PMCI - January 2018
Welcome to the first issue of PMCI for 2018 and we're kicking off with two very special reports! First up we speak to a man who has made the protection of our endangered species his mission and he tells us all about working "hands on" with a first rate anti-poaching team in Africa. Trampas also brings us a great interview with some top gunsmiths in the USA and asks them "what does the future hold" for the industry and for their very special creations. With yet more focus on equipment and training, there's a great new year ahead for the PMCI Team and for you, our readers!
Welcome to the first issue of PMCI for 2018 and we're kicking off with two very special reports!
First up we speak to a man who has made the protection of our endangered species his mission and he tells us all about working "hands on" with a first rate anti-poaching team in Africa. Trampas also brings us a great interview with some top gunsmiths in the USA and asks them "what does the future hold" for the industry and for their very special creations.
With yet more focus on equipment and training, there's a great new year ahead for the PMCI Team and for you, our readers!
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visits to the base ranges to full-auto training down the street at<br />
the world famous JIM’s Guns indoor range.<br />
From this wealth of knowledge and training mecca, two such<br />
highly decorated retired Special Forces NCOs turned knife makers<br />
were discovered just a few miles from Fort Bragg’s back gate in<br />
the sleepy town of Southern Pines, NC. The company, Spartan<br />
Blades is now world renowned for producing thousands of blades<br />
for special military forces and private contractors around the<br />
globe. Founders Curtis Iovito and Mark Carey were both Army<br />
Special Forces snipers and have worked overseas as contractors on<br />
personal security details for well-known government agencies.<br />
With Spartan Blades being located close to Fort Bragg, they<br />
actively keep in contact with active duty SF soldiers, allowing<br />
them to stay current on what is needed in terms of combat/<br />
survival knives. Spartan Blades is also known for collaborating<br />
with other highly qualified experts in the design of their knives.<br />
For two of Spartan Blades most famous and award-winning<br />
knives, the Difensa and the George V-14 Dagger, they turned to<br />
Oregon knife-maker Bill Harsey and Les George from Mississippi.<br />
SPARTAN – HARSEY DIFENSA<br />
I want to start off by looking at the Spartan Harsey Difensa. This<br />
blade was born from the collaborative work between Spartan<br />
Blades and knife making legend Bill Harsey. Given the experience<br />
and knowledge of both Mark Carey and Curtis Iovito combined<br />
with Bill Harsey, regardless if it was a knife, hammer or bottle<br />
opener, you could best bet it would be the most thought out<br />
and purpose-built tool possible purely based off their previous<br />
successes. These three men all have walls full of the awards and<br />
accolades well-earned over the years for their creations for both<br />
civilian and military markets.<br />
The Difensa is a rock-solid knife specially built for a select<br />
modern Canadian special forces group. This purpose-built blade<br />
aptly takes its name for a legendary US / Canadian WWII joint<br />
unit, the First Special Service Force in which the current Canadian<br />
and US special forces can both trace their roots to. This unit, also<br />
known as the Devil’s Brigade saw its first combat against two<br />
heavily fortified Nazi positions in the Italian mountains, one<br />
being Monte La Difensa and the other Monte La Remetanea.<br />
These brave men demonstrated the value of their special skills<br />
and training taking these two critical positions and notched their<br />
place in history. This special unit, this knife appears to represent<br />
them well in Harsey’s overall design and high-quality materials<br />
used for its construction. Measuring 11 5/8” overall with a blade<br />
length just over 6”, the knife is built from CPM S35VN steel, often<br />
referred to as a “super steel” for its durability, hardness and edge<br />
retention. Offered in black or flat dark earth, the test sample<br />
arrived in the black SpartaCoat PVD.<br />
Most of the blade’s field testing came from our private training<br />
grounds known as The Swamp. Aptly named for the standing<br />
water, thick underbrush, dense Palmetto bushes and hardwoods.<br />
Some days during the summer here, you can almost swing a<br />
KNIVES AND TOOLS<br />
pmcimagazine.com
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