SWAT wakizashi, and knives for USMC and Army SF

These are some pieces that got finished up and delivered in March, in amongst working on tomahawks and such.  As I work my way down my list of commissions, military and law enforcement orders go to the top.

This Benghazi Warfighter and Little Rok pair went to a Marine.  The Benghazi is for work, and the Little Rok for play.  Both are forged from 80CrV2.

The Benghazi Warfighter has tan Tero Tuf for its handle.

The Marine wanted to have a leg strap, adjustable-height quick-detach belt loops, and a retention strap.  This is what I came up with.  I shot some video talking about it, but need to edit it together and get it uploaded to YouTube still.

The Little Rok has walnut for its handles, and black Kydex with a TekLok.

The next knife is for a soldier currently going through his Special Forces qualification course.  He wanted something for tactical and camping purposes with about a 7" blade.  So we went with a cord-wrapped Benghazi Warfighter slightly longer than usual.  Once again, 80CrV2 for the steel.

We also decided to do a black oxide finish.

And we went with a Combat Loop on the sheath.  These are similar to TekLoks, but with a locking mechanism that I like better.  I plan on using them more, but this is the first sheath I've made to get one.

The background for these photos is the hood of a first generation International Harvester Scout.  I noticed something funny as I walked up to it.

I appreciate '80s metal, and so did whoever owned this in the '80s.  :D

And finally, an interesting couple of blades for a sheriff's deputy who is on a reserve SWAT team.  He's been carrying a 14" bladed machete on his pack and wanted a "tanto machete" to replace it with.  I had a 14" bladed quasi-wakizashi already forged out of 5160 and sent him a picture.  He decided to go with it.  He also wanted a fairly wide-bladed 5" knife with a false edge on top for his son's graduation present, which I forged from 80CrV2.  

 They both got matching cord wraps and Kydex, and both have coffin-shaped exposed skullcrushers.  You can see that the quasi-waki has a fairly straight blade, but the handle is angled slightly.  I've seen a few other tactical wakis take this approach and wanted to try it.

Here's a look at it in my meaty paw to give a sense of scale.  The beard is temporary; I'm reverting back to jaw-length sideburns the next time I get a haircut.  :)

I look tired for some reason in this picture.  :(

Off to the next adventure!  :)  Also, spring has sprung in south Texas, and the hills and fields are covered in a riot of wildflowers.  Here are some bluebonnets up the slope from my shop.