This is not your uncle’s camping axe!
I am not an expert with edged weapons, even though I have a trunk-load of them, including the old Buck hunting knife that my Dad gave me when I was a teenager many moons ago. So with that said, I wanted to share my latest prize, which was a Christmas gift from my son-in-law who is a serving USMC Officer who enlisted in the Corps and became a sniper. After his combat tour he was ‘mustang-ed’ into the officer’s program, and our entire family is very proud of him.
So back to my ‘gift’… I have seen and held a few axes, including what are known as ‘battle axes’, which have little utility in survival situations. The particular axe that is in the photos herein was designed and is built to USMC specs as a tactical survival axe by Elite Tactical. This is no ordinary survival axe… it carries in its design the experience of the USMC.
The USMC Tactical Survival Axe
This axe is the real-deal, bad boy! The first thing I noticed when I picked it up is that it is a balanced instrument. As I said, I’m not an expert in edged weapons, but I strongly suspect that this axe could be effectively used as a throwing weapon (with practice). It is built like a tank and utilizes a combination of a corrosion free heavy-duty nylon fiber handle and a special stainless steel alloy for the axe-head. In addition to the large edge for chopping and splitting wood (etc.), the opposite pick end is effective for a host of uses, including piercing light gauge steel. So as we see, this unique axe is a hybrid between a camp axe and a battle-axe.
There’s more to this tactical axe than expected
But there’s more to this axe than meets the eye… the end of the handle has an ‘O’-ring sealed threaded cap complete with a very useful length of paracord. And when you remove this robust cap, set inside the heavy alloy handle cap is a high-quality compass! Inside the axe handle is another spring-loaded container that protrudes when the cap is removed, and inside that cylinder are additional goodies; a stainless steel fishing hook, a nice long length of fishing line, a bandage, a striker and half-dozen waterproof matches. There was room, so I added a curved sewing needle and nylon thread suitable for suturing flesh wounds or mending clothing to my kit.
You can get more details about this cool axe by going to this specs page:
http://www.usmarinesknives.com/usmc/products/elite-tactical/bruiser.html
Being prepared today means being ready for tomorrow.
Cheers! Capt. Bill
Capt. William E. Simpson II – USMM Ret.
Semper Veritas / Semper Paratus
http://www.WilliameSimpson.com
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6505899/
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