What Makes A Knife A "Fighting Knife"?

Discussion in 'Non-Firearm Weapons' started by Night Rider, Jun 19, 2022.

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  1. Gordon
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    Gordon Contributing Member

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    Maybe, I'm no longer a soldier almost 40 years. Camp defender for me is in Camping .
     
    Gordon, Jun 21, 2022
    #76
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  2. hso

    hso Moderator Staff Member

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    warriors vert.jpg

    [​IMG]
    Only one purpose and they're pretty good at it when you get trained by "Mr. REKAT".
     

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    Last edited: Jun 21, 2022
    hso, Jun 21, 2022
    #77
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  3. gila_dog1

    gila_dog1 Member

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    My brother was a Marine in Vietnam. Here is his Kabar. He bent the top of the guard forward a little so he could tell which side was up, using his thumb, in the dark. I don't think he ever used it on anybody. The original leather sheath rotted away, and a friend gave me this new-fangled plastic one. I still use this knife for some chopping chores.

    upload_2022-6-21_20-33-50.png
     
    gila_dog1, Jun 21, 2022
    #78
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  4. lemaymiami

    lemaymiami Member

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    A classic... my favorite Ka-bar style knife (if I owned one...) would be the smaller sized one (Type One?) that was issued to the Navy all those years ago. It just seems to be a handier design that would be far more likely to be with you in a variety of situations - not necessarily combat related. Believe post #64 shows a very early version - that likely did see service in WWII...
     
    lemaymiami, Jun 22, 2022
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  5. JShirley

    JShirley Administrator Staff Member

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    Well, combat deployment is not necessarily the same thing as fighting. I've used knives a lot during deployments, often on the job, and haven't knifed anyone yet. And I've used knives to help me shoot at the enemy, so have used knives "in combat".

    At close range, even if your weapon (rifle) is malfunctioning or out of ammo, it's still generally more effective at stopping a threat than a knife. On my second deployment, though, my primary weapon was an M9. A full-sized knife might be a more effective weapon than an unloaded M9.
     
    JShirley, Jun 22, 2022
    #80
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  6. jeepnik

    jeepnik Member

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    Pretty much a knife without much utility otherwise. My only one.
    UQLFawi.jpg
     
    jeepnik, Jun 22, 2022
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  7. Speedo66

    Speedo66 Member

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    I think people also tended to be smaller 150+ years ago.
     
    Speedo66, Jun 22, 2022
    #82
  8. Coyote3855
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    Coyote3855 Contributing Member

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    This is an interesting and informative thread, especially the excellent commentaries by JShirley. The museum where I volunteer has a collection of shanks seized from correctional facilities around the state. None fit the definitions of a fighting knife in this thread but I suspect that some of them may have been used for that purpose.
     
    Coyote3855, Jun 22, 2022
    #83
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  9. Mk-211

    Mk-211 Member

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    Shanks are just as deadly as any other knife can be. Prisoners have plenty of time to think up these weapons, most for stealth attacks.
     
    Mk-211, Jun 22, 2022
    #84
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  10. JShirley

    JShirley Administrator Staff Member

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    The last one I found working in a facility was a blade extracted from a pocket pencil sharpener, set into a pressed paper handle. It made something that looked almost like a scalpel.
     
    JShirley, Jun 22, 2022
    #85
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  11. Coyote3855
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    Coyote3855 Contributing Member

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    I agree that shanks are not for fighting, but for stealthy attacks. My first tour of a maximum security prison was educational. Seems somewhat easy for prisoners to acquire the materials for a weapon.
     
    Coyote3855, Jun 23, 2022
    #86
  12. aaaaa

    aaaaa Member

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    That's a nasty looking knob on the heel of that knife.
     
    aaaaa, Jun 24, 2022
    #87
  13. upptick

    upptick Member

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    Yeah, I was wondering about that myself. You could definitely crack open someone's skull with that protruding tang.
     
    upptick, Jun 24, 2022
    #88
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  14. aaaaa

    aaaaa Member

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    I'd rather run away, but if I can't, the 12 gauge sounds really nice.
     
    aaaaa, Jun 24, 2022
    #89
  15. JShirley

    JShirley Administrator Staff Member

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    Against a knife, distance is your friend.
     
    JShirley, Jun 24, 2022
    #90
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  16. Shanghai McCoy

    Shanghai McCoy Member

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    Long ago I was told,"You can charge a gun but run from a knife."
     
    Shanghai McCoy, Jun 24, 2022
    #91
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  17. JShirley

    JShirley Administrator Staff Member

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    There's a lot of sense to that. As always, it's a question of distance and timing
     
    JShirley, Jun 24, 2022
    #92
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  18. Shanghai McCoy

    Shanghai McCoy Member

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    I'd wondered but, outside of classroom training scenarios, I thankfully never had the opportunity to test the "advice"...
    My only personal experience with a knife against me was well over 50 years ago. It was one of those gas station freebie steak knives and it was thrown. Still got the scar...
     
    Shanghai McCoy, Jun 24, 2022
    #93
  19. theotherwaldo

    theotherwaldo Member

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    The only knife fighter that I've ever known used a weapon that had a two inch blade.
    His usual targets were exposed skin - faces (especially foreheads), hands and lower arms.
    His usual practice weapon?
    A Sharpie.
    His sparring partner always wound up looking like a giant hash tag... .
     
    theotherwaldo, Jun 24, 2022
    #94
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  20. LaneP

    LaneP Member

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    Knife novice here, but two I have that come to mind would be my Gerber Strongarm and Ontario military knife. I've had the Ontario for over 30 years and brought it with me on numerous road trips and hiking excursions. The Strongarm seems built like a tank with a very thick spine and a little easier to port than my venerable Ontario.

    LumNSsY50e_w9ytQqazRiePQz5iEaJFAWziUe5jYxtmAHwiL4RjnBzoP80V3subSfMl3bVw=w1178-h883-no?authuser=0.jpg
     
    LaneP, Jun 24, 2022
    #95
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  21. Night Rider

    Night Rider Member

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    May be of interest to you as a Strongarm owner. It's a fix for the sheath that makes it sturdier.

     
    Night Rider, Jun 24, 2022
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  22. SharpDog

    SharpDog Member

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    Sharp, Long, Light-for-weight for a slasher, a Bowie would be a good example of this. Otherwise a heavy recurve like a Kukri.

    Length is king as long as you can wield it quickly and with agility.

    The main thing is will you have it on you ?

    I sometimes carry a Buck Hoodlum as part of my kit. Light and long:

    +1 for the Hoodlum. Love my Hoodies:

    Here's my Buck Hoodlum kit:

    upload_2022-6-24_23-25-42.png
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2022
    SharpDog, Jun 24, 2022
    #97
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  23. gila_dog1

    gila_dog1 Member

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    gila_dog1, Jun 24, 2022
    #98
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  24. JShirley

    JShirley Administrator Staff Member

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    Something like a longer kukri, or a very large bowie can blur the line, but a cutlass is clearly a sword.
     
    JShirley, Jun 25, 2022
    #99
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  25. Mk-211

    Mk-211 Member

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    Small kukri-ish knife, very light and agile.

    20220414_202951.jpg

    Spyderco rock salt.
     
    Mk-211, Jun 25, 2022
    #100
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