If you were to go to war today, which knife would you take with you?

[jmr40]

I've been thinking about this for a couple of days. I have no 1st hand experience in such things, but would tend to believe less is more. Of the knives I actually own I think I'd carry this.

Bradford Knives Guardian4 Knife 3D Green Micarta (False Edge/N690/Satin) - Blade HQ

This isn't one of the better known brands, but I picked one of these up a few years ago and I'm really impressed with the quality, functionality. If it comes down to a knife fight then I'm SOL. I'd just have to do the best I can, but there are a lot of utility things that can be done with a 4" blade.

I'd also consider my Becker BK16.

 

[wst38tx]

The K-Bar saved my life a couple of times in 'Nam, so I'm prejudiced with that choice.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Alright. So, after reading this thread, and having been blessed to miss major deployments/war zones, I have to ask, what is it about larger, longer, heavier knives (Kabar, M9, M7, ASEK etc) that make them so desirable?

 

[Mk-211]

In other countries, they don't look at firearms the same way that we do. If you pull out at big knife, you can see the emotions in their eyes!

They have more fear/respect of a blade then they do of a firearm. Probably from hundreds of years of being attacked, abused... by other soldiers of foreign countries that have always used large knives and swords.

 

[FL-NC]

I carried a SOG mini pentagon fixed blade in a kydex sheath on my plate carrier and a folding box cutter in my pocket on raids and doing mounted (vehicle) ops. For dismounted patrols/ recon I carried a cold steel SRK on my web gear and a army issue demo pocket knife (tied down). I also always carried a multi tool somewhere. On raids I had one attached to my charge bag, when patrolling I had one attached to the sheath of my SRK. I had different sets of kit for different missions, and each set had its own knives and multi tools.

 

[FL-NC]

Same ones I took last time.
A Randall and an Edge Soligen fixed blades and a Schrade Lb 5 folder.
Lost the Randall, still have the other 2

I bought a Randall when I graduated SF training because I really thought I needed it. It lives in my safe now.

 

[FL-NC]

entropy

After I bought my first Gerber knife, a Mk.I, the next one I got was a Mk.II. It had the gray Armorhide handle along with the brown leather sheath. Ended up gifting to a friend of mine. Kind of missed having one and when I found a MK.II on sale at a little knife shop in the mall I picked another one up, only now it had a black handle and sheath. The only other difference with the first one I had was that the blade serrations on the second Mk.II were not quite as pronounced as they were on the first knife.
View attachment 965673

I have one of those. I never used it, just bought it cause its cool.

 

[FL-NC]

Alright. So, after reading this thread, and having been blessed to miss major deployments/war zones, I have to ask, what is it about larger, longer, heavier knives (Kabar, M9, M7, ASEK etc) that make them so desirable?

I normally only carried a "larger" knife (SRK) on dismounted patrols and doing sniper/overwatch activities. The main reason was to be able to chop/pry when throwing together sniper hides, and yes, if necessary, to use as a weapon (never did). When I was wearing my body armor with a ton of stuff on it doing raids or in a vehicle, I carried the smaller SOG mini pentagon on the front of the plate carrier, beside my mags. It was accessible and sufficient for tasks like cutting open various things on a raid during searches, or cutting things away to assist a casualty. I kept it very sharp, and the 3 1/2"(ish) blade would do the job if I got into a tussle with a crazy enemy fighter and had to stick him. Bayonets are a relic of the past, and I neve saw anyone carrying one. They would not mount on our weapons anyway due to other things we used. There were a couple of former Marines in my unit (and more than a few where I worked as a contractor). They seemed to have a particular attachment for those USMC KBAR knives. My suspicion is that there was some tradition involved, but whatever floats your boat, in my opinion.

 

[kBob]

I am too old to go to war. It would have to come to me.

If I were magically 19 again and the shape I was in getting out of Advanced Infantry Training and sure that future company commanders would not bust me for having a sheath knife a Ka-bar does sound nice. I might settle for an Aircrew Survival Knife though.

Everyone here knows that if limited to one "pocket knife" it has to be a SAK.

I have to say though that I carried more than two knives in those days and the one most used was a Buck 112 folder carried in a belt pouch that almost seemed like an issue item given the number carried in the early 1970's in the Infantry. The Fools frequently mounted a set of Airborne Wings on the flaps. To poke fun at them some of us mounted the Expert Marksmanship badge or even expert driver's badge on ours.

My best bud and Battle Buddy at that time carried a SAK knock off made in Germany with stag handles and we used it a good bit.

-kBob

 

[BigBlue 94]

Alright. So, after reading this thread, and having been blessed to miss major deployments/war zones, I have to ask, what is it about larger, longer, heavier knives (Kabar, M9, M7, ASEK etc) that make them so desirable?

I based my picks off of what i use when out in the wild. Ive never been to war, but I can survive on my own with a nice 4" sturdy knife.

As noted, most all of the wars we have been involved in, in the last 75 years, have been in regions with blade-loving cultures. They respect a big gnarly looking blade. I read many stories of troops in the Afghan war who switched to smaller tactical tomahawks because of the respect it earned them. Shortly after my uncle was shipped to 'Nam, my pops went with another brother to buy him a big honkin knife about 14" long to send over. Definitely a benefit for jungle warfare.

Ive put my ka-bar through a lot of chores over the years. It has never let me down, though I am a bit ginger with it due to the peg style handle. Id rather a full tang.

Again, 'excuse' the Colt in the pic.

 

[FL-NC]

The Fools frequently mounted a set of Airborne Wings on the flaps.

I remember that. Or Ranger tabs, or whatever else they sold at the PX. I remember some of the cherries were putting mini jump wings and the like on their watch bands.

 

[wst38tx]

Alright. So, after reading this thread, and having been blessed to miss major deployments/war zones, I have to ask, what is it about larger, longer, heavier knives (Kabar, M9, M7, ASEK etc) that make them so desirable?

Weight was precious, I could only carry one. A 3-inch blade is rather pitiful in a knife-fight.

 

[Antihero]

Alright. So, after reading this thread, and having been blessed to miss major deployments/war zones, I have to ask, what is it about larger, longer, heavier knives (Kabar, M9, M7, ASEK etc) that make them so desirable?

I chose it because making a bigger knife do small stuff is easier than making a small knife do big knife things

 

[bikerdoc]

What Antihero said.
One was on my web gear, the other in my med bag.

 

[JShirley]

Weight was precious, I could only carry one. A 3-inch blade is rather pitiful in a knife-fight.

What's a knife fight? A fight where a combatant has a knife, or a knife duel about as realistic as a Hollywood quick-draw?

Even an unloaded rifle makes a better weapon than any knife small enough for the modern battlefield. I've used a knife several times during combat, but because I needed an instant sharp, not to gut, gash,or stab an enemy.

John

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Bayonets are a relic of the past, and I neve saw anyone carrying one.

I've read a few articles here and there to that effect. I heard they no longer teach Rifle Bayonet Training with the pugil sticks, etc. in basic training.

Does the Army even still issue them?

 

[D.B. Cooper]

They seemed to have a particular attachment for those USMC KBAR knives. My suspicion is that there was some tradition involved, but whatever floats your boat, in my opinion.

This still seems to speak to my earlier question. Other than tradition (and one could definitely say for us older guys that bayonets are part of that tradition) why would one grab a KaBar over something smaller and lighter?

I remember our gear being so ridiculously heavy.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

deleted

 

[FL-NC]

I've read a few articles here and there to that effect. I heard they no longer teach Rifle Bayonet Training with the pugil sticks, etc. in basic training.

Does the Army even still issue them?

I really don't have an answer for either question. I went to basic/AIT at Ft Benning 33 years ago. We did the pugil stick thing once. We also drew our bayonets from the arms room twice. The first time was for the bayonet assault course (running and crawling around an obstacle course yelling, and stabbing various items). That day we were issued our bayonets and attached them to our LCE for the road march to the bayo course site. We were told that if we took them out of the scabbard at any time without having been told to do so, we would get an article 15, or whatever other threats that were issued. They REALLY didn't trust us with those things, and assumed that if we had the opportunity to play with them, one would end up in someone one way or another (probably a valid concern). I was under the impression the drill sgts wanted to get us through that training and then get those things back from us as quickly as possible. The second time we drew them from the arms room was for the graduation ceremony. Ironically, this was the time that I was most concerned for my own safety during the whole time at Ft Benning, since it was over 100 degrees in August. The stupid ceremony was taking forever, and guys were passing out in formation- with M16 rifles with fixed bayonets at parade rest. I was afraid I was going to get stabbed, and I needed to get on a bus immediately after the ceremony to the other side of post to sign into jump school. I knew a fresh bayonet wound would probably interfere with this.
I got out of the army 10 years ago. On a SFODA back then, I still had 12 bayonets on our inventory list I was responsible for. I tried to turn them in several times to get rid of them but I was not allowed to do so. I tried to justify ridding ourselves of them based on the fact that they couldn't be used with other items of our SOCOM issued equipment: M203 GL, suppressors, and 10.5" barrel CQB uppers. Request denied. Today, a newer updated upper is issued in SF and Ranger Regiment (in addition to the CQB upper). It has the 14.5" barrel and an extended rail. It doesn't even have the A-frame front sight and bayonet lug, so now the guys don't even have a weapon to mount the bayonet to if they even wanted to do so. It wouldn't surprise me if every ODA still has 12 bayonets to this day.

 

[Barry the Bear]

I've read a few articles here and there to that effect. I heard they no longer teach Rifle Bayonet Training with the pugil sticks, etc. in basic training.

Does the Army even still issue them?

They still taught it in BCT as of 2011 when I went at Ft. Benning

 

[ugaarguy]

If I was in my early / mid 20s, and going back to Iraq to do electronics maintenance on a large air base, I'd probably carry a couple of knives similar to what I carried back in '05 and '06. Then I carried a Benchmade 530 Pardue because I could clip in inside the waistband of my PT shorts, which were the other approved uniform for things like going to the showers or chow halls when not completely on duty and wearing DCUs. That was more a last ditch defense tool. I'd probably replace that with the Spyderco ARK that @JShirley designed. I'd carry a Leatherman multi-tool comparable to my Wave. I'd carry a Spyderco, Benchmade, Hogue, or other folder that's comparable to the Benchmade Griptilian I carried in my DCU pants pocket. A set of regular Spyderco Native 5 LW black scales with all the guts of Native 5 Salt, including the blade and clip, swapped in would do the trick. That would give me the right size folder with a really easy to sharpen blade and nearly rust proof metal pieces.

 

[Old Dog]

There were a couple of former Marines in my unit (and more than a few where I worked as a contractor). They seemed to have a particular attachment for those USMC KBAR knives. My suspicion is that there was some tradition involved, but whatever floats your boat, in my opinion.

It's like a cult. I've been deployed with the Marines (God love 'em, great warriors all) and I kinda adopted the K-Bar myself...If I had to take one general-purpose knife back down-range (and wasn't allowed a personally-purchased one), it'd probably be the K-Bar. But I do like the Spartan Knives "Harsey-Defensa" and for a regular production knife that's a virtually indestructible tank, the TOPS Snake Blocker "Apache Falcon" (heavier than ****) is another of my favorites.

 

[FL-NC]

It's like a cult. I've been deployed with the Marines (God love 'em, great warriors all) and I kinda adopted the K-Bar myself...If I had to take one general-purpose knife back down-range (and wasn't allowed a personally-purchased one), it'd probably be the K-Bar. But I do like the Spartan Knives "Harsey-Defensa" and for a regular production knife that's a virtually indestructible tank, the TOPS Snake Blocker "Apache Falcon" (heavier than ****) is another of my favorites.

I know the owners/founders of Spartan Blades. They were both instructors at SF sniper school.

 

[Old Dog]

I know the owners/founders of Spartan Blades. They were both instructors at SF sniper school.

And they're making some great blades.

 

[Old Dog]

One that went...An old Ontario, used mainly for opening care packages after mail call.