RMJ Tactical

Frequently Asked Questions.

1.  What sets RMJ Tactical’s tomahawks apart from other tactical tomahawks?

 

There are several things that set the RMJ Tactical Shrike apart from other tomahawks and axes on the market:

 

• Design and Engineering
• Materials
• Execution and Manufacturing Processes
• Lessons Learned
• Dedicated and Effective Carry System

 

Design and Engineering

 

Our design process has three components: Initial parameters, Design and Testing.  Our customers supply the initial parameters – what they need the tomahawk to do, the conditions in which they operate and how they intend to carry the tool.  Who are our customers?  SF Operators, Infantrymen, SWAT Teams, and Fire Rescue Personnel are just a few of our broad customer base.

 

Once those parameters are identified, Ryan Johnson, a Mechanical Engineer with over twenty four years experience in forging knives and tomahawks, begins prototyping and testing.  Every design is first modeled in 3D CAD software to help determine overall shape, size and weight distribution.  The center of gravity is a key component in axe design and it is at this stage that the balance of the tomahawk is determined.  The first comment most people make when picking up a RMJ Tactical Shrike is how well balanced the hawk is.  This is not an accident – the 3D software allows Ryan to manipulate the design for the best balance ensuring maximum cutting efficiency.  Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software is used to determine the overall strength of the design and to test virtually the components before it is every built.  Once a design reaches this point actual prototypes are made and rigorously tested by Ryan and several of his military and law enforcement friends.  The results of this testing help Ryan reduce and refine the axe design to exactly what is needed.

 

Materials

 

“How did you select your materials?”  is one of our most frequently asked questions.  The material selection process at RMJ Tactical began with a lot of trial and error in the prototyping phase.

 

Steel

 

We use 4140 “Chrome Moly” steel for our axes.  This material is known for its good fatigue, abrasion and impact resistance.  4140 is used in aircraft forgings, propeller shafts, track pins on tanks and dozers as well as hammers and other tools.  After much research and consulting, we switched to 4140 with a differential heat treat.

 

Handle Material

 

Our handle material is DuPont ST-801 “Super Tough” Nylon.  ST-801 has an impact modifier added to it that gives it 15 times greater impact strength than regular Nylon.  This means the handle can take a lot of abuse.  ST-801 also provides excellent chemical resistance and is an excellent electrical insulator resisting 500 volts per one thousandth of an inch!

 

Scabbard Material

 

We use Kydex® for the scabbard component of our carry system.  Kydex® is tough, nonporous, non corrosive, chemical resistant, fire retardant and offers very good abrasion resistance while absorbing virtually no moisture.  The Kydex® is thermoformed to the shape of our tomahawk which provides retention.

 

Execution and Manufacturing Processes

 

You can have the best design and materials in the world but a poor product if it is not made correctly.  The craftsmen involved making the Shrike ensures the quality of each process.

 

Forging

 

RMJ Tactical “hammer forges” every Shrike with a 4,100 pound air hammer.  Each blow of the hammer shapes the material causing the grain of the steel to flow with the shape of the tomahawk making for the handle instead of a hollow eye.  Most tactical tomahawks are cut from sheets of steel with a water-jet or a laser, ignoring the grain of the steel altogether and thus producing weaker product.

 

Machining

 

Each Shrike tomahawk is CNC machined in-house.  We program the parts and we cut each one constantly inspecting them as they are cut.  Whereas most tomahawk makers contract out their machining processes and programming to other people, we have total control of blade geometry, fit and finish of the final product.  We CNC machine the profile, the chamfer and all of the cutting edges.  This ensures the dimensional consistency and quality of each tomahawk.

 

Heat Treatment

 

A blade cuts only as good as the steel, the edge geometry and the heat treatment that goes into making it.  If one of these factors is neglected or compromised the quality of the blade suffers.  Heat treatment plays a major role in how the Shrike tomahawk performs.  The Shrike goes through seven specific heat treat operations including four tempering cycles.  The entire tomahawk is first hardened and double tempered to a hardness of 30 Rockwell C.  This is an extremely tough and springy temper that gives the tool a lot of shock resistance.  Next the tomahawk cutting edges are through flame hardened and double tempered again to a hardness of 55 Rockwell C.  This hardness is good for cutting into materials such as sheet metal, brick, wood, etc. without losing its edge.  This differential heat treatment, much like that of the Samurai swords of feudal Japan enables the tomahawk to have a tough, shock resistant body with hard cutting edges.

 

Handle Molding

 

The Shrike tactical tomahawk handle is unique.  Our handle has two components: a 12” steel tang and the over-molded handle.  We injection mold over the tang an impact modified nylon (DuPont ST-801®) to form the grip.  The steel tomahawk is actually inserted inside the injection mold and the plastic is shot around the steel and through holes in the tang ensuring the handle is permanently bonded to the steel.  This creates a handle that is both thermally and electrically insulated and is very comfortable.  The RMJ Tactical EOC texture covers both sides of the handle – a texture friendly to both gloved and non gloved users.

 

Scabbard Construction

 

Our scabbards are not only designed in-house, there are completely made in-house as well.  Kydex is cut on a CNC router, molded on shop made fixtures, and assembled.  The molding provides the first stage of retention.  The second stage is provided by a three quarter inch nylon strap with a side release buckle that makes the tomahawk “jump ready”.  Each scabbard is checked before shipping to ensure proper fit to the tomahawk it accompanies.

 

Lessons Learned

 

Customer feedback is essential in a tactical product if improvement is to be made.  It is the “boots on the ground” that truly determine whether a product works or not.  We receive lots of valuable feedback and requests from our customers that we translate into the refinement of what we make.  From different available handle lengths to the offering of a true trainer tomahawk for CQC training, most of our advancements started as suggestions or requests from guys in the field.  A good example of this is our carry system.  We have worked with guys in AFSOC, SF at Ft. Bragg and contractors for the DOD to develop the current scabbard and carry system.

 

Dedicated Carry System

 

The last thing that sets RMJ Tactical tomahawks apart is the carry system.  Far too often people design tools and weapons focusing on use only; the carry and mobility of those tools and weapons being an afterthought.  Early on I was told “If you can’t carry it, you can’t use it.”

Some features of the Shrike carry system:

 

• Dual Retention of the hawk: form fitting Kydex holds the hawk in, as does a nylon strap and buckle
• Every feature is completely ambidextrous including the straps and buckles – all straps and buckles are completely removable
• MOLLE compatible five different ways, comes standard with the patent pending R.U.M.P. (Rigid Universal MOLLE Platform)
• Belt Carry
• Weapon Sling compatible
• Several tie off points configured for 550 cord
• Tomahawk held securely with no rattle
• F1/8” thick Kydex® used to eliminate accidental puncture with spike
• Bottom eject design and Fastex buckle allows quick withdrawal of tomahawk and easy replacement
• Small footprint and comfortable to carry

 

Summary

To sum it up, we think things through.  Tomahawks and the supporting accessories are the only products we make and we take it very seriously.  The superior design and excellence in craftsmanship is evident in every tomahawk we make.

2.  What do you mean when you say “tactical”?

Several years ago, as I was making a special order knife for a SWAT team member, my good friend and resident critic John Hutcheson came by the shop and looked the knife over. “The tip is too narrow and thin,” he said. “It will break if the person using the knife tries to pry something open.” I told John that this knife was not meant to be used as a pry-bar, just for cutting.

John then said something that both defined the word “tactical” for me and, most importantly, changed my design paradigm forever:

“The situations this person finds himself in should determine what this knife is used for. If he needs to cut something, it cuts. If he has to pry a door open, it’s a pry-bar. These are high-energy situations where every second counts. You can’t carry everything you would like to carry – the knife will have to be able to complete a multitude of tasks.”

In a perfect world a soldier or law enforcement officer would have access to all of the tools and weapons he needed – but that just isn’t possible. That is why the tools they carry should meet the following criteria:

• Tough and durable in harsh environments
• Easy to use and carry
• Able to perform as a tool and weapon to assist in the many tasks that soldiers and officers encounter

“What is a tactical tomahawk, and how is it different from a normal tomahawk?”

It takes more than an aggressive look or a gray and black finish to make a tomahawk a tactical tomahawk. Remember, tomahawks were tactical for hundreds of years in their original prime. That is, they met the needs of the soldiers and frontiersman as both a tool and weapon in the battlefield conditions they encountered. Below is the criterion for contemporary tactical tomahawks.

• A tactical tomahawk should be able to withstand modern battlefield conditions. Areas ranging from Salt Lake City Utah Olympics to the Jungles of South America to the rugged mountains in Afghanistan are such locations. (RMJ Tactical tomahawks have been carried in all three).

• A tactical tomahawk should be easy to use and carry. A well-designed tomahawk feels like a natural extension of the arm. The use of it should be intuitive. It is interesting to note that people throughout history have been naturally prone to “hack” with a bladed object. (For more on the subject, read David Grossman’s On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society.)

As for the tomahawk scabbard, it should securely hold the tomahawk in place while making it easy to draw the tomahawk out. Also, the scabbard should have multiple carrying options – always a plus.

· Finally, the tomahawk should be able to perform as an efficient tool and weapon within the many tasks soldiers and officers encounter. A well-designed tomahawk can be used for:

· Chopping (including through doors and locks)

· Cutting

· Digging

· Climbing

· “Rake and break”

· Breaking through brick and cinder block walls

· Punching and cutting through sheet metal

· Punch through body armor, easily reaching target areas of the body

· A come-along

I am proud to make tomahawks that meet these requirements. It is not by chance; it comes from hundreds of hours of design time, customer input, customer requests and testing, testing, testing.
RMJ

3. Why are you always out of tomahawks?

Ryan M. Johnson, who is a blade smith and a mechanical engineer, began making tactical tomahawks individually, by hand, a few years ago for some of our Special Forces personnel. Making a tactical hawk by hand is a very lengthy process, and Ryan is very exacting in his demand for quality, so he was able to only make three to six a month. We have changed the production method in order to have more hawks available, but it is still a lengthy process. There are a number of steps required in the production process, and some of those steps are contracted to specialty shops. If everything goes as scheduled, four months is the length of time a batch should take from the time we order the steel until the hawks are sharpened by hand. If there is a delay between any of the steps, our delivery time is extended. Occasionally, since we are a small company and have relatively small volume, one of those specialty shops has to bump us down on their schedule in order to take care of their mainstay, primary customers. One batch we had within the last three years hit the “perfect storm”. Every step experienced a delay of at least a month. We even had a 10 week wait for the heat treating specialist to recover from a mild heart attack. Why wait? Because he is absolutely the best at what he does. (Remember Ryan’s demand for the highest quality). That particular batch took 11 months to produce. During that time a number of people asked to be placed on a waiting list. At the same time, several striker teams were shipping out to Iraq, and our policy is always to get our hawks to our military men and women first. So when that batch of tomahawks was complete, we shipped all of it out within three weeks. Our slow production growth is to ensure that we don’t sacrifice any quality for quantity.

4. Why not change your process so you can produce more?

We are slowly growing our company and each batch we have made is larger than the last. Many people have approached us with suggestions for how we can increase our production. In some cases we were not sure of the quality of the product their suggestions would produce. In some cases we were sure the quality would suffer greatly (”We can get that produced much faster for you in China.”) Don’t think so! “Made in America” is very important to us. In fact, most of our processes are done within 20 miles of Chattanooga, Tennessee. We are continuing the process we originally developed and we are starting a new process that is going to tremendously increase our production numbers.

5. Why a bottom eject scabbard?

At first, the scabbards were top load and gravity was key to keeping the tomahawks in the scabbard. Then the tomahawks began to be carried by folks that were jumping out of stuff from high altitudes and we began working on designs that would provide a secure hold. About that time, we had a request for a shorter tomahawk that could be a concealed carry under a suit jacket and Ryan developed the bottom eject scabbard for that purpose. The scabbard was designed to have a “pinch” at the bottom to secure the hawk and with a good tug, the tomahawk would release. As more people used the bottom eject scabbard, the more apparent it became that this scabbard worked well for just about everything. There is a knack to a quick release from the scabbard and it is to give the hawk a slight rotation as you pull down. Pull down so the spike rotates out first. It may take a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, the release is a smooth as butter.

6. How do you secure the scabbard?

The scabbard is designed to be ambidextrous and is set up for multiple carry options by using the web slots.  The scabbard can be set up for belt loop, shoulder strap, weapon sling or rigged directly to MOLLE gear, giving you unlimited configurations for securing your hawk to webbing, back packs belts and slings.

7.  How do I clean and care for my Scabbard?

If it gets real dirty he can wash it with soap and water - there is almost no cleaner that will really hurt it. I would remove the straps and wash them separately.
After that let the scabbard air dry and he’s back in business. There is no normal maintenance involved except to ensure that the straps are in good condition. I would probably lightly lubricate the inside of the scabbard every now and then just to make it easier to get in and out.

8.  Are the top or bottom of the spike sharpened?

The edges of the spike ARE NOT sharp. The spike geometry is ground the way it is to provide maximum penetration while maintaining rigidity and strength. While you can certainly hook with the spike there isn’t enough width there to make an edge that would actually cut anything and still maintain its original purpose - to punch through Kevlar.  Also, not having an edge there provides non-lethal hooking for control of an opponent in close quarter combat situations.

The spike as a hole puncher and a hook. There are plenty of cutting edges available mere inches away on the other side.

9.  Is the cross section of the spike on the tomahawk supposed to be symmetrical?

Because the Shrikes are hammer forged and a lot of hand work goes into the grinding and finishing of each tomahawk, each tomahawk is unique.  This can sometimes be seen on the spike.  Due to the hammer forging, some of the spikes are not perfectly symmetrical.  This does not reduce the effectiveness nor the strength of the tomahawk.