured in the Mar 2009 issue of Tactical Knives magazine. It looks useful for both typical survival scenarios as well as fighting purposes. If I were still in uniform, this is the knife I would be carrying.
 
My thoughts mirror Rock's. Have you looked into the Fallkniven line of blades? They're usually who I think of first for soldiers. Very rugged, stainless steel, good edges.
 
Schrade has this copy of a Chris Reeve hollow handled knife. The knife is actually pretty tough. Of course, it isn't a real CR, but might be more affordable for a soldier. Just a thought. It is made by commies in the Worker's Paradise.
Survival004.jpg
 
thats actually not to bad looking LOL.

Horn Dog said:
Schrade has this copy of a Chris Reeve hollow handled knife. The knife is actually pretty tough. Of course, it isn't a real CR, but might be more affordable for a soldier. Just a thought. It is made by commies in the Worker's Paradise.
Survival004.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Personally, I'd stay away from CR hollow handled knives until someone gives a better explanation of why they performed so poorly in the destruction videos that have been posted.

If you're looking for a great knife for survival/mil, then I'd get a RAT. You aren't going to be able to get more knife for the money, and they perform great. They even have knives specifically designed for mil, so you might want to take a gander.
 
Light weight and versitility are my concerns when humping a knife. Especially when all your gear has to hump with you. I find long huge knifes completely worthless in the battle field and 'political' views of today. If you need to chop wood or prepare fighting positions there are probably better tools out there. Also expensive and exotic knives tend to walk away in my experience. Stay with Carbon steel unless your going to be IN the water a lot. Maintenence of your tools should be necessary in to field anyway. I have carried and like:

More expensive:
Scrap Yard Scrapper 6 (Still on my MOLLE gear as we speak)
Busse Straight handled Satin Jack (Did three Tours with me)

Less expensive:
K-bar
RAT
Ranger

Pair a decent fixed blade with a multi tool and a light folder for garison and your good to go in my opinion.

My .02

As important as what kind of fixed blade you carry is I also how you plan to carry/access/retain it. Just food for thought.
 
I see no reason for hollow handles since carrying kit in a sheath pouch or other small bag is better and easier to get to IMHO.

Bark river has loads of knives that would fit your needs, Fallkniven are also great. RAT makes some good ones as well.

Bark river:

Bravo-1
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/Bravo-1

Gunny (slightly smaller)
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/Gunny

A Bark river Sandstorm would also be great, but they are a bit hard to find...

The multitool and folder advice is very good:thumbup:

Mostly used my knife for normal outdoor use while I was in the infantry. The multitool comes in handy for repairs (gear still supplied by the lowest bidder;))
 
NoFair said:
I see no reason for hollow handles since carrying kit in a sheath pouch or other small bag is better and easier to get to IMHO.
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That is my take. Hollow handles appeal to the organizational/gadgety side for us. However, they aren't that practical and the compromise of handle comfort for a bit of - almost useless storage room - is a difficult pill to swallow. As mentioned above, why not a great fixed blade and as an add on purchase a Spec-Ops aftermarket sheath that comes with a top notch front pouch, big enough for a multi-tool or small survival kit.
 
I think that the CR One Piece Knife is very cool for what it is.

But, I would not really on it and what you could fit in the handle, for survival.

Better, I think to get a well made fixed blade with a wide sheath, and then build a piggyback sheath for a small caping/neck knife and a pouch for a few survival essentionals.

But, the question becomes, are you going to be allowed to carry that, on duty?

Marion
 
im in the u.s army. i carry a RAT RC 3 or 4 depending on what im doing ive never experienced a need for a big knife and most survival situations wont require on anyways. your unit probably has guidlines about blade length as well so check with your chain of command before purchasing anything. the chris reeve hollow handles are excellent knives but for military applications where a knife is definatley gonna get abused a good carbon steel like the 1095 used by RAT is ideal. RAt cutlery unconditional replacement warranty is ideal in that they will rpelace it if the knife breaks under normal use for free. i have busses and customs and all kinds of knives but when the body armor gets thrown on theres a rat attatched to it or my belt backed up with a leatherman. i cant imagine any situation that wouldnt be handled by this duo.

stay safe.
 
our unit probably has guidlines about blade length as well so check with your chain of command before purchasing anything.
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Razors on point in this thread. When I came back the most wear was on my Swiss tool and nerves..
 
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Yeah, I need to comment on Razor's feedback...and he is spot-on. Not sure what the Aussies are wearing for body armor, but my last tour I saw several troopers with large blades (7+ inch blades). I also saw a few of these guys get hung up on helo/vehicle doors when entering/exiting; heck, I even saw one guy in a mess hall stand up with from the table and the chair was suspended from the handle of his large fixed blade...major loss of tactical cool points:D

Another issue is access to a large blade. Large blades have their place, but if it's not mounted on your body armor or is short enough on the waist, it's pretty difficult to get too (I'm not going to discuss drop-leg rigs as they are impractical for anything but foot mounted patrols and even that has several drawbacks). I love big blades, but for my profession, anything over ~5" is pretty much too big to carry and access...it's not a chain of command thing for me (as I pretty much set those rules;)), it's an issue of practicality and reality. I have an orange handled RC-4 and need to get a more "subdued" handle, but this is a great size for the belt and an excellent attachment system for the IOTV...

If you still want a CR hollow-handle, I would recommend the short 4-5" fixed-blade range if you want to keep it on your body armor or person. The larger blade would most likely get left in the pack. Really depends on how you plan to carry it, what you actually do and if your command has a stigma against large "combat" blades. I think most combat vets such as Razor and AR Fan will agree that a shorter fixed blade (with a good sheath system) and multitool will give you a wider range of practical use and service.

ROCK6
 
hey guys
cheers for the info i took a look at the RAT website and really like the look of those knives.The only real reson i was lookn at hollow handle knives was nostalgia haha i had a dodgy cheap one when i was a kid. I think the RAT RC3 will be the go for me! along with my leatherman skeletool CX, man those RAT knives look good!!
Love this forum by the way!! Always a good read!
 
When the military wanted a new survival knife to replace the Air Force Pilot survival knife, they came up with this one. It has been tested and meets military requirements.

CMBT007.jpg

Here is the old one:


CMBT006.jpg
 
ROCK6 said:
Yeah, I need to comment on Razor's feedback...and he is spot-on. Not sure what the Aussies are wearing for body armor, but my last tour I saw several troopers with large blades (7+ inch blades). I also saw a few of these guys get hung up on helo/vehicle doors when entering/exiting; heck, I even saw one guy in a mess hall stand up with from the table and the chair was suspended from the handle of his large fixed blade...major loss of tactical cool points:D

Another issue is access to a large blade. Large blades have their place, but if it's not mounted on your body armor or is short enough on the waist, it's pretty difficult to get too (I'm not going to discuss drop-leg rigs as they are impractical for anything but foot mounted patrols and even that has several drawbacks). I love big blades, but for my profession, anything over ~5" is pretty much too big to carry and access...it's not a chain of command thing for me (as I pretty much set those rules;)), it's an issue of practicality and reality. I have an orange handled RC-4 and need to get a more "subdued" handle, but this is a great size for the belt and an excellent attachment system for the IOTV...

If you still want a CR hollow-handle, I would recommend the short 4-5" fixed-blade range if you want to keep it on your body armor or person. The larger blade would most likely get left in the pack. Really depends on how you plan to carry it, what you actually do and if your command has a stigma against large "combat" blades. I think most combat vets such as Razor and AR Fan will agree that a shorter fixed blade (with a good sheath system) and multitool will give you a wider range of practical use and service.

ROCK6
Click to expand...

I think oonce you start getting over about 7, maybe 8 inches depending on the person, you are looking at dirk and sword style carry. It's possible to do and to do well, but you have to - have to- do it right and know your gear. I've carried, and nowdays made, knives fro 1.5 to 16 inches in blade length. what I did carry for field gear back in the day (that was a while ago) was a SOG Government, a gerber multiplier (first generation, customized by an unit shop), an Al Mar slim pocket knife, and a supertinker (that varied with a swisschamp original. the corkscrew is just TOO USEFUL).

The SOG was fine for carry for me, but I practiced wearing it a lot when I was on deployment in the hooch in Jeddah doing comms and not actually in the field. (office chair, run, drive to airbase, load and unload shit, drive back. repeat endlessly) I also never had to actually kill anybody with it.

I'm also a natural leftie who shoots right handed.


I think this discussion has taken a turn where survival is being equated more with combat- and if I was going to suggest a survival knife I'd go with a completely different answer than most of what's being talked about.

For a CUK, I'm still fairly fond of my SOG, the gerber looks nice, and the Kabar is still - with reason- a top choice. Heck, I carried a Meula Ranger I picked up in Rota for a few months before I got the SOG and used it plenty. (I keep meaning to make my version of that knife, someday)
 
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