FOG HORN June 2020

Twobirds Flying Publications

Columbia River Knife and Tool

M40-03 a Kit Carson Design

Copyright 2020, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.

 Columbia River Knife and Tool M40-03 a Kit Carson Design 2020
For those unfamiliar with the IKBS system, think
Columbia River Knife and of dual wheel bearings sandwiching the blade at
Tool M40-03 a Kit Carson the pivot point.

Design
By: Sal Palma

When deploying the blade there is no

Kit Carson left us in 2014 but his legacy lives on
roughness, but as desirable as smoothness is,
through knives like the M40-03 the subject of
even more important is the absence of any side
my review.
to side movement.
Kit began making knives in 1972, the year he
Blade lockup is equally impressive. CRKT uses a
was drafted into the Army. He had a fondness
Deadbolt® Locking Mechanism that provides a
for the flipper style folder and was instrumental
rock-solid blade lockup.
in popularizing the design. He created a number
of utility and tactical knives of which the M16, CRKT describes it as “steel bolts interlock with
M4 and M21 are the most popular. In 2020, the blade when it’s deployed to yield incredible
Columbia River Knife and Tool launched another strength. A prominent button sits at the pivot
Carson design, the M40-03. point for simple, intuitive disengagement
without fingers crossing the path of the blade.”
The M40-03 is an exceptional EDC that is as
A simple visualization will probably help to drive
attractive as it is functional, I’ll call it a
the point home.
gentleman’s folder with industrial strength
capabilities.

As is typical in a number of Kit’s designs, the

M40-03 is a flipper and one of the smoothest
operating pivot points that I’ve had the
opportunity to experience. That smoothness is
directly attributable to the implementation of
the IKBS™ Ball Bearing Pivot System.

Copyright 2020, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.

 Columbia River Knife and Tool M40-03 a Kit Carson Design 2020
With the blade open, dead bolts anchored to M40-03. It’s traditional Carson with modern
the knife liner slip through keyed slots at the technology upgrades.
pivot point; securely locking the blade in place
until released. I found that you can exert -SP
considerable downward pressure on the blade Manufacturer Specifications
without fear of having it close on your fingers.
 Blade Length 3.45" (87.71 mm)
 Blade Edge Plain
 Blade Steel 1.4116
 Blade Finish Bead Blast
 Blade Thickness 0.14" (3.43 mm)
 Overall Length 8.01" (203.35 mm)
 Closed Length 4.60" (116.87 mm)
 Weight 4.20 oz. (119.07g)
 Handle Bolster - 6063 Al | Onlay - Glass
Reinforced Nylon
 Style Folding Knife w/Deadbolt® Lock
 M.S.R.P. $109.99
Disengaging the Deadbolt Locking Mechanism is
as simple as pressing the button at the pivot
point.

The blade is 3.45” of a nicely bead blasted

stainless steel and finished in a hallow ground
plain edge. But what makes the M40-03
characteristic Kit Carson is it very serious spear
point.

What makes this knife so attractive, at least to

me, is its aluminum scales with a glass
reinforced nylon onlay; all mounted on a
stainless steel liner featuring a modest amount
of jimping along the spine.

The pocket clip allows the knife to sit tip up

deeply into the pocket and is reversible for right
or left side carry.

The M40-03 carries on Kit Carson’s legacy. It

won’t replace the M16 or the M21, but their
DNA is evident in this newly introduced Carson
folder. If you like Carson blades you’ll like the

Copyright 2020, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved