"Shrike" Tactical/Working Push/Punch Dagger
"Shrike" Tactical Combat,
Working, Counterterrorism Knife
(Shadow Line):
Push/Punch Dagger
- Size: Length overall: 7.7" (19.6 cm), Blade Length: 5.0" (12.7 cm), Thickness: .250" (6.4 mm)
- Weight: Knife: 6.3 oz. (179 grams), Sheath: 8.7
oz. (247 grams)
- Blade: ATS-34 High Molybdenum Martensitic Stainless Tool Steel, Hardened and Tempered, T3 Specialty Cryogenically treated to Rockwell C61, proprietary surface oxide treatment "Ghost Slate."
- Handle: Skeletonized
- Sheath: Heavy 10-11 oz. thick leather shoulder, hand-tooled and dyed
in Bison brown basketweave, double stainless steel snap tab retention,
ghost slate stainless steel Chicago screw reinforcement, X-stitched
double row in polyester
- Knife: Answering requests for an ultra
lightweight yet tough and wear-resistant push-punch dagger that
would function as a crossover between
tactical/counterterrorism/combat use and daily working and carry, I
designed my new "Shrike" pattern. The name comes from a carnivorous
bird of the Laniidae family, which is latin for "butcher." It's a
bird that wears a dark mask, and is also known as a "butcherbird,"
because of its aggressive feeding habits. It suited the knife
pattern well.
- Blade Steel Alloy: The Shrike blade is
made in ATS-34, a high alloy hypereutectoid, martensitic high
molybdenum stainless tool steel. In this steel, there are three significant
alloys that work together to make an extremely tough and
durable wear-resistant steel
with high corrosion resistance. First, there is
carbon, at 1.25 percent, allowing significant hardening and
forming of carbides. The second is chromium, and at 14
percent, it's a true stainless steel with high corrosion
resistance. The third and most effective is molybdenum.
ATS-34 has 4% of molybdenum, allowing a very high concentration of
molybdenum carbide particles, which are extremely wear-resistant
and contribute greatly to carbide formation at grain boundaries,
leading to overall stabilization of the microstructure and
leading to higher toughness overall. This means that
ATS-34, when properly treated, is highly; resistant to breakage, even at a
high hardness. These three alloy elements combine to form very hard
vanadium carbides and chromium carbides, particles so hard that
typically diamond is preferred to sharpen this blade effectively.
- Heat Treatment: This Shrike has my T3
heat treatment, yielding an astounding blade in incredible
condition through advanced processing protocols. How advanced is
this treatment? It's a multi-stage cryogenic treatment,
involving temperatures ranging in over 2000°F (1090°C)
to -320°F (-196°C). The process is an evolution of my
advanced heat treating processes, and consists of 33 dedicated
and specific steps and takes 172 hours! This means that just to
heat treat this blade takes over a week! The reason for this is
scientific and critical, but yields the most stable, most
wear-resistant, most durable and long-lived structure of this
steel, profuse with fine multi-element carbides and a uniform
and unbelievably robust structure. This is a testament to my
determination to make the very best knives, steels, treatments
and kits in the modern world. I know of no one else who has
advanced the treatment to this level; it's unheard of in the
metals field. The result is an incredibly tough, very hard,
very wear resistant stainless steel.
- Blade Design: I double-hollow-ground the
edges of this Shrike blade with a 3" contact wheel,
something few, if any, other makers do, simply because it's very
difficult to achieve. What this tight grind geometry produces is
a blade that is extremely thin at the cutting edge, yet
thick and substantial down the central spine, critical for
support of a double-edged knife blade. This is a double-edged
tanto design, so the secondary cutting apex of the tanto can be
used to bear down when cutting in utility chores, and the tanto
point is wide-angled and very strong, for the thin geometry. The blade has no choils to become
trapped or snagged in any clothing, gear, or object being
cut and the cutting
edges simply taper to a stop in the grind for smoothness in
motion. The blade has substantial quillons that are
2.5" (6.4 cm) at the widest that serve four purposes: one is
to stop penetration of the blade at its limit, the second is to
protect the fingers from any metal, edges, or projections, the
third is to provide a smooth, rounded, contoured surface for the
fingers for maximum grip security, and the fourth is to engage
in the sheath retention method in the leather (described below). The blade is supported by a
1/4" thick and
heavy central neck-ricasso to provide transfer of force from the
hand to the blade edges and point, and the handle tang is full
thickness in the palm for a solid, complete support.
- Handle: I milled the tang in a skeletonized
geometry, for ultimate weight reduction. The skeletonized handle
tang is the lightest possible, and all surfaces are rounded,
contoured, and smoothed for a comfortable, extremely lightweight
grip. This type of handle results in a knife that is fully half
of the weight of full tang punch daggers with handles. This
results in a thinner, lower profile when sheathed, as well. The
handle of the Shrike is designed with one of my "persuader" palm
heel points, used in my "Guardian" and "Ari B'Lilah" popular
models. The notable thing is that this one is comfortably
concealed in the sheath, safe for the knife owner.
- The balance
point of the knife is exactly at the quillons,
and the knife feels extremely lightweight, yet strong, molded to the hand when
gripped in the fist. The fingertips engage the inside of the
handle milling for extra secure grip, by design. This knife was designed for the wearer to
be able to immediately put it in his hand, with the handle
shank between the first two fingers, in closed-fist form,
without elaborate grip technique, and to use or defend his life with
simple punching and and thrusting motion natural to human
movement. No matter where the enemy is attacking, the blade will
yield an extremely aggressive point and razor sharp cutting edge
with enough power behind it to drive through heavy clothing,
around gear and equipment with tremendous force. The tanto
design of the blade makes it a sure performer for daily carry
and work as well.
- This is an serious defensive and tactical weapon
for the most critical of counterterrorism and tactical close
quarters combat situations, while being a fully functional
daily carry useful utility tool.
- Sheath: I've created an upgraded leather sheath
for this model, based on client feedback and necessity of strength
for daily carry. My clients may typically wear a leather sheath for
daily carry, so I wanted to create a leather sheath that was as
close to indestructible as leather can be. I started with the
thickness; this is 11 oz thick leather, about .2" thick, as heavy as
leather armor, and the heaviest leather straps for rigging, and
twice as thick as the leather on a saddle. I hand-stamped/tooled the
sheath in a bordered basketweave design, and dyed it with a Bison
brown dye. The first thing you'll notice is a very high front,
protecting the knife blade and handle almost completely, protecting
the wearer from the persuader point. It also shields the knife
handle from view for privacy. On the front are two "D" shaped tab
stitched points; these are the locations of the two D-shaped tab
retention points that engage specific locations on the knife handle.
These tabs have stainless steel (corrosion-proof and very strong)
dot snaps that snap to the sheath back side. When the knife is in
the sheath, these dot snaps are engaged, making an audible and
tactile "snap" that assures the wearer that the knife is secured.
When snapped, it's impossible for the knife to be removed, to fall,
to vibrate out, or to even be forced from the sheath. This makes it
a positively-locking leather sheath that can't be forced, even in
the most violent and active situations. When the wearer wants to
remove the knife, he pushes his fingertips into the handle,
unsnapping and folding the front face of the sheath outward,
unlocking the tabs from the knife handle. Because the front of the
sheath folds, it's made of extra-thick leather and it's reinforced
at that critical point with two 304 stainless steel Chicago screws,
which go completely through the sheath front, welts, and back. This
way, no stress is on the stitching at this point. What about the
stitching? The belt loop I secured with double row stitching of
polyester, for the greatest strength and durability. The belt loop
will accommodate a 2.5" wide belt. On the welts, back, and front, I
hand-stitched the sheath with X-stitches, the very strongest stitch
type there is. The stitches not only create a dense binding field,
they stitch over each other and reinforce the entire stitch bond
line. The sheath is rounded, contoured, smoothed, and sealed with
three coats of lacquer for durability. This is, simply put, the most
durable leather sheath made.
- Designed by a professional for professional use,
this is a top-of-the-line, extremely tough and corrosion-resistant, wear-resistant
defensive, tactical knife that crosses over the threshold of
daily use and carry. The thin, hard, extremely strong and tough
blade has the pinnacle of heat treatment and thus, performance, and
the sheath is second to none. The package is comfortable and
lightweight, a premium skeletonized weapon and tool.
Thanks, S. H.!
Sheaths and new knife turned out perfect!!!!
--S.
Please click on thumbnail knife photos