Tuesday, March 20, 2007

More Knives, Knives, Knives...

Yep, there are more. Are you surprised? And there are more after these as well...

To begin where I left off, this Gerber "military" blade was purchased in 1985 and was used in my military duties. Again mostly to open MREs but on one occasion to surprise somebody who wasn't where they were supposed to be and was messing with my gear as I "slept". All that ceased and nobody in my squad was bothered except for the private who was supposed to be awake and on guard. He always did a good job after that.

These "NRA" knives were given as promotional items (I would have renewed my membership anyway) for joining or extending membership in the NRA. The top one is a Buck and the bottom one is an Imperial. Both are serviceable for what they are but the blades are no longer than 2" and so aren't quite my cup of tea. They've been in the box since I got them. No, that's not right. I carried the Buck a couple of times to church or something like that. The Imperial, bottom, knife is actually more useful with a longer main blade and a spear point second blade. Ialways use the main blade for everyday tasks and save the little spear points so tht they'll be sharp enough to cut out slivers and such. Both knives are mostly plastic and very light.

I never used these promotional or advertising premium knives. I found them in Grandpa's junk box when I got it after he died. Interesting stuff. I like that they gave knives as promotional items back then. Now, they'd be sued or worse yet, some kid would take these cute things to school and be expelled for having a "weapon". Might I say that zero tolerance is just an easy out for people too stupid to fairly apply reason to individual cases. Of course I can, at least now.

These are two spike bayonets for my Enfield No. 4 MKI rifles. The blade forms are nearly identical but the markings are different. There were lots of variations on the theme for these rifles. The big thing here are the two different scabbards. The bottom scabbard is plastic. I like these bayonets. All business and not too heavy. The US Army has that crappy M9 bayonet now. Those things weigh too much and do too little. We had a lot of them break on the bayonet assault range whereas the old, "obsolete", M7s would just bend and could be bent back to serviceability. Yep, I got these to use on my rifles. It is good to have a complete stand of arms.

This Case is the second knife I bought for myself. I had to return the first. Mom and Dad made me return the first one which I bought at Town and Country in Harrisonburg, VA. I don't know why, but they didn't care about pocket knives, aka folders, but they about threw a hissy fit when I brought this home. I don't know why, I had a sword in my room (more about that later, I told you there were more blades to discuss). Anyway, I had to wait a while before I could buy this knife so that I could go hunting. I don't think it was more than a year or two later that I started hunting. I guess Mom and Dad figured if I had a gun that having a "sheath knife" was no big deal. Funny, huh?

This little jewel was given me by my good friend, now in heaven, Mike Mays. I've no idea where or how Mike came up with this knife. It is so pretty that I've never made a sheath for it or used it. It is a shame not to but I just was never able to do so. It is unmarked so I don't know who made it or when. It appears to be a stainless steel and the handle is a green laminate of some kind. I think it is a very pretty knife.

Last, but not the least, in this installment are the two knives I carry every day. The first is the previously mentioned Spyderco Delica that I bought, on sale, to replace another Delica that I lost at the movie theater. Apparently, I just discovered, I sat down in the seat and the clip snagged the drink holder which shucked it right out of my pocket as pretty as you please. Since the old knife was the reinforced fiberglass handle type and black, I couldn't see it there in the darkened theater. Makes me feel pretty stupid.

The other is one of the Leatherman Juice series. This is the KF4. I've had several Leathermen (dang I'll have to hunt those up, too!) but this is about an ideal balance for pocket carry and useability. Not only does it have blades (serrated and plain) but file, screwdrivers (phillips and blade), saw, pliers, wirecutter and awl. Since Tim Leatherman came out with tools I've had one with me most everyday. I use them, too. Great idea.

There will be more, I've got swords, multi-tools and more knives...

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