Last Updated on September 15, 2020 by
The Kukri knife is talked about a lot in the prepper community because it’s one of those knives that looks like pure evil and is crafted for several purposes – slashing, crushing, chopping, and slicing. It can be a very intimidating weapon to have strapped on your hip, and just by carrying one you might make potential aggressors think twice about messing with you. But at the same time, it can be one of the most useful tools when you are out in the wilderness because it’s fantastic for chopping wood, cutting, and gutting small game and fish.
I wanted to write on this topic because I’ve always been fascinated with weapons, especially the ones used in any type of martial art, but especially knives because they seem to be such a lethal force on the street. I always thought to myself if I knew how to get a knife away from someone to neutralize the situation, I would be a lot more confident walking around in a survivalist situation. But if I were to come across someone with a Kukri knife, I might think twice about getting involved.
With that said, I want to dive into the kukrui knife as a survival tool and weapon and look at its origins, and how you can use it for both a practical survival weapon and tool at the same time.
History And Origins Of The Kukri Knife
One of the best ways to sum up a Kukri knife was written by the Prime Minister and Supreme Commander Maharaja Padma Shamser Jangbahadur Rana, “The Kukri is the national as well as the religious weapon of the Gurkhas.
It is incumbent on a Gurkha to carry it while awake and to place it under
pillow when retiring.”
The Kukri is the national knife of Nepal. When the British first took over India in the early 1800s, they came into full awareness of the power and lethal applications of this knife. Years later, they would adopt it into their army training and still use it today. Although historians still do not know who originally made the knife, it is one of the oldest in historical battles to be used when the bullets ran out. It has been thought that the Kukri knife is shaped similar to the Greek sword called Kopis (also adopted by the Persians) and crafted similar to the Japanese sword, which would essentially make it one of the oldest weapons in the world.
As mentioned above, the British Army requires all of their Gurkha recruits to learn Kukri knife handling skills. As a matter of fact, it was just announced by Forces.net that the largest number of Gurkha recruits have joined the army in 2019 than in any other time in the past 30 years. It’s amazing to see the grueling race coarse that these young men had to accomplish in order to get recruited. Out of 10,000 applicants only approximately 400 got accepted. As you can imagine, it is an extremely high honor to be part of the British Army.
The Kukri knife has a romantic past and is solely associated with the bravery and unyielding force of the Gurkha soldiers. There are many websites that you can read in more depth about the history of the Kukri knife, and all of them will end with the same philosophy that the Gurkas and the Kukri knife go hand-in-hand to serve their nation.
How The Kukri Blade is Made
There are a few different theories on why and how the Kukri knives were made in the early 19th century, but most agree that the Nepalese versions were made with a notch cut into the blade right above the handle. This was done to keep the blood of the enemy from trickling down to the handle, making it hard to handle. Smart move if this was the case, and to fortify the strength and grip of the handle.
When it comes to tangs, there are two different types. One is called the rattail tang and runs from the end of the handle and narrows as it goes down. The second type is stronger as it has a fuller, flatter tang and and the handle is much heavier and sturdier. Steel rivets are used to attach the grip and a butt cap is used to fit over the end.
The Kukri knife can be seen in several different lengths from 14-16 inches, all the way to 30 inches in length (although the longer ones are typically used for ceremonial purposes such as the Hindu festival of Dashain instead of fighting). The wood that is used is typically local such as walnut, signal, or chandan. The scabbard is made of goat or elephant, for example.
How To Handle The Kukri Knife
The hardest part of choosing the Kukri knife as a weapon is learning how to use it. Yes. It is a bad-ass knife that can be intimidating to other attackers. It even looks like a smaller machete with a curved blade. But the only people right now who actively train with the knife is the British Army as mentioned above.
The best way to “train” or get used to using the Kukri knife as a weapon is by either reading books or by watching Youtube videos. When researching this topic, I found a fantastic resource that talks about handling the Kukri knife. Essentially there are eight different handling techniques when using the Kukri knife:
- Holding – normal
- Holding – thumbs up
- Carrying – placement/wearing
- Drawing In and Out
- Karda and Chakmak (small knife and sharpening)
- Swinging The Blade
- Combat Encounter
- Stabbing
All of these techniques can be found in greater detail in the Khukuri Handling Catalog website. I encourage you to dive deeper into the training manual, as it will give you a better feel as to what to expect with maneuvering the knife.
The Kukri Knife As A Survival Tool
The Kukri has long been used as a tool for the Gurkhas in cutting meat and vegetables, digging holes, hacking away at branches and other various jobs that needed to be done. Which brings us to the subject of using the Kukri knife as a survival camping tool. This knife can be your best friend when spending time out in the wilderness.
You could, for the same weight, carry a machete for prepping wood and clearing a campsite. You could also carry a hatchet so you can chop limbs for example. Then you have a smaller knife that you could carry for gutting fish.
But the Kukri knife is a like an 3-in-1 tool. The Kukri is definitely a bit heavier than the others mentions above and can do all of things that the above three tools do, it’s just not as precise as if you had a tool for each individual task.
As you will see below, the Kukri knife chops through wood with ease. Another important thing to note is how this video talks about the way the knife handle fits very snug in your hand, which helps when you are using it to chop.
But with that said, it’s extremely versatile. Everything is packed into one tool. Because it’s heavy, you can get a bit tired using it, but it’s easier to maintain because you only have one tool instead of three, for example. If you have a bug out bag, or hiking bag, the Kukri takes up a smaller amount of space than the three tools together.
And as you’ve learned above, if you find yourself in a combat situation, the Kukri knife is a supreme tool that you can defend yourself with.
Kukri Knife Examples
It only makes sense to share with you a few of our favorite Kukri knives and how you can purchase them. This will give you a wide range of examples. Some are beautiful and some are practical.
Camel Bone 13" Fixed Blade Custom Handmade Damascus Steel Kukri Hunting Knife
EGKH. Genuine Gurkha Hand Forged Kukri - 10" Blade
M48 Tactical Kukri with Sheath
Final Thoughts
The Kukri knife is a very diverse survival mechanism that can be used as a tool or a weapon. It’s supreme functionality allows you to feel comfortable if you are up in the mountains or if you are in the streets in an unfamiliar situation. I hope this post shed some light on the versatility of this knife, and if you should decide to buy one, I know you will not be disappointed.