About the history of Strider Knives. Combat knives: the best types of blades, sharpening rules Strider folding knives

15.03.2020

special services all over the world solve the same problems practically, they just use different equipment. This inventory, of course, must be of high quality, reliable and good, for the benefit of the army and special services, nothing is a pity (these are not ordinary citizens, unnecessary teachers and useless doctors), c. Yes, yes, in our advanced time they are still effectively used, all of a sudden someone needs to be killed or something needs to be cut. Here we take a look at the most famous ones.

Ontario MK 3 Navy Knife (US Navy SEAL, USA)

This knife included in the standard equipment of the American . Compact, with a 6-inch blade, simple as a stick, it has long proven its effectiveness, versatility and reliability. Stably fulfills the obligations assigned to him: he will slaughter and open canned food if necessary. However, many "seals" prefer to choose their own "dagger" to taste, which does not detract from the merits Ontario.

Fairbairn-Sykes (SAS, UK)

The thing is legendary that has proven itself for many decades. A veteran of the Second World War, almost the same age as the one who destroyed Her Majesty's enemies with them since the days when the Desert Fox, Marshal Rommel, was naughty in North Africa. Actually, this knife is considered as elite as themselves. SAS. It may look like a decorative dagger and does not have the features of an aggressive alligator inherent in modern combat knives, but over many years of service it has proven its effectiveness.

All other knives When they see this brave veteran, they salute him, because they know that, despite his advanced years, he is capable of kicking a few asses. The Americans tried to make their own version Fairbairn-Sykes for OSS, the predecessor of the CIA, but somehow did not work out. We can say that this is the Beatles in the world of knives.

Glauca B1 (GIGN, France)

Elite Anti-Terrorist Unit French gendarmerie ( GIGN), after thinking through his brains and looking with an eternally hated look at the successful creation of his English colleagues, he came to the conclusion that simplicity is not always good. To fight terrorists, the brave gendarme needs a dagger that performs several functions at once. That's why GIGN together with Extreme Ratio developed a kind of multi-tool to fight the enemies of the Republic B1 Glauca. Along with a 115 mm blade, the knife is equipped with a glass breaker and a reversible clip for carrying on a belt or pocket. By the way, this is the world's first folding knife with a "fixed" blade.

WING-Tactic (GIGN, France)

One more weapon glorious French gendarmes, for GIGN uses not only complex B1 Glauca. There is a simpler one: an 11-inch knife, without cullet and other bells and whistles. A common sting, but extremely effective in certain situations.

Karambit (Joint Task Force 2, Canada)

They, unfortunately, hunted Serbian snipers. In 2004, the United States gave this unit the most prestigious award President Unit Citation. They took part in many foreign operations, they made computer games and made films about them. The whole Western world is pissing from them with boiling water, although, in fact, all their successful operations are joint tasks with the special forces of the United States and Her Majesty. They stained themselves with cooperation with the Albanian separatists, the war in Iraq.

But at home they are admired. Despite their popularity, little is known about them. And rumor has it that at least some of them like to use karambit(or two at once) in battle. An ideal and convenient weapon for self-defense, although they are quite difficult to disarm. It's no different when you have two crooked blades in your hands at once.

Kukri (Gurkha Brigade, Nepal)

This is centuries old weapon has been iconically associated with the Gurkha Brigade for many decades. The unique design allows the owner of the kukri to simultaneously cut and stab an opponent as quickly as possible, and causing maximum damage. However, only the lazy did not talk about kukri. By the way, about the Gurkha brigade. It is made up of Nepalese soldiers who served in the British Army. It is quite difficult to pass the selection: 28,000 people immediately apply for 200 places for recruits.

Strider SMF (USMC, USA)

In 2003 in United States Marine Corps A detachment was created to fight world terrorism. It was decided that the fighters needed new knives, so to speak, suitable for the specifics of the detachment. The result was Strider SMF- a compact folding knife with a titanium case, over which neither mechanical damage, nor weather conditions, nor time have power. Indeed, a very good knife.

Аri B'Lilah (YAMAM, Israel)

country's counterterrorism unit, which, in fact, is in a state of eternal war, needs not just a knife, but a real weapon of mass destruction. Ari B'Lilah was created with the help of YAMAM, a unit that handles everything from hostage rescue to the capture of disadvantaged individuals. For them, it was important that the knife was simple and effective in use. there are many tasks to solve, and so far Ari B'Lilah copes.

ballistic knife

ballistic knife- this is a knife with a detachable blade, which is built into the handle and "shoots" under the action of gas, gunpowder or a spring. In general, about ballistic knives write a lot and all sorts of nonsense. They especially like to write about the fact that they are actively used by our special forces. Actually this knife- this is such a semi-mythical weapon of special forces and spies, which throws the blade over great distances due to the energy of the mainspring hidden in the handle. There were legends that such a miracle breaks through a concrete wall at a distance of 10 meters, but this is bullshit.

In close combat, a ballistic knife to a depth sufficient to destroy vital organs, which is fatal. But the effectiveness of such a weapon is rather doubtful - the blade may not hit a vital organ, moreover, fatal wounds to the heart region are described, which left the victim 10-15 seconds of targeted activity. Injuries to the liver or lungs appear even more slowly, and ballistic knife of a similar design by the definition of one-time use (in combat). We are not talking about any 5-7 meters, and even more so about breaking through a concrete wall from a distance of 10 meters. That's it.

A combat knife is the earliest element of a person’s defense or attack, the very first weapon that a person made and began to use. After many years, the improvement of many types of weapons, the possibilities of their use, the combat knife was not lost among the many types of weapons and became a truly faithful companion of strong men.

Over the past decade, their appearance has not changed much. Of course, taking into account the development of modern technologies, the principles of approaches to the manufacture of knives have changed, and better materials have also begun to be used. In the manufacture of modern knives, ergonomic methods and convenience for the owner are increasingly being used.

Combat edged weapons in shape and in general are somewhat similar to a predatory shark, which appeared one of the first among predators, managed to survive and is one of the most dangerous predators in the modern aquatic environment.

According to some experts, it is believed that the value of a combat knife in modern combat is minimal.

When performing special tasks, a combat knife is almost indispensable.

A combat knife used in special forces is, one might say, piece goods. In its manufacture, all parameters are taken into account:

blade length;
handle shape;
sharpening;
balance.

It makes no sense to give such types of combat knives into the hands of young conscripts and soldiers serving in the armed forces for a year. It can be used by specially trained people serving in special military units.

Features of combat knives

The purpose of a combat knife in the armed forces is to disable the enemy's manpower as much as possible. In accordance with the regulations and norms, it is in service with army structures and other special forces.

Understanding the specifics of a combat knife as a weapon for the destruction of a person, many countries have adopted special regulations that fix at the legislative level the status of a combat knife as a cold weapon, the difference from another type of knives and the procedure for storing it.

Combat knives may differ from each other in appearance.

And also in a constructive form, however, there are some constants that must be laid down without fail to ensure the fulfillment of functional tasks.

Professionals involved in the manufacture of a combat knife are trying to make edged weapons that would meet the following requirements:

the handle of a combat knife must have an ovoid or oval section, it doesn't have to be round. The reasons for this design are very simple: firstly, the handle of this shape is more comfortable in the hand, and secondly, the fighter can feel the position of the blade at the time of its use;
the handle of a combat knife should not slip in the hand. Today, for overlays, various types of plastic are most often used, which perfectly meet this requirement;
two-sided or one-and-a-half knife sharpening is desirable. The use of the blade in combat is much more effective if the fighter can use both sides of the blade and not reverse it;
the width of the knife blade is important, it should be at least 2.5-3 cm. In this case, the width of the slopes of the blade allows you to reduce the angle of sharpening the blade, which increases its cutting properties. With a stabbing blow with a similar knife, extensive wounds remain with profuse blood loss;
the shape of the knife blade is very important for melee weapons. The best option is leaf-shaped, with differentiated sharpening. This allows you to apply effective cutting and stabbing blows. The combination of differentiated and reverse sharpening is especially effective. A combat knife can also be equipped with serrated sharpening. However, the bevel on the butt of the knife should not be confused with its sharpening;

a combat knife must have a limiter on the handle. This is necessary so that during a stabbing blow the hand does not slip onto the blade. The handle with the limiter should be comfortable for the fighter, the limiter (often erroneously called the guard) should not be too large and interfere with intercepting the weapon;
the weapon has a length of 18 to 30 cm. The size is very important, if the blade of the knife is shorter than the specified length, then in battle it will be more difficult for them to reach the enemy, whose weapon can be longer. A length of more than thirty centimeters makes the knife too heavy and uncomfortable to carry and use. In addition, a knife that is too long is difficult to quickly get out and securely hide under clothing. The specified length is quite sufficient to damage the vital organs of the abdominal cavity and chest at any angle of impact. A knife that is too long is easier to knock out of the opponent's hand;
blade hardness. This is one of the most important characteristics of a knife. The blade must be made of high quality steel with a hardness of at least 47-55 HRC. The hardness of the blade allows it to penetrate well, it must be able to pierce clothing and, if necessary, push apart the fibers of Kevlar body armor.

Here's how to measure Rockwell hardness

The penetrating effect of combat edged weapons depends not only on the hardness of the steel from which it is made, but also on the shape of the blade of the knives. In the 90s of the last century, experiments began on the creation of blades from titanium and titanium alloys. In terms of strength, these materials are superior to steel, have less weight, and are not subject to corrosion.

In addition, they have anti-magnetic properties, which is very important for divers working with underwater mines. Such materials have an unpleasant feature: sharpening very quickly loses its sharpness.

For good penetrating power during stab strikes, the tip should coincide as much as possible with the axis of symmetry of the blade. That is, the tip of the knife should not be shifted to the side; when hit, the maximum force should be focused on it. In hunting knives, the tip is usually shifted slightly upwards, which is determined by the specifics of their use.

grams - the weight of a combat knife

The weight of a combat knife should be 200-300 grams. It is difficult to inflict a serious and deep wound with a lighter weapon, but if the knife is too heavy, it will create difficulties in its use.

The center of gravity of a combat knife should be closer to the handle, and not to the tip of the blade, in which case it is much easier to use it.

There are also requirements for the scabbard of a combat knife. The scabbard should be strong, light, conveniently and firmly fastened. The color of the scabbard is tactical (black or just dark). There should not be any fasteners to hold the knife in the sheath, they can prevent the weapon from being drawn at the right time.

The knife should be held in the sheath only by friction, not slip or fall out in any position of the body. The weapon should be easy to reach even with one hand without the slightest noise. The scabbard and their fastening should not interfere with the movements of the fighter and break his disguise.

Blade design

Army knives of the Russian army

Continuing the theme of the use of a combat knife in modern combat, 2 vectors can be distinguished.

Survival use.
Simplicity in everything.

Firms that supply combat knives to the cold steel market focus more on the so-called cutting component than on the stabbing one. Therefore, the knife becomes smaller due to the reduction in length, but the blade becomes wider.

Let us give an example of a number of combat army knives used in the power structures of the Russian Federation.

"Lynx"

Produced in the Chelyabinsk region, namely in the city of Zlatoust for SOBR.

The blade assumes the shape of a dagger, sharpening - one and a half. The shape of the handle is spindle-shaped, with a small guard and a metal pommel. The knife can be made in 3 types: combat, for awarding, civilian use.

DV-1 and DV-2

Used by army units of the special forces of the Far Eastern Federal District. Knives DV-1 and DV-2 are identical, except for the length of the blade. The blade itself resembles a blade in shape and sharpening on the butt, the guard and pommel are made of high-quality steel.

The handle of the knife in its cross section resembles an oval and is made of wood (walnut). These combat knives have a groove in front of the guard itself, which makes it possible to very quickly get a stuck knife. The basis for the manufacture of the scabbard is genuine leather.

"Antiterror"

Melee weapons, a combat knife, specially made for the structures of the FSB of Russia. Due to the fact that the blade is given a leaf-like shape, this allows the knife to have excellent secant qualities. The cutting side has a sickle-shaped groove, which allows you to give an increment in length while maintaining the size of the blade.

Types of combat knives of the GRU special forces

Developed for the special forces of the GRU General Staff of the Ministry of Defense in TSNIITOCHMASH. By order of the GRU, the Elf combat knife was made, the main purpose of which is to help a special forces officer survive at any cost. Compared to other knives, the "Elf" is equipped with a rather narrow blade with a slight decrease in the butt line, with one blade formed by long descents and a false blade on the front of the butt.

"Elf" is equipped with double-sided sharpening.

Sharpening in this form greatly increases the combat characteristics of a knife with a narrow blade, respectively, stabbing blows are better delivered.

By adjoining the false blade sharpening, the quality of the use of the knife increases. After striking the enemy, a wound with profuse hemorrhage may appear. The knife is made in such a way that the blade can be pulled out of the body without much effort.

Due to the use of the knife in extreme situations, high-quality steel is used in the manufacture of the knife blade. The knife handle is made of aluminum alloy. The shape of the handle is round and has a sealed cavity. The delivery set includes a knife with a sheath made of genuine leather.

bayonet knives

We can say that the bayonet as an addition to the gun began to be used in the 16th century in some areas of modern Spain. At that time, they were not used as a bayonet-knife in the modern sense, but they resembled a dagger and were used to finish off a wounded beast.

century in Spain in the first addition to the gun began to use a bayonet

The bayonet-knives that were used by the Soviet troops originates during the First World War with the German troops, the greatest peak of use dates back to the fifties of the twentieth century, complete with AK automatic rifles.

We give an example of the most common of them.

After the adoption of the AK-47 by the USSR army in the late 40s of the XX century, in the early 50s a blade bayonet was made under the serial number 56-X-212 for use with a machine gun.

Characteristics of the bayonet 56-X-212:

The so-called experimental bayonet-knife for the AK-74 assault rifle was made in the mid-80s of the XX century. It was produced in small quantities at the Izhevsk plant. The entire batch was transported for testing in combat conditions on Afghan territory. This specimen included a blade with a symmetrical spear-shaped fighting end and double-sided sharpening.

Characteristics of the experimental bayonet-knife for the AK-74 assault rifle:

The 6X9-1 bayonet-knife with a scabbard, which is an integral part of the new equipment of Russian soldiers "Warrior", was produced by KAMPO JSC - a military plant of the Russian military-industrial complex, which is a regular supplier of edged weapons for the needs of the armed forces, special services, aerospace forces, firefighters.

Its main goal is to eliminate the enemy and military dogs when fighting in small spaces and when it is impossible to use firearms, as well as when biting barbed steel wires when passing into the enemy’s protected perimeter.

Characteristics of the bayonet-knife 6X9-1:

Blade steel

The basis for the manufacture of a combat knife is high-carbon steel, sometimes knives are made by forging.

Foreign combat knives are marked as follows: "high carbon steel", that is, if the proportion decreases in steel, the softer and more elastic the steel becomes. Thus, the quantitative content of carbon in the structure of the steel is very important, and the more steel with a high carbon content keeps sharpening better and longer.

In the case of a carbon concentration greater than 2% in the knife, the steel will simply not be forged. Through experiments and tests, the most optimal carbon content was revealed - about 1.25%.

To preserve steel from corrosive elements and increase resistance to various influences (natural, mechanical, etc.), pure steel, which is used to make knives, is diluted with other metals. Nickel is added to protect against corrosion, vanadium is added to maintain properties in a chemical environment, and chromium is added to increase durability.

Of great importance in steel is such an indicator as hardness, measured on the Rockwell hardness scale in HRC units.

Steel for a combat knife should have a hardness of 58-62 HRC.

Another indicator for the characteristics of steel is elasticity. This criterion shows how you can load the blade of a knife without destroying or breaking the knife itself. The steel used in the manufacture of combat knives is such that the blade can bend by 25% and remain undeformed.

Sharpening rules

Regarding the issue of sharpening the blade of knives, the owner, when purchasing it, must understand in advance the intensity of its use. The operation of sharpening a knife is different.

wedge sharpening. It is assumed that from the base and further up the blade becomes thicker. The blade cuts better, the thinner the blade, but we must understand that the thinner the thickness, the less durable the combat knife. The greatest effect during cutting is achieved when sharpening occurs at an acute angle;
razor sharpening. After sharpening, the knife blade becomes narrower and sharper. The disadvantage of this type of sharpening is the reduced strength of the blade, when compared with wedge-shaped sharpening. Therefore, after such sharpening, they are mainly intended for cutting. With other types of use, the blade will become unusable.

The best combat knives in the world

Strider SMF (USA)

At the beginning of the 21st century, the US Department of Defense decided to train a counter-terrorism unit based on the Marine Corps. This knife was also included in the equipment of the fighters of the unit.

Strider SMF - small, handy, body made of titanium. The characteristics of the knife correspond to the best analogues of edged weapons. Such a knife is not afraid of any damage, a real special forces knife.

Knife blade shape Strider SMF

Ari B'Lilah (Israel)

This is a combat knife of one of the best special army units in Israel, soldiers who are constantly involved in hostilities, the fight against terrorists.

The Israelis are constantly improving their weapons, Ari B'Lilah is simply a masterpiece.

Ari B'Lilah combat knife

Glauca B1 (France)

This is the dagger of one of the most closed special squads of the French gendarmerie. In this case, with regards to the knife, we can say that simplicity is the key to success.

Blade - 115 mm, can be worn both on a belt and in a pocket, the equipment includes a "steloboy".

Combat knife Glauca B1

Combat Japanese knives

Japanese knife "tanto"

The literal translation is "short sword". In earlier periods - the weapon of the samurai. The blade can be sharpened on one side, but it can also be double-edged. Reaches a length of 30 cm.

Tanto differs from many types of edged weapons, in particular, spongy iron is used in the manufacture of the blade, the handle is removed. The main features of the tanto include the use of sponge iron, a removable handle and a guard that has a round shape. It is flat, the main goal is to finish off the enemy.

There are varieties of Japanese tanto knife:

The forms of Aikutti combat knives differ from the traditional tanto in that they do not have guards. In hand-to-hand combat, they are indispensable and were most often used when there was a need to finish off the enemy.

The oldest type of tanto knives. The blade is sharpened on both sides. Currently, these knives are practically not used due to their age - this is a work of art.

The characteristics of the knives assumed the defeat of the enemy by penetrating through the armor, this was achieved by the fact that the blade of the yari-tanto is identical to the blade of the yari spear. Due to the fact that the handle of the knife is hollow from the inside, it was possible to put the handle on the shaft and use it in battle like a spear. Often this knife was used as a "second hand" weapon.

A weapon used only in war. Its purpose is to intercept knives or a blade. For this, an existing hook was used.

Beautiful fighting knives Hasiwari

If a warrior is proficient with this knife, it is possible to strike deadly blows through armor, especially since a 40 cm long blade is sufficient to defeat the enemy.

Strider Knives is a California-based private company that designs and manufactures custom knives for combat and survival in harsh environments.

Strider Knives got its name from its founder Mick Snyder, a former Green Beret who started making knives with colleague Duane Dwyer in 1994. The official date of foundation of the company is 1997.

From the very beginning of their work, Mick and Duane have set a course for the development of functional knives that can help a person in critical conditions for survival. As a result, they were noticed by the American authorities, who offered to create special knife products for the US police and the NATO army, which are easy to use and affordable.

The main range of Strider Knives consists of folding knives and knives with a fixed blade. When using only reliable materials such as titanium, beryllium, steel and stellite. Thanks to a special method of applying a black oxide coating, the steel used by Snyder in his work does not darken during hardening and retains all of its original qualities. The method itself was developed and patented by Paul Bos of Buck Knives. Fixed blade knife handles are usually made of fiberglass and parachute cord.

In the design of knives, Striders focuses on ease of use, since in many situations a person’s life can depend on it. Quite often, individual serial copies are created according to the individual requirements of customers who need specialized tools for solving special problems. All prototypes are always pre-tested for suitability.

It can be said that all Strider knives are unique. They are produced in small limited batches, and after that they are necessarily finalized by hand. All parts are also unique and cannot be replaced with similar components from other manufacturers.

Strider Knives have unique design elements - Mike Strider once noticed that after applying a special camouflage coating, patterns in the form of camouflage patterns and stripes remain on the blade canvases.

The accumulated experience of the company allows you to create knives for law enforcement, the army, hunting, diving. The quality of Strider Knives products always meets the requirements of these areas. Military knives have their own NATO item numbers.

The American knife company Strider Knives (California, USA) was founded in 1997 in San Marcose in 1997 by Mick Strider (the founder gave the company his name). The very same history of the knife company began in 1994, when former US Army soldiers Mick Strider and Duane Dwyer decided to start producing high-quality knives. These two guys were "green berets" in the past and understood perfectly well what characteristics a knife should have, what is the importance of reliability and structural strength. They began to manually make custom models and almost immediately were noticed by representatives of the US military structures.

Initially, Mick and Duane made several models of knives for heavy field work, for survival in harsh conditions. The highest standards were laid down in each product, the best blade steels, titanium, beryllium, stellite and other expensive materials were used for the manufacture of knives. The creative tandem released a batch of fixed knives and several models of folding knives. The sharp blades of the knives from Strider Knives received a special oxide coating, the handles were made of shockproof materials. The blades are hardened according to the patented technology of Paul Bos (Buck Knives).

The assortment of the company includes a small line of amazing folders with pronounced aggressive blade lines and a recognizable profile of pentagonal handles expanding towards the rear head, as well as a line of powerful fixed ones, ready to cope with any, the most difficult task. All Strider Knives models are manufactured according to their intended use. The adoption of the model for release is preceded by the manufacture of prototypes, which are severely tested.

Mick Strider speaks of his company's products only as full-featured knives designed to "ensure the evolution of troubleshooting tools" - very ornate, but very capacious.

To date, Strider Knives produces knives for the military, for special law enforcement units, sharp cutting tools for hunting and commercial diving. The company is also the official supplier of knife products for some anti-terrorist units of NATO forces. The knives of the company are recognized all over the world as products of the highest class, fully meeting the set requirements in the field of their application and as real rarities, rarities in the knife world. Each owner of a knife from Strider Knives can be proud of having such a copy in his collection.

The American knife company Strider Knives (California, USA) was founded in 1997 in San Marcos in 1997 by Mick Strider (the founder gave the company his name). The very same history of the knife company began in 1994, when former US Army soldiers Mick Strider and Duane Dwyer decided to start producing high-quality knives. These two guys were "green berets" in the past and understood perfectly well what characteristics a knife should have, what is the importance of reliability and structural strength. They began to manually make custom models and almost immediately were noticed by representatives of the US military structures.

The work of Mick and Duane quickly became very popular due to the unsurpassed quality of each product made by these talented knifemakers. Some of their products they produced (and are still producing today) for the US military structures, the other part is sold freely both in the US and far beyond North America. Knives from Strider Knives are rare guests in the range of specialized trade companies and shops, as they are made exclusively by hand in very small batches. Strider and Dwyer knives are also made to order: in this case, the products are made in accordance with the requirements of customers and are absolutely unique.

The peculiarity of products from Strider Knives is not only completely handmade, it is also a unique approach to the selection of parts: they are adjusted to each other so that they simply cannot be replaced with components from other knives. Debugging the operation of each warehouse (in case of a malfunction) is possible only in the conditions of the manufacturing enterprise. The blades of Strider Knives are recognizable at first sight by the style of execution and the specific pattern that appears after applying the finishing oxide coating. The knives of this American manufacturer have a bright, memorable design and certain features: some products do not even have markings on the steel from which the blades are made, while other models may bear the autographs of the masters (such specimens are especially highly valued by collectors).