who likes custom knives?

**jimmyman** · 07-04-2007, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by PapaBull

Believe it or not, a knife is more dangerous in close quarters (less than 12 feet) than a gun.

Police are taught that anyone armed with a knife should be considered a deadly threat at 12 feet or less.

Guns make a bullet sized hole. A knife can do so much damage with one stroke that survival is a virtual impossibility. Best bet is avoiding both gunfights and knife fights.

Actually knife "fights" are rarely what we think of as classic knife vs. knife hand combat. It's usually one guy armed with a knife dispatching someone who isn't armed with a knife. This kind of stuff is really common in the worst parts of South Africa and the Phillipines and some other places where knives are the weapons of choice.

More like 25 feet. That distance can be closed faster than most people can clear their leather. In many CQB situations, a gun can be utterly useless next a knife with only a semi-skilled wielder that generally knows what he (or she) is doing. Knives can do much more damage than a gun or rifle in one go-'round. That is why the Army is really starting to get back to the basics on some of the bayonet and knife instruction, along with armed (knife, bludgeon) and unarmed combatives. They always taught bayonet, but no one ever really cared to take the time to "really" teach how to use it. Now, things have changed. The Marines - well they always taught it, and a lot...

**Bruno** · 07-04-2007, 07:20 AM

Looks very nice and practical. I have just one remark / question: From my martial arts days I remember my teacher telling me that he had seen people cut the palms of their hands to the bone while stabbing at someone because their hands slipped from the handle to the blade.

Looking at the handle on this knife, doesn't this one carry the same risk if the handle is slippery from blood / rain?

My teacher told me that most knives designed to be used in combat have a small bump or plate between the handle and the blade that is shaped to prevent the index finger / little finger (depending on how you hold it) sliding from the handle even if you would hit a solid object while stabbing.

**gratewhitehuntr** · 07-04-2007, 08:36 AM

Massad Ayoob teaches 21 feet.

21 feet can be covered by the average person in 1.5 seconds which is slightly faster than the average draw of roughly 2 seconds.

Since holster security (read- hard to get out) has improved it is good policy (read- a good idea if you don't want to die) to unholster your weapon if the individual in question is within 21 (more like 30 as far as I'm concerned) feet.

If someone is really close I would prefer to leave my gun locked in the holster and use my hands (read- knife).

I posted this elsewhere but watch this video.
If you are interested in a martial art that deals with knives then go look for Silat in your area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYAXjKkLmJs

**gratewhitehuntr** · 07-04-2007, 08:46 AM

oh yeah, and I prefer kerambits.

Made any of those? even if not, nice knife.
Maybe not the best fighter but very pretty.

also, just thought I would add,
I spend 4 hours a week gettin my ass whooped like the guy in the video and still have trouble defending and generally can't even get off a shot (airsoft) before having my weapon stripped and getting stabbed 5 or 13 times (rubber knife)

knives are fantastic weapons if you know how to use one and don't hesitate

**PapaBull** · 07-04-2007, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by Bruno

Looks very nice and practical. I have just one remark / question: From my martial arts days I remember my teacher telling me that he had seen people cut the palms of their hands to the bone while stabbing at someone because their hands slipped from the handle to the blade.

Looking at the handle on this knife, doesn't this one carry the same risk if the handle is slippery from blood / rain?

My teacher told me that most knives designed to be used in combat have a small bump or plate between the handle and the blade that is shaped to prevent the index finger / little finger (depending on how you hold it) sliding from the handle even if you would hit a solid object while stabbing.

That's why the deep finger and pinky recess are made the way they are, Bruno. They're countoured to make extraction of the knife easy (without a hilt catching on anything) but deep enough to provide an extremely secure grip when stabbing no matter how hard the object is struck. Getting cut on your knifehand by your own knife is bad news in a fight.

**Bruno** · 07-04-2007, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by PapaBull

That's why the deep finger and pinky recess are made the way they are, Bruno. They're countoured to make extraction of the knife easy (without a hilt catching on anything) but deep enough to provide an extremely secure grip when stabbing no matter how hard the object is struck. Getting cut on your knifehand by your own knife is bad news in a fight.

Without actualy holding it I cannot judge how it would fit in my hand. My gut feeling is that I'd feel more secure if the recession was not so rounded near the blade, or even better if it curved back slightly so that I knew that my hand would never slip off despite the impact.
But I will take our word for it. It's not like I have experience in either forging or wielding such a blade.

One time my teacher was attacked by a big man who was high on coke or crack, holding a large blade without hilt. he was on bouncer duty in a rough place. anyway he quickly stepped inside and slammed the glass door shut behind him. The other guy tried to stab through the glass...

His hand slipped off the handle and he nearly severed all of his fingers.
Ever since teach told me I cannot help but remember whenever I see a fighting knife.

**Doc4** · 07-04-2007, 05:09 PM

Great knives ... I was thinking along the same lines as Bruno about a guard to prevent the hand slipping onto the blade (when a thrust hits bone instead of flesh ... or a door

) Personally, I prefer a (dunno what they're calld but stick out on the bottom and maybe the top of the knife too, where blade meets handle, making it look like a 't') ... one of those. And of course, if we're talking combat knives, that protects your hand from your opponent's blade as well.

**DwarvenChef** · 07-04-2007, 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by scarface

Wow...those are some real nice looking tomatoes!
(...hey...what can I say....I'm on a diet!...)

Seriously, though, not being a knife guy, I was surprised to see that the 2 Harners weren't at the top of your list....they are the most visually appealing....heck, if I saw the other two at a garage sale, I'd offer, what, maybe two or three bucks......five tops. Those flashy Harners, though, well, I'd dig deep for those.....

....just goes to show.....flash sells.

-Lou

I'm more interested in steel and construction than flash

I love rustic carbon steel knives. But than again my "Combat Knives" are different than others would consider

Mmmm no more production pics... sorry couldn't resist though

**minstrel** · 07-04-2007, 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by Jonedangerousli

I make it a firm policy to never take a knife to a gunfight.

While this would be the best course of action with untrained knife wielders, I have seen demonstrations on TV of Pekiti Tirsia (a filipino fighting technique) by special forces where they trained to use a knife against opponents with firearms. Of course, their aim was to silently move in to free a hostage... Pretty scary to see what a trained guy can do with a knife.

I have also heard that in Japan they still consider a sword (i.e. a katana) more dangerous than a firearm. Which is understandable, because unlike a firearm, a blade doesn't run out of ammunition. On the other hand, the degree of danger is relative to the skill of the wielder of the blade, whereas a firearm is dangerous in almost anyone's hands.

As a side note: When I did my military service as a guard, there was one instance where we were taught the proper way of giving warning, firing a warning shot and then firing to incapacitate an attacker, where the leader of the exercise told me that I saw a guy with a knife 10 meters away. I thought to myself: 10 meters... in the time it would take me to shout "halt", "halt or I'll shoot", cock the weapon, fire a warning shot, and then aim to fire at the suspect's legs, I would already be on the ground with a slit throat and multiple stab wounds. Totally unrealistic exercise, in other words.

**minstrel** · 07-04-2007, 06:58 PM

Just to add to the thread: A couple of the knives I've made, from commercially available bare blades.

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