Afghanistan Operation Enduring Freedom Gurkha Khukuri -11” Blade – Ex Gurkha Khukuri House
Back Ordered
Price range: $52.00 through $89.99
- Shipping estimated at checkout
- Every blade inspected before shipping
- Class
- Battle Ready
- Overall Length
- 16 3/8''
- Weight
- 2 lb 0.9 oz
- Brand
- EGKH
- Culture
- Nepalese
Overview
Afghanistan Operation Enduring Freedom Gurkha Khukuri -11'' Blade - Ex Gurkha Khukuri House
The Afghanistan Enduring Freedom Operation Khukuri by Ex-Gurkha Khukuri House is a beefy Kukri that is the current issue blade for the British Gurkhas and was used by them in Afghanistan. It has a blade of 5160 high carbon steel that has been differentially tempered - The spine has a hardness of 22-25 HRC, the body of the blade is 45-46 HRC and the edge has a hardness of 58-60 HRC. The softer spine allows the blade to flex and absorb shock from use and the harder edge helps to keep it keen and resistant to dulling. The blade tang is thick and it is fitted with two slabs of carved and riveted rosewood for a grip. An elongated tang tab has a hole for a lanyard.
The scabbard has a carved core of pinewood that is fitted in place with traditional Nepalese Laha glue. The scabbard has been overlaid with a protective layer of refined water buffalo rawhide leather and it has an integrated small loop of leather fitted to the scabbard tip and a pair of integrated durably vinyl leather belt loops. It comes with the two smaller knives; the karda, a small utility knife and the chakmak which is used a sharpening tool for the larger Khukuri.
Please Note: The scabbard belt loop and scabbard holder may either be made from rawhide or standard leather.
Please Note: Exacting hue and color of rawhide cover on scabbard can vary
The fearless reputation of the Gurkhas was upheld in the recent conflict in Afghanistan; a southern checkpoint in the Helmand Province, held by the solitary vigil of Cpl. Dipprasad Pun was not allowed to fall to the Taliban despite being assaulted by over 30 enemy fighters. Fighting from his rooftop position, Pun weathered fire from assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades for over a quarter of an hour. I had so many of them around me that I thought I was definitely going to die..., he said afterward;...so I thought Id kill as many of them as I could before they killed me.
His reply to the Taliban consisted of over 400 machine gun and rifle rounds, 17 grenades and a detonated mine. At one point he even battered a Taliban militant with the tripod of his machine gun after he had run out of ammunition.
Although the fight was numerically one-sided with the Taliban outnumbering the lone Gurkha at least 30-1, his skill at arms, unyielding resistance and acceptance of inevitable death tipped the scales in the favor of the Gurkha fighter. He held his post until reinforcements finally arrived, driving off or killing the ragged remnants of enemy attack. For his heroic efforts, Cpl. Dipprasad Pun was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross by Queen Elizabeth II.
A third-generation Gurkha, both Dipprasads father and grandfather were Gurkhas.
Specifications
Every measurement that matters
- Brand
- EGKH
- Culture
- Nepalese
- Pommel
- Integrated
- Overall Length
- 16 3/8''
- Blade Length
- 11''
- Weight
- 2 lb 0.9 oz
- Edge
- Sharp
- P.O.B.
- 2 1/2''
- Thickness
- 9.4 mm - 6.6 mm
- Width
- 30.6 mm - 51.7 mm
- Grip Length
- 4 13/16''
- Class
- Battle Ready
- Country of Origin
- Nepal
- Type
- Kukri
Reviews
What collectors are saying
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Video
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Operation Enduring Freedom Khukuri Review
The Maker
EGKH
EGKH, based in Nepal, manufactures high quality kukris (or Khukuris) and other fighting knives. As the official supplier of kukris to the British Gurkha Unit, Marine Corps, Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Indian Gurkhas, EGKH is well versed in providing a good blade. All products are hand forged from high grade carbon steel.
Often paired together
Pretty nice khukuri for it’s price. I brought this when there was no other khukuri from EGKH in stock on the website. Chops really good. Edge does not roll of deform whatsoever. I’ve beaten this through logs to make fire wood for my wood burning stove. Holds up real good to ridiculous abuse. The only thing bad I could say about it is that I had to throw the sheath away and wash the knife and handle a few times because what ever oil they used on the blade had a nauseating maple syrup/ chemical smell. The blade was put in the sheath I’m guessing from you guys when you shipped it to me and the oil from the blade soaked into the leather and I could not remove it. Do not ship these khukuris in the sheath because the oil contaminates the leather. When I order khukuris from nepal the blade is not inserted in the sheath they are wrapped separately. Keep them separate. Otherwise this khukuri is one awesome blade. Thanks for keeping these in stock.
Honestly, the person who left the first review must have just really unlucky, because while my blade WAS packaged in the scabbard, it had a plastic sheet over it, preventing any oil from fouling anything. That, and the oil coating was rather light, and didn’t have any sort of smell to it at all.
With that out of the way, I can 100% say: This thing is a BEAST! Very beefy, very sturdy, and would undoubtedly stand up to almost anything short of bashing it on reinforced concrete (don’t do that, by the way). This is a minor gripe, and not enough to take away a star, because it varies depending on the person, but the handle scales are SLIGHTLY too wide for me, but that’s nothing a bit of sandpaper and elbow grease won’t fix.
However, I do not believe for a SECOND this thing weighs over two pounds. It’s a pound and a half, at max. Not sure how KoA came to their conclusion, but hey, I’m not complaining that it’s LIGHTER than they said it would be… ;)
Overall, a very worthwhile purchase. The chakmak and karda are nice little bonuses, too. Anyone who buys this may want to carry those in a pocket or bag if they’re going to wear the main blade on their belt so they don’t get lost- they’re quite small, and there’s no retaining straps to hold them in place. A common problem with these things, I’ve heard.
Initial impressions.
The sheath it too tight for the blade. I have to wiggle it to get it out and it’s very difficult to get back in. If it were sharp it would dull the edge.
The leather belt loop is very thin and does not feel like it will last.
I think I’ll be better off finding a cheap nylon or maybe kydex sheath.
The utility knife is not much sharper than a butter knife.
The handle needs work to be comfortable in the hand. The tang sticks up past the wood in some areas and has sharp edges. With long use this will lead to blisters or sore spots in the hand.
I will have to sharpen it and put it to use to see how well it cuts and holds it’s edge.