Strider SMF

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Strider SMF
"Numbered Civilian Version (C0060) of the Strider MARSOC SMF"
Type	Folding Knife
Place of origin	San Marcos, California, USA
Service history
In service	USMC
Used by	DET-1
Wars	War on Terror, Operation Iraqi Freedom
Production history
Designer	Mick Strider & Duane Dwyer
Designed	2002
Manufacturer	Strider Knives
Produced	2003 through present
Number built	300+
Variants	MARSOC Numbered Version, Civilian Numbered Version, Unmarked Version, NSN Knife
Specifications
Length	9"
Blade length	4"

Blade type	Drop point S30V Steel
Hilt type	G10 and 64AVL Titanium
Scabbard/sheath	Cordura Pouch or Pocket Clip

The Strider MARSOC SMF is a framelock folding knife that was specifically developed for the USMC's first SOCOM Unit: Detachment 1. The Strider SMF was the first knife issued to an individual US Marine Corps unit in over 60 years and the first Tactical Folder issued within the USMC.

1 Materials and Construction
2 MARSOC Version
3 References
4 Footnotes
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Materials and Construction

The SMF knife is manufactured by Strider Knives of San Marcos, California.^[1] The knife features a 4" drop point flat ground tiger striped blade of S30V steel. The handle is composed of a fire annodized titanium frame, oil impregnated bronze bushings, an oversized pivot screw 0.19" in diameter, and a textured G10 fiberglass scale with an incorporated backspacer.^[2] The National Stock Number (NSN) for the SMF knife is 1095-01-531-5015.

The latest version of this knife (generation 2 and above) includes the Hinderer Lockbar Stabilizer, a mechanism designed by custom knifemaker Rick Hinderer and licensed for use by Strider. The lockbar stabilizer is a metal disc contained in the titanium lockbar which is designed to preserve the life of the framelock by preventing overtravel and flex. The original knives designed for the Marines' SOCOM unit in 2003 do not include this feature, but subsequent versions do.

[edit] MARSOC Version

The last time the US Marines issued a knife to an individual unit was in 1942 when a variation of the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife was redesigned by Lieutenant Colonel Clifford H. Shuey and produced by the Camillus Cutlery Company of Camillus, New York. That knife was called the US Marine Raider Stiletto and was issued to Marine Raiders until the unit was disbanded in 1944.^[3]¹

When DET-1 was formed and their equipment being chosen they decided not to use the traditional Marine Ka-Bar nor did they go with a dagger design as the Marine Raiders had been issued 60 years previously. Instead they chose Strider's SMF folding knife as their issued blade.^[4]

The MARSOC SMF knife is marked with the date of the Marine unit's activation (030620 or June 20, 2003) as well as "DET-1" on the frame. In addition, the Military version bears the insignia of the Marine Raiders.^[5]

The initial run of this model consisted of 300 knives. 150 for the men in the unit and 150 similarly marked knives for collectors whose purchase offset the cost of the knives for the military.^[6] There are several small differences between the military and civilian versions of this knife.^[1] The Military issued knives began with an "M" in the serial number, whereas the civilian counterpart was preceded by a "C" in the serial number. The Marine version also features a Coyote Brown colored G-10 scale and backspacer, whereas the Civilian version's scale and backspacer is made of black G-10. The Civilian version also lacks the Marine Raider Insignia which is stamped on the blade of the Marine version.^[1]

After rigorous field testing, including parachute jumps, the unit's Commanding Officer, Colonel Robert Coates remarked that the knife was "selected by, built for, and issued to the Marine Corps SOCOM Detachment."^[7]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c Larsen, John A.(2003)"Strider Marine Special Ops Folder", Tactical Knives Magazine, September
^ Gardner, James. (2005)"Duel of the Titans: two exceptional folders exemplify state-of-the-art",Guns Magazine, June 2005.
^ Rogers, Patrick A.(2003)"Marines New SOCOM Pistol", SWAT Magazine, December 2003 page 52
^ Raiding the Past: New spec-ops unit harks back to WWII Raider battalions, Marine Corps Times, October 2003
^ "Model #SMF: Strider Knives", American Handgunner Magazine, March 2004
^ Haskew, Mike.(2006)"At the Heart of the World Class", Blade Magazine, Volume 31, Issue 5.
^ Haskew, Mike.(2006)"The Big Uglies", Blade Magazine, Volume 31, Issue 9. Page 25

[edit] Footnotes

Note 1: According to Pat Rogers: "An example of this is the fact that for only the second time in Marine Corps history, a knife was selected by, built for and issued to a specific Marine Corps unit—the Strider MCSOCCOM. The Marine Raiders of the Second World War, from which the Det has traced its lineage, were the first to have a knife made for them. This was the USMC Stiletto, made by Camillus Cutlery, a copy of the Fairburn/Sykes Fighting Knife, with 14,370 made. (The second Raider Bn adopted the Collins #18 Bowie knife—a commercial knife not made especially for them. Commonly called the “Gung Ho” knife, less than one thousand were issued."