welcome to the world of weapons: June 2013

Sunday, 30 June 2013

Tomahawk (axe)

Tomahawk (axe)

Tomahawk (axe)

A tomahawk (also referred to as a hawk) is a type of axe from North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft.The name came into the English language in the 17th century as an adaptation of the Powhatan (Virginian Algonquian) word.

Tomahawks were general purpose tools used by Native Americans and European Colonials alike, and often employed as a hand-to-hand or a thrown weapon. The metal tomahawk heads were originally based on a Royal Navy boarding axe and used as a trade-item with Native Americans for food and other provisions.

Etymology

The name comes from Powhatan tamahaac, derived from the Proto-Algonquian root *temah- 'to cut off by tool'.Algonquian cognates include Lenape təmahikan,Malecite-Passamaquoddy tomhikon, Abenaki demahigan, all of which mean 'axe'.

Composition

Pre-contact Indians lacked ironmaking technology, so tomahawks were not fitted with metal ax heads until they could be obtained from trade with Europeans. The tomahawk's original designs were fitted with heads of bladed or rounded stone or deer antler,or were carved with a wooden head in the shape of a large knob, which functioned as a club with crushing rather than cutting force.

The modern tomahawk shaft is usually less than 2 ft (61 cm) in length, traditionally made of hickory, ash, or maple.The heads weigh anywhere from 9–20 oz (260–570 g), with a cutting edge usually not much longer than four inches (10 cm) from toe to heel.The poll can feature a small hammer, spike or simply be rounded off, and they usually do not have lugs.

These sometimes had a pipe-bowl carved into the poll, and a hole drilled down the center of the shaft for smoking tobacco through the tomahawk.There are also metal-headed versions of this unusual pipe. Pipe tomahawks are artifacts unique to North America: created by Europeans as trade objects but often exchanged as diplomatic gifts. They are powerful symbols of the choice Europeans and Indians faced whenever they met: one end was the pipe of peace, the other an axe of war.

Modern use

Tomahawk throwingis a popular sport among American historical re-enactment groups, and new martial arts such as Okichitaw have begun to revive tomahawk fighting techniques used during the Colonial era.Tomahawks are also a category within competitive knife throwing. Today's hand-forged tomahawks are being made by master craftsmen throughout the United States.

Modern tomahawks designed by Peter LaGana included wood handles, a hatchet-like bit and a leather sheath and were used by select US forces during the Vietnam War and are referred to as Vietnam Tomahawks.These modern tomahawks have gained popularity with their re-emergence by American Tomahawk Company in the beginning of 2001 and a collaboration with custom knife-maker Ernest Emerson of Emerson Knives, Inc.A similar wood handle Vietnam Tomahawk is also produced today by Cold Steel. The tomahawk was later redesigned featuring synthetic shafts by American Tomahawk Company and named VTACs ("Vietnam Tactical Tomahawk"'s) and are manufactured by Fehrman Knives. SOG Knives Inc. has also entered the field with its own version of the Vietnam Tomahawk, the Fusion Tactical Tomahawk. Original Vietnam Tomahawks are rare and expensive.

Military application

American Tomahawk Company's "VTAC" ("Vietnam Tactical Tomahawk") is in use by the US Army Stryker Brigade in Afghanistan, the 172nd SBCT Team based at Grafenwöhr (Germany), the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division out of Fort Lewis, a Recon Platoon in the 2-183d CAV (116th IBCT) (OIF 2007-2008) and numerous other soldiers.The VTAC was issued a National Stock Number (4210-01-518-7244) and classified as a “Class 9 rescue kit” as a result of a program called the Rapid Fielding Initiative; it is also included within every Stryker vehicle as the “Modular Entry Tool set”. This design is enjoying something of a renaissance with US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan as a tool and in use in hand-to-hand combat.

Thursday, 27 June 2013

SEAL Knife 2000

SEAL Knife 2000

SEAL Knife 2000

Monday, 24 June 2013

Strider SMF

Strider SMF

Strider SMF

The Strider MARSOC SMF is a framelock folding knife that was specifically developed for Detachment 1, the first SOCOM unit of the United States Marine Corps. The Strider SMF was the first knife issued to an individual Marine Corps unit in over 60 years and the first tactical folder issued within the USMC.

Materials and construction
The SMF knife is manufactured by Strider Knives of San Marcos, California.The knife features a 4 in (10 cm) drop point flat ground tiger striped blade of CPM S30V steel. The handle is composed of a fire anodized titanium frame, oil impregnated bronze bushings, an oversized pivot screw 0.19 in (0.48 cm) in diameter, and a textured G10 glass-reinforced plastic scale with an incorporated backspacer.The National Stock Number (NSN) for the SMF knife is 1095-01-531-5015.

MARSOC version
The last time the Marine Corps issued a knife to an individual unit was in 1942, when a variation of the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife was redesigned by Lieutenant Colonel Clifford H. Shuey and produced by the Camillus Cutlery Company of Camillus, New York. That knife was called the United States Marine Raider Stiletto and was issued to Marine Raiders until the unit was disbanded in 1944.
When DET-1 was formed and their equipment being chosen, they decided not to use the traditional Marine Ka-Bar nor did they go with a dagger design as the Marine Raiders had been issued 60 years previously. Instead they chose Strider's SMF folding knife as their issued blade.
The MARSOC SMF knife is marked with the date of the Marine unit's activation (030620 or 20 June 2003) as well as "DET-1" on the frame. In addition, the Military version bears the insignia of the Marine Raiders.

The initial run of this model consisted of 300 knives.150 for the men in the unit and 150 similarly marked knives for collectors whose purchase offset the cost of the knives for the military.There are several small differences between the military and civilian versions of this knife. Military issued knives began with an "M" in the serial number, whereas the civilian counterpart was preceded by a "C" in the serial number. The Marine version also features a Coyote Brown colored G-10 scale and backspacer, whereas the Civilian version's scale and backspacer is made of black G-10. The Civilian version also lacks the Marine Raider Insignia which is stamped on the blade of the Marine version.