Now, the OPD Air Support Unit issues a DB to all aircrew. With a DB, they were quickly able to force the door out of the frame. Ontario PD tested the problems with the doors on a Hughes 500. The doors wedged shut, trapping the crew until the doors could be pried open. In another incident, a Hughes 500 suffered another hard, unplanned landing. Fortunately, nearby citizens assisted in extracting the crew. While the helo remained upright, it caught fire. They hit hard enough that the seatbelts had tightened up and they could not un-strap themselves. At 70 feet above the ground, their engine quit on them. Ontario PD’s chief helicopter pilot and chief mechanic took one of their helicopters on a post-maintenance test flight. On the right, a current production model, one of the Ontario PD Air Support Unit models and the DB-L NSN as issued in the USMC Assaulters Kit. On the left, top to bottom, are an early production version, the Gunner Grip and a prototype DB-L made for a firearms manufacturer. Duane has said, “You don’t shave with a splitting maul, and you don’t split logs with a straight razor.” The mission drives the design. This little triangle cuts as well as the long edge on the bottom of the blade. Most cutting by the Americanized tanto is done where the two angles come together on the bottom of the blade in the front. The forward edge gets driven through objects and needs to be ground at an angle that will not chip during penetration and prying. The front end of the blade is not necessarily “dull,” but it won’t be shaving sharp. #STRIDER KNIVES 1911 GRIPS FULL#The spear point blade did not reach its full thickness for an inch and a half. I compared a DB to a spear point Strider I carried overseas. This tanto tip blade reaches full thickness within the first 3/9-inch. The tanto-style blade was chosen for its monstrous tip strength. Duane views S30V (14% chromium and 4% molybdenum) as the best choice for this blade given the environment and user-the war fighter.Ī deep choil was added to prevent the hand from running forward onto the blade when thrusting, rather than relying on a hand guard. One of the first production DBs, this blade might have one or two stories to tell. The end result was the Strider DB (Darryl Bolke). A benefit is that, when the knife is handled in a point-forward grip, this angle cut rests the tang in the palm. The full-length tang was specifically cut for a reverse angle grip. Duane did not recall seeing a grip cut with a reverse angle before this project. They felt that a folder would give visual and auditory indications when deployed. Neither Darryl nor Duane wanted a folder. Duane credits his views on knives to a Marine Corps officer who said, “A knife is a problem-solving tool.” Rex Applegate, and blades used by the Marine Raider Battalions and the 1st Special Service Force. He looked at the work of Fairbairn and Sykes (Shanghai Police), Lt. Duane’s background includes service as a Marine and a commercial hardhat diver.ĭuane previously studied historical daggers and fixed blades. Darryl is responsible for an extensive edged weapons program at his former agency and is a very sentient tactical thinker.ĭarryl worked with Duane Dwyer, half of the Strider Knives team, on the design of the new knife. The designer is a friend, Darryl Bolke, a retired Ontario, California police officer. Got to love a blade that can fix a jammed mini-gun! Photo courtesy Oliver Wingate.Īt this point I need to insert a caveat. Note that “RESCUE” is stamped into the blade. One USAF Air Rescue Squadron purchased several DBs for their enlisted aircrew prior to heading to Afghanistan in late 2001. Knowing exactly what he wanted, he designed a new tool that would meet the above criteria. The dimensions of the trauma plate pocket were used as a guide for size. The shape was close to what he wanted, but the WB was too big for uniformed carry. The officer’s search warrant gear had a Strider WB fixed-blade knife on it. This tool needed to be capable of prying and impromptu breaching, yet functional as an edged weapon. In the mid-1990s, a California officer-whose jurisdiction included three interstates, an international airport, major truck stops and a rail line-identified the need for a new tool. From time to time, circumstances arise that result in a solid piece of gear being developed.
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