The late Gunny’s final knife collaboration was certainly not his least.
KA-BAR Gunny Review
The KA-BAR Gunny is a hybrid design that resembles a bolo. I suspect R. Lee Ermey, the unforgettable Gunny who serves as the knife’s namesake, spent some time in jungles because this combination chopper/slicer’s performance is on par with village-forged bolos I’ve used in Southeast Asia, and that’s a high compliment.
Its forward weight and terrific blade design promote efficient chopping. We cut through 3-to-4-inch-thick saplings with two strokes. We took down a tree with a 6-inch-thick truck just because we could.
After the chopping the blade was still sharp enough for camp kitchen work. The belly, good balance and fine edge combined to make slicing meat and vegetables a pleasure. Slashing hanging rubber hose and the water bottle were a piece of cake.
The comfortable handle lends itself both to heavy chopping and fine meat cutting, which is unusual.
Bottom line: The Gunny is an excellent all-around bush knife. The sheath has a pocket for a sharpening stone, which was not included with the review model.
Specs
- DESIGNER: R. Lee “Gunny” Ermey
- BLADE LENGTH: 9.75”
- BLADE MATERIAL: 1095 Cro-Van carbon steel
- BLADE WIDTH: 2”
- BLADE THICKNESS: .2”
- BLADE GRIND: Flat
- HANDLE WIDTH: 1.5”
- HANDLE THICKNESS: .94”
- HANDLE MATERIAL: Wood
- WEIGHT: 15.29 ozs.
- OVERALL LENGTH: 15.5”
- SHEATH: Leather
- COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
- MSRP: $292
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