Monday, February 21, 2011

The Unlikely Survivors

There have been hundreds of thousands...probably millions...of words written condemning folding knives for survival purposes. But the lockback knives...or knives with no lock at all...draw the most ire.










Knives pictured...

Buck Prince Model #503 (2 of them)

Buck Knight Model #505

Case Trapper

Camillus "Demo" Knife Model #1760

What did we ever do before the Liner Lock, the Frame Lock and other locks like Benchmade's Axis Lock? Well, we whittled are way to snare building success with knives like those pictured above, that's what we did!

We cleaned squirrel, rabbit and various types of squab with them, we cleaned deer with them. Some of us even cleaned some snakes with them. We cleaned and scaled fish with them. Cut cord and rope, did all of these marvelous things that a person in a survival situation would have to do.

To hear people talk now, "surviving" with some pocketknife just started to be viable because of the invention of some new lock on a folding knife or some new wondersteel.

Like the additions of "safeties" on firearms that already have safeties, you can't make a tool idiot-proof. It's not that I don't admire something like a Sebenza (Frame Lock) or the Doug Ritter Benchmades (Axis Lock) because I do. I value them highly as a matter of fact!

But I also value these simple tools...highly.

8 comments:

Blackthorn D. Stick said...

Don,
Here in the 'Peoples Not So Democratic Republik of NYC' the powers that be have now decided that all one-hand-opening knives are "gravity blades"
Accordingly, I have had to make some adjustments to my EDC. Suffice to say that my Buck 112 Ranger (extremely old, yet still solid as a rock) and a newly acquired cas XX Caliber Lockback are now my constant companions.
To be honest, I'm not all that upset. These babies are rock-solid, legal, and USA Made! Thse are the types of knives I grew up with, used in the Scouts, on camping and hunting trips, and for assorted home do-it-youraelf projects. As well as some "social interactions".
Frankly I've come to the point where I'm sick of all the Tacticool bullshit, and all that it entails. People runnig around like they're going to be quick-draw guys with their knives when the SHTF.
Possible?, yeah. Likely?, I don't think so.
Right now I've already sold traded or just plain given away all but a couple of my One-Handers.
I've also started cleaning out the shelves and closets of La Casa Stickfighter of a whole slew of assorted items that I no longer feel the need of. Books, magazines, Tapes/DVDs, sharp objects, etc. As a matter of fact I put together a "care package" with your name on it.
I'll be getting that out to you next week sometime.
Right now I'm in the middle of cruising Ebay for cheap deals on used Bucks, Case XX's, and Schrades. It's amazing the number of deals out there on some older, tried and true gear.
You just have to know what you're looking at, and how to use it!

Tom said...

Is there a blade limit in NYC too?


(Nice old school article. Nice response too!)

Don said...

J,

I have been looking around for some of the same stuff. As you can see in this entry!

Shoot me an E-mail.

Don

Blackthorn D. Stick said...

Don,
I'll be in touch over the weekend.

Don said...

Tom,

I don't know but I would say you better keep it three inches or under in blade length.

J,

I'll talk to you then.

D

Blackthorn D. Stick said...

Tom,

The Administrative Code requires that the blade has to be under 4". However 3" to 3-1/2" are your best bet.

Tom said...

Cheers both!

I've only ever stayed in NY for a couple of weeks. And both times was probably before this madness got to this extent.

Don said...

I stayed about two weeks in Schenactady, I think that is how it is spelled, when I was a kid. I think that would have been 1979 or 1980. Staying at my grandmother's house. That was the only time I ever spent with that grandmother. That was my Dad's mother.