The Mad Duo attended Darley Defense Day held by Darley Defense near Ft. Polk last week and they promised us a couple of reviews. The first review is the Rifleman’s Tool, designed by none other than Walter “Blackie†Collins and coming to the fighting public via Tactical International. So, without further ado, here is their review.
We’re working on a full-blown, in-depth review right now but thought we’d give you the low-down quick and dirty now: this knife is COOL, and it really is more than just a knife—it’s a tool that may be the coolest thing that’s come along (at least in the category of lethal or hard-working cutlery) since the first multi-tool. Now, it’s not a Swiss Army Knife with a vast array of nifty gadgets, so don’t expect that. This piece of kit chooses a few things to do, specifically (as the name implies) for the rifleman, and it does it well.
The Rifleman’s Tool auto-deploys a strong 4†tanto style blade (non-auto versions coming), with the inestimable Mr. Collins’ signature on the side. Inside the body of the knife are several extremely useful implements for a rifle-shooter (particularly if the shooter is also an emergency responder). There’s a front sight adjustment tool, an aluminum shell extractor designed to avoid damage to the locking lugs on the M4 (you’ve seen it happen when someone grabs a multi-tool or a pair of pliers to do it), and a fire-starter that can also be used on the take-down pins to disassemble the weapon. All of these latter tools are accessed by unscrewing the threaded carbide glass-breaking pieces at the end of the knife.
(Sorry about the pictures: our minion was distracted and wasn’t doing such great work with the camera.)
The only thing some people might not like is going to be the price—we’ve seen it as high as nearly $400, averaging about $350 depending upon the retailer. Now, that’s actually not a bad price for a tool of this quality and potential usefulness, but you’re going to have to wrap yourself around the fact that you get what you pay for. This may also be the time you need to use the “yeah but look how many pairs of shoes you have!†argument with Household-6 in order to justify the expense. Note: Going Loud Tactical Outfitters carries the Rifleman’s Tool and is apparently running a special for a little while; enter SoldierSystems as a coupon code at checkout for 15% off the Rifleman’s Tool ($250.00 retail at Going Loud)…we’re not sure how long it’s supposed to last.
The Rifleman’s Tool is also available at Tactical International ($450.00) and DPMS Inc. ($378.00). Rumor has it that Darley Defense may also be offering the tool, but as of this date we couldn’t confirm that.
If you’d like to read a little more about it, Police Magazine did a review here. Otherwise, check back here because there is definitely more to follow!
If you have any ideas for us to review or discuss, drop us a line at Breach-Bang-Clear or FaceBook.com/MadDuo; unless you’re going to complain about our opinions, writing style or philosophy (or you’re a sissy) in which case don’t bother. We’ve got upcoming articles on a half a dozen really cool new pieces of kit and a picture of when we were coined by GW of Tactical Tailor, so it would behoove you to PAY ATTENTION.
MAD DUO OUT!
