The Strider SMF is a framelock folding knife that was specifically developed for

Det One The Marine Corps Special Operations Command Detachment One, also simply known as Det One, was a pilot program of attaching a permanent unit of the United States Marine Corps to the United States Special Operations Command. It was commanded by Col ...

, the first unit of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

(USMC) under the

United States Special Operations Command The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Ar ...

(SOCOM). The Strider SMF was the first knife issued to an individual USMC unit in over 60 years and the first tactical folder issued within the USMC.

Materials and construction

The SMF knife is manufactured by

Strider Knives Strider Knives, Inc. is a custom and production knifemaking facility headed by Mick Strider based in San Marcos, California. Materials and design Strider Knives makes folding knives and fixed-blade knives, using metals such as ATS-34, CPM S30V ...

Escondido, California Escondido is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. It has a population of 151,038 as of the 2020 census. Et ...

. The knife features a

drop point Drop, DROP, drops or DROPS may refer to: * Drop (liquid) or droplet, a small volume of liquid ** Eye drops, saline (sometimes mydriatic) drops used as medication for the eyes * Drop (unit), a unit of measure of volume * Falling (physics), allow ...

flat ground tiger striped blade of CPM S30V steel. The handle is composed of a fire

anodized Anodizing is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts. The process is called ''anodizing'' because the part to be treated forms the anode electrode of an electr ...

titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resista ...

frame, oil impregnated bronze bushings, an oversized pivot screw in diameter, and a textured G10 glass-reinforced plastic scale with an incorporated backspacer. The

NATO Stock Number A NATO Stock Number, or National Stock Number (NSN) as it is known in the US, is a 13-digit numeric code used by the NATO military alliance, identifying all the 'standardized material items of supply' as they have been recognized by all member s ...

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

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.

MARSOC version

The last time the Marine Corps issued a

knife A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidence ...

to an individual unit was in 1942, when a variation of the

Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife The Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife is a double-edged fighting knife resembling a dagger or poignard with a foil grip. It was developed by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes in Shanghai based on ideas that the two men had while se ...

was redesigned by Lieutenant Colonel Clifford H. Shuey and produced by the Camillus Cutlery Company of

Camillus, New York Camillus is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 24,167 at the 2010 census. The Town of Camillus is west of Syracuse. There is also a village named Camillus in the town. Much of the town is a western suburb of ...

. That knife was called the United States Marine Raider stiletto and was issued to Marine Raiders until the unit was disbanded in 1944.¹ When Det One 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. The SMF knife is marked with the date of the Marine unit's activation (030620 or 20 June 2003) as well as "DET-1" on the frame. In addition, the military version bears the insignia of the Marine Raiders. 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. There are several small differences between the military and civilian versions of this knife. Military issued knives had no letter in the serial number, whereas the civilian counterpart was preceded by a "C" in the serial number. Approximately 12 prototype models were produced with an "XM" preceding the serial number. The Marine version also features a

coyote brown Coyote brown is a color, often used in military camouflage. Coyote brown belongs to the dull yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575 ...

colored G-10 scale whereas the civilian version's scale is made of black G-10. The Civilian version also lacks the Raider insignia which is stamped on the blade of the Marine version. 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."

Users

* :

References

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 Fairbairn–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."

External links

Strider Knives, Inc. official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strider Smf

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...