KA-BAR for self defense?

[expvideo]

Sounds like you're GTG on that KA-BAR. I say go for it. But if you don't mind me asking, why don't you just carry a gun? (JK)

 

[LIQUID SNAKE]

I packed a Ka-Bar from about 10yr to recently when it got stolen. My preferred method of carry was to were it upside down on my left side under my jacket. I'd use the belt loop upside down and tie the leg strap over my shoulder. This worked all through middle school, high school and, some college. I packed it that way on numerous bus trips accost country as well.

While in school I got a lot of knives confiscated by the authorities over the years but they never got that Ka-Bar!! I had some kid come up to me in front of Smith's and present a Air Farce survival knife to me one time. He asked if my knife was bigger than his to which I responded "yes". I told him my Ka-Bar had at least 2 1/2" over his. He put the knife away and left with some other kids. I'm still not really sure what that was all about.

You can also pack Rambo style in a pinch. You just stick the whole knife and scabbard in the small of your back and pull your jacket down over it. Although you can't really sit comfortably this way and it will be revealed every time you bend down for something. It is best employed as a smuggler technique not a carry technique.

 

[notorious]

Whips? Why not just a length of bike chain? Those have served some local gangs well in the days before everyone had a gun.

 

[Ithaca37]

I packed a Ka-Bar from about 10yr to recently when it got stolen. My preferred method of carry was to were it upside down on my left side under my jacket. I'd use the belt loop upside down and tie the leg strap over my shoulder. This worked all through middle school, high school and, some college. I packed it that way on numerous bus trips accost country as well.

While in school I got a lot of knives confiscated by the authorities over the years but they never got that Ka-Bar!! I had some kid come up to me in front of Smith's and present a Air Farce survival knife to me one time. He asked if my knife was bigger than his to which I responded "yes". I told him my Ka-Bar had at least 2 1/2" over his. He put the knife away and left with some other kids. I'm still not really sure what that was all about.

You can also pack Rambo style in a pinch. You just stick the whole knife and scabbard in the small of your back and pull your jacket down over it. Although you can't really sit comfortably this way and it will be revealed every time you bend down for something. It is best employed as a smuggler technique not a carry technique.

What? Who are you people? I have been seeing so many posts like this recently. Mostly from people who have registered in the past month or two. hmmmm....

 

[mercop]

I belong to lots of forums and have to agree. I believe the current political and economical climate have brought lots new folks to the boards, folks that before never had any interest.

 

[JR47]

Au contraire, mon frere. An edged weapon can be lethal to someone with a firearm anywhere within 21 yards. FBI studies and field contacts have shown the average adult being fully capable of closing that distance and getting off 2 killing blows with a knife before the gunman can draw and put 1 good shot on target.

That's 21 FEET, not yards. That's seven yards, the outside distance of most CCW encounters.

Knife fighting is a losing game. I've been to the results of several, and, in many cases, the winner was the one who lived the longest after the fight. This was, unfortunately, measure in minutes, not years. Two reasonably skilled, or lucky, knife-wielders are BOTH going to suffer cuts in the melee. Steven Segal, or Jackie Chan, aside, it's not quite as easy as the movies make it look.

Fixed blade knives, carried for defense, are illegal in Georgia, even with a CCW. Large folders, too. Carrying a fixed-blade knife under a coat in cold weather is "carrying a concealed weapon" in most venues, as well.

If your locale allows, Pepper Spray is nice. It enables a stand-off distance, and will enable you to maneuver faster than the attacker can see. Some sprays, such as that designed for bear attacks, is concentrated enough to cause physical harm, permanent physical harm.

 

[mercop]

Talk about bullets not being likely to stop someone with a knife before they make contact, try it with OC. I don't think you will like the results.

When the Tueller Drill was done they did it with an exposed firearm and a visible knife. Try it in low light conditions with a concealed firearm. The results are going to be lots of sad faces.

 

[EmGeeGeorge]

I don't think its 21 yards, more like 21 feet...

 

[Mike U.]

There are no winners in a "knife fight", only survivors. And often there is not even that. Let us remember this, first and foremost, when thinking of fighting with an edged weapon.

Not that I'm advocating carrying a concealed fixed blade, I'm NOT, but, I'd look for a much flatter knife if there is any chance I'd have to actually try to conceal it. A KABAR is not a good choice for that because of the fairly large round handle. It was not designed for that.
A far better choice would be a flatter profile knife, something along the lines of a Cold Steel Kobun or Oyabun for example.

If your dead set on open carry of your KABAR, then yes, it is an excellent choice for a LAST DITCH self defense weapon. It was, and is, not designed as a primary SD weapon. I'd prefer a stick or cane for primary if I wasn't allowed access to a firearm. Also, the KABAR has a sharpened top edge, which is highly illegal to carry around in some jurisdictions. Consulting your local laws could save you some money and jail time.

 

[BernieD]

I think a Ka-bar is a bad choice. I haven't left the house without a good knife in years, and the only time my ka-bar makes an appearance is when I'm camping. Ka-bars are pretty versatile tools, good for many things. Self defense isn't one of them. It will do the job, but not nearly as comfortably as many other knives. You don't need 8 inches of blade on a self defense knife. My recommendation is around 4 inches, tops. Go about half the ka-bar's length, a lot lighter, and don't get dead set on fixed blades.

 

[conw]

notorious wrote:

Au contraire

notorious wrote:

That's why all LEOs are trained to shoot if an aggressor

...



Conwict wrote:

A knife isn't really that great a defensive weapon.

We aren't disagreeing, just talking about different things. A defensive weapon's primary purpose is to prevent damage to you by neutralizing the threat...yeah, that really means killing...but killing in such a way that the threat is no longer a threat ASAP. Knives don't do that so great. And just because it's possible to close seven yards before one can draw a gun, that is - as you said - aggression as opposed to defensive action. I can't think of any realistic situation where one would be justified to charge someone with a knife before they ever drew their gun!

 

[mercop]

Central nervous systems disruption will always stop someone faster that circulatory disruption. The good thing is the CNS disruption can be achieved with your bare hands and just about anything you can pick up. Attacking the circulatory for the most part takes penetration in the form of a blade or bullet. And even when death does result it can be agonizingly slow and unpredictable.

 

[shiftyer1]

I've personally carried 2 knives all my life. 1 a small pocket knife to work with and the other is always a folder with about a 4 inch blade or a fixed blade about 5 inches. The kabar seems a little long and will definatly stick out. Ya you may look like a redneck but with the kabar you will be the redneck with the BIG knife. I keep a kabar in the truck but I don't think i'd carry it everyday. When you get a little older the shock value isn't worth the hassel. I don't feel theres anything wrong with a knife for self defense, like I said I carry one for that purpose but it isn't my first option. Also most states have a length limit and for most of them a kabar is way to long.

 

[sidheshooter]

Lots of opinions here, may as well add my (free and cheap, keep that in mind) opinion as well.

If you have had as much training as all that, you don't need my thoughts on gun v knife, stick v knife or whatever.

What you *may* need is my thoughts on what makes a good carry blade:
#1 legal
#2 fast. Lots of great cutters out there, most with unsuitable carry systems.
#3 top of the line. If it may be a while before you are going down the firearms (and micro brewery) road, treat yourself to a good, purpose-specific blade (just so long as it meets #1 in the areas you frequent).

I have a couple of the TDIs... not bad at all, assuming that you like the grip angle-an aftermarket sheath is also good here, IMHO.

My favorite carry is probably my kasper/polkowski pug (the 5-incher as favored by "Jim Grover" aka Kelly McCann), not because I'm all hot to trot on the design (good though it may be), but because the carry and draw is wicked efficient. I personally find it a bit big to justify for my daily activities, mind-I'm no operator. I do, however, also like the bud nealy-designed MCS knives; not as secure in the hand, but fast, fast, fast into action.

The point is, get something legal and that you feel confident with, and then get a real carry system for it. For just one example, you could send a spare Kbar to these guys at this site's homepage http://www.rivercitysheaths.com/photo.htm and get a southern comfort to go with the big blade...

Just some thoughts from some guy on the net. Take 'em all with a big grain of salt, please.

And now for some eye candy:

(not all mine, btw, I have two... the pug is second from top)

Nealy P-K; one typical exemplar of his mcs knives

 

[mercop]

Al makes some awesome knives. My favorite and EDC is his Bodyguard.

http://www.polkowskiknives.com/

 

[Duke of Doubt]

My state is very easy with concealed carry of firearms, but very tough on concealed knife carry.

For the guy who mentioned icepicks -- that can be assumed a weapon, as few folks need to chip ice in California in August. Sharpened screwdrivers are a little bit better, but suggestive of criminality if you sharpen them much. Instead, consider a sharpened scratch awl or, even better, a large sharpened steel drift punch. Perfectly legitimate shop tool. Small, unobstrusive, relatively non-threatening. It can even be within statutory blade limits if the police decide to treat it as a blade. Narrow and round, it can tuck into the pen slot of your shirt pocket. Gripped in the strongside fist, point down, and ripped across an assailant's face, it can be formidable.

Don't overlook improvised weapons in locales where you may not carry firearms, either. Any restaurant/tavern out there arms you to the teeth by the time your main course arrives. A dinner fork into the left orbital and eyeball is nothing to shrug off, and the dinner knife, even if just a butter knife, gives you a hard steel point on which to concentrate those foot-pounds to the assailant's solar plexus.

 

[sadlsor]

You don't need 8 inches of blade on a self defense knife. My recommendation is around 4 inches, tops. Go about half the ka-bar's length, a lot lighter, and don't get dead set on fixed blades.

I disagree. While it's true, you don't NEED 8 inches, more is better, all things being equal. Which as we all know, they never are. But I digress.

The OP already stated he's trained in edged weapons, so given that, a longer blade equals longer reach. (The reach is, after all, the advantage in using a stick or cane, but that's not what OP asked about.) And in nearly every case, a fixed blade will certainly be stronger than a folder. Why wouldn't it be? There's no hinge to serve as the weak point. Seven-to-eight inches of Ka-Bar (or other quality fixed blade) trumps your 4-inch folder, sorry. Trumps the 4-inch fixed blade, too.

And why is it that a blade can't accomplish damage to the nervous system? A trained blade combatant will be looking for a target, an aim point, just as would a trained handgun user. You'll likely stun an attacker with a blow (read stab) to the kidney, or groin, if only momentarily. I'm sure those familiar with the killing arts know of other nerve-rich targets which can be disabled by a well-placed knife.

 

[LIQUID SNAKE]

What? Who are you people? I have been seeing so many posts like this recently. Mostly from people who have registered in the past month or two. hmmmm....

I belong to lots of forums and have to agree. I believe the current political and economical climate have brought lots new folks to the boards, folks that before never had any interest.

I take it my post displeases you. So what specifically is the problem?

 

[notorious]

Sorry... 21 feet... not yards. I was reading through a competition shooting gun club's rules and it was all in yards and meters and in my old age, I just lost all sense of direction.

Thank God in Los Angeles, everyone is pretty much within 21 feet because it's so crowded in downtown.

 

[Thin Black Line]

What? Who are you people? I have been seeing so many posts like this recently. Mostly from people who have registered in the past month or two. hmmmm....

Hence my use of youtube "training" videos for the <21 age crowd.

 

[mercop]

Sadlsor, a machete is a great weapon, just kinda hard to carry around

As far as someone picking a particular target on their opponent to cut or stab I don't have much faith in that. We have way more shootings to research in reference to how people respond during stress than we do cuttings/stabbings. What do we see? That people shoot at the available target and focus on the weapon. Expecting someone to be able to cut an attackers tricep is the same as expecting them to be able to shoot them in the arm or leg.

If you are on the offense (a position I doubt anyone in this forum is likely to be) you can choose your target, as in a prison shanking situation. You may also be able to do it in knife on knife training where there is no real expectation of physical injury. But if you are under attack and first have to deploy your knife I think that even many folks who have put a lot of time into training will find out that due to stress they are likely to swing outside the silhouette of their attacker. Blade travel outside the silhouette of the attacker means that the blade is not on flesh, and if it is it chances are that it is inflicting very superficial damage since the body is pretty well protected from the top to bottom.

To take advantage of our anatomical strong points and exploit our attackers weaknesses we use Inverted Edge Tactics.

http:
//www.mercop.com/docs/video4.htm

 

[wrxguyusa]

Carrying any weapon openly (especially as a young guy) will potentially get you hassled by the police whether legal or not.

You might want to take the advice of gun open carry guys and carry a micro-recorder and know your laws well. You have a high liklihood of encountering an officer that doesn't know the laws or ignores them because he thinks you don't.

I wish the Ka-bar TDI was legal in my area.

 

[mercop]

I missed the reason for carrying a micro-recorder, what was it?

 

[Thin Black Line]

Knife vs Tea Cup

Carrying any weapon openly (especially as a young guy) will potentially get you hassled by the police whether legal or not.

Not if it's just a tea cup, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx1XhlPIeEM

Although carrying more than one tea cup in grenade pouches on a molle vest
might attract some attention...

 

[wrxguyusa]

I missed the reason for carrying a micro-recorder, what was it?

Protecting your rights in the event of a police encounter while not feeling like you have to argue an officer (bad idea). This was adopted in VA by a open-carry advocates (mostly VCDL) due to a couple people being illegally detained by police. This is a very rare event, but cases did happen.