Good morning all! As most of you know, I am a huge advocate of carrying a knife to support your gun. This is especially true in states where carrying a fixed blade concealed is legal. Not that I would ever choose a knife over a gun for a lethal force encounter, but it is an excellent “get off me tool” should you be surprised and your draw fouled. I have written at length about devices such as the Spartan Blades CQB tool, the knife specifically developed for US Army Special Forces in just such a scenario. But it isn’t the only option. This week I wanted to take a look at an underrated contender the Punch Dagger for CCW
Punch daggers have almost reached the level of bad cliche. You are unlikely to see one outside of a Vietnam movie or biker bar, and a great many of them are 3rd rate Chinesiuim because of that. Why? My guess is that they just garnered a bad reputation over the decades and stopped being taken seriously. But they do offer a few advantages.
First, due to the T-shaped handle and how you grip it, a punch dagger packs a lot of blade length in not much overall package. If a normally fixed blade has a handle length of 5 inches or so, a punch dagger has about 2. Especially for horizontal carry, that is a huge savings. A punch dagger also knew from inception that it wasn’t going to have the blade length to reach anything vital i.e. you aren’t going to hit the heart or other deep organ with a stab. So most of them compensate by having a wide blade, which makes a large (if surface) wound channel. Knife wounds need to make a hole for blood to fall out of, it’s how it works. Your options are deep or wide, and at least a punch dagger knows which one it prefers.
Second, a punch dagger is instinctive to use. Probably part of why “punch” is in its name. While you can slash with one, it feels a bit odd. It was designed to protrude from your hand and then….punch things. If you can throw a jab or a cross, you already have the training you need to make one effective. And the T shape comes into play again. Most stabbing implements require a guard to keep your hand from sliding onto the blade if you hit something hard like a bone or a brick wall. Not every shot is going to land. A punch dagger gets around this by filling your fist in a manner that makes slipping over the blade near impossible.
Our tester this week comes from RMJ Tactical, the Dragonfly to be specific. It is made of Nitro-V stainless steel, weighs in at 1.8 ounces without the sheath, and features a 2.375-inch blade. Crammed into an overall length of 4.75 inches. That is roughly the same as a P320 full-size magazine if you are keeping score at home. The sheath is Kydex and comes with MAD straps, appropriate for either belt or kit carry.
Having used this as my CCW knife for a few months now, I am very impressed. The knife is so small and light that it disappears on a belt. The Kydex has retained enough retention I don’t worry about it falling out even during high cardio events; such as being low on beer and the store closing in 2 minutes. It is a fantastic little peace of mind and one that I can fully endorse.
And if the RMJ is a bit rich for your blood, Cold Steel makes an excellent version for about half the price.
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