Kukri questions
 

Hi folks. I have been interested in military history since a young age and have a particular interest in the history and formation of the Nepalese units that have fought within the British Army over the last 200 years. The current formation is known as the Brigade of Gurkhas under which The Royal Gurkha Rifles Regt falls. I'm not going to bore everybody with the history that so fascinates me as it may not be everybody's cup of tea and can easily be found on Wikipedia. However, I was hoping I could get some advice on the traditional Nepalese/Gurkha knife, the Kukri. Given my fascination with the military history of the Gurkhas, I would love to myself own one of these wonderful and unique blades. Can anybody offer any advice on how to come by one of these pieces of workmanship and what the legalities of owning one would involve? I have searched for this type of knife for sale online in my home country but found nothing of any authenticity. Could anybody point me in the right direction for sourcing one, preferably used so that it has some history to it and short of me actually flying out to Nepal. (That is on my bucket list but not for a few years yet, and the legalities of bringing a weapon of this sort back into the country via air would be a total nightmare I would imagine).

Thor, you should be careful when buying a kukri, as there are many 'want to look old kukris'.
I dont know how many you have had in you hand, as you dont say so. Neither do you say which country you live in, so it is quite hard to advise you, but rules are getting stricter every year.
You may even have very strict weapon rules in the country you live in - check it, and if there is any ivory on the hilt - check the CITES rules on Google.

There are a number of dealers in antique weaponry who advertise on this site. There websites frequently have links to other dealers in the field. If you don't have the expertise to find or evaluate an object, you might be willing to rely on their experience, and give them the opportunity to locate the objects of your desire.

I know
 

Hello, I can tell you exactly where you can buy new genuine, traditionally made in Nepal Kukris, but that is a commercial information and I should do it via a private message. However, for some unknown reason I cannot send you any private message. :shrug:

No problem bringing a Kukri with you from Nepal... unless you try to carry it under your belt or in the hand luggage. ;)

Unless you know what you are doing I advise staying away from eprey. As mentioned many dealers on this site. If you want a historic example and reasonable price but not pretty check out Atlanta Cutlery.

Hello Thor1982,

Welcome to the forum. Plenty of knowledge here, in old posts which may be found via the search engine.

As the other esteemed members already note, your location will give us more of an idea about possible sources of genuine kukri, and the legalities of you being able to obtain one.

I would strongly advise reading up on the subject before parting with any money, so that you can be sure of what you are buying. Take some posts with a pinch of salt, not everybody goes about their research in a sensible manner...

To get you started, here are a couple of old threads which you may find useful, the second is an outside link to another forum (IKRHS) where I recently edited a useful thread by Andreas Volk which shows you what to avoid in the military kukri line. (I hope that is OK with the Mods here?)

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=20415

http://www.ikrhs.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1205

If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask them here, or via PM, and I will be happy to assist.

Kind regards,

Chris

I have never handled a Kukri. I live in South Africa which has much less rigid laws regarding knives but I would have to look into the law regarding importing knives. I would certainly be cautious of anything with ivory. thanks for your input.

Thanks Bob, that would make sense. I'll take a look.

Thanks mariusgmioc. Not sure is going on with the pm. I will try sending you one instead.

Thanks for this Chris. I'll make sure to do my research before making any decisions as advised. Cheers.

Any help I can give please ask away, you can also have a look at this group for genuine Historical info, the very best Simon
Historical kukri

Always a pleasure to be of service.

I am reliably informed that a much needed book on the subject is well underway, by probably the only individual equipped to make such a study.

I for one cannot wait to read it.

All the best,

Chris