I love tomahawks. Been forging a few here and there out of ball pein hammers and forge welding a piece of H13 into the blade (not for sale). Anyone else enjoy them?
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I love tomahawks. Been forging a few here and there out of ball pein hammers and forge welding a piece of H13 into the blade (not for sale). Anyone else enjoy them?
I love 'hawks as well. Can't afford the nicer customs anymore, but I have few beaters hanging around.
Same here. Plus, weight vs utility questions.
But I do like a good hawk
I have some that came in a Battlebox when I used to do that. No clue how to use it though.
I have an American LaGana tactical, an older one.
I also have a 2Hawks (Polaris trading) Warbeast.
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I have a SOG tomahawk. It's pretty cool.
Thing is, not sure about their "field utility".
Been using a short machete for years, camping and hiking. It's truly the do-all camp tool.
Thought of the tomahawk as an American classic, have been out with it a couple of times, and been kind of disappointed with its overall practical utility.
Considered getting one. Check out this company:
http://soldiersystems.net/2015/12/24...ical-tomahawk/
Having both a "tactical" and a field style hawk, I don't find a lot of practical field uses for the tactical one. While soldiers would use the point to gain entry to vehicles, or skulls, I haven't found a field use yet. The cutting edge is narrow and flat, coupled with light weight, doesn't make for a good chopper, at least in field use. A lot of "rifleman" style hawks follow more primitive designs, and have curve to the blade. My Warbeast has this. It also has a hammer poll on back. It's a bit larger and heavier than most, but it chops well, like a small axe. On the top and bottom, behind the cutting edge, there are back edges. If you sink it, rocking it back and forth, it will cut its way out. I like it better than the tactical hawk, in use, at least from my limited time with hawks.
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I have one made by HB Forge
http://www.hbforge.com/polled-axes/medium-camp-axe
I use a Cold Steel, then have working replicas of original French ones from 1720s, when I portray early French milicien (militia). These events have both shooting and knife & hawk throwing contests, which pretty cool. Including the longest distance “1 throw stick”.
I love old-timey weapons and stuff in general, to include tomahawks. I have a nice one that a good friend made for me, the same was as you OP, from a ball pein hammer.
I have other friends who are crazy about them. I have seen suggested "be ready" vehicle loadout lists that included three tomahawks.
For me they are novelty/nostalgia only. I've played around with mine quite a bit and you can get to where throwing it, you almost "can't miss" at a certain distance. But for the zombie invasion / nuclear disaster / whatever scenario, if I found one in my otherwise filled-with-necessities vehicle, I would throw it out to make room for something else. As a weapon of course it would always be better than nothing but for the size and weight something else would be better. As a camp tool it is waayy inferior to an axe. If there is no axe and only a hatchet, in my opinion the hatched is a way more useful tool and it makes a better weapon.
And while they have uses such as getting in to dry wood inside, axes and hatches offer up a lot of possibilities on injuries to intensify or create a survival situation versus just picking up hand breakable stuff.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ned Christiansen
This.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ned Christiansen
I have a SOG and a Longhunter from 2Hawks. I LOVE the Longhunter(especially over the SOG but it was a gift), but as an axe or field/bushcraft tool, it just isn't as effiecient as a hatchet or small axe of similar quality.
I carry one of these on a belt loop:Quote:
Originally Posted by ap1220
https://www.crkt.com/woods-chogan-t-hawk.html
I love it, it's sharp, and takes a beating.
I just took my first black smithing class last month. The instructor studied at Granfors Bruks and has a 3 day class on Axe making that I'm pretty sure I'll end up taking. Very nice work, jealous of your skill!Quote:
Originally Posted by badguybuster
I really want to forge one for myself. When my shoulder heals up I may start working on some ball peen-to-hawk projects. Ideally I would like a "damascus" hawk, that will mean making a pretty big billet to start with.
I like that. It's straight forward no BS hawk/hatchet that does not look like something from a bad movie or crazy $. I'd consider getting that one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Entryteam
I have it. Kind of heavy, not super sharp from the box, but has potential. And the handle was super loose on mine.Quote:
Originally Posted by WillBrink
I have a cold steel rifleman hawk, it’s pretty handy for clearing small areas of large saplings/small trees with it’s longer handle and heavier head. Functions as a hammer if you need one to with the hammer head on the back side.
I got it. Surprisingly dull out of the box, but the rest seems GTG for the $.Quote:
Originally Posted by Caduceus
I have a few tactical Hawks, 2 for CRKT and a Estwing....they work
I like the idea of a tomahawk, but how is it better than say a big Bowie?
I can carry my 11 1/2 Bowie IWB with no issues and it comes out easy and fast. I have carried it concealed all over the world . How do you carry a Hawk concealed under a T shirt?
I want to love it for the cool factor, but I don't see it as practical.
I LOVE my 2hawks Longhunter tomahawk, but as an all around bushcraft tool, it isn't better than a small hatchet or ax. The tomahawk is a niche piece of early American history that just is a bit obsolete now. It doesn't really have the width, heft, or the weight of better tools that can be purchased, even with a hammer head. The use I have gotten from mine, it just doesn't chop as well from the lack of mass versus the sharpness from most if not all sub $100 short handled axes in that role.Quote:
Originally Posted by yoni
It's cool and it works well(enough), but there are just better options out there.
Dare I say...it is the M14 of the ax world *dons firesuit*.
It's not.Quote:
Originally Posted by yoni
Wow, 11 1/2 bowie concealed. That's a big knife. You must be a Bagwell aficionado.
It's not.Quote:
Originally Posted by yoni
Wow, 11 1/2 bowie concealed. That's a big knife. You must be a Bagwell aficionado.
I personally have no real use for a knife over 7-8 inches. Just my preference I suppose. Big knives are really only good for batoning in a field craft scenario, and a hatchet or hawk would work better. In a fight I'll skip the big bowie in favor of something lighter and quicker. Never been trained nor seriously contemplated fighting with a tomahawk, so I'm not gonna speculate.Quote:
Originally Posted by yoni
For me a hawk seems like a handy feild tool first, a "field expedient" weapon as an outside consideration.
A properly made fighting bowie is frighteningly quick. I'm talking about something made by the likes of Bill Bagwell with distal taper, not a uniformly thick camp knife of Cold Steel Trailmaster type.Quote:
Originally Posted by utahjeepr
These were some hard hard men:Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Rico
"Bowie was shot in the hip; after regaining his feet he drew a knife, described as a butcher knife, and charged his attacker, who hit Bowie over the head with his empty pistol, breaking the pistol and knocking Bowie to the ground. Wright shot at and missed the prone Bowie, who returned fire and possibly hit Wright. Wright drew his sword cane and impaled Bowie. When Wright attempted to retrieve his blade by placing his foot on Bowie's chest and tugging, Bowie pulled him down and disemboweled Wright with his large knife. Wright died instantly. Bowie, with Wright's sword still protruding from his chest, was shot again and stabbed by another member of the group. The doctors who had been present for the duel removed the bullets and patched Bowie's other wounds"
I have owned a Swamp Rat Rattlehawk and a Kill Devil Sniper Hawk.
While they made me feel like Mel Gibson's character in The Patriot, I am not Francis Marion in real life so I sold them and bought a $70 Estwing 26" Special Edition Camper's Axe. The $70 SECA is far more useful than the $350 tomahawks.