What's Your Fighting Knife?

[Andy54Hawken]

19th century cutlery.

• Andy54Hawken
• Jan 5, 2025

Some old style fightin' knives and such.
All of the knives are old...as in from the 1890's - 19teens or thereabouts.
All still get used as a hunting , camp or kitchen knife.
While I haven't fought with any of them...if you were to read fur trade accounts...Oregon Trail accounts...Mexican-American War accounts...
You will come across knives like those shown...being used as a fighting knife.

The two pipe tomahawks are ...."old" and antique.
The steel headed one with brass tacks dates to the 1970's.
The Brass headed one with iron blade inlay dates to the 1850's - 1870's.
The handle is a reconstruction ...as is the iron inlay.
When I got this tomahawk...it had hokey POS handle...and a mostly corroded away iron bit inlay.
I made both the handle and inlay.

Pipe tomahawks have a lot mystique about them.
One thing I will touch one here is ...if....
You come across someone who is part of The Religion Of the Pipe...please don't make jokes about smoking marijuana in it...that is very disrespectful.

In any event...these pipe tomahawks are light...and with a sharp edge.
Light 'cause the handle is hollowed out...so as to be used as the pipe stem.
I do not think that these were used for anything other than the cutting of tobacco and as ceremonial item.
However...I also would not want to get hit with one either...as I said...they are sharp.
They were also extremely popular as trade items to the tribes .
Andy

 

[Colt Carbine]

That's not a knife.

Nice little knife made crafted by a custom knife maker about 15 years ago. As you can see it hasn't seen a lot of action.

 

[Wyo79]

They identify as knives.

 

[1775usmc]

My newest carry blade.

 

[cd4337]

A claw hammer

 

[Quirt Evans]

Fairbairn & Sykes, the guys that developed the "real" fighting knife would be rolling over in their graves at the way too excessively curved blades and handles that pass as fighting knives today.
Miserable shapes that only allow for one grip position, big holes cut out of the strongest part of the blade
Blades like miniature simitars that are only effective in one arrack mode and have zero ability to smash a window out to get at a trapped person, or even pry-out big staples from a heavy box.
They can't baton a piece of firewood or carve a tent peg, they're useless for skinning a dear or quartering and Elk, or even clearing some brush,
They belong in the kitchen where you can fight the apples and carrots and open food packaging.

 

[Colt_649]

K-Bar

 

[L0C0]

Some Stinger Bowie fighting blades from Manny Silva and Sonny Guiler of Beaver USA/Iron Mountain Knife Company years ago. Very solid heavy duty knives. 425 Modified Steel Blades are super sharp.

 

[titsonritz]

A claw hammer

I'll see your claw hammer and raise a warhammer.

 

[NeoBlackdog]

I'll see your claw hammer and raise a warhammer.