Lynn Thompson : President & Founder of Cold Steel Knives
Lynn C. Thompson Blog

Monday, February 28, 2011

Custom 1911

Here are some photos of Master Engraver Rene Ondra putting the finishing touches on Lynn's beautiful new stainless steel, fully engraved Dan Wesson 1911 45 ACP pistol.
Pictures courtesy of Jason Worton of CZ-USA


Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Samson


Acclaimed Dog Handler Ron Mattson with Lynn and Samson

Lynn took his Bullmastiff puppy Samson to be evaluated for show potential this weekend - and he passed with flying colors!
Congratulations Samson!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Story Behind the Boar Hunter


A lot of our customers are hunters, and many of them hunt boar or wild pigs.
These brave individuals have often asked to know more about the origins of our very own Cold Steel Boar Hunter.

Lynn has been collecting all types of knives from around the world for over 20 years.
He often collects knives that serve a specific purpose or perform a certain function and he looks for ways to adapt and improve upon their original role in new and interesting ways.
The evolution of the Boar Hunter is a good example of this process.

Lynn had been looking at the stabbing potential of several knives from different cultures around the world (including knives from Celtic and Chinese origins amongst others) when he hit upon the idea for what would become our “Boar Hunter”.
Each of the knives Lynn had selected had it's own unique characteristics and strong-suits, but the majority of them lacked something that Lynn insists upon - a quality cutting edge.
By adding a hollow grind (running all the way from the tip to the base of the knife), Lynn was able to make a wickedly sharp edge without sacrificing point strength or stabbing potential.
It was then that he knew he had hit on something special.

Lynn took the prototype on his next hunting trip to Australia and whilst there, used it to dispatch several large boar.
Pleased with the results, Lynn returned to the USA and began improving upon the design.
He knew he had made a fiendishly sharp and highly penetrative blade that was nigh-on perfect for hunting wild boar – and all he needed now was the perfect handle to accompany it.
After numerous tests using existing Cold Steel handles, the prototype's long, wide blade was combined with the handle from our OSS – a strong, sturdy handle that was ergonomically designed to aid the grip while thrusting.

The newest incarnation of the prototype performed remarkably well in further hunting expeditions. The wide Celtic Style blade cut beautifully and the long slanted tip seemed to naturally feed itself forwards into the thrust.
The hollow grind proved essential to the process, offering next to no resistance, sliding effortlessly into the biggest and meanest boar.
The OSS handle's integral double guard and sub-hilt stopped the hand from sliding up the blade and the Kraton handle performed admirably regardless of weather conditions, giving a secure and extremely comfortable grip.
The razor sharp edge of the newly dubbed “Boar Hunter” also enabled Lynn to field dress and dismember boar with exceptional ease.

Therefore, it was with great pride that Lynn introduced the Boar Hunter to our Hunting and Outdoor range.

See for yourself the awesome cutting and stabbing power of the Boar Hunter:



For definitive proof of the incredible grip offered by the OSS handle (as used on the Boar Hunter), watch the end of the following clip:
WARNING - GRAPHIC FOOTAGE



Visit our website to find out more about our Boar Hunter and other Hunting and Outdoor Knives.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Prototyping the Sword Breaker


This year we are proud to reveal our new Polypropylene Sword Breaker Trainer.

Lynn discovered an antique Sword Breaker on a trip to China a few years ago and he immediately saw the potential in this relatively obscure but powerful weapon.
Lynn made several prototypes of the Sword Breaker based on his notes taken in China, modifying it to his own exacting standards and improving the quality of the materials, making it stronger and more resilient before finally adding a needle sharp stabbing point.

Lynn gave his prototype to James Houston, (a fellow martial artist and friend of Cold Steel) to put it through it's paces. James broke Chinese Gim, Japanese Katana and numerous Western Swords (amongst others) with this devastating weapon.
By regularly training with the prototypes Lynn constantly adapted and improved upon the design until he was completely satisfied. The result of this research our Carbon Steel Sword Breaker has been a popular and much loved product for several years.



When developing a polypropylene trainer counterpart for our Sword Breaker, Lynn came across several design challenges. It had to be bigger and thicker than it's Carbon Steel brethren whilst still being comfortable to grip. Lynn was adamant that the trainer be made from one solid piece (rather than separate interlocking elements) and that it be remarkably lively in the hand and not simply a blade heavy bludgeon – in other words it must replicate the exceptional balance and liveliness of the original as closely as possible...

photos of the unfinished prototype



Lynn found it to be intuitive to use and incredibly effective, especially when used “with commitment”.
He found by utilising his many years of experience in Kali (Filipino Martial Arts) as well as in Saber fighting he could heavily beat the blades of his opponents, breaking or bending their swords with one fell swoop!
By literally beating the opponents weapon out of the way (often damaging or even destroying it at the same time!) he was able to wreck their nerve and concentration; destroying their composure just as surely as he destroyed their weapon.

No-one was ready for just how effective the Sword Breaker was. Lynn was able to literally impose his will upon his opponents, crashing in, breaking their rhythm and damaging arms and legs just as easily as he damaged their blades.

As Lynn is never unarmed, he rarely trains one weapon. He began training two-handed with the Sword Breaker and a Shanghai Shadow, using the long range Sword Breaker to close distance and dominate his opponents weapon then attack their weapon arm with the Shanghai Shadow (effectively trapping their arm for a fraction of a second) before delivering the coup de grace with either the Sword Breakers' heavy edge or sharp point.

Lynn was so pleased with the Sword Breaker that he pronounced it “a bona fide wrecking machine!”

We are proud to announce this incredibly powerful training tool in our 2011 line up to compliment our incredibly popular Carbon Steel Sword Breaker.

Visit coldsteel.com for more info.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Superbowl Shoot

I go shooting every Sunday to practice new techniques and to stay sharp.
As it was the Superbowl we cut the day short and only stayed out for two and a half hours instead of the usual four or five. The weather was pretty good and we got plenty of practice in.

A lot of people have asked online about what I shoot, so here you go.
This Sunday I shot:

Handguns

50 rounds - Kimber .45 Auto
50 rounds - 1911 "Gunsmoke" (by Rich Wyatt in Colorado)
100 rounds - .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum Mountain Revolver
200 rounds – 1911 Kimber 22LR
100 rounds – Freedom Arms Model 252 .22 LR
100 rounds – Glock 17L 9mm
100 rounds – 10 Shot Smith & Wesson Stainless Steel Revolver (4” barrel) .22LR

Ammo

9mm Sellier & Bellot 115 Grain Full Metal Jacket
45 ACP PMC 230 Grain Full Metal Jacket
357Mg Black Hills 158 Grain Jacketed Soft-Points
22LR CCI mini mag

Techniques

I like to vary my ranges and targets every week.
I spent the day concentrating on head shots, shooting from 23yards.
I shot at my metal man target (a full size human silhouette made of steel and sprayed white) and at some very small steel targets (with one and a half inch diameter heads!)

I shoot every Sunday for four or five hours and am always striving to challenge myself and stay sharp.

Enjoy the photos:

My Colt 45ACP was heavily customized by Rich Wyatt at Gunsmoke in
Colorado. The Pistol features a mirror polish, custom frame (reduced width via machining), and lots of extras.


Shooting my custom Gunsmoke 1911 in 45ACP.


Headshots at 23 yards with the Gunsmoke 45ACP built by Rich Wyatt.



Monday, February 7, 2011

Safari Club International 2011

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Safari Club International convention in Reno.
As an avid hunter and gun collector I'd been looking forward to this convention for some time.
Here are some photos from my trip


I enjoyed meeting up with Jason Morton of CZ-USA and master-engraver Rene Ondra and I purchased this beautiful 1911 pistol!


Here's a close up of my incredible Dan Wesson 1911 45 ACP pistol.
Fully engraved stainless steel!
It's a beautiful gun, a fully functional work of art that is destined to be
daily carry pistol. Plus now I have an excuse to buy a Galco holster to go with it!


Here's a photo of me at the Kimber Booth with Dwight Van Brunt.
I'm holding my new 22LR 1911 pistol (the third identical pistol I've bought in the last two years)
A really great gun!
I shoot a Kimber 22LR 1911 200+ times every Sunday.
It's one of my all-time favourite training pistols.


Here I am with Peter Harding and Matt Graham at the Hunt Australia booth.
I booked a three-week hunt in August and will film a new super-exciting hunt DVD while I'm there.


Sterling silver 1911 grips designed by Clint Orms which may be destined for one of my many 1911 pistols.


Pondering the purchase of a 12ga x 12ga and 9.5 x 53 "drilling"at Cabela's booth.
Is anyone able to change 9.53 to 9.62 x 74R?


I dropped by the Wolfe Publishing booth to see Alaska Master-Guide Phil Shoemaker.


I always end up in the middle of the action!

And finally, here are some great examples of the taxidermy on display at SCI!





I really enjoyed SCI, I made some good purchases and met lots of friendly people. I'm already looking forward to next year.

See you there!

Friday, February 4, 2011

The Story Behind The Axe



Lynn is a big fan of Martial Arts movies and has always enjoyed seeing Chinese hatchets being used in Kung Fu films.
The “Axe Gang” have appeared in numerous films over the years, but are probably best remembered from the Stephen Chow classic Kung Fu Hustle

Lynn has been collecting Chinese hatchets for many years and has enjoyed hunting down many variations in size, shape and design.
These hatchets are never mass-produced and each one has it's own nuances in balance and heft.
Lynn worked hard to develop a prototype that took inspiration from the many hatchets in his collection while adding a few of his own unique twists to the designs to make a hatchet truly worthy of the Cold Steel brand.

A multitude of prototypes were made in a variety of materials as Lynn strove to reduce the weight of the hatchet (to a mere 2lbs!) while refining the blade geometry to create an axe head that culminates in two wickedly sharp points - allowing the wielder to strike, stab, gouge and hook with both the top and the bottom of the edge.
A tough hickory handle was produced to make the perfect hard-wearing accompaniment to our new axe head before the new prototype was field tested in Australia.
Lynn was greatly impressed with the new hatchet, as he not only chopped down trees and heavy branches, but was able to shatter the skull of a large bull Buffalo with a single swing!

Lynn has trained extensively with the new Axe Gang Hatchet, sparring not only with one axe, but double-handed with two. He also supplemented the axe with an additional stabbing weapon (a Laredo Bowie or a Shanghai Shadow for two handed training.

Lynn enjoyed sparring with the Axe Gang Hatchet so much that he added a training version of the axe to our 2011 line-up, allowing our customers to train with a less dangerous alternative than the ferociously sharp original.


We are proud to announce the Axe Gang Hatchet and it's training counterpart to our 2011 line up.

Lynn has big plans for his Axe Gang Hatchet and will be releasing more exciting information, photos and video clips in the near future.

Visit our website for more news of our fantastic 2011 line up.

www.coldsteel.com/