It takes more than an aggressive look or a gray and black finish to make a tomahawk a tactical tomahawk. Remember, tomahawks were "tactical" for hundreds of years in their original forms. That is, they met the needs of the soldiers and frontiersmen as both a tool and weapon in the battlefield conditions they encountered. In the view of RMJ Tactical, a contemporary tactical tomahawk should be able to withstand all modern battlefield conditions — areas ranging from the Salt Lake City, Utah, Olympics, to the Jungles of South America, to the rugged mountains in Afghanistan. RMJ Tactical tomahawks have been carried in all three.
A tactical tomahawk should be easy to use and carry. A well-designed tomahawk feels like a natural extension of the arm. The use of it should be intuitive. It is interesting to note that people throughout history have been naturally inclined to "hack" with a bladed object. As for the tomahawk scabbard, it should securely hold the tomahawk in place while making it easy to draw the tomahawk out. Also, the modern scabbard should have multiple carrying options. Finally, the modern tactical tomahawk should be able to perform as an efficient tool and weapon for the many tasks soldiers and officers encounter. RMJ Tactical makes tomahawks that meet these requirements. It is not by chance; it comes from many hundreds of hours of design time, customer input, customer requests, and testing, testing, testing.
To embark on designing a tomahawk that will be used in modern combat means embracing a new set of serious design issues that were previously not considered. Today, the end user is not necessarily interested in the historical aspects of the piece. The end user is not as interested in aesthetics. The most important part of the design is that the hawk can perform its tasks without any failure and with deadly efficiency. Worst-case scenarios are played out with use, abuse, environment, and duration.
When Jimmy Lyle designed the knife used in the movie First Blood, he commented that when designing the knife, he imagined himself stranded in the wilderness with just a knife. Then, he tried to think of all the things he would need in a knife to get out alive. The design process takes a similar route, drawing on not only RMJ's experience, but more importantly the experience of those who have been involved in Special Op missions, and those who have found themselves on the battlefield in ugly situations. The Kestrel Feather is RMJ's lightest tomahawk designed for concealed carry and use in tight quarters.
There are three design laws when it comes to tactical weapons:
1. Don't neglect what has worked for centuries. Use lines and features that worked well in battles past and discard the rest.
2. Always take past and present battlefield conditions into consideration, and appropriately utilize both old and new materials in the best way possible to meet these conditions.
3. Strike the best balance possible between the most efficient design and the worst-case scenario design. Do this by drawing on the experience of others, and by extensively testing your design.
Uses:
RMJ Tactical, RMJ Tactical Kestrel Tomahawk Series, 80CrV2 Blade Steel, G10 Handle Material, Axes, Axes Tomahawk, Made in USA
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