current issue army knife

[burt gummer]

does anybody know what is the current issue us army knife? or what is a good "survival knife" to get,

 

[Darral27]

Do you have a price range you are looking to spend? What kind of uses do you need it for? There are tons of knives out there. I like Kabar. Good steel and overall good knife and all of mine are less than 100 each. Most less than 50.
There are plenty of knife guys on here though that spend a whole lot more on I am sure much better quality knives.

 

[burt gummer]

I don't have a price range I just wanted to know what is the current issue, but I did see Tops Knives Survival Tactical 7 Surv-Tac 7 Knife built buy Joseph Teti for $158 looks amazing might get that, cant go wrong with a knife built by spec ops

 

[RAMBOCAT]

Most branches of the military issue (1) Bayonet (a piece of real honest crap) and (1) General purpose pocket knife (similar to the basic swiss army knife with metal handle slabs, not a bad knife. You won't go wrong with any of the TOPS KNIVES or ESEE KNIVES (check out the warranty on the ESEE KNIVES).

 

[indyk]

Although not U.S . Military spec the military/ survival knives im liking are the Kizlyar knives that are coming in from Russia, and are used by their special forces.
Tactical Knives : Kizlyar Supreme, Superior performance knives developed in Russia

Extreamly sharp and they have a great variety of flavors.

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[LtScott14]

I saw or read that bayonets are obsolete, and a multi tool is usually a requirement. Not issued, but privately purchased. Also a watchband compass. If my memory serves was USMC reading material involved.

I personally own 2 Kabars: 1-Short blade w/ leather sheath-marked USMC, 2- Kydex sheath, Full size, marked USMC. Usually carried the Shorty in past hunts, seems easier to use due to size, just got the Kydex model and will "Christen" it this hunting season.

Nephew(US Army) carried a Spyderco Folder while in Iraq, not issued, but performed well. I sent him a Vietnam Model Tomahawk, and he used it quite a bit.
Funny thing, he mailed home the Spyderco, but couldn't carry, or mail the "Hawk" when coming home. Sold it to a another guy, and sent me a full set of 3 color Desert BDUs w/ boonie hat, to even up. Didn't have to, but he did. I would send him another if he needed it!

Issue knives aren't like the old WW2 days.

 

[grunt soldier]

Most companies it completely depends on your supply guy. Most folks are issued a multitool. We started with gerbers but broke them way to quick and warranty work sucked getting them back to us. Our supply guy switched us to leathermans. much better multitool. as far as a fixed blade goes there were lots of benchmades and camillus blades that could be ordered but almost no one ordered them.

I got a camillus CQB issued to me just before we invaded Iraq but that was the only fix bladed ever issued to me and I got to keep it. it was in 2003. cool blade.

If your supply guy is really squared away, talks with the XO and knows his stuff he can basically order you anything you want. from Busse's, swamp rats, esee's anything that has a nsn number on it.

 

[burt gummer]

Thanks for the information everybody, i saw alot of awesome blades at the gun show but i didnt have my winning lotto ticket with me

 

[MCgrease08]

I got this little guy from Brad's Knives at the 1500 today.

It's an ESSE-4. With a 4.5 inch blade I don't know that it's a true survival knife, but it should hold its own for most bush craft tasks. They have bigger versions when you get into the 5, 6 models. ESEE also has a no questions asked lifetime warranty.

This was $110 out the door.

 

[TheDude]

I could've swore that the Gerber LMF was an issue knife to someone. I could be wrong, either way ive heard a good real life use review on these and can be had under a C-note sometimes.

 

[tradertator]

The LMF has an NSN number, so some military unit has purchased them. Lots of NSN knives out there from Camilus, Benchmade, Sog, Spyderco, Cold Steel, Strider, Gerber, ........ Personally, I wouldn't put much stock into it. It just means they got the GOV contract for whatever reason. And as Grunt said, probably the most issued one is a multitool. The days of trench warfare and bayonets has kind of passed, and most arecently used for more utilitarian purposes like opening an MRE or cutting wire. That's not to say that a CQB weapon has no relavance, such as an RMJ or CQB tool. They're just reported to be less common.

There's also some more semi custom knives that are huge in the special forces community, such as Winkler and Emerson.

 

[hooky]

The LMF has an NSN number, so some military unit has purchased them. Lots of NSN knives out there from Camilus, Benchmade, Sog, Spyderco, Cold Steel, Strider, Gerber, ........ Personally, I wouldn't put much stock into it. It just means they got the GOV contract for whatever reason. And as Grunt said, probably the most issued one is a multitool. The days of trench warfare and bayonets has kind of passed, and most arecently used for more utilitarian purposes like opening an MRE or cutting wire. That's not to say that a CQB weapon has no relavance, such as an RMJ or CQB tool. They're just reported to be less common.

There's also some more semi custom knives that are huge in the special forces community, such as Winkler and Emerson.

I've got a buddy cranking out fixed blades for guys in the service. He's built up a bit of a following and can stay busy with that. I'm not sure how much of it is due to guys not knowing whats available or the idea of having something custom or semi custom from a guy who's been there.

 

[Drail]

From people I've talked to for the last few years if you are in the military and want a good knife you can buy your own. And most guys do. That's OK though because you can buy much better stuff than what the Govt. will buy at lowest bid. I used to believe that our military had all the best stuff until I served and had to use that "stuff".

 

[EvilElmo]

I did some reading on this topic a while back and found a lot of recommendations for this Becker.

Amazon.com : Ka-Bar Becker BK7 Combat Utility Fixed Blade Knife (7-Inch) : Hunting Knives : Sports & Outdoors

 

[tradertator]

Becker makes a great knife, especially with the price taken into account. I would check with Knife Lady on here first before buying it though.

 

[ADDICTED2TONE]

If money is not an object you can't go wrong with ESEE. I own a lot of knives and these are top notch.
If you want to spend less look into Condor, Kabar and Cold Steel.

 

[MCgrease08]

I just picked up my first ESEE a couple of weeks back (ESEE-4) and I'm really liking it. While not cheap, it didn't break the bank either. The quality of both the knife and sheath are worth the money.

So far I've used it for chopping, prying, whittling and batoning. It even made short work of some thick pieces of knotty pine. I'm confident it will stand up to pretty much anything I can throw at it.

 

[ADDICTED2TONE]

I just picked up my first ESEE a couple of weeks back (ESEE-4) and I'm really liking it. While not cheap, it didn't break the bank either. The quality of both the knife and sheath are worth the money.

So far I've used it for chopping, prying, whittling and batoning. It even made short work of some thick pieces of knotty pine. I'm confident it will stand up to pretty much anything I can throw at it.
I have a 5,6 and a Junglas. I sold off all of my TOPS and some customs after I discovered ESEE.
I will have a 4 next. Great great knives for the money. I own several Kabars and a Becker and some Cold Steels and SOGS. They are all good knives but you step up to a whole other level of quality with ESEE s

 

[Streck-Fu]

Issue does not always mean worth using. There are tons of knives that are issued; from the basic Mark 3 Navy Dive knife to the wonderful Green Beret knife (LINK).

For the money, you can find a better knife if you don't focus on current issue. Most people in the military end up buying a knife rather than relying on the the issued option.