The knife industry seems to be overflowing with blades falsely marketed as “tactical” with pricing ranging from that of a fast food meal to the cost of a new gun. Sadly, a lot of real world users are easily misled into purchasing an over priced inferior knife through clever marketing. Over the years, Trampas has tested and reviewed box after box of custom and production blades with only a handful of true, fighting knives earning their way into his “tool box”.
Last year, I came across a company by the name of SCAR Blades while surfing knife related pages on Facebook (social media can actually be helpful at times!). Images of unique and thought-provoking blades led me to read the personal story of two brothers, Casey and Shane Radford, growing up in the Rocky Mountains with a dream of building everlasting, tough, and rugged blades for real world users, this was a good way to catch my attention. With over 22 years of combined experience between the two brothers making knives based on feedback from military, LE and contractors worldwide, I decided to learn more by reaching out to them. Inside of a day, I was conversing with co-owner Casey Radford, emailing back and forth ideas for test and evaluation. After a few days, it was decided the best place to start a blade review for PMCI Magazine would be with their Shadow XL fighting knife.
In doing a bit of research on SCAR Blades before the T&E sample arrived, I learned their knives are typically built with a full tang construction and are made from high grade U.S. steel, heat treated for hardness only along the sharpened edge. According to their website, this process creates a Rockwell hardness of 57 to 58, while leaving the spine of the blade a touch softer to absorb the stresses of high impact. The blades are finished with a textured powder coat or Gun Kote and comes with a non-slip phenolic (micarta) handle which provides the user with a sure grip. SCAR Blades are built with the intent to survive and serve in the field no matter how harsh the conditions.
This story is from the April 2018 edition of Private Military Contractor International.
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This story is from the April 2018 edition of Private Military Contractor International.
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GEAR ON TEST
If you’re training, on the range, or indeed in need of a fine partner to carry all your EDC items, then sometimes a small pack can be the answer! We’ve been trying out the latest version of one of our favourite designs, and find that it still meets our needs as well as ever.
FIVE YEARS STRONG!
AT PMCI WE PREFER TO CONCENTRATE ON BRINGING YOU THE MOST INSIGHTFUL AND VALUABLE INFORMATION WE CAN IN EACH AND EVERY ISSUE, CONCENTRATING ON PRODUCTS AND PROVIDERS THAT WILL GIVE YOU THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO TRAIN AND PLAN EFFECTIVELY RATHER THAN BLOWING OUR OWN TRUMPETS! HOWEVER, WE’VE JUST REACHED A MILESTONE THAT WE FEEL IT’S RIGHT TO SHOUT ABOUT, AS THE EDITORIAL TEAM HITS THE FIVE YEAR MARK! BILL AND TRAMPAS GIVE THEIR THOUGHTS ON THOSE FIVE YEARS, AND WHERE THEY’RE HEADING NEXT…
Spotting Danger With Gary Quesenberry
Over the course of the past twenty years, trampas has worked in and around law enforcement on the local, state, and federal levels through various task forces before transitioning to the firearms and training industries. His travels have led him around the usa to meet some amazing people and learn many valuable lifesaving skills. Of these skills, one of the most important to learn and pass along to family, friends and students is that of situational awareness. So important in fact, pmci decided to invite a special subject matter expert to join us and discuss his new book on the topic! - ts.
RUGER-57
Late December of 2019, Ruger Firearms threw the gun industry for a loop by announcing a new semi-auto pistol chambered in 5.7x28mm aptly named the Ruger-57. This nearly 30-year-old cartridge, commonly perceived to be pertinent only to a niche market, was suddenly, the main topic of conversation! -TS
KIT: TACTICAL FLEECES
Although they are nothing new, one of the most overlooked bits of kit in our “tactical wardrobe” is the fleece, but it’s actually one of the most versatile garments that you can own, both for training and for general use! As we head into the colder months of the year Bill takes a look at some of the models he’s been using and abusing and brings us the benefit of his years of use and technical garment knowledge!
MICROTECH SCARAB
In the knife community, there is perhaps nothing more captivating than the “SWWWICK” sound of an automatic knife. Whether it’s the classic linage of the stiletto switchblade from our favorite gangster movies or if it’s the mystique of being banned in several states, the automatic knife remains on the top of every blade fan’s “must have list”. -TS
ATTACKSENSE UPDATE – PEER TO PEER TRAINING
If you’re a regular reader of PMCI then you’ll know that some of the contributors, especially those in the UK where access to live fire training is limited, have been making good use of their “6mm” tools to keep their skills and drills up to date with the AttackSense Smart target System, and now it looks like things are getting even more interesting with live peer to peer “ranking data” available! -BT
CONSOLE VAULT
AS AN AVID PRACTITIONER OF LEGALLY CARRYING A CONCEALED FIREARM EVERY DAY AND TEACHING OTHERS TO DO THE SAME THROUGH THE TRAINING COURSES OUR COMPANY OFFERS, TRAMPAS IS CONSTANTLY AWARE OF AREAS IN WHICH HE CANNOT POSSESS A FIREARM, AND LOOKS TO FIND A SOLUTION FOR THOSE MOMENTS WHEN HE NEEDS TO SECURE HIS “TOOLS” WHEN MOBILE. - TS
CHANGING THE TRAINING DYNAMIC WITH THE REALISTIC TARGET COMPANY
Throughout my law enforcement career, the standard training for our department, as with many agencies across our state, consisted of a static range with a solid color (black, blue, or green) human silhouette known as a B-27 target. It was only during my regular training as part of the SWAT team away from the patrol, upper brass, and investigations personnel in which things were a bit more “dynamic”.
SKILLS & DRILLS
With our good friend and valued PMCI contributor Andy N fully back in the fold, he shares the experience he has gained both in the UK military and “on the circuit” as he continues with his usual wry take on the “Skills and Drills” that are invaluable to any shooter!!!
