Condor Moonshiner Knife
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2016 8:19 pm
In the woods, I think that the need and use for swords are limited--even for Rangers.
I can almost hear the collective gasp. Don't get me wrong. I like them. I've trained with them for years. If mounted or in a melee, they're great. Moving around in the wilderness, not so much. Having said all that, I still believe that Rangers should certainly be proficient in their use.
A short sword would, in my opinion, be better for everyday Rangering during peace time. Archers in medieval armies usually carried a short sword. But short swords (while less so than longer weapons) are still limited with respect to camp chores. If a Ranger is afoot and is carrying an item in his kit, it seems to me that those items should serve multiple purposes whenever possible.
A Ranger's choice in weapons for a given mission comes down to personal preference, of course. I prefer a bow, long hunting type knife and a Tomahawk/Axe. I think that it makes for a far more practical combination in a woodland environment. While not a Ranger, Legolas carried a long hunting knife along with his bow. His area of operations was primarily Mirkwood. A long seax is a good choice. But I decided to go with a different blade geometry.
I chose a knife that would equally be at home on the frontier of America or ME:
It is the Condor Moonshiner. There is a blackened version of the blade under a different name but it has a nylon sheath. Here are some specs on the Moonshiner:
BLADE MATERIAL:5.0 mm -1075 HIGH CARBON STEEL, 56-58 ROCKWELL
BLADE: POLISHED, FULL TANG
HANDLE: WALNUT
SHEATH:HAND CRAFTED WELTED LEATHER WITH SWIVEL
DIMENSIONS: 9" x 2" BLADE, 14 3/4" OA
WEIGHT: 1.3 LBS.
While it is hard to tell from the photo, the sheath is dark brown and of amazing quality. It is fully welted and has a swivel. It is a Bushcraft style sheath which covers about half the handle to prevent loss. I've noticed that you can pull the handle up an inch or two and this will allow for quick deployment in a combat scenario.
Some people aren't fans of Condor's choice of 1075 steel. I wish it was a little better, too. But for all intents and purposes, it's hard to tell the difference. I heard of some QC issues in the past. I haven't experienced these problem with any of the other Condor products that I own.
While this would not be as effective as a short sword in combat, it would be pretty close. The top portion of the blade has an unsharpened swedge. It looks like it could be sharpened fairly easily. Personally, I'm going to leave it as is.
Here are some video reviews:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBb2uT3JwLo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGG9pIvasBA
Now for the best part: you can find them for around $50. The sheath alone is worth that. A lot of people collect expensive knives and are afraid to use them. At this price point, I would be perfectly okay with beating the snot out of this knife--and I don't think that I would be able to do that. I carry an axe/hawk for splitting and chopping wood. But a knife should be able to withstand batoning in an emergency situation. This one can certainly do that. In the unlikely event that I lost it, I would not be devastated. I just got it and haven't put it through its paces yet but so far I am very pleased.
This is a great knife at an outstanding price. It can be used a camp tool or wielded as a weapon. Combined with a hawk/axe, it allows for effective two handed fighting. You might want to consider it for inclusion in your Ranger kit.
I can almost hear the collective gasp. Don't get me wrong. I like them. I've trained with them for years. If mounted or in a melee, they're great. Moving around in the wilderness, not so much. Having said all that, I still believe that Rangers should certainly be proficient in their use.
A short sword would, in my opinion, be better for everyday Rangering during peace time. Archers in medieval armies usually carried a short sword. But short swords (while less so than longer weapons) are still limited with respect to camp chores. If a Ranger is afoot and is carrying an item in his kit, it seems to me that those items should serve multiple purposes whenever possible.
A Ranger's choice in weapons for a given mission comes down to personal preference, of course. I prefer a bow, long hunting type knife and a Tomahawk/Axe. I think that it makes for a far more practical combination in a woodland environment. While not a Ranger, Legolas carried a long hunting knife along with his bow. His area of operations was primarily Mirkwood. A long seax is a good choice. But I decided to go with a different blade geometry.
I chose a knife that would equally be at home on the frontier of America or ME:
It is the Condor Moonshiner. There is a blackened version of the blade under a different name but it has a nylon sheath. Here are some specs on the Moonshiner:
BLADE MATERIAL:5.0 mm -1075 HIGH CARBON STEEL, 56-58 ROCKWELL
BLADE: POLISHED, FULL TANG
HANDLE: WALNUT
SHEATH:HAND CRAFTED WELTED LEATHER WITH SWIVEL
DIMENSIONS: 9" x 2" BLADE, 14 3/4" OA
WEIGHT: 1.3 LBS.
While it is hard to tell from the photo, the sheath is dark brown and of amazing quality. It is fully welted and has a swivel. It is a Bushcraft style sheath which covers about half the handle to prevent loss. I've noticed that you can pull the handle up an inch or two and this will allow for quick deployment in a combat scenario.
Some people aren't fans of Condor's choice of 1075 steel. I wish it was a little better, too. But for all intents and purposes, it's hard to tell the difference. I heard of some QC issues in the past. I haven't experienced these problem with any of the other Condor products that I own.
While this would not be as effective as a short sword in combat, it would be pretty close. The top portion of the blade has an unsharpened swedge. It looks like it could be sharpened fairly easily. Personally, I'm going to leave it as is.
Here are some video reviews:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBb2uT3JwLo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGG9pIvasBA
Now for the best part: you can find them for around $50. The sheath alone is worth that. A lot of people collect expensive knives and are afraid to use them. At this price point, I would be perfectly okay with beating the snot out of this knife--and I don't think that I would be able to do that. I carry an axe/hawk for splitting and chopping wood. But a knife should be able to withstand batoning in an emergency situation. This one can certainly do that. In the unlikely event that I lost it, I would not be devastated. I just got it and haven't put it through its paces yet but so far I am very pleased.
This is a great knife at an outstanding price. It can be used a camp tool or wielded as a weapon. Combined with a hawk/axe, it allows for effective two handed fighting. You might want to consider it for inclusion in your Ranger kit.