More Knives and Throwing Some of Them

If you've read a few posts, you know I'm a bit of a knife freak.  Seriously, I need to start making my own knives, I spend way too much money looking for the perfect ones.

Here's a few of my newest purchases, all pretty nice and none of them were over $35:

Left to Right: BladesUSA Throwing Set, Kershaw, Buck ErgoHunter and another Buck

The BladesUSA throwing set I picked up on Amazon for about eight bucks.  I just wanted something to play around with without blowing too much money.  They are about perfect for a starter throwing knife, cheap, and they seem to throw halfway decently.  Downsides?  They are a little light, which is good and bad.  They don't penetrate very well so you have to have a decent throw for them to stick in the target.  As you can guess, the sheath they come with is very cheap but seems to hold all three knives pretty well.  They probably won't last long, but for eight bucks, I'm not complaining.

The two Buck knives here really impressed me with the feel of their grip.  Both were thick, heavy duty rubber.  They feel great in the hand and definitely won't slip, even when wet.  This first one, the ErgoHunter is designed for right handed use.  In the right hand it is amazingly comfortable.  I guess that means if you're left handed it won't feel right.  There is also a weird patch of "rough" metal near the base of the blade.  I'm not sure if that's for fire starting or what, but it looks odd.  Doesn't seem to affect functionality though.  The blade is an interesting shape and would probably work well as a skinning knife or for general camp use.

I couldn't find the name of this model on the Buck website.  I got it at Cabela's and it's probably my all time favorite general purpose knife.  Great blade thickness, it has the same material as the ErgoHunter for the handle but is a much more ambidextrous grip.  This is also the knife that was borrowed from me during the Hog hunt to knife one of the hogs.  Not to get into too much detail but lets say it was extremely effective.  This is my go-to knife for camping and anything outdoors.  Not too shabby for $20.  If anyone knows which one this is, let me know, I'd love to order another couple of these guys.

Like the previous Buck knife, I couldn't find this Kershaw model on their website.  This is a really nice little knife, the kind of thing that would have been perfect for Boyscout camp when my hands were a little smaller.  Now, I generally prefer something with a more sizable handle for easier use.  Nice steel, good thickness, definitely a quality knife, just wish it had a different handle.  It also came with a nice, if not fancy, leather sheath, which is a definite plus in my book.  More on this knife later.

As usual, I'm very critical of knife sheaths.  Most manufacturers tend to skimp when it comes to how the knife is carried.  However, I'm pleased to say that both Bucks and the Kershaw came with very durable, practical, if not particularly pretty sheaths.  All hold the knives securely, will fit comfortably on a belt, and yet easily release the knife when needed.  The Buck sheaths are some kind of thick canvas fabric with formed plastic sleeves for the actual blade inside.  My only complaint would be that sometimes the blades rattle against the plastic when moving around.  The Kershaw, as mentioned earlier, has an effective, all leather sheath.

Now for the fun part.

I recently purchased the Gil Hibbens book on knife throwing (also from Amazon, purchased at the same time as the BladesUSA throwing set).  Well, it's more of a pamphlet than a book, but it had a couple interesting passages and a few good tips.  I would consider it a pretty basic introduction to the concepts of knife throwing, if you already know the basics than I would recommend getting something a little more indepth.  I had purchased the above BladesUSA throwing knives so that I wouldn't ding up any of my nicer knives learning to throw them around.

One of the things in the pamphlet that caught my eye was when the author mentioned that lots of knives can be used for throwing.  I had always thought that a knife needed to have some special balance or something, but I guess it doesn't need to be that specific.  He had lots of examples, many of which I never would have considered throwing...  folding knives, fighting knives (Kabar, who woulda thought?), hunting knives, etc.  So, of course, I got out my extensive collection of knives and tried throwing them all.  Bwuuuuhuuuhahahahaaa!!!  I was surprised at how many of them actually worked pretty well.

Yes, that's the Kershaw stuck in the zombie's neck.  I told you I would mention it again.  Obviously, the knives designed for throwing were the easiest, but the Kershaw threw as well or better than the BladesUSA.  Neither Buck did too bad, which surprised me because they have such large handles.  Kind of fun throwing a knife that heavy into a faux Zombie.  Almost makes me feel sorry for him.  Almost.  The Kershaw seriously impressed me though, it might not be my favorite camp knife but it's definitely my favorite throwing knife.

For survival purposes, I'm not entirely sure how practical it is to throw one of your primary tools.  In most situations it would make far more sense to make a throwing stick or something similar.  However, if you ever thought it might be fun to throw around your knives... you're right.  It's a ****ing blast!  You definitely need the zombie target though, it just adds the right ambiance.

So... I was browsing Amazon. Cold Steel War Clubs

Isn't that a great way to start a blog post?  It's almost as good as starting out a story "So, I was drinking with the guys one night..."  You just know what follows will be worth your time.

Anyway, I was bored this afternoon and decided to see what kind of hunting vests I could find on Amazon.  I'd seen one at Cabela's when I was on holiday and regretted not getting it.  I figured Amazon would have a decent selection.

They did, but they also have that "customers who looked at this also looked at..." bar.  I hate that bar.  That bar has probably led to me spend two or three times as much money on that friggin site.  I'm on a cool product, then I see three other cool products in that bar.  I check out those products, on each of those pages the bar will lead me to three other cool products.  It's exponential, which I'm sure is exactly why they have it.

So, I get off of vests and on to back packs.  Then I get off of back packs and on to swords somehow.  That's cool, I like looking at knives and swords.

Then this thing pops up:

Cold Steel Gunstock War Club ($35 dollars, Amazon)

My first thought is, of course, "holy sh*t, it's the perfect Zombie club!"

I'm a dork, I know.

There has been a long standing debate in certain zombie killing forums over what the best melee weapon would be.  Popular selections are swords or axes, bladed weapons, but those run the risk of getting stuck.  It's all too easy in the movies to lop off a zombie head without missing a beat, but the reality would be far more difficult.  Bone, ligaments, muscles, are all designed to keep body part attached, separating them isn't all that easy.  You're weapon gets stuck, you're f*cked.  For most zombie 'experts', the consensus is that a club is the best option.  It can deliver enough damage without the risk of it getting stuck on bone.  The only problem with clubs is getting tired out swinging the weight around.

This Gunstock War Club weights in at 2.2 pounds, almost three feet long, is angled like a kukri for added leverage, and has a 3 inch blade on the other side.  This design is historically proven, if you've ever seen the newer "Last of the Mohicans" you've seen this style before.  Don't believe me?  Look at nearly every club ever made, thin handle, about 3 feet long, with a weighted end.  Many also had that angle near the head too for added punch.

Pretty freakin' cool, if you ask me.  I'm not entirely sure how practical it is, maybe for home defense, or maybe as a hunting stick.  It would probably be pretty effective for hunting rabbits or birds.  And, obviously it would be bad ass against zombies.

I want one.  I really, really want one.

That and the S&W M&P 15/22 and I'll be totally set up for Z day.

Oh, and if that doesn't tickle your fancy this thing popped up on that magical bar:

Cold Steel Indian War Club ($40)

Edit 01-21-13:  And I was beaten to it again.  The guys over at Zombie Go Boom have already posted two videos on the Cold Steel Gunstock War Club.  The first the Gunstock club against zombies, the second is for general survival uses, clearing a window, throwing for hunting (I thought of throwing it for hunting rabbit or small game, I didn't think of throwing it to hit something with the blade point).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=n-V6CBT2_2A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_126712&feature=iv&src_vid=n-V6CBT2_2A&v=_N7a25X9F4Y

Best Zombie Rifle Ever?

So, I was reading this good Zombie novel, "Still Alive..." by A. C. Thorne.

"Still Alive..." by A.C. Thorne

I love a good Zombie book and "Still Alive..." is definitely one of the better ones.  There are a couple of sappy chapters but overall it's one of my current favorites.  It's one of the few zombie books with a strong female main character (written by a woman, I'm thinking), that is action packed, surprising, and very well written.  Several times it caused flash backs to the novel "I am Legend" by Richard Matheson, a classic, which I'm sure was intended by the author.  Over all "Still Alive..." is a very good read and I hope that the series continues soon.

One of the things that caught my attention in the book is the main character's main weapon.  She stumbles onto a "tactical" .22lr semi auto rifle and uses it very effectively.  From the description in the book I'm thinking it was an AR style .22lr, like the Smith and Wesson M&P-15/22.  At one point she is critical of another survivor that didn't make it, who used larger calibers.  She thought that the semi-auto .22lr with hi-cap magazines was far more effective than a hunting style rifle in a larger caliber.  Able to shoot rapidly, can carry lots of ammo, low recoil, accurate, and with high capacity...

Ok, interesting idea... normally I would have forgotten about it and moved on, however, a buddy of mine had just purchased an M&P-15/22 ($500) and was taking it to the range this weekend.  I invited myself along to see if maybe it might actually be the perfect zombie killing rifle.

A couple of things I should mention first; I'm not a fan of semi-auto in general (they just aren't as much fun at the range), I'm not a fan of "Black Rifles" (I don't like the look of military-style rifles), and the idea of having an AR in the .22lr caliber seemed really idiotic.  If you're getting an AR, why not go for a real one in 5.56?   Or, If you want a semi-auto .22lr, why not get a 10/22?  Cheaper and less ugly.  But I decided to try it out and make an attempt at keeping an open mind.

I had a f***ing blast.

I had so much fun that the M&P-15/22 is now high on my wish list.  Seriously, I want one.  Bad.

My buddy had no idea what he was buying, he just thought it would be fun toy.  So, before we went to the range I helped him get the sights set up, got the rifle cleaned, and range ready.  It was incredibly easy to clean, easy to set up, came with nice iron sights (it has a two size flip-up ghost-ring sight, easily adjustable).  It was mostly plastic, extremely light weight, and I was a little worried how it would hold up at the range.

There was no reason to worry, this thing was a freakin' tank.  After I got it sighted in, this thing was a tack driver out to 100 yards.  That would have been cool, but what amazed me was how light the kick was, which meant extremely fast follow up shots.  I mean, keep both eyes open and you could acquire targets, fire, and be back on target in a fraction of a second.  It cycled flawlessly (only one misfeed, which I think was probably a fluke) over 300 rounds.

We were at the silhouette range and the semi-auto was addictive.  There were two lines, 50 yards and another at 100 yards.  The iron silhouettes were about 1ft by 1ft.  At 50 yards I could hit the targets faster than 1 per second, going down the line either direction.  And it's so quiet, so quick handling, so little recoil, it almost feels like it's a toy.

Bang, Ping, Bang, Ping, Bang, Ping, Bang, Ping... as fast as you could acquire the target and pull the trigger.  It was almost video game easy, too easy.  Reload the magazine, back to work.

I thought a .22lr AR was stupid, but even if you just look at the cost vs range time ratio it's worth picking up.  I typically spent at least $50 in ammo for some decent time at the range.  I mean, cheap pistol rounds are 25-35 cents, most rifle rounds are between 50 cents and a dollar.  .308 for my Scout Rifle is almost a dollar a round.  Rifle shooting gets expensive fast.

However, you can buy 500 rounds .22lr for 20 bucks.  You just can't beat .22lr for cost and weight.  It's easy on the wallet, easy to stockpile, and you can easily carry hundreds of rounds.  Maybe you want to train, get used to an AR, or a cheap plinker for the range, or have a fun rifle for the youngsters, then this would be a fairly inexpensive way to do it.  Or maybe you should keep one in the closet, just in case there is a zombie apocalypse.

This rifle is so easy to use, so accurate, so simple, that it is freakin' awesome.  Defend against zombies, fun at the range, easy to use... this thing is awesome.

I've seen a lot of arguments about whether the .22lr is powerful enough to take down zombies.  The round is so small and low powered that it really limits the ability to get through a skull.  I'm not a ballistics or forensic expert, but I'll give a quick opinion on it.  .22lr in a pistol would probably be effective out to 20-30 feet, depending on your accuracy (any further than that and I think you'd have to be an exceptionally accurate shot).  Out of a rifle though, I think you could extend that range out to around 50 yards, again depending on your accuracy.  Accuracy is such a huge factor because the .22lr is such a small round it's far more susceptible than other rounds to glance off the skull rather than punching through.  The shot would need to be a direct, straight-on shot.

I hesitated to think that a .22lr would be a good zombie killer, with accuracy and speed being so vitally important.  However, this M&P-15/22 has me seriously considering it.  I think you'd be hard pressed to find a rifle that can shoot as quickly and accurately.

So, I think I'm going to have to pick up one for myself.  It'll be cheap fun at the range and when the zombie apocalypse happens I'll let you know how effective it is.  Now I just need to talk Hornady into making these in .22lr...

The Scout Rifle Concept

If you're unfamiliar with the scout rifle concept I'm going to go over some of the basics.  For more information there are dozens of other sites out there that can give you more details.

Basically, Jeff Cooper (a legend in the rifle world), came up with a general purpose rifle concept.  The idea is to have a light weight rifle that's easy to carry, bolt action, accurate, and can quickly and humanely kill anything within sight.  The concept also included a forward mounted "extended eye relief" scope.  

These scout scopes are usually only magnified 2-4x, and works kind of like an early incarnation of the red dot site.  You keep both eyes open, put the rifle to your shoulder, and you're almost immediately on target.  With both eyes open you keep your peripheral vision, you can track moving targets quicker.  It's very fast, that's the idea. 

(Ruger Gunsite Scout with Scout Scope)

Probably the most true-to-concept rifle mass produced is the Ruger Gunsite Scout.  Gunsite is the organization founded by Jeff Cooper, they collaborated with Ruger to make a rifle to fit Cooper's specifications.  Gunsite held a show and tell with the rifle and dozens of Rifle reviewers showed up.  The videos are very cool and describe the rifle and the concept very well.

Here are the videos put out by Gun Talk TV:

Ruger Gunsite Scout: Gun Talk TV Pt 1

Ruger Gunsite Scout: Gun Talk TV Pt 2

Ruger Gunsite Scout: Gun Talk TV Pt 3

Ruger Gunsite Scout: Gun Talk TV Pt 4

A lot of people think that the Scout Rifle is a pointless idea, that it compromises too much.  To be decent at a lot of things means it's isn't really good at anything.  It's not a sniper rifle, it's not a hunting rifle, it's always somewhere in the middle.  

However, for people like me that think the idea of a 'general purpose' rifle is a good one, the Ruger GSS or similar scout platforms are definitely worth a look.  And yes, this would make a good Bug Out rifle, or one **** of a zombie killer.

Gear Review: Gerber Gator Machete Jr

Sorry about the condition of the packaging in the following photos, I hadn't planned on doing a gear review.  I saw the Gerber Gator Machete Jr ($24) at the store and figured it'd be good addition to my camping gear.  Machete on one side, saw on the other, what's not to like?  Half way through opening the package I noticed something strange.

Yes, that's a zombie on the package.  There are two more on the back.

When I purchased this I had no idea I was feeding into the Zombie Apocalypse Gear craze.  In case you hadn't noticed, there is a huge advertising trend right now on throwing a picture of a zombie and some ooz-green writing on everyday items and proclaiming them "Zombie Killers" or something.  Now, I love me some zombies, books, movies, whatever... but the merchandising is getting kind of crazy.

(Hornady Zombie Max Ammunition)

(Yes, that's a Zombie chainsaw bayonet)

(Ka-Bar has a whole line of Zombie knives, this is the Zombie "Chopstick")

Now, the gun and knife products I can almost understand.  But Zombie hot sauce?  Or Zombie dog toys?

Yeah, I think the popularity of "The Walking Dead" and various movies like "Zombieland" has turned Zombies mainstream.

Anyway, apparently the Gator is a specialized "Zombie Killing" machete, which is strange because I'm pretty sure I saw the exact same model a couple weeks ago and it was just a 'regular' machete.  Is there some sort of test they run an item through to get it certified for killing zombies?  Maybe it passed the test and now it's upgraded to a "zombie killer"?  Man, I hope they didn't jack up the price on me.

Anyway, it seems like a pretty decent machete.  It's got a good thick blade, the saw blades on the back actually seem well made and sharp.

Apparently when they were running this thing through the test for "zombie killing" they had problems with the hand slipping off the handle toward the blade.  There are some very specific instructions, they tell you to loop the lanyard over the handle before you use it.  There are also blank sections of the blade on both sides above the handle, I'm assuming for the same reason.

I didn't notice any problem with hand slippage, but maybe if you were using the saw on a stubborn log (or multiple zombie attackers) it would be more noticeable.  If you put the lanyard on, as instructed, then the grip is very secure and it would be very difficult to slip either up or down off the handle.

The sheath is usually where I find problems with cheaper blades but this one looks surprisingly well built.  It looks sturdy and fits the blade well.  It has a guard on the back inside the sheath, to protect against the saw blades.  The only complaint I have with the sheath is that the belt loop is a little small and very high up on the back of the sheath (I would have preferred a larger loop and it be placed a little lower to minimize bouncing if worn on the belt).  Otherwise it's pretty nice.

Picture this, you're out on a camping trip and you're clearing some brush.  Two zombies break out of the underbrush and charge at you!  Do you need to run back to camp?  No way!  You've already got a certified zombie killing weapon in hand!  With that kind of versatility you've got to enjoy your Gator Machete.

And if the Zombie Apocalypse doesn't happen at least you didn't overpay for a useless piece of junk.

Edit 11/16/2012:  I actually noticed the main character using the large version of the Gator in a recent episode of The Walking Dead.  At least on TV this appears to be quite the Zombie fighting weapon.