Shooter's Bible Guide to Knives: A Complete Guide to Hunting Knives, Survival Knives, Folding Knives, Skinning Knives, Sharpeners, and More

621 Pages·2012·23.78 MB·English

by  Roger Eckstine

Copyright © 2012 by Roger Eckstine
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Printed in China
CONTENTS
FOREWORD BY ROGER ECKSTINE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KNIFE ANATOMY
CHRIS REEVE: A MODERN MANUFACTURER
FOLDING KNIVES FOR SELF DEFENSE
THE LEGAL EDGE: WHAT EVERY KNIFE OWNER
SHOULD KNOW
NEW PRODUCTS
CATALOG
FIXED BLADE KNIVES
FOLDING KNIVES
SHARPENERS
INDEX
Foreword
Living on the Edge
elcome to the first edition of Shooter's Bible Guide to Knives. If
W you're wondering why the name begins with a reference to
firearms, it's because we wanted our knife bible to be
immediately associated with the Shooter's Bible tradition. In a sense,
it's our promise that this book will live up to the standards of the title
that has earned the respect of enthusiasts worldwide.
My personal fascination with knives began in the backyard when I
was still too young for Cub Scouts. My father introduced my siblings
and me to the game of mumblety-peg. The game was played by
balancing a knife in the palm of the hand and releasing it to the
ground so that it entered the earth blade tip first. Actually, that first
summer we used a long-handled screwdriver instead of a real knife.
The winner of the game was the player who could produce the most
graceful and intricate gyrations before it hit the ground. I remember
trying to copy the cliff divers I had seen on ABC's Wide World of
Sports. At the time I had no idea that the knife was actually one of the
single most important inventions in the history of mankind.
When it comes to survival man is possibly the least physically able
creature on planet Earth. Man's ability to develop weapons for defense
and for harvesting food may be the only reason the species has
survived. Long before gunpowder and firearms, it was the
development of edged weapons that helped assure the evolution of
man. Unlike blunt-force weapons that are swung or propelled, the
knife is a lethal extension of the hand. I was reminded of this one day
when working behind the counter of a local gun shop. A customer
asked to see a combat folding knife on display inside the showcase
next to a .357 Magnum revolver. I closed the knife and handed it to
him. The man glared at me and handed it back without opening it.
Then he asked to see one of the fixed-blade knives on display.
Without making a move I asked him what he didn't like about the first
knife. He said something under his breath and walked out of the store.
Had he asked to see a handgun I would have gladly shown him
several, handing them over after making sure they weren't loaded.
Was I a poor knife salesman or simply living by the words “knives are
always loaded”?
If knives are akin to guns in personal appeal, they certainly can be
just as deadly. Barely minutes into one of the first concealed handgun
license classes held in the state of Texas, the instructor, Tim Oxley,
brought the class outside to demonstrate how anyone, no matter how
out of shape they appeared to be, could defeat even an experienced
shooter ready with a holstered gun. This exercise, known as the
(Dennis) Tueller drill, proved that with just 21 feet between us and a
knife-wielding assailant, it might be impossible to avoid being stabbed
before we could draw and fire.
Aside from hunting and self defense, today's knives are designed
to render many services. They can open packages, cut a seatbelt, cut
away cloth to treat a wound, or merely serve the aesthetic desires of
the collector. A knife can be a tool, a weapon, or an object of art.
Some makers specialize in a single category. Some manufacturers are
so prolific they might beg a separate volume of their own, prompting
us to favor the latest designs. If the number of guns displayed in our
sister publication Shooter's Bible is a daunting task, just remember
that while guns in one form or another have been around for hundreds
of years, edged weapons may predate the discovery of fire. Listing
and describing every knife or knife maker in a single publication is
likely an impossible task. But that won't keep us from trying.
Roger Eckstine
2012
Acknowledgments
o begin with, I feel honored to have been chosen to author the
T first edition of Shooter's Bible Guide to Knives. The desire to
expand the Shooter's Bible series to include a study of edged
weapons speaks volumes about the publisher. Thank you to Jay
Cassell for drawing the first sword and starting the good fight. Thank
you to my editor Julie Matysik for making it a reality. I'd like to thank
Todd Woodard for his professional guidance throughout my writing
career. I'd like my wife and family to know how much I appreciate
their support. But there would be no story to tell if it weren't for the
people inside the knife industry. I would like to thank the designers,
whether they've contributed only a handful of ideas or a generation of
blades and machines. And shake the rough-hewn hand of every
machinist that knows the cost of a fine edged blade. I recognize that
some makers were born directly into the trade, and I thank them for
honoring the pact of their traditions. I would also like to thank the
makers that came to the knife industry out of necessity or to help out a
friend or two in bringing to life their vision of what a knife should be.
Once that first knife was made they were hooked, like we all were. I'd
like to thank shops, like Beckwith's Blades in Houston, Texas, that
make a go of selling knives by offering quality products and expertise.
I'd like to thank the special operators for lending their knowledge and
experience to the development of edged weapons as a viable option
for the civilian as well as the professional. I'd like to thank the
personnel at each knife company, large and small, who share their
passion and commitment to making good knives. There is much more
to be written about knives. So, to you the reader, I'll just say thank
you, until the next time.
About the Author
oger Eckstine is arguably the most prolific writer of in-depth
R tests and evaluations of firearms to emerge over the past twenty
years. Eckstine brings his eye for function and detail to the
Shooter's Bible Guide to Knives after a lifetime connection with edged
weapons. Born in New York when much of Long Island was still
rural, Eckstine grew up at a time when knives were commonplace but
demanded respect. Instruction by his father, a decorated World War II
veteran who himself bore the scars of edged weapons, had a lasting
effect on a young Eckstine. A natural writer and musician, Eckstine
chose first to follow his passion for music—becoming a successful
recording artist—which included a stint in Europe. Returning to the
States, his interest in competitive shooting and martial arts led to a
career in writing, after his experiences on the national competitive
shooting circuit began to appear in magazines such as Gun Games and
Performance Shooter.