True accounts of McCann products at work and “play.”My Puffin Magnum: by Alex Saenz, 2nd Ranger BattalionThis is my story about the Puffin Magnum knife that my dear Wife bought for me in 2004. If you are trying to decide if this knife is worth the money, then read on. I was in 2nd Ranger Battalion from 2000-2006. I was lucky enough to be in the unit's first 7 combat deployments in support of the GWOT; three in Iraq and four in Afghanistan. I served my last five tours as a Squad Leader. The unit was thinking about issuing knives to all of us and this was one of the ones chosen to be tested (they eventually decided to use the money for something other than knives). I told my wife about the Puffin Magnum and she surprised me with one in 2004. Like all good Ranger wives, she always wanted me to "have the best", so that I could come home to her. Now, I don't know who's reading this, but if you don’t know, Rangers are famous for BREAKING just about everything! It's kind of what we do for a living. We could find a way to break an anvil. I used this knife hard and wasn’t able to seriously damage it! The best I did was to notch the blade a little after hitting the spine of the knife with a hammer to cut through some wooden dowels on a concrete floor. After sharpening, the notch is gone. I've used the spine to knock off small padlocks. I've pried open doors, ammo crates, door hasps, locked trunks and suitcases, dug into mud walls and rocky ground, and I once even punched through a light skinned metal car door (before the interpreter brought me the keys). The tip did not break! I've used it to cut brush for clear lanes of fire for my machine gun teams, and cut grass for us to lay on for insulation. I've even used it to cut firewood; not a chore that you could easily do with just any knife. It's even been used to cut Explosive Cutting Tape (ECT) for breaching charges. I tried out a number of different fixed blades prior to 2004 and none of them gave me the same level of performance or confidence. With all of my different "fighting knives" I was reluctant to cut anything other than 550 cord for fear of messing them up. I needed a TOOL as well as a weapon. War is tough on your equipment. If you are looking at one of McCann's knives for a son or daughter in the service, be assured, it will be the LAST knife they will ever need. From conducting a Sensitive Site Exploitation (searching a house for explosives, info, etc.), to breaching and just about anything a soldier could think of doing, these knives will finish the job. For those of you who worry that the Puffin Magnum is too large for your kit; they have the Fighter and the Puffin Wave. I was able to handle both of these weapons and they would fit on just about anybody's kit. The Puffin Wave especially held my interest. Same tough steel as my trusted Puffin Magnum, more compact, with the same ability to do any of the things I mentioned above. After my lovely wife said I couldn't "Play Cowboys and Indians" anymore (something about having 4 kids, blah blah), I started contracting overseas for Uncle Sam. I still have "kit" and the same need for a trusty tool. I'm sad to say that I haven't taken my Puffin Magnum with me "over there" because I have to use commercial airlines once I'm stateside, and I'm afraid of it being "misplaced" when going through security (I've had one or two things come up "missing"). It's been through a lot with me and is irreplaceable. I'd like to think I could talk my wife into maybe "surprising" me with a Puffin Wave! But I don't think I'd ever be able to finish the honey-do list for that one. She'd just say,"you already told me no knife could be better than the one you have!" The care and attention to detail that you folks put into your products says a great deal about ALL of you. It’s people like you who made and still make "Made in America" mean the best quality products out there. No fanatic patriotism in that statement; your work proves it to be a fact. Folks should know about the man hours involved in making just ONE of your blades. It really impressed the hell out of me and has given me a new appreciation for the craftsmanship that's gone into the making of my weapon. On the Puffin page I see the comment about the VHG being done on a 90,000 dollar machine. Even though you are using high-tech equipment, these are still custom, handcrafted knives. People like to have that feeling of "Old World" Craftsmanship. I'm nobody special* but I hope that my words help people decide to give you guys a try. Take care and God Bless. RLTW! Alex Saenz * We would like to disagree with that sentiment. Our Rangers are VERY special and we here at home appreciate everything they are doing for us.2011 Oregon Sniper ChallengeMcCann Industries joined the team of sponsors for this year’s Oregon Sniper Challenge. The competition featured realistic scenarios fully testing sniper skills, including one of the more challenging aspects of sniping...precision shooting from a moving helicopter.Teams from the military, law enforcement, the secret service, and industry took part.
True accounts of McCann products at work and “play.”
My Puffin Magnum: by Alex Saenz, 2nd Ranger Battalion
This is my story about the Puffin Magnum knife that my dear Wife bought for me in 2004. If you are
trying to decide if this knife is worth the money, then read on.
I was in 2nd Ranger Battalion from 2000-2006. I was lucky enough to be in the unit's first 7 combat
deployments in support of the GWOT; three in Iraq and four in Afghanistan. I served my last five tours
as a Squad Leader.
The unit was thinking about issuing knives to all of us and this was one of the ones chosen to be
tested (they eventually decided to use the money for something other than knives). I told my
wife about the Puffin Magnum and she surprised me with one in 2004. Like all good
Ranger wives, she always wanted me to "have the best", so that I could come
home to her.
Now, I don't know who's reading this, but if you don’t know, Rangers are famous for BREAKING just
about everything! It's kind of what we do for a living. We could find a way to break an anvil. I used this
knife hard and wasn’t able to seriously damage it! The best I did was to notch the blade a little after
hitting the spine of the knife with a hammer to cut through some wooden dowels on a concrete floor.
After sharpening, the notch is gone.
I've used the spine to knock off small padlocks. I've pried open doors, ammo crates, door hasps, locked
trunks and suitcases, dug into mud walls and rocky ground, and I once even punched through a light
skinned metal car door (before the interpreter brought me the keys). The tip did not break!
I've used it to cut brush for clear lanes of fire for my machine gun teams, and cut grass for us to lay on
for insulation. I've even used it to cut firewood; not a chore that you could easily do with just any knife.
It's even been used to cut Explosive Cutting Tape (ECT) for breaching charges.
I tried out a number of different fixed blades prior to 2004 and none of them gave me the same level of
performance or confidence. With all of my different "fighting knives" I was reluctant to cut anything
other than 550 cord for fear of messing them up. I needed a TOOL as well as a weapon. War is tough on
your equipment.
If you are looking at one of McCann's knives for a son or daughter in the service, be assured, it will be
the LAST knife they will ever need. From conducting a Sensitive Site Exploitation (searching a house
for explosives, info, etc.), to breaching and just about anything a soldier could think of doing, these
knives will finish the job. For those of you who worry that the Puffin Magnum is too large for your kit;
they have the Fighter and the Puffin Wave. I was able to handle both of these weapons and they would
fit on just about anybody's kit. The Puffin Wave especially held my interest. Same tough steel as my
trusted Puffin Magnum, more compact, with the same ability to do any of the things I mentioned above.
After my lovely wife said I couldn't "Play Cowboys and Indians" anymore (something about having 4
kids, blah blah), I started contracting overseas for Uncle Sam. I still have "kit" and the same need for a
trusty tool. I'm sad to say that I haven't taken my Puffin Magnum with me "over there" because I have
to use commercial airlines once I'm stateside, and I'm afraid of it being "misplaced" when going through
security (I've had one or two things come up "missing"). It's been through a lot with me and is
irreplaceable. I'd like to think I could talk my wife into maybe "surprising" me with a Puffin Wave! But
I don't think I'd ever be able to finish the honey-do list for that one. She'd just say,"you already told me
no knife could be better than the one you have!"
The care and attention to detail that you folks put into your products says a great deal about ALL of
you. It’s people like you who made and still make "Made in America" mean the best quality products
out there. No fanatic patriotism in that statement; your work proves it to be a fact.
Folks should know about the man hours involved in making just ONE of your blades. It really
impressed the hell out of me and has given me a new appreciation for the craftsmanship that's gone into
the making of my weapon. On the Puffin page I see the comment about the VHG being done on a
90,000 dollar machine. Even though you are using high-tech equipment, these are still custom,
handcrafted knives. People like to have that feeling of "Old World" Craftsmanship.
I'm nobody special* but I hope that my words help people decide to give you guys a try. Take care and
God Bless.
RLTW! Alex Saenz
* We would like to disagree with that sentiment. Our Rangers are VERY special and we here at home appreciate
everything they are doing for us.
2011 Oregon Sniper Challenge
McCann Industries joined the team of sponsors for this year’s Oregon Sniper Challenge. The
competition featured realistic scenarios fully testing sniper skills, including one of the more
challenging aspects of sniping...precision shooting from a moving helicopter.
Teams from the military, law enforcement, the secret service, and industry took part.
