I think the 5.5% Tungsten in M4 does a lot for toughness.
You don't see Tungsten in the normal plethora of blade steels being used today.

A lot of the steels being used have trouble getting to 60-62Rc. The variation in
chemistry of steels require specific schedules for proper heat treatment. They all have upper
limits to the hardness they can achieve and not all perform the same at similar Rc either.

I may have to drop one on cement floor just to see what happens.
My knives are mostly made for processing flesh and organic materials, so I
don't currently do any cold chissel or crow bar tests on them.

I was told by some who know that a lot of competition blades are made from M4.

Anyhow, I have been pondering on this project for several years so........
I am sure that a couple of my knife looney friemds will give them a good test.
Tim

Last edited by michiganroadkill; 01/08/18.
"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."
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At Khe Sanh a sign read "For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the protected never knew".