I hate it when that happens, so here it is again
The dagger that you see advertised for twenty-odd of your English quids is a cheap copy. It looks the same, but the balance is wrong and it’s made from cheap steel. I recently checked out Wilkinson’s site and the FS Commando Dagger is still made, and still sold in bulk, worldwide. It is a hand-made item. A basic blue-ed, or black dagger costs 130 quid. A pollished steel presentation dagger costs over 200. For 40-odd quid they will engrave it for you. The round handle is not a design fault but an integral part of how the dagger is used. It will allow the dagger to turn as the blade passes through ribs, something that a K-bar will not do. It is a perfect design in itself, but there have been two modifications since the Mk 1. Neither was significant, they were mainly to speed production. The base of the blade was simplified and the hand guard?(where yer thumb rests) was changed to a straight pattern. All three variants are available from Wilkinsons. Of far more everyday use is the new WS Survival Knife, designed "with the help of RM Survival Instructors" it looks like a gollack with a fire steel in the (removable) handle and has a nice plastic sheath.
I clicked on "send me more info" on Wilkinsons web site, expecting an e-mail. What turned up was an expensive catalogue and order form all the way from Europe You should see how much swords are, if you thought 200 quid was expensive Aye
[img]http://www.terravista.pt/nazare/1382/armas/tanque04.gif[/img] "Stop dreaming and start training and you could look like me" [img]http://www.mingers.com/images/menu_pics/menu_pic_weekclassic.gif[/img]
Jackal, I agree it's an excellent site but what it's go to do with CQC I've no idea .
And regarding knives, there must surely be something as standard issue, as if every rifleman has a bayonet, what do the blokes with MG's or sniper rifles do? Or does the MoD take the cheapskate route and tell them to use bayonets as fighting knives?
harry hackedoff wrote:I hate it when that happens, so here it is again
The dagger that you see advertised for twenty-odd of your English quids is a cheap copy. It looks the same, but the balance is wrong and it’s made from cheap steel. I recently checked out Wilkinson’s site and the FS Commando Dagger is still made, and still sold in bulk, worldwide. It is a hand-made item. A basic blue-ed, or black dagger costs 130 quid. A pollished steel presentation dagger costs over 200. For 40-odd quid they will engrave it for you. The round handle is not a design fault but an integral part of how the dagger is used. It will allow the dagger to turn as the blade passes through ribs, something that a K-bar will not do. It is a perfect design in itself, but there have been two modifications since the Mk 1. Neither was significant, they were mainly to speed production. The base of the blade was simplified and the hand guard?(where yer thumb rests) was changed to a straight pattern. All three variants are available from Wilkinsons. Of far more everyday use is the new WS Survival Knife, designed "with the help of RM Survival Instructors" it looks like a gollack with a fire steel in the (removable) handle and has a nice plastic sheath.
I clicked on "send me more info" on Wilkinsons web site, expecting an e-mail. What turned up was an expensive catalogue and order form all the way from Europe You should see how much swords are, if you thought 200 quid was expensive Aye
yeah i got the same brochure through the door! quite fancied a naval sword but got a bit put off at the price tag, thats my student loan for the year
It's made out of cold steel and can smash through a foot of concrete moving at speed. Fairly impractical, but lethal...
[img]http://www.terravista.pt/nazare/1382/armas/tanque04.gif[/img] "Stop dreaming and start training and you could look like me" [img]http://www.mingers.com/images/menu_pics/menu_pic_weekclassic.gif[/img]
During my last job in the Corps I was asked by my skipper if he knew where he he could get his dragalong dirk refurbished , it was a handed down dirk with quite a lot of naval history tied up in it and its previous owbers so he was not to keen to give it to Bernards, so after a few phonecalls and dirk in hand I ended up in the Wilkinsons factory in Acton .
During the visit I got to see the then new survival knives being made and the then new blued FS, a nice bit of kit. so I bought one at £115, a lot of money then but its a nice thing if you like knives and the price has gone up just a little I see now. I also managed to get myself a look round their museum. Not a lot of folk know it exists and if you want to see a real collection of stikky in things strangle a vist there, you can handle a lot of the items except the ones with jewels on them.
Just for interest all Swords made by Wilkinson have an indiviual number on it and those records are also held - who ordered it and what it cost
Question for Sticky: what is the going rate for a Royal Marines Drum Majors mace on a 126
Since I'm bored at the moment, I thought I would let all the wannabees know the facts about:-
Unarmed Combat, the Regiment does not teach unarmed combat as a set subject,the PTI's will show the parts of the body that are vulnerable and how to strike them but that is about it. Having a class fighting and kicking is a good way to generate injuries and develop vendettas. However study of the Martial Arts is strongly recommended
Knife fighting is not taught at all, everyone carries a fire arm so why bother. The wartime FS dagger and training was introduced for psychological warfare reasons, they frighten the enemy and make the wearer feel good.
Knife throwing is a Circus act and has nothing to do with reality, even ninjas developed alternatives to throwing knifes for a good reason you have to be a set distance from the target.
Personally I carried a K bar for about a year then realized that I had never used it so switched to a pussers dirk. then a swiss army knife until I lost the tooth pick then stuck to a Leatherman.
Yes loz, but you're rich, when I got my leatherman, they had only just been invented. anyway I only carried it to throw ariels into trees and open beer bottles.
Loz, they may have started out as antenna but they had been extended and retracted so many times (excuse the pun) that by the time we got them they were ariels. Also I am not sure how to spell antena.
Regarding dhobi'ing, the excuse was that our field kit had to be rinsed in water only, no soap to stop tracker dogs following us. They follow the scent of detergent,soap,toothpaste etc not the scent of 'man'.
We wound one new lad up about his damart long johns and told him that the thermal efficiency was cut in half if he ever washed them. But after six or seven exercises we had to stand upwind of him and eventually got someone to tell him the truth! Red faced unhappy bunny, looking for his 'mates; with a big stick.
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