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As an operator I agree with Josh. It is a fighting knife/utility with some possibilities for light/medium general chores. Chopping trees? Possible but not built and designed for. Batoning? Possible, but not designed for. It is like using a Formula 1 car for driving off road rallies. If you need to defend yourself in CQB and be a survivalist, take a fighting knife and companion survival knife with you.......
First of all i want to say PLEASE DO NOT LISTEN TO JOSH, "This knife has a rat tail tang which means the blade is welded onto a thin, rectangular piece of metal running through the center of the handle making it easier to break at the welding point" This statement is complete bs. First of all the tang is not a rat tail tang. A rat tail tang is a round piece of thin metal. The Ka Bar tang is a BIG THICK STRONG TANG. Second of all, it is not welded on (i have no idea where this guy gets his info from). I have a USMC kabar that uses the same construction as this knife. I have had it for 4 years now and i have used it for chopping wood. It has never failed me. There is a reason why the military uses ka bar knives ever since ww2.
Finally Got To Use It For That Which It Was Designed... SUPERB!
Have owned this knife for a number of years. Bought it for my rather extensive and eclective collection. Never carried it, never used it! I bought it for type! My favorite carry fixed blade has, in recent years, been the Ka-Bar USN MK1 (small, unobtrusive), even though I was a MARINE in two combat zones: air and naval gunfire FO in Santo Domingo, and then a base camp builder and NCOIC of a .50Cal machine gun bunker for my first several months in Vietnam, then a courier of sorts. I have opted for the Navy's USN MK1 Didn't have it back then ('65&'66); much bigger knife (Buck 120)! But recently I had need for my MK1 to use for that which it was clearly designed, but couldn't find it, then remembered I had left it in my car. Though we were safely positioned, but experiencing a near torrential downpour, I grabbed the 1271 and put it to use. Happy to say, its larger size and compound blade out-performed the MK1 in Spades! The finest knife I have ever used for this purpose! Take note DCA and Seth...! I was cutting up cardboard!!!
This knife is a "Combat/Fighter" blade. It has a rather thin blade to slash and stab an oncoming threat. If you are wanting to chop firewood look elsewhere. It was a thin rat-tail tang to keep weight down. Most knives if this type have a thin tang. Even expensive combat Randal Made Knives have rat tails. Wanna chop? Get an axe. Wanna survival knife? Try a thick Esee or Becker. Want slice, slash, stab and cause bodily damage? Then this is your blade. Yes it can be used for utility tasks like cutting rope, hammering a tent stake, whittling, notching. But beating the thin spine for wood? Ridiculous.
i dont know who thinks that ka-bars have any kind of welds on them,,they are wrong if you watch the video ka-bar has of their factory operations youll see the blade and the tang ARE A SINGLE PIECE the guard is press fitted on during the handle fitting process and pinned on butt cap which is all done under extreme force my frnds dad was a marine in vietnam and his ka-bar was made the same way they are made today except his scabbard is aluminum with a built in sharpener its a knife made for the army navy marines cant get any better then that ,,only warning i give is do not try n baton with it
I have no idea why people would even think about chopping wood with this, even if it is a softwood like pine. This knife is strictly meant to kill. This knife has a rat tail tang which means the blade is welded onto a thin, rectangular piece of metal running through the center of the handle making it easier to break at the welding point. The tang makes it lighter, and more balanced, this knife will be good for self defence. If I'm going hiking/camping, I'm not bringing this knife, if some one breaks into my house and I need to use a knife, I will use my kabar "FIGHTER" knife and use it for it's intended purpose
Great knife. Quality is evident in the construction, great grip, fit and finish and it came very sharp. Blade thickness is just right.I wish the sheath used a strap to secure the knife over the quillion or hand guard instead of the 2 straps that secure the grip. Overall a very good knife for the money.
Alot of people seem to get confused by the tac welds holding the hilt on, and think that the tang is welded on, everyone thought the SOG fusion fixation bowie had a welded tang, but its just the hilt being tac welded in place, Yes this knife is called a "fighter" but it is still a utility knife. If you look at true fighting knives like the AF commando knife or bayonets, they are double edged daggers, the bowie is a popular design because it is an all purpose knife and has enough wieght to make it an effectice slashing weapon true fighting knives are light fast and used for penetration, but arent very good for much else, So you would either carry 2 knives a dagger and a swiss army type knife or use an all purpose design like the KaBar
this knife are a very great combat knife, super camp knife but not a real survival knife... ( blade are to thin in the handle..) if you want survival knife buy a survival knife.. (bk2/bk7// Condor Hudson's Bay Knife// fallkniven a1// ect..) ''KA-BAR 1271 Fighter Knife 8" Combo Blade'' ''fighter knife'' ... fighter...knife... and it will be super camp knife..
Just fell in love with this knife ever since I saw it on KA-BAR's website. She is wickedly sharp out of the box and mean in shape as a real combat knife is supposed to be. It is designed exclusively for military/tactical use. Few people own 1271 FIGHTER and very few people know that it has a slightly wider tang than the regular USMC Combat Knife and is thus a little bit more robust in construction. Along with a Cold Steel Leatherneck training knife, I brandish this battle-proven blade whenever I practice Krav Maga alone. HARDCORE KNIVES. HARDCORE LIVES.
I thought this was a great knife, until it broke! The blade snapped off right at the guard and cut my thumb decently, as it is a sharp knife. So now I'm left with three pieces of a nice knife, and out $$$. I wasn't evening punishing this thing, I was using about 1/10 of my strength chopping a piece of pine... I can't imagine what people do when something like this happens in a life or death situation... I was at home so it really wasn't a big deal other than I don't have a "knife" anymore, just a sheath and three paperweights...(blade, guard and handle) Has anyone had experience with Ka Bar about returns/replacements?...
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Close-up of hand holding knife, opening or unsheathing knife, and then closing or sheathing knife.
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