Yet another blem from uncle Bills blem box. And as usual I am not suer what was wrong with this beautiful khukri to label it as a blem. Anyway, I've been looking for M43 for quite some time. As soon as I saw it on sale I went for it immediately. 3 more days and I've had this gorgeus blade in my hands. What a beauty :) This M43 is 17 inches long instead of usual 18. Made by royal kami Bura. Fine work by fine master, nothing to say. M43 in my opinion is closer to traditional khukri designs compared to many other blades in Himalayan Import lineup. For not that's the only leaf shape khukri I have. In short it's a different kukri and I like it a lot.
General
- M43 came in with a standard setup - kukri, sheath, karda and chakma. As usual blades and chakma were covered with grease to prevent rusting. After all nepalese kukris are not made of stainless steel. On the positive side, the butt cap was not separated frmo the handle. Which despite of being a minor problem always is a nice surprise :) Blade was quiet sharp, it was not shaving sharp on the whole length of the edge, but could slice free hanging paper without a problem. Sheath is also nicely done and fits the kukri well. It's not too tight, not too loose. In short it's good. Karda was shaving sharp, with nice convex edge. Less likely that I'll be using it as I always cary more then one small blades on me, but still, that shows how the maker is treatign his product.M43 according to HI website is a modernized version of MK II khukri, which in turn was basically WW I design. Handle/blade junction is stringer, pomel is wider and bolster design wa salso improved to ensure greater strength. M43 has more forward balance compared to its predecessor, thus better chopping ability. As HI states the blade can arguablebe considered stronger too. Although I doubt even its original could be anything remotely like a weak blade.
Blade
- As usual, made of 5160 spring steel. 12 inch long, leaf shape, curved blade features convex edge and looks evry nice. Mirror polish finish on M43 is super nice. Remember that it's beign done by hand and you'll appreciate quality and detail a lot better. I've quickly sharpened it to shaving sharpness using soft padded sanding block with 320, \then 600 and finally 1000 grit. As I've mentioned in other reviews multiple times polished edge holds up better for chopping. At least in my experience :) I have not used M43 for anything hard yet. My impression is that it's a great all around khukri. Balance is forward heavy, which is obvious considering khukri geometry, however it's not as pronounced as in 18" AK. That is hardly a surprise, considering that M43 is based on a combat blade, hence potentially it can be used as both, tool and a weapon, while AK is primarily a working (chopping) tool. However compared to either 18" Kobra or 20" Sirupati balance is more forward pronounced in M43. It's not as fast and maneuverable as Kobra or Sirupati, has les reach compard to Sirupati, but on the other hand it's a better chopping tool and more compact, if that's a concern.I'll post updates once I use it more or less seriously. Which may not be too soon, I've already picked up 8 khukris :)
Specifications:
- Blade - 342.90mm(13.5")
- Thickness - 6.35mm
- OAL - 431.80mm(17")
- Steel - 5160 steel at 58-60HRC
- Handle - Horn
- Acquired - 11/2004 Price - 80.00$
Last updated - 05/19/19