The COLD STEEL Rifleman's Hawk: TIMELESS Hatchet or overrated Axe?

The Cold Steel Rifleman's Hawk is a great tomahawk, balancing looks, power, and size.

Link to buy the Hawk and scabbard:

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[gw]

Good vid, I love that you added the history behind the design. I have one and have been carrying it for over 6 years and love it. I have used it for cutting wood, setting up camp and surprisingly enough I have used it as a pull knife on a few deer skins during hunting season. Just remove it from the handle and it's a good size for "scrappy" away the fat and bits of muscle on a pelt (I tan the hides so this is a necessary part of the process to use every part of the animal)
Another thing I find cool about this that you can try is you can make a new, longer handle pretty easily and have two handles for small hatchet jobs and a longer one for scout axe work.

[tacticaltarzan]

I literally just ordered one of these, I’m excited

[sugashane]

I live in the country and have a creek on my land. I’ve used this axe more than any tool I own. It’s my number one carry.

[hovanti]

Interesting, Cold Steel added a set screw to it; got mine about 20 years ago, and it doesn't have that. I removed the paint from mine, as I thought it makes it look more "old timey."

[crmsoldier]

The lug screw fucks up the handels. It's a friction fit. It's only their to stop it coming loose during transit, also actually do something with the handel ( boild linseed) makes it more durable

[MrAlexH]

A note about friction-mounted axes of any sort - be them tomahawks, Viking battle axes, you name it.

Remove the head, then take a file to the inner edges of the socket on both ends. File in a nice smooth chamfer bevel on the inside of the socket on both the top AND bottom ends. Do this to keep the sharp edges from digging into your handle and causing shelving of the wood fibers, which eventually leads to splintering (which can eventually compound itself into full-on premature handle breakage.) Mass producers of axes like this next to NEVER do this on their axes (even though they absolutely SHOULD, ) and yet it’s common sense to most guys who actually know a thing or two about axes - including friction mounted axes like tomahawks.

Two: Fuck that allen bolt retaining pin. Just take it completely out because it’s about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. Friction mounted axes stay in place by compression and FRICTION, remember? Plus, that allen bolt does nothing but damage the wood fibers it has to dig into to do its job (and it doesn’t even DO that job very well at all.)

Once you’ve got those nice chamfer bevels fired into both sides of the interior of the socket, at both the top and the bottom, slip the head onto the handle in the correct direction/orientation. Let it drop into place, so that the inertia will kinda set it there kinda securely.

Then, using a soft but heavy striking tool (I use a wooden mallet or a THICK stick of green wood, ) smack the TOP of the handle relatively hard a couple times (if you use something made of metal, you run the risk of splintering or splitting the top of your handle, unless you strike consistently dead center EVERY time.) When smacking downward onto the top of the handle, the inertia will impact the axe handle DOWNWARD, while the axe head rides UP higher and higher towards the top of the handle. This makes it to where the axe head gets more and more tightly and upwardly seated onto the handle. Aka, it becomes better and better FRICTION-mounted. And in such a way, compression of the inside of the steel socket onto the fibers of the relatively soft wood is what holds the axe head in place. And it actually does a much better job of holding it fast than most would think.

To very quickly and easily remove the handle, you just flip the axe back over, and use the same striking tool to smack the BOTTOM of the handle. Inertia will do the work to completely loosen the axe head again. Then you can do whatever you want with the pieces.

Some people (like myself) LOVE friction-mounted axes precisely for this reason. You can easily fashion and carry differently lengthened handles (which are essentially just straight sticks) and convert a Viking battle axe into a hatchet. So you can technically get multiple tools from one axe head. You can also stow such an axe much less cumbersomely than just having to have it in a cross-over sling, or swinging from your belt.

[kallenbach]

This is a very good review video. Also good filming 👌

[taragistalaga]

Soda can, water bottle and orange juice carton? U should have reviewed a kitchen knife.

[Matthew-tmoq]

MidwayUSA has them for $22 right now. 05/15/21 🪓🪓🪓

[junichiroyamashita]

A suggestion, if you plan to review other Cold Steel products, go with the Liverpool Assassin. You would be the first one to make a review, and it would have much more views than the hawk.
It is not historical like the others, but maybe you can make something outta it.

[BRTowe]

It's $30 hawk, you'll need to sharpen it before trying to use it, lol.

[nicholasromano]

Did you sharpen the beard at all before using it to process wood?

[longrider]

Too heavy? Um, not really. Its lighter then most hatchets. Or maybe its just because I am stronger then most? As for that set screw, get rid of it and fit the head too the handle the right way. Use a good wood rasp and sand paper, it will take some time, since hickory is a hard wood. And its called a Hammer. So two tools in one, and the hammer is also a very effective weapon. I have heard this called the Magnum of Tomahawks, nothing wrong with that. I've been carrying a Tomahawk when I go hiking since the mid 80's and its top notch for fire wood prep. You do an okay job with your video. But need to watch other YouTube video's on this hawk. So clean off the black paint that comes on it, and brown it like they did back in the day.

[rollingstoners]

Liked first halve of the video, liked the little history lesson. You lost me the second halve. To heavy to use as a tool or to go hicking? 1 kilo is to much to carry around? Hit the gym! Also no clean cuts? Sharpening the edge most of the times helps with this problem 😅

[SeenBeatleofDoom]

Tomahawks are like machetes. There is always a place for it in warfare and survival tools. Cold steel tools are good for the price.

[longrider]

Well maybe if you sharpened it, like all the rest of us did. Mine has a wicked 24 degree edge on it. It wont shave hair off my arm. But it does a job of cutting wood and that's what I use it for. As for a weapon. Yes I would, but then again. I've been hand cutting fire wood with a full sized axe and a bow saw for years. So I might be stronger then you.

[TRPufnStuf]

1st you paid too much. I paid $31 brand new.
2nd why compare it to a modern hawk? It's modelled after a 1800's
hawk.
3rd the black can be removed.
4th it's not made to be chopping water bottles. Lol
Try going out into the woods and using it for what its intended to do. I do and find it a very effective tool when used for what it was meant to do.

[vpowpow]

Love my Pipe and Trail Hawks… couldn’t stand this hawk. It’s a clunky mess. Sold it, never looked back.

[CatHound]

Ok but I can't get over you throwing it into that beautiful wood shed. Learn the art of sharpening and find a DEAD tree.

[JoseLay]

Man the background music is so, so annoying. if you want to use music, make it a very, very low volumen.