I have a WWI joke book that was sold to raise funds for the troops. In it is the following joke:
Sergeant: "If your bayonet becomes stuck in the enemy, you can just fire a round and that will free it."
Recruit: "Sarge, if I've still got a round left, that Kraut ain't getting close enough to get stuck!"
The same holds true today; it's pretty rare that combat gets close up and personal enough to use a knife. So skull crushers and such may not be worth much. On the other hand, the knife is going to be used to cut through the bands on an ammo box, or open a can, or chop into a wall, or butcher a goat. A friend in Afgh. told me his knife edge was all messed up after he loaned it to some Afgh. Nat. Army guys to butcher a goat. They don't cut the meat off the bones; they cut up the bones with the meat and cook it all together. Bones are tough on a knife.
With that in mind, steels like 1084, O1, and 5160 ("Old Chevy Spring") become good choices.
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God bless Texas! Now let's secede!!
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