Knives?
 

Everyone talks guns for self defense, what about knives? Comments please.

Not for self defense. You have to get too close to the dude that wants to hurt you before you can use a knife.

Knives are a more "instinctual" weapon than guns. so most people have at least some idea of how to cut another person with a blade.

A downside to using Knives for self defense is that you have to get too close to use them...

That said, I would do ANYTHING to avoid a knife fight. even if you win you will get cut, most likely very badly.

The numbers I saw last time I looked were for Memphis, TN (which has one of the most experience trauma centers in the US...)
80% of gunshot victims live, 80% of knife wound victims die.

I carry 2-3 knives around on a daily basis, but I use them for utility primarily, and would only use them as weapons if there was absolutely no other choice.

Equipment wise, look for a good lock mechanism. I trust Axis locks the most, followed by liner locks.
Lockback knives are good for woodcarving and general utility, but they are harder to deploy and put away.
Blade length is not as important, 2-3" is fine I stay close to 3" here in TN because that's what is legal here in TN.

If you carry a gun, it is a good idea to carry at least one knife on the opposite side from the gun. it can be useful in a weapons-retention scenario.

A knife is the final self-defense weapon. Beyond that it's hands, feet, and teeth. I'm a big proponent of knives.

I don't believe that knives are a more instinctive piece of weaponry. While it's fairly easy to cut and stab someone, doing it in a way that will quickly render them unable to hurt you in return is difficult. Just wild flailing slashes won't do much. Nature has seen fit to provide most of the instant-kill vital areas with some protection in bone. You need to have a more intimate knowledge of anatomy with a knife, whereas a bullet will just smash through opposition. Muscles clench up in a response to pain, often making it difficult to retrieve your knife from wounded flesh, especially if that wounded person is jerking around or trying to get away. The average blade is too wide to go between ribs unless you turn it on its side in a stab thrust. If your opponent has a knife as well, then you want to do maximum damage while also controlling his knife hand so you don't get wounded either. As lukem pointed out, even the winner often dies, but I believe this is more due to an encounter between two inexperienced people just slashing until the other person stops moving.

I like knives and I don't leave the house without carrying one. While still illegal in most places, they are easy to conceal and often the legal punishment meted out is insignificant as compared to a gun.

I don't use knives that lock or fold. I like only straight knives with a full-tang handle and grip.

I carry a knife every where I go except to my workplace, as I am a public school teacher and we are not allowed to have weapons in schools. I think that in preparing for self defense scenarios one should train in firearms, stick, blade, and empty hand skills. As for the knife fighting, my 30 plus years of martial arts have proven to me that the Filipino systems are the very best of knife fighting training. Check out Filipino styles such as Pekiti-Tirsia Kali.
I abhor violence, and would avoid using a knife in a fight, but if my opponent is armed, if there is more than one of the bad guys, or if I am defending my loved ones and have no firearm I would use the blade. There are no rules and no such thing as a "fair fight" in the street.

There is nothing wrong with a knife fight, as long as you bring a gun to it. :D

Knives are (can be) deadly weapons!!!!
 

Explorer, what if I bring a military rifle with a bayonet attached to a 'gunfight'??????

I am like Ernie, and prefer the full tang knives... KA-BAR, of course - not that I am biased or anything like that. I do own several buck knives of different styles, including model 110 folding knives.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...KA-Bar007a.jpg

Just some of the toys, that I have. I have mastered throwing knives, and long ago I was trained in how to use a KA-BAR or a bayonet effectively. What if you don't want to make a BANG, or any other noise???? Silent, Swift, and Deadly!!!

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...boyYOKNIFE.jpg

See, even the el-cheapo Ginsu knives can be useful!!!!

Radiofish, you beat me to it. I was going to suggest K-Bar as well and of course I am not biased either..lol

Smith and Wesson Swat series is a great knife but my primary in a SHTF scenario will be the Buck Bayonet straight from the U.S. Army stockpile. Guns are obviously the best weapon choice but when all else fails you never need to stop and reload a knife :)

As long as they are really out of ammo and not just reloading you might need to clean that puppy. Of course, that assumes you are not just operating in the stealth mode.

Well, I don't have many knives, but I collect swords, would that work? :) I do have some really good knives though. I have a friend who is a blacksmith who made me a few. For self defense I'd rather have our guns, but knives do have their place.

I too perfer fixed blade with full tang. I always carry a knife on my belt no matter where i go. I have several but i find myself using my old timer for most things. Its got bout 3 1/2 inch blade. It holds and edge extremely well. Its more of a utility type tool than a weapon, but it sure could do a number on someone right quick. Of course keeping it to a fine razor edge is of utmost importance. I have lots of old carrbon steel knives. I like the ease in which they sharpen as well as the look of them with the black oxidation on the blade. Green river was and is a classic. I like the beaver tail blades. I too collect swords and other instruments of death. My collection isnt what it used to be, but im always on the look out for a good deal. I did alot of sword fighting back when i was in the S.C.A. We used rattan weapons, much like they do in Akido (sp?) I was into a group called the Hoard and they were a side clan so to speak but they used steel weapons with blunt tips and edges. Full Steel armor of course. Theres alot to be said about knife fighting when it is handled by one who knows how to use it as well has the nerve to use it. Ive been in a few pig stickin matches in my day, and i carry the scars. Knife throwing as well as tomohawk throwing used to be a favorite past time with myself and several others i hung around with. Lots of compettion at the buckskinning events and such. Lots of fun. Now when it comes to knife vs. gun its a no brainer, but it sure is ahndy to have some back up :)

Keep your powder dry

I prefer (and own) a Randall #1 (mines stainless 8" saw tooth back, black micarta, german nickel fitings). I would recommend the Ontario "Rat" line to anyone who wants a real fixed blade knife with full tang but doesn't want to spend too much money.

May I recommend "Knife Fighting: A Practical Course" by Michael Janich?

Defense against and with knives is not a lost art or something only engaged in by members of the Society for Creative Anachronism. It's not something that's practiced only by young men in back alleys of the Phillipines.

If they ban guns, we need to learn to fight with knives. If they ban knives, we need to learn to fight with fists and feet. There may come a day when, in order to get a proper gun, you need to know how to kill with a knife.

There are different knives for different purposes and you neither need a small one or a big one as both are equally ineffective. The KaBar knife is about the largest knife that can be wielded effectively but also used in a utilitarian purpose.

This is the kind of thought I had when I posted the original post. Thanks, Ernie.

Ed

Glad to help. I'd like to expand a little if I may.

For ease-of-concealment and a fast kill, nothing beats what's known as a "push knife". They are small and very deadly. Also illegal to carry around in most states, since it's a knife only designed for one purpose. They even come in a hard ceramic that won't set off a metal detector. You can wear one on a thong around your neck and tucked down inside your shirt, or easily slipped inside the top of a boot. (A caution about a boot knife though: they are harder to get to if someone is already on top of you. Requires you to either bend down or lift one foot, either way destroying your balance.) The push knife I like the best has a small hook just behind the tip, to be used in skinning. It works well for that purpose, but the thought behind it is that you can open up a person very well with a stab and then a slash. Even the most determined attacker won't pursue you if he has to drag his intestines along behind him.

To defend against a knife-wielding opponent you need some way of controlling his weapon. A pillow hastily grabbed off your bed can help ward off slashing. A blanket wadded up might just trap a stabbing knife. At worst, don't be afraid to get your arms cut as you block. A slash on the arm is better than a slash across the throat. In that sort of close quarters fight, nothing matters more than getting control of their knife hand.

A couple of similar knives stashed around your house in an emergency may be a lifesaver in these days of violent home intruders. Because of children, I don't feel comfortable leaving a loaded gun out, and I don't have enough guns to stash one in every room anyway. Yet if I hear the front door get kicked open I can reach a good knife just about anywhere I'm standing, while those knives are still high enough out of reach to be inaccessible to my children.

I'm with radiofish, the best appliction of a knife in a fight is on the end of a rifle. I carry a Ka Bar as a backup weapon when "outside the wire", but a smaller lock blade always in my pocket. Ironically in my area of operation bayonets are not issued, seems it intimidates the locals or some such nonsense, go figure. I would suggest some serious training to anyone intending to use a knife as a defensive weapon, especially if knife on knife is on the program. You can win the fight and bleed to death. the Book I would suggest is "Kill or get Killed" by Col. Rex Applegate, an old Marine Field Manuel.

Ernie, I got my hands on a copy of the book you suggested, it has a lot of pics that show what the text is saying, and I think that people should have a knowledge of knife fighting skills, who knows when a crazy will attack?

Also, I did some checking and the legal knife in Texas must have a blade less than 5 1/2 inches in length. No swithblades, double edged, daggers, or bowie knives. Imagine, Bowie knives illegal to carry in Texas!!

Hope you like it!

Up here in the People's Republic of Illinois, the only legal knife is under 3". I can't even see a purpose to a knife of under 3", even utility purposes.

knives are an excelent choice and i think they should be your first choice
before a gun if only because of the easy availability.

Im not saying i would not rather have a gun in my hand for self defense
just that knives have some tangible advantages.

inexpensive
easily available
never run out of bullets
almost indestructable
have other utilitarian purposes
concealability
quiet
easily improvised or manufactured

in the hands of someone practised they also have a good
range and accuracy 20 to 30 feet.

definately something worth learning how to use

I would like to toss in my three cents today and recomend a book co-written by a friend of mine who is a former what is now called independent contractor but then was termed mercenary..... Uncle Festers Books carries the Bloody Brazilian Knife fighting book that Mad Abe co-penned and though uncle fester has a somewhat skewed reputation with his other books, I do not know of anywhere else a person can get the book in the several states currently, though i have not searched of late.

One thing to remember, if you do not practice routinely with a knife it will do you not much good to carry one and could even cause a person's demise should it be taken away or dropped and the opponent pick it up. A blade to much good at all in reaching vital organs needs to be a minimum of 6 inches, though the one spot that is least protected a simple 2 inch blade can work and that my friends is the kidney, however you factor in not many people are going to give you their back as a target, and then add on different clothing materials, adrenaline and a host of other factors and knife fighting is not something anyone really wants to partake in a matter of choice.

hammer your swords into plowshares, and you plow the field for those who did not.

William
Idaho