Tactical Tomahawk... tool or toy ???

M

Magnum Wheel Man

New member
was chatting with a bud the other day, & he was watching some military show, that they listed the top all time greatest military weapons, & the Tomahawk came up as 4th best military weapon of all time...

I argued, well Ok, it was formidable in the early days... but turns out modern soldiers are carrying them in Afganistan, & there are several military grade units being made... of course a search, mixes them up with the fantasy knives, so you have to sort the made in China from the good stuff...

I'm not much of a "knife" guy, but I do have several little axes... one in my field dress kit for splitting hips or sternum, one more of a camp hatchet, for splitting kindling...

lately I've been thinking of an upgrade to the old fashoned camp hatchet, & had begun to look at heavier Kukries ( a cross bettween a knife & a machette ) with an angled blade that drags the edge across the surface being cut... there are times I could use a machette, but I'm not wanting to strap on some big ol thing...

I'm not sure I'd actually train to fight with one, but it might be cool to have a more versitile tool, than the old camp axe ???

so what are your thoughts of these new Tomahawks, or "big chopping knives"... tool... or mall ninja toy ???
 
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While I do not think it a sound "tactical" practice,I have had a lot of fun throwing tomahawks at a cottonwood slab.

In my experience,the buckskinner type tomahawk makes a good,practical light hatchet.It will do small campfire kindling,light shelter work,and some dressing tasks.I don't spend a lot of time pondering brawling with a tomahawk,and have zero experience with that,so,nothing to say.

Another option for a tool is to cut a GI machete to 12 or 14 in,or so.You can put a tanto point on it,or a reverse tanto.It will do about the same jobs as the tomahawk,and carry about the same
 
Ninja mall toy.

I can somewhat see an infantryman using one instead of a bayonet, but the thought of an average joe using one for more than a camp hatchet is laughable. Just my opinion though.
 
I kind of collect knives and have seen these items in magazines and WEB sites. At the end of the day it is just another tool and only you can decide if they are indeed practical for your situation. I would caution you to pay close attention to the actual steel used and other assembly techniques since I suspect quality can vary greatly.

Also, just because an item is made in Asia does not necessarily mean it is of low quality. Remember those folks have been making some very nice cutting tools for several centuries.
 
I have an older Pakistan made Damaskus lock blade knife with real "bone / stag" handles, that is more crude, but a very solid knife, full 1/8" thick blade...

but I am paranoid of the "fantasy knife" market... I tend to look for full length tangs... the stainless hatchet in my field dress kit has a full length, full thickness tang, someting like that makes me feel the warm fuzzies, better than the Gerber hatchets that the handle is separate from the blade
 
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I have a cold steel Vietnam Tomahawk. It wouldn't be my first pick in a fight. It doesn't throw well, but then again, neither do I. The handle is not impressive.

The thing about axes and tomahawks is they inherently stick in what is hit. They just aren't fast and they do not have a slicing surface. Not abig fan of slicing, but the more options you have the more your opponent has to watch out for.

If I hit you in the head with it the fight would likely end immediately though.
Same goes for the small hatchet I keep by my fire pit and it was only $12.
 
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I do have several little axes... one in my field dress kit for splitting hips or sternum, one more of a camp hatchet, for splitting kindling...
Click to expand...

I don't know (nor care) about "tactical" but, like you, I do like a little camp hatchet. Sure come in handy if you have to quarter an elk.

As to "tactical".....I'm not taking an ax to a gun fight.
 
I agree it is more practical; I know Mel Gibson in "The Patriot" made the Tomahawk seem like the poor mans machine gun but as others have mentioned axes get stuck in what they hit generally. As a hobbyist of medieval weapons I know the axe has a couple of advantages vs a sword/blade against an "armored" target but it has too many "dis advantages" vs a sword/blade for "Combat" against an unarmored target.

Get one if you want a practical tool; if you want a tactical killing instrument look at a KA-BAR or other combat styled knife.
 
I am a reenactor/buckskinner and have a collection of tomahawks. One is a spiked "riflemans" style. There is no doubt it would be a serious weapon in a close in, hand to hand, fight. Tomahawks were not generally thrown even though there are a (very) few recorded instances of this being done. Realistically, why would one throw away his last weapon?
 
I was just suprised to see all the pics of our modern soldiers in the middle east carrying tomahawks... reasoning I heard, was that the area is tradition rich with bladed weapons, & carrying the "hawk" adds to the respect... but then my searching turned up Vietnam "hawks" which I'd think jungle fighting might have included machetes... didn't expect tomahawks ???

I'm all for a good quality, thick blade / head, for a life time of use... my little stainless hatchet is only 1/8" to maybe 3/16" head & tang... works fine for field dressing, but probably lacks the muscle needed to actually "work" with it...

been looking at the Browning Shock & Awe tomahawk, or the Eshwing ( spelling ) as a working mans "hatchet" since they make very durable hammers
or one of these...

http://www.lg-outdoors.com/proddetail.asp?prod=52200
 
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Oh, it is a FINE tool to have. Actually there was a documentary on the tube the other night about the man who designed the hawk used in Vietnam. Most veterans agreed that its main use was for purposes other than combat. In Afghanistan the culture is one that has always had GREAT respect for edged weapons and the soldiers are treated with more respect if they are seen carrying them. Cold Steel makes some very serviceable hawks for the price but I believe they are made in Asia if that matters to you.
 
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If you've done any LE/Security work and have any training with the collapsible baton, you'll see that translate pretty well with a hatchet/tomahawk. The question is why would you? CQC techniques with your handgun will serve you better for defense. Your gun is easier to retain, for starters. But, for camping/hiking I love them. I find many uses for them. I have an old Sears/Craftsman hatchet I use. It's a bit thick and a little heavier than the "tactical tomohawk" but is infinitely easier to use.
 
Don't know tactical, but

the Archeologist Hammer wasn't awful for some camp use. The hammer part on a hatchet was some better.

We were more likely to use the hammer end to drive tent stakes and hurt thumbs than anything else.

salty
 
The tactical tomahawk is useful as a weapon, but unlikely to be used as one. The place where the RMJ Tactical tomahawks and similar designs shine is that they are primarily breaching tools and crash axes, where they get used frequently. Tactical tomahawks are typically poor woodcraft tools, though woodcraft tomahawks or hatchets make effective weapons.

To the kukri- I prefer a kukri to a light hatchet. I have a very small kukri from Khukuri House in Nepal. It's a solid 1/4" thick and 8" long- and it's a "mini." The convex grind is good, and it tears through light brush, roots, etc.
 
If including all small axes under the heading "tomahawk" There can be little argument of it being one of the best weapons of all time.

Remember that the Frankish Fransisca was one of the most formidable weapons of Dark Age Europe.
Hand Axes were used in nearly every age and on almost every continent since before time.
The Tomahawk was a very common Native American tool/weapon used for centuries and then adopted by European fur traders and mountainmen for it's simplicity and multi-usefulness.

Would I rate it #4? Probably not, but it would be on the list
 
The Tomahawk was a very common Native American tool/weapon used for centuries and then adopted by European fur traders and mountainmen for it's simplicity and multi-usefulness.
Click to expand...

If you consider stone clubs and chipped 'axes' as tomahawks that statement might be correct.
But the iron and steel tomahawks arrived with the white man. In war they were given to the indians as were many knives.
Frontiersmen from the east who became mountainmen and Rev. Riflemen knew how to use a tomahawk both as a tool and weapon. They didn't need to learn from the indian.
 
A stone age war club that has an edged chert rock tied to the end of a stick isn't exactly a tomahawk, maybe. Neither is a razor blade in the handle of a plastic toothbrush. Meanings change.

Anyone know the origins of the term 'tomahawk'?

Thanks,

salty
 
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