Montana Knife Company, aka MKC, made its brand by producing well-made, super sharp, durable outdoor knives. They arm hunters, hikers, fishermen, and bush crafters. While MKC still produces the majority of their knives for the outdoor adventurous types, they’ve also dipped their toes into the tactical world. They’ve produced a line of tactical knives that are both completely new and adaptions of their popular outdoor knives. Today, we are looking at the Battle Goat. The Battle Goat is an adaption of their famed Goat knife.
MKC makes several different Goats. We have a regular Goat, the Speed Goat, the Goat 2.0, and two tactical variants—the aforementioned Battle Goat and the War Goat. The Goat knives are defined and known for their small size and easy-carrying nature. They are fixed blades designed for utility work and fieldwork. They are a compact, do-it-all knife for most people.
The Goat knives aren’t designed for batoning wood or cutting through underbrush like a machete. Instead, they are designed for the more routine cutting tasks. It’s well suited for cutting rope, opening MREs, stripping clothes to treat a wound, skinning game, etc. The small size makes it perfect for carrying with ease and keeps it out of the way.
The Battle Goat – What’s Different?
How does the Battle Goat differ from the other Goats? What makes an outdoor knife suddenly a tactical knife? First, the grip has been redesigned. The Goat typically used a paracord-wrapped grip. However, MKC ditched the paracord and went with an aggressively textured G10 material that’s tougher and more appropriate for a non-slip grip.
The Battle Goat uses a thicker grip than the War Goat. The War Goat was made for last-ditch defense, to create distance and disable a threat. The Battle Goat can still stab, cut, and create distance, but it is better suited to be used as a tool.
The blade features a cerakote finish and still uses the knife nerd Magnacut steel. I mean that literally. A guy who calls himself the Knife Steel Nerd produced the steel. Magnacut breaks the knife steel rules. It provides excellent edge retention and toughness, which are usually two opposing forces. The blade is also easy to sharpen and corrosion-resistant.
There are tougher steels. There are steels that hold an edge better and steels that are more corrosion-resistant. However, if you want a decent blend of all these, then Magnacut is the way to go.
The Battle Goat comes with a polymer sheath equipped with an Ulti-Clip. This could be easily replaced and swapped for any number of different attachment methods. The sheath is compatible with all the popular systems.
The Battle Goat In Action
The MKC Battle Goat exceeds expectations. Let’s start with the grip. The aggressively textured G10 material locks the weapon in your hand and provides a very stable grip. Even with gloves, the G10 handle provides a solid, locked-on grip. In fact, it might be better suited for use with gloves.
That aggressive G10 grip panel can create hot spots and discomfort. With casual use, it’s not a problem, but sitting around the fire, I worked on stripping the bark off a limb, and after a healthy amount of work, a hot spot developed on my palm and pinky. The thin grip will also cause a little wear on your hands, but that’s to be expected.
The grip itself is designed to conform to the hand. The shape is comfortable, and the rear of the grip has a little tail that wraps around the pinky and helps lock the knife into your hand. The front part of the grip has a choil to tuck your pointer finger into. The jimping on the rear of the blade and the choil provide excellent control.
Slice and Dice
The Battle Goat has a fantastic blade. The old Goat design has remained popular for a reason. It offers a versatile blade that allows for cutting, poking, and more. The aggressive tip makes poking and stabbing easy. The Battle Goat provides a very robust belly that allows for deep slashes and cuts. In fact, the belly provides cutting potential that’s beyond the blade’s overall length.
The Battle Goat blade is 3.5 inches long, and the entire blade provides a deep and capable cutting edge. The blade comes from the factory and is extremely sharp. It slices through rope and twine with ease. It cuts through MRE bags pretty well, which is what tactical knives are often tasked with amongst soldiers.
I have very little fighting knife training and absolutely no experience, so take this with a grain of salt. The belly and cutting edge would deliver some deep and disabling slices in a fight. The edge is ultra sharp, and when preparing my famous chicken tacos, it glided right through the chicken breast. The knife created a very enjoyable and tactile feeling as it turned chicken breasts into chicken strips.
Getting Tactical
The Battle Goat provides a small, lightweight knife that can easily ride on your duty belt or plate carrier. While it could be a weapon, it’s more likely to be a tool for times when cutting needs to get done. In either role, it will most certainly exceed. MKC makes some fantastic knives, and they are changing the landscape of the market; after playing with the Battle Goat, it’s easy to see why.
For more information, please visit MontanaKnifeCompany.com.
