SHOT Show 2015: Buck Selkirk Survival Knife

Buck's new Selkirk Survival Knife, named after the rugged Selkirk Mountain Range in the Northern Panhandle of Idaho, is strongly reminiscent of Buck's Vanguard knife, which Bear Grylls used in his early "Man vs Wild" shows.

The Selkirk has a 4.6" Blade and is constructed of 420HC Stainless. The handle is made from Micarta and is secured with steel bolsters. Buck says the rear bolster can be used as a hammer.

The Selkirk's sheath is constructed from injected molded nylon and comes with a firesteel that doubles as a survival whistle.

Buck says the Selkirk is made in China to keep the price more affordable.

By marketing a knife with these kinds of features, it's obvious that Buck is taking the bushcraft and survival market seriously, which I think is great. MSRP $85.00

For more information visit: www.buckknives.com/product/selkirk-knife/0863BRS-B/

SHOT Show 2015: EKA of Sweden's Nordic W12 Survival Knife

Although EKA is a newcomer to America, they have been making knives in Sweden since 1882. Their new entry in the US survival knife market is the Nordic W12, a full-tang Scandi-grind survival knife available with either a synthetic G10 or Bubinga wood handle. The blade is made from Swedish 12C27 Sandvik Stainless. The sheath is made from Kydex and comes with an attached firesteel. The firesteel has a mini carbide sharpener built in to the cap. First impressions of this knife are very good. 

The MSRP for the EKA Nordic W12 is listed at $159.00. For more info visit EKA's US Distributor ProForce Equipment at www.proforceequipment.com/product-details.php?id=467&catid=62

SHOT Show 2015: Matt Graham's new Primitive Bush Knife

Dual Survivor star Matt Graham has teamed up with Condor Tool and Knife to produce a new knife called the "Primitive Bush Knife." The knife is spec'd according to Matt's years of experience living primitively in the wilds of Utah. The knife features a 3mm thick, Smatchet-style blade made of 420HC Stainless, a hardwood handle, and a hand crafted welted leather sheath. No word yet on an MSRP or a release date, but as soon as we get this info, we'll post it here. Cheers, Jason

RMB Editor Leah Klocko with Condor's head designer Joe Flowers 

About the author

Jason Schwartz is the founder and senior editor of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft. He is a former Red Cross certified Wilderness & Remote First Aid Instructor, and has taught bushcraft and wilderness survival techniques to the Boy Scouts of America, interned with the US Forest Service, and studied wilderness survival, forestry and wildland firefighting at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, Colorado. Jason has also written for magazines such as The New Pioneer and Backpacker, including writing the "Tinder Finder" portion of Backpacker's "Complete Guide to Fire," which won a 2015 National Magazine Award (NMA). Email him at rockymountainbushcraft @ hotmail.com (without spaces)

SHOT Show 2015: Benchmade Jungle Bolo Knife and Clip Point Jungle Knife

 

Benchmade's latest foray into the large survival knife market is their new 153BK Jungle Bolo and 154BK Jungle Clip-point knives. Sporting 9.7" long blades made of 1095 High Carbon Spring Steel and grippy Santoprene handles, these knives look ready for serious action.

The biggest caveat is, will the 1095 Carbon Steel on these new Bolo knives hold up to serious use?

As we outlined in our 2013 review of the Benchmade Bushcrafter Knife, Benchmade swallowed a bitter pill back in 2008. The edge failed on their 1095-based CSK II as popular YouTube knife reviewer "NutNFancy" was limbing a green sapling in one of his videos.

Word spread like wildfire that the knife's edge was brittle and chip-prone, and sales plummeted, ultimately leading to the CSK II's demise. Ever since, Benchmade has taken great pains to prove that all of their new survival knives are as tough as nails, even posting torture test videos of the Bushcrafter Knife when it came out. 

Benchmade is apparently very confident in the toughness of this steel, so much so that they asked us to take the knives into the Rocky Mountains and thrash on them to see if they hold up. How could we resist an offer like that?! Once we put the knives through their paces, we'll post the test results, which will be linked here.

Having a chat with Derrick Lau at the Benchmade Knives display

The MSRP on Benchmade's new Bolo Knives is listed at $125.00 per knife. Made in Oregon City, Oregon USA. For more information visit http://www.benchmade.com/jungle-family.html

SHOT Show 2015: Gerber full tang Golok and Bush Machetes

If you like to use a machete for heavier tasks like chopping, batoning and splitting, check out Gerber Gear's new full-tang Golok and Bush Machetes. The Golok Machete is a whopping 1/4" thick, and the Bush Machete is only slightly thinner at 0.19" thick. Both are constructed from 1050 Carbon Steel and come with heavy nylon sheaths.

My initial impression of the machetes was definitely good. Both machetes felt solid and well built, and were also comfortable in the hand. The Golok in particular might appeal to bushcrafters who like big survival knives.

 

MSRP for the Golok is $64.99 and $52.99 for the Bush Machete.

On a side note, a senator in the state of New York has proposed a law to ban the sale and possession of machetes. If you're one of our New York readers, call your representatives and tell them to vote against this legislation!

Cheers, Jason

"Made in the USA" Review: Filson Outfitter Wallet

Over the last few years, I've reviewed several items from Filson's outdoor clothing line for our "Made in the USA" gear series and was highly impressed. Their superbly designed products are extremely rugged and held in high regard by bushcrafters, hunters and outdoorsman alike.

Recently, I was in the market for a new wallet and ran across their stylish "Outfitter Wallet" while checking out their catalog. Now, a wallet is not something I'd normally review, but there's no denying a good wallet is indispensable when traveling between the bush and civilization. Besides, this wallet just looks cool in a bushcraft chic sort of way that really caught my eye.

The Outfitter Wallet is made from vegetable tanned Bridle Leather, and holds up to eight cards with room for bills. It really exudes quality and craftsmanship (hey, it's a Filson right?). 100% Made in Seattle, Washington USA.

For more information visit www.filson.com/products/leather-outfitter-wallet.65200.html

SHOT Show 2015: Helle Knive's new full tang "Utvaier" Knife

Helle of Norway's new Utvaer Knife made a big splash at SHOT Show 2015. The reason for all the attention? The Utvaer is Helle's first honest to goodness full tang knife. Fans of these high quality Nordic bush knives have been hoping for years that Helle would release a full tang model. Well fans, the wait is finally over!

Instead of Helle's typical laminated steel construction, the Utaver keeps things simple by utilizing a solid billet of Swedish 12C27 Sandvik Steel. Sandvik is an excellent stainless that sharpens as easily as carbon steel yet takes a very fine edge, and is extremely tough and break resistant.

The Utvaer's mirror-polished blade is 3mm thick by 4 inches in length. The handles are crafted from an eye-pleasing Curly Birch wood. The leather sheath is simple, functional and attractive. As is traditional for bush knife sheaths, it does not have a retention strap.

 

 

Helle named the Utaver knife after a place steeped in Viking history, the Utvaer Islands, located off the western most part of Norway, in the North Sea. 

The Utvaer's MSRP is $239.00. For more information visit www.helle.no/products/knives/utvaer/

SHOT Show 2015: Ontario Knives' new SP50-based Large Bushcraft Knife

Fans of Ontario Knive's SP50 Survival Knife, take note! Ontario is planning to release a bushcraft version of the SP50 this year which will feature a contoured hardwood handle, sharpened spine for striking firesteels, and a more traditional leather sheath. Like the SP50, on which it is based, the Large Bushcraft Knife will be constructed from super tough 5160 steel.

No details on a price or release date yet, but as soon as we hear something we'll post an update here.

SHOT SHOW 2015: Gerber StrongArm Military Survival Knife vs the Gerber Prodigy

Gerber's new US made "StrongArm" Military Survival Knife has generated quite a buzz. The StrongArm is based on Gerber's popular serrated-edge Prodigy Survival Knife. Fans of the Prodigy have been begging Gerber for years to introduce a fine-edged version. Could the StrongArm, with its similar design and 4.8" fine edge blade be the knife they've been waiting for?

Readers keep asking how this knife compares to the Prodigy, so Leah and I decided to focus mainly on this aspect in our SHOT Show coverage.......

The Gerber StrongArm (bottom) next to the Gerber Prodigy (top):

With the exception of the StrongArm's new diamond texture rubberized handle and slight changes to the front guard, the differences between the two are relatively minor. One exception is the StrongArm's sheath, which has been revised to make it lighter with more attachment options.

(Prodigy on left, StrongArm on right):

 
 

StrongArm shown in foreground:

 

StrongArm (left) shown next to Prodigy (right):

 

 

Gerber's Promo Video:

Just like the Prodigy, the StrongArm's spine will strike a firesteel quite efficiently.

With its new straight edge, ultra-grippy diamond textured handle, and revised sheath with multiple carry options, the Gerber StrongArm has the potential to make an excellent survival knife for military personnel and beyond. Made in Portland, Oregon USA with an MSRP of $75.00

For more information visit Gerber Gear at www.gerbergear.com/Tactical/Knives/StrongArm-Fixed-Blade-Coyote-Brown-FE_31-002931

UPDATE: Chiappa X-Caliber and M6 Folding Survival Rifles

Hey friends, Jason here. I know many of you have been waiting patiently to see RMB's review of Chiappa's new X-Caliber and M6 Folding Survival Guns. The two test guns we received were pre-production models, and unfortunately both guns had some issues that have prevented us from completing field testing and posting a review. We immediately notified Chiappa about the issues, and they assured us that they would send replacements as soon as possible.

Being as all of this happened right before the major outdoor shows (SHOT Show, etc), shipping of the replacement guns was delayed. I'm happy to report that the new test samples are now on their way and our field testing should begin again in the next couple of weeks.

Aside from our usual battery of tests (accuracy, shot patterns, general reliability, etc.), we plan to rough test the polypropylene foam stock by grinding it against boulders. We also intend to toss the guns into a stream to see if they float. While the guns are wet, we will test fire them to check reliability. I also plan to shoot clay targets, thanks to the folks at Champion Targets, who were kind enough to donate a 3/4 Cock Skybird Clay Target Thrower to use in the review. This style of trap thrower will allow me to test the guns' wing-shooting ability in remote wilderness locations, since it doesn't require electricity and comes with a foot pedal to activate the trap. This should be a lot of fun!

To keep updated on the review, make sure to "Like" the Rocky Mountain Bushcraft Facebook page or sign our email list on the top right-hand side of the page and we'll let you know when the review goes live.

Cheers!